Preview. From the 31st of July to the 2nd of August the French peloton see one more of it's stage-races. This time the riders take on a race within the Jura mountains in the Southeast of France, a race with opportunities for several kinds of riders.
Stage 1 of the race will see the riders travel from Loyettes to La Plaine Tonique. It's a short day on the bike with only 154 fast kilometers, and it should end in a bunch sprint which will attract some fast men. Stage 2 of the Tour de l'Ain is a tricky stage. It features four categorized climbs, the last of which is the Col de Portes which sees around 800 meters of climbing. The downhill finish into Lagnieu concludes a very short 124-kilometer stage where the overall classification will open.
The queen stage, stage 3, which is the Tour de l'Ain classic. A short, explosive and mountainous stage where the decisive attack can come in many different places. The Col de Menthières is 9.2 kilometers long at 6.3% and is the toughest ascent of the day, which will then lead the riders into Lélex Monts-Jura for the race finale.
Read also
Stage 1: Loyettes - La Plaine Tonique, 154 kilometers
Stage 2: Saint-Vulbas - Lagnieu, 124 kilometers
Stage 3: Oyonnax - Lélex Monts-Jura, 137 kilometers
Prediction Tour de l'Ain 2023 overall classification:
*** Hugh Carthy, Cristian Rodríguez
** Jesús Herrada, Jefferson Cepeda
* Michael Storer, Kenny Elissonde, Aurelien Paret-Peintre, Damien Howson
** Jesús Herrada, Jefferson Cepeda
* Michael Storer, Kenny Elissonde, Aurelien Paret-Peintre, Damien Howson
Pick: Cristian Rodríguez
Read also
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Shocking really. That any team, never mind an American one, would have that degree of selflessness in their squad. Both Matteo or Quinn would have been equally deserving as champions. And maybe the original plan was teeing it up for them.MavicMoto01-10-2026
- Perhaps Piddy knew Onley didn’t have it but outside of messages getting passed along from the sides of the road, I’m not sure how he would know that without radios. And yes…Quinn finished 4th but (maybe I’m wrong here) before Sunday how many would have thought that he would be head and shoulders above Onley on what was widely considered a climbers course, with riders like VdP (let alone Simmons) only considered to have an outside chance? So my point is that yes, context was considered. Both BMc and Piddy were more-or-less playing the same cards. BMc played it to perfection and won. Piddy came up short. But somehow, according to Piddy, that’s on del Toro for not contributing to the chase at the end…a chase that Piddy might not have been involved with had he played his cards differently, saved his matches and bridged later. I think that is the greater context rather than complaining that del Toro (who was working all day) quit working once his trade teammate went up the road, which should be expected in that scenario.classicsrock01-10-2026
- Perhaps IDT did help, but what I saw was a group of riders that waited 60 seconds before responding to McNulty's acceleration. A whole minute! Really? I said to myself WTF are they thinking? Did physical exhaustion impair their judgement, or was it just chess games? No one wanted to burn their last match? To blame IDT for their lack of response is farcical. If Pidcock and Mathews only took 30 seconds to respond or responded immediately I think McNulty would have been caught.Botch25001-10-2026
- I guess if there wasn't/isn't a grassroots culture that he sprang from or was fostered during his career, then he's just someone who was lucky to get to where he is despite where he's from, rather than because of it. Plus, is cycling popular in Slovakia overall? Sometimes you get these folks who do a sport that no-one at home cares about back home so they are sort of successful in obscurity.wrsty01-10-2026
- Wout was good, and he was good on Sunday trying to drag Remco back, but I watched the olympics. Remco seemed exception on a course perfect for him, and MVDP was a step behind.mij30-09-2026
- Why would Del Toro help pull back McNulty just to be out sprinted by Matthews, VDP, Simmons... He fired his bullets on his terrain and couldn't get away. Only way he was going to have a chance is in a 2 or 3 up sprintbreckvelo30-09-2026
- Hey Lance, Go away in a reproductive manner!Lobz7730-09-2026
- Context matters. From the way Onley blew up, it was clear that he knew he was struggling and probably told Pidcock that. Simmons finished 4th. Of course, Pidcock could have and should've taken the gamble
Rafionain-Glas30-09-2026 - Great story. Surprises me though that Sagan’s amazing career hasn’t produced more of a legacy of young Slovak talent.Lozza30-09-2026
- Del Toro did a LOT of work in that group, riding on the front and pulling it along. By the time McNulty attacked I should think he was mostly cooked!Lozza30-09-2026
Loading
Clap de fin 🚴♂️💥 #TDA22
Write a comment