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Next Sunday, the 116th edition of Paris-Tours will be held. The race is one of the oldest races on the calendar still contested today, as it was first organized in 1896. In Cycling Fantasy, this classic will mark the end of the annual France 1.Pro classification, which gathers all the category 1.Pro one-day races held in French territory throughout the year.

Although, as mentioned, this is one of the longest-standing events on the current calendar, the race underwent a radical transformation in 2018, when several unpaved paths through vineyards were introduced into the route, creating a course reminiscent of Paris-Roubaix (but with much less severity than the "Hell of the North”).

Route

The route covers a total of 214 kilometers and 1200 meters of positive elevation gain from Chartres to Tours, with the main difficulty lying in the 10 sections on unpaved roads through vineyards (chemins de vigne in French). These sections add up to a total of 10 kilometers on dirt roads, all concentrated in the final 70 kilometers of the race.

Favorites

The race is ideal for resilient sprinters and classics specialists who can handle the dirt sections well. The start list is not yet final, but three days before the race, Arnaud Démare (1000), Arnaud De Lie (400), Christophe Laporte (1000), Kaden Groves (800), Matteo Trentin (600), Biniam Girmay (800), Rasmus Tiller (200), Tobias Johannessen (600), Danny Van Poppel (600), Jasper Stuyven (600), Dylan Van Baarle (400), Tim Wellens (200), Soren Kragh Andersen (400), Mike Teunissen (600), Magnus Cort Nielsen (800), Nils Eekhoff (200), Victor Campenaerts (400), Anthony Turgis (200), Benoît Cosnefroy (400), John Degenkolb (200), Stan Dewulf (200), and Greg Van Avermaet (200) are some of the top favorites.

Photo: © Paris - Tours / A.S.O. / Etienne Coudret