Preview Etoile de Bessèges 2026 stage 5 - Larsen and Kubis set to try and take GC win for Unibet Rose Rockets
Cycling
The 2026 Etoile de Bessèges will be taking place from the 4th to the 8th of February and is the first stage-race of the season in France, and one of the first in Europe. We preview stage 5, which is set to start at 13:15 and finish at 15:55CET.
One of the cornerstone early-season stage races on the European cycling calendar... First held in 1971 as a one-day event called the Grand Prix Bessèges, it evolved into a multi-day stage race by 1974 and has been a five-day fixture almost every year since, marking the dawn of the professional road season in southern France each February.
Over the decades there has been a wide variety of winners in this race, big names who have marked generations: Jan Raas, Eddy Planckaerts, Adrie van der Poel, Robbie McEwen, Thomas Voeckler... This decade we have seen GC wins from Benoît Cosnefroy, Tim Wellens, Benjamin Thomas, Neilson Powless, Mads Pedersen and most recently Kévin Vauquelin who dominated the 2025 edition with victories at the queen stage and final time trial.
The race finishes with its traditional time trial in Alès, which is flat almost in its entirety, until the the final 1.8 kilometers which average out at 7%. This ascent however is very steep at points, going up to almost 20% and making it a proper difficult end to the race.
The startlist is very modest and Niklas Larsen, third at the European Championships, is the only time trialist on the list of meaningful quality. Hence the Dane could take the win and perhaps the overall classification, whilst his teammate Lukas Kubis could also potentially defend it as he is also a strong climber in this type of effort. Maxime Decomble of Groupam - FDJ and Paul Lapeira are the two men who could potentially take on the Unibet Rose Rockets riders.
Read also
Profile: Alès - L'Hérmitage

Stage 5 (ITT): Alès - L'Hérmitage, 10.3 kilometers
Prediction Etoile de Bessèges 2026 stage 5:
*** Niklas Larsen, Maxime Decomble
** Paul Lapeira
* Lukas Kubis, Lorenzo Rota, Dylan Teuns, Xabier Mikel Azparren
** Paul Lapeira
* Lukas Kubis, Lorenzo Rota, Dylan Teuns, Xabier Mikel Azparren
Pick: Niklas Larsen
Original: Rúben Silva
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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