
The Faun classics weekend presents challenges for climbers and puncheurs, offering an opportunity to gauge their early-season form outside of stage races. The Faun-Ardèche Classic, scheduled for February 25th, stands out as one of the toughest one-day races of the season.
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.
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Start Time: 11:30CET
Finish Time: 16:00CET
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Guiljherand-Granges - Guilherand-Granges, 171.5 kilometers

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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