Race analysis, favourites, and predictions for Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut 2025

With just three weeks to go until Paris-Roubaix, the Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut takes advantage of its prime spot on the calendar to offer the season’s first taste of the feared cobblestones of northern France.

Held since 1959, the race was reinvented in 2018 with the introduction of several cobbled sectors, making it an ideal testing ground for teams and riders to trial equipment and strategies under real race conditions before the big Roubaix showdown.

 
Route

The race covers 198 kilometers with 1,000 meters of elevation gain. This year, riders will face 13 cobbled sectors, totaling 22.9 km on this challenging surface.

 
Favorites

Big stars usually skip this race due to its proximity to the major Flemish Classics and the risk of an accident in Denain that could end their entire spring season. This often results in either a sprint finish or an outsider surprising the favorites, as happened last year with Jannik Steimle (200)’s victory.

On paper, Arnaud De Lie (800), Sam Bennett (600), Juan Sebastián Molano (600), Max Kanter (400), Stefan Bisseger (400), Anthony Turgis (400), Max Walscheid (400), Mikkel Bjerg (400), Luca Mozzato (400), Dries Van Gestel (400), Hugo Page (400), Florian Vermeersch (200), Dries De Bondt (200), Giacomo Nizzolo (200), Emīls Liepiņš (200)), and Jannik Steimle (200) are among the main contenders.

 
Photo: © Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut