Faun Ardèche Classic podium history | 2022 edition | 2024 edition | Course map & profile | Race photos | Start list
Guilherand-Granges - Guilherand-Granges, 168.5 km
Julian Alaphilippe and David Gaudu have left their chasers a half-minute behind. Photo: Billy Ceusters
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Weather at the start/finish city of Guilherand-Granges at 1:50 PM, local time: 11C (51F), mostly cloudy, with the wind from the north at 27 km/hr (17 mph). There is just a 1% chaince of rain.
The race: Here's the report from race winner Julian Alaphilippe's Team Soudal Quick-Step.
Julian Alaphilippe returned to winning ways Saturday afternoon, when he added the Ardèche Classic to his outstanding palmares, capping off a huge ride of his Soudal Quick-Step teammates, who were in the thick of the action from kilometer zero.
The Wolfpack was the first team to move, and it did it in the early kilometers of the 168.5km race by sending Rémi Cavagna on the attack. The “TGV of Clermont-Ferrand”, joined by only one other rider, produced a massive display of power that forced the peloton to work hard in order to reduce the five-minute deficit they had with around 100 kilometers to go.
When the catch happened, some 40 kilometers from the line, Soudal Quick-Step was still relying on plenty of riders in the main group, and once again took initiative, keeping things under control until the longest climb on the route, Saint-Romain-de-Lerps. A stinging attack launched by Alaphilippe after a monster pull of Ilan Van Wilder quickly fragmented the group, leaving only the Frenchman and countryman David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) at the front.
The descent played into the duo’s favour, who by the time they tackled the last ascent of the day – the gruelling, leg-sapping Val d’Enfer (1.5km, 10.2%) – had a full minute over the chasing group, where we were represented by Ilan Van Wilder. It soon became clear the fight for victory would be a two-man affair, and Julian decided to control the sprint, moving to the front with 800 meters to go before kicking out and holding the speed until the line, where he celebrated the 40th win of his career.
“It feels good, as it has been a long time since my last win. I was looking forward to that winning feeling, because a lot has happened since my previous victory. This result confirms the hard work I put in over the last couple of weeks. I knew that the condition was getting better and better, and I’m delighted I could get the job done today.”
“The team was excellent, doing a great job the entire day, first with Rémi, and later with Ilan, who was instrumental on that penultimate climb, bringing me in a perfect position. I knew I had good legs, I was motivated, so I attacked and just kept going. Then, in the sprint I went all-in, and I’m happy I could repay the guys with a victory. It’s a big confidence boost for my spring campaign”, added a happy Julian, who has now won at least a race in each of the ten seasons since he turned pro with Soudal Quick-Step.
Complete Results:
168.5 kilometers raced at an average speed of 38.465 km/hr
1 | Julian Alaphilippe | Soudal Quick-Step | 4hr 22min 50sec |
2 | David Gaudu | Groupama-FDJ | s.t. |
3 | Mattias Skjelmose | Trek-Segafredo | @ 31sec |
4 | Victor Lafay | Cofidis | s.t. |
5 | Romain Grégoire | Groupama-FDJ | 0:43 |
6 | Felix Gall | Ag2r-Citroën | s.t. |
7 | Lorenzo Rota | Intermarché-Circus-Wanty | s.t. |
8 | Guillaume Martin | Cofidis | 0:51 |
9 | Rui Costa | Intermarché-Circus-Wanty | 0:54 |
10 | Pierre Latour | TotalEnergies | s.t. |
11 | Romain Bardet | Team DSM | s.t. |
12 | Maxim Van Gils | Lotto Dstny | s.t. |
13 | Aurélien Paret-Peintre | Ag2r-Citroën | s.t. |
14 | Michael Woods | Israel-Premier Tech | s.t. |
15 | Esteban Chaves | EF Education-EasyPost | s.t. |
16 | Cian Uijtdebroeks | Bora-hansgrohe | s.t. |
17 | Lenny Martinez | Groupama-FDJ | s.t. |
18 | Lilian Calmejane | Intermarché-Circus-Wanty | 1:15 |
19 | Alexander Cepeda | EF Education-EasyPost | s.t. |
20 | Sergio Higuita | Bora-hansgrohe | 2:03 |
21 | Ilan Van Wilder | Soudal Quick-Step | 2:16 |
22 | Georg Zimmermann | Intermarché-Circus-Wanty | 2:18 |
23 | Anthony Perez | Cofidis | 2:25 |
24 | Jordan Jegat | CIC U Nantes Atlantique | s.t. |
