Results Faun Drome Classic 2026 | Romain Grégoire outkicks Matteo Jorgenson to win in dramatic finale
Cycling
Romain Grégoire has won the 2026 Faun Drome Classic in Étoile-sur-Rhône after emerging victorious from a two-man sprint against Matteo Jorgenson, capping a selective afternoon defined by repeated accelerations and a decisive move on the Mur d’Allex.
The Groupama-FDJ United rider crossed the line in 4:14:11, with Jorgenson finishing on the same time. Lenny Martinez led a small chasing group home two seconds later, ahead of Quinten Hermans and Paul Lapeira.
Mur d’Allex decides the race
The race fractured for good inside the final 15 kilometres.
After the early breakaway had been steadily dismantled through the middle phase of the race, the elite selection formed on the longer climbs before the decisive acceleration came on the steep 0.6 kilometre Mur d’Allex at 8.6 percent.
Jorgenson and Grégoire attacked together, immediately carving out a gap of around 25 seconds. Attempts to bridge from behind lacked cohesion, and although the gap briefly fluctuated, the duo maintained their advantage into the final 10 kilometres.
Behind them, the peloton had already been reduced to around 40 riders, reflecting the cumulative effect of 17 climbs and more than 2,200 metres of elevation gain.
A controlled two-man finale
The final climb of Étoile-sur-Rhône, 1 kilometre at 5.6 percent, served as the last opportunity to break the deadlock. Neither rider could dislodge the other on the ascent, and cooperation resumed over the crest.
The pair entered the final kilometre together, with Grégoire positioned on Jorgenson’s wheel. The gap to the chasers had narrowed slightly but remained sufficient to ensure the winner would come from the front duo.
In the sprint, Grégoire proved the sharper finisher. The Frenchman came off Jorgenson’s wheel and edged ahead in the final metres to secure victory.
Jorgenson was forced to settle for second, while Martinez led home the next group two seconds later.
A different finale to Ardèche
Unlike the previous day’s long-range solo in Ardèche, the Drome Classic was decided by collective aggression and a late, well-timed move rather than a sustained raid.
The repeated short walls and sustained climbs steadily reduced the field before the Mur d’Allex provided the decisive launchpad.
For Grégoire, it is a victory built on patience and positioning rather than early spectacle, and a reminder that, in Drome, timing often outweighs brute force.
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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MarkFour06-11-2026 - As much as I admire and even revere Wout, the less I know about his backside the better.MidnightRider06-11-2026
- Ok, Walt 🤣... Vingegaard would be lucky to get on the poduim. He would not beat Seixas or Del Toro, let alone TP. Then there are the Americans...BD06-11-2026
- So, for starters. Cycling is a saturated, static/dying sport in traditional lands, it will not have resurgences like eg running occasionally does because of several obstacular (yes, I know that’s not a word but don’t make me point out the obvious at your expense) factors. Obviously, like almost everything involving money, there is a desire/need/advantage to growth and that can only come from (developing or just testing) new markets. For me, the WC is the obvious and best choice for several reasons, it comes at the end of the season so is less critical season risk wise, it is not a “pro” team race but nation based which makes integration of uncommon participation more natural. It is a vehicle for redistribution (one of a very limited number of available mechanisms to develop new markers fairly) that the fixed calendar doesn’t allow and it helps make budgets fairer over the long run (moving the whole circus to everywhere evens out everyone’s budget as opposed to having everyone always come to the same location.Jumpyjohn06-11-2026
- Sad that a more refreshing article like this, which could generate discussion in a number of directions, gets completely ignored for the importance of debating the level of superiority of one rider into every single last detail, including a majority of totally hypothetical ones. People complain there is no news in the off season and it’s boring but don’t realise how boring it is to review the same old discussion over and over again, several times a day. In fact, you’d almost think this was a rider fan website. Instead of complaining about the FREE (as long as you pay attention to data use if not unlimited coz this site consumes almost as much for loading Youtube) content, the presence of cv of authors (for the missed obvious reason that it makes it easier to insert extra advertising without changing formats), the lack of quality/checking and depth of articles, why not also think about the content, quality and variety of posts that everyone can contribute to? The platform becomes irrelevant when discussion is interesting.Jumpyjohn06-11-2026
- UAE Team Emirates and Pogačar will officially unveil their objectives at the team’s media day, which will take place on December 18 in Benidorm, Spain. New information from the UAE Team: Exceptional recovery remains the cornerstone of success for the Slovenian cannibal-Pogi, whose sporting manager, Matxin, believes he will be even better in 2027 than he has been over the past three seasons.PogiSloFans06-11-2026
- Yeh, but he didn't and RE beat Pog & Del T 👍
leedorney06-11-2026 - Just my opinionleedorney06-11-2026
- Great win.However will the world champions jersey be simply a domestic for the season which will some what tarnish the jersey. I hope he is given free rein to try and win some races.paultryan200206-11-2026
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