PREVIEW | Etoile de Besseges 2025 - Can Carapaz or Tratnik win the GC? Or will sprinters like Pedersen and De Lie surprise?

From the 5th of February to the 9th, the peloton is in France and will race the Etoile de Bessèges. It is the opening stage-race of the French calendar in 2025. We preview the race ahead.  

Stage 1 of the race is a traditional one and perhaps one of the most unusual of the year. It is a pan-flat day starting and finishing in the town of Bellegarde where the winds often make an impact. It's a day for the sprinters, but those who can climb, because the final 600 meters average 9% and will make for a super explosive finale.

Stage 2 is the day perhaps best suit to the fast men. Although it's not completely flat, the finale in Marguerittes will be well suited to the sprinters as long as they have decent form and climbing legs to make it there.

Stage 3 starts and finishes in the town that gives the race it's name: Bessèges. It's a hilly day, where at times breakaways or late attacks can succeed. The climbs aren't overly hard but provide an opportunity for attacks, and with two ascents inside the final 20 kilometers, we may not see a sprint at the end of the day.

The queen stage of the race, it sees the peloton return to Le Mont Bouquet. Most of the stage is flat and we shouldn't expect much action, it will all be about that final climb. The ascent is 4.6 kilometers at 9% and the final half is the steepest. An effort long enough for the climbers to show their worth, but some puncheurs can also deliver strong performances on such a day.

The race ends, as always, with a time-trial. It is one of the most unique of the year, as the first 8 kilometers are flat, and then we've got the climb to L'Ermitage where the gradients reach as high at 16%. Differences can be made, and the fight for the stage win is always interesting with different types of riders taking glory.

*** Richard Carapaz, Kévin Vauquelin, Jan Tratnik
** Mattia Cattaneo, Maxim van Gils, Oier Lazkano
* Mads Pedersen, Benjamin Thomas, Dylan Teuns, Filippo Ganna, Arnaud De Lie, Magnus Cort Nielsen, Pierre Latour, Urko Berrade

Pick: Jan Tratnik