PREVIEW | Faun-Ardèche Classic 2023 - Alaphilippe and Hindley headline climbers' classic

Preview. The weekend of the Faun classics bring in challenges for the climbers and puncheurs to test their early-season form outside of the stage-races. The Faun-Ardèche Classic is one of the toughest one-day races of the season and it will take place in the 25th of February.

The 172-kilometer long route is highly mountainous with over 3000 meters of climbing. The climbing starts from kilometers 0 and is present almost all the way into the finish in Guilherand-Granges. The first loop - of which there will be two laps - includes a 9.9Km climb at 4.3%, a 1.7Km long climb at 3.9% and a 5.6Km climb at 4.2%.

The third look features a 1.9Km at 8.2% and a 6.3Km climb at 7.1%. All three laps also include the Côte de Val d'Enfer which comes only 6 kilometers before the finishing climb. It features 1.5 kilometers at an average of 10.3%, a very steep ascent where there is nowhere to hide and attacks are to be expected.

Start Time: 11:30CET

Finish Time16:00CET

The startlist includes riders such as: Diego Ulissi, Davide Formolo, Sergio Higuita, Jai Hindley, Rui Costa, Cian Uijtdebroeks, Julian Alahilippe, Ilan van Wilder, David Gaudu, Guillaume Martin, Mattias Skjelmose, Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Esteban Chaves, Romain Bardet, Andreas Kron, Pierre Latour and Michael Woods.

*** Mattias Skjelmose, Lorenzo Rota, Ilan van Wilder
** Julian Alaphilippe, Sergio Higuita, Romain Bardet, Rui Costa
* Diego Ulissi, Jai Hindley, David Gaudu, Guillaume Martin, Andreas Kron, Pierre Latour, Michael Woods

Pick: Ilan van Wilder

Click here to create your own team for the Fantasy Spring Classics Men. 1st prize is $1,600/€1,500/£1,330!!