Final Startlist Classic Var 2026 | Riders: Marc Hirschi, Quinn Simmons, Alberto Bettiol, Diego Ulissi, Paul Lapeira and more
Cycling
February in the Var means one thing. Punchy climbs, twisting coastal roads and a peloton packed with riders looking to light up the early European calendar. The third edition of Classic Var returns with a startlist that blends WorldTour pedigree, proven French puncheurs and ambitious ProTeam talent ready to make a statement on home roads.
With the race shifting away from the brutal Mont Faron summit finish that defined its debut and towards a more open, rolling profile in 2026, the tactical picture changes. A reduced sprint is no longer out of the question, but the terrain remains selective enough to reward aggressive racing and late attacks.
There is no shortage of headline names.
Hirschi headlines, French depth runs deep
Marc Hirschi leads the line for Tudor Pro Cycling Team, bringing genuine one-day firepower to a course that should suit his punch and race craft. If the finale comes down to a small group, few in this field can match his finishing speed uphill or on rolling terrain.
French interest is strong once again. Defending podium finisher Paul Lapeira returns with Decathlon CMA CGM Team, while Warren Barguil fronts Team Picnic PostNL in a race that traditionally rewards riders willing to anticipate rather than wait.
There is depth everywhere you look. XDS Astana Team arrive with the experienced trio of Alberto Bettiol, Diego Ulissi and Simone Velasco. Lidl - Trek bring attacking intent through Quinn Simmons, Andrea Bagioli and Bauke Mollema. Bahrain Victorious could look to Phil Bauhaus if it stays together, while Alec Segaert adds another aggressive option.
Final Startlist Classic Var 2026
| Team | Bib | Rider |
| XDS Astana Team | 1 | Simone Velasco |
| 2 | Diego Ulissi | |
| 3 | Alberto Bettiol | |
| 4 | Thomas Silva | |
| 5 | Marco Schrettl | |
| 6 | Nicolas Vinokurov | |
| 7 | Davide Toneatti | |
| Bahrain Victorious | 11 | Phil Bauhaus |
| 12 | Pau Miquel | |
| 13 | Alec Segaert | |
| 14 | Vlad Van Mechelen | |
| 15 | Zak Erzen | |
| 16 | Seth Dunwoody | |
| 17 | Roman Ermakov | |
| Lidl - Trek | 21 | Quinn Simmons |
| 22 | Andrea Bagioli | |
| 23 | Bauke Mollema | |
| 24 | Liam OBrien | |
| 25 | Patrick Boje Frydkjaer | |
| 26 | Jacopo Mosca | |
| 27 | Otto Vergaerde | |
| Team Picnic PostNL | 31 | Warren Barguil |
| 32 | Frank van den Broek | |
| 33 | Bjoern Koerdt | |
| 34 | Frits Biesterbos | |
| 35 | Oliver Peace | |
| 37 | Timo Roosen | |
| Decathlon CMA CGM Team | 41 | Paul Lapeira |
| 42 | Aurelien Paret-Peintre | |
| 43 | Pierre Gautherat | |
| 44 | Antoine Lhote | |
| 45 | Oscar Chamberlain | |
| 46 | Noa Isidore | |
| 47 | Tord Gudmestad | |
| Groupama - FDJ United | 51 | Thibaud Gruel |
| 52 | Ewen Costiou | |
| 53 | Rudy Molard | |
| 54 | Brieuc Rolland | |
| 55 | Kevin Geniets | |
| 56 | Cyril Barthe | |
| 57 | Titouan Fontaine | |
| Lotto - Intermarche | 61 | Milan Menten |
| 62 | Mathieu Kockelmann | |
| 63 | Matys Grisel | |
| 64 | Kamiel Eeman | |
| 65 | Sebastien Grignard | |
| 66 | Wouter Toussaint | |
| 67 | Niels Driesen | |
| Cofidis | 71 | Stanislaw Aniolkowski |
| 72 | Jenthe Biermans | |
| 73 | Clement Izquierdo | |
| 74 | Yael Joalland | |
| 75 | Edoardo Zamperini | |
| 76 | Nicolas Debeaumarche | |
| TotalEnergies | 81 | Joris Delbove |
| 82 | Theo Leveque | |
| 83 | Fabien Doubey | |
| 84 | Jason Tesson | |
| 85 | Nicola Marcerou | |
| 86 | Valentin Retailleau | |
| 87 | Lorrenzo Manzin | |
| Tudor Pro Cycling Team | 91 | Marc Hirschi |
| 92 | Rick Pluimers | |
| 93 | Larry Warbasse | |
| 94 | Lennart Jasch | |
| 95 | Petr Kelemen | |
| 96 | Jacob Eriksson | |
| 97 | Jan Stoeckli | |
| Unibet Rose Rockets | 101 | Matyas Kopecky |
| 102 | Adrien Maire | |
| 103 | Colin Savioz | |
| 104 | Hartthijs de Vries | |
| 105 | Ronan Auge | |
| 106 | Sergio Meris | |
| 107 | Owen Geleijn | |
| Team Polti VisitMalta | 111 | Giovanni Lonardi |
| 112 | Davide Bais | |
| 113 | Javi Serrano | |
| 114 | Alessandro Tonelli | |
| 115 | Fran Munoz | |
| 116 | Andrea Mifsud | |
| 117 | Gabriele Bessega | |
| St Michel - Preference Home - Auber93 | 121 | Theo Delacroix |
| 122 | Lucas Beneteau | |
| 123 | Romain Cardis | |
| 124 | Simon Guglielmi | |
| 126 | Antoine Berger | |
| 127 | Axel Bouquet | |
| Van Rysel Roubaix | 131 | Joppe Heremans |
| 132 | Joes Oosterlinck | |
| 133 | Louis Hardouin | |
| 134 | Killian Theot | |
| 135 | Daniel Arnes | |
| 136 | Leandre Huck | |
| 137 | Kenny Molly | |
| Nice Metropole Cote dAzur | 141 | Alexander Konijn |
| 142 | Tom Mainguenaud | |
| 143 | Baptiste Gillet | |
| 144 | Clement Davy | |
| 145 | Carter Guichard | |
| 146 | Jahkim Carty | |
| 147 | Dylan Massa | |
| CIC Pro Cycling Academy | 152 | Jonas Walton |
| 153 | Victor Guernalec | |
| 154 | Mael Guegan | |
| 155 | Similien Hamon | |
| 156 | Mathias Sanlaville | |
| 157 | Lenaic Langella | |
| Elite Fondations Cycling Team | 161 | Valentin Darbellay |
| 162 | Victor Jean | |
| 163 | Arnaud Tissieres | |
| 164 | Nils Aebersold | |
| 165 | Noah Boegli | |
| 166 | Jan Sommer | |
| 167 | Guillaume Bagou |
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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