25 | Mikael Chérel | Ag2r-Citroën | s.t. |
26 | Torstein Traeen | Uno-X | s.t. |
27 | Elie Gesbert | Arkéa-Samsic | s.t. |
28 | Cristian Rodriguez | Arkéa-Samsic | s.t. |
29 | Davide Formolo | UAE Team Emirates | 2:29 |
30 | Michel Ries | Arkéa-Samsic | 2:44 |
31 | Lennert Teugels | Bingoal-WB | s.t. |
32 | Jai Hindley | Bora-hansgrohe | s.t. |
33 | Chris Hamilton | Team DSM | s.t. |
34 | Filippo Zana | Jayco-AlUla | s.t. |
35 | Diego Ulissi | UAE Team Emirates | s.t. |
36 | George Bennett | UAE Team Emirates | 4:47 |
37 | Ewen Costiou | Arkéa-Samsic | 5:58 |
38 | Sebastien Reichenbach | Tudor Pro Cycling | s.t. |
39 | Odd Christian Eiking | EF Education-EasyPost | 6:56 |
40 | Mikkel Honore | EF Education-EasyPost | s.t. |
41 | Andrea Bagioli | Soudal Quick-Step | s.t. |
42 | Martin López | Astana Qazaqstan | s.t. |
43 | Frederik Wandahl | Bora-hansgrohe | s.t. |
44 | Tsgabu Grmay | Jayco-AlUla | 7:35 |
45 | Jago Willems | Lotto Dstny | s.t. |
46 | Matthew Dinham | Team DSM | s.t. |
47 | Quentin Pacher | Groupama-FDJ | s.t. |
48 | Roland Thalmann | Tudor Pro Cycling | s.t. |
49 | Lennert Van Eetvelt | Lotto Dstny | s.t. |
50 | Laurens Huys | Intermarché-Circus-Wanty | s.t. |
51 | Nans Peters | Ag2r-Citroën | s.t. |
52 | Rémy Rochas | Cofidis | s.t. |
53 | Dorian Godon | Ag2r-Citroën | s.t. |
54 | Yael Joalland | CIC U Nantes Atlantique | s.t. |
55 | Julien Bernard | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
56 | Jonathan Caicedo | EF Education-EasyPost | s.t. |
57 | Adne Holter | Uno-X | 7:42 |
58 | Paul Ourselin | TotalEnergies | 8:40 |
59 | Alexis Vuillermoz | TotalEnergies | s.t. |
60 | Marco Frigo | Israel-Premier Tech | 8:47 |
61 | Clément Venturini | Ag2r-Citroën | 9:58 |
62 | Simon Pellaud | Tudor Pro Cycling | s.t. |
63 | Aloïs Charrin | Tudor Pro Cycling | s.t. |
64 | Lucas Eriksson | Tudor Pro Cycling | s.t. |
65 | Lorenzo Milesi | Team DSM | 10:06 |
66 | Mael Guégan | CIC U Nantes Atlantique | s.t. |
67 | Dimitri Peyskens | Bingoal-WB | s.t. |
68 | Ryan Gibbons | UAE Team Emirates | s.t. |
69 | Aaron Van Der Beken | Bingoal-WB | s.t. |
70 | Francesco Busatto | Intermarché-Circus-Wanty | s.t. |
71 | Anton Palzer | Bora-hansgrohe | s.t. |
72 | Louis Barré | Arkéa-Samsic | 10:09 |
73 | Alexandr Riabushenko | Astana Qazaqstan | s.t. |
74 | Valentin Ferron | TotalEnergies | s.t. |
75 | Sylvain Moniquet | Lotto Dstny | s.t. |
76 | Matteo Sobrero | Jayco-AlUla | s.t. |
77 | Johan Meens | Bingoal-WB | 10:12 |
78 | Thomas Champion | Cofidis | s.t. |
79 | Cesare Benedetti | Bora-hansgrohe | s.t. |
80 | Eddy Finé | Cofidis | s.t. |
81 | Andreas Kron | Lotto Dstny | s.t. |
82 | Martijn Tusveld | Team DSM | s.t. |
83 | Matthieu Ladagnous | Groupama-FDJ | s.t. |
84 | Axel Mariault | Cofidis | s.t. |
85 | Ramses Debruyne | Lotto Dstny | s.t. |
86 | Sebastian Berwick | Israel-Premier Tech | s.t. |
87 | Quinn Simmons | Trek-Segafredo | 12:17 |
88 | Sean Quinn | EF Education-EasyPost | s.t. |
89 | Marco Tizza | Bingoal-WB | s.t. |
90 | Thomas Gachignard | St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93 | 14:04 |
91 | Romain Combaud | Team DSM | s.t. |
92 | Jacob Hindsgaul | Uno-X | s.t. |
93 | Léo Danès | CIC U Nantes Atlantique | 14:37 |
94 | Fabio Felline | Astana Qazaqstan | s.t. |
95 | Natnael Tesfazion | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
96 | Merhawi Kudus | EF Education-EasyPost | s.t. |
97 | Robin Plamondon | CIC U Nantes Atlantique | s.t. |
98 | Niklas Eg | Uno-X | s.t. |
99 | Bruno Armirail | Groupama-FDJ | s.t. |
100 | Kevin Colleoni | Jayco-AlUla | s.t. |
101 | Remi Cavagna | Soudal Quick-Step | s.t. |
102 | Alessandro De Marchi | Jayco-AlUla | s.t. |
103 | Clément Champoussin | Arkéa-Samsic | s.t. |
104 | Harry Sweeny | Lotto Dstny | s.t. |
105 | James Knox | Soudal Quick-Step | s.t. |
106 | Finn Fisher-Black | UAE Team Emirates | s.t. |
Faun Ardèche Classic map & profile:
Here's the map
And here's the very challenging race profile
2023 Faun Ardèche Classic photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:
Before the race starts the riders and teams are presented. Here's Julian Alaphilippe.
The race had challenging terrain.
A cool, but beautiful day to race.
Riders descending what I believe is the Col du Pin
Time for the lead breakaway riders Julian