On August 28th, the
Bretagne Classic has long served as a pivotal stepping stone toward the World Championships. This race guides the peloton through northwestern France, offering one of the longest and most demanding courses on the calendar. The terrain around Plouay is tailor-made for classics specialists, featuring explosive roads that provide an exhilarating challenge.
There will be 256 kilometers on the menu which will make for a very
complicated race towards the end – where this year, the action will be densely
packed. There have been years where the race has finished in a reduced bunch sprint,
but the route this time around is very favourable to the classics specialists
and aggressive racing. There are 3000 meters of climbing to tackle, with a
small hilltop right at the start, and a few gravel sectors with 80 and 54
kilometers to go which will see some tense moments and likely some early
attacks as the narrow roads and explosive terrain can cause tension.
Plouay - Plouay, 254 kilometers
This year however most of the race’s difficulties are packed into the last
30 kilometers. These will be highly difficult, with several small hilltops,
fast sections and narrow roads to tackle. Marta (900 meters; 8.3%; 27.5Km to
go) will be the hardest and the first of the ascents, which should see a
furious battle for positioning, and many attacks over the top. On such terrain
it is very hard to chase, so whoever gets a gap ahead won’t be easy to bring
back. There will be a small plateau and descent before Longeo (1.5Km; 5.7%;
19Km to go) which sees gradients up to 15% and is the longest of the ascents,
where those who won’t enjoy the climbs are likely to struggle.
A small plateau will follow and then there’ll be a sharp ramp at
Kenlucas (400 meters; 5.5%; 15Km to go) which will be aswell the final climb of
the day, and the riders will be able to see the finale perfectly as they cross
the line with only 12 kilometers to go.
The race won’t end there however as quickly the riders will face
Rostervel (1.2Km; 4.6%; 9Km to go), a straightforward climb out of Plouay, but
then the riders descent back into the into town and climb out via Le Lezot (900
meters; 4.6%; 4.5Km to go) and Kenlucas (400 meters; 5.5%; 3.5Km to go) for a
final time, before the fast run-in to the line where the sprint will feature
some smooth gradients.