Race analysis, favourites, and predictions for Paris - Tours Elite 2021

The first edition of Paris-Tours was in 1896, which makes it one of the oldest and most prestigious classics on the calendar, although it is not part of the WorldTour. Traditionally considered a race for sprinters, since 2018 it includes 9 sectors on dirt roads among vineyards and some short but steep climbs, so the profile of the candidates for victory has changed.

Route

The route has a total of 213 kilometers. Most of the race is flat, but the 9 dirt tracks and the 5 climbs are concentrated in the last 50 kilometers, so it is more than likely that the peloton will break into a thousand pieces.

Favorites

2020 winner Casper Pedersen (200) and his teammates Nils Eekhoff (400) and Soren Kragh Andersen (600), Greg Van Avermaet (600), Jasper Stuyven (600), Jasper Philipsen (1200), Stefan Küng (800), Christophe Laporte (400), Mike Teunissen (400), Danny Van Poppel (600), Anthony Turgis (400), Florian Vermersch (200), Sep Vanmarcke (200) or Tom Van Asbroeck (200) are some of the main favorites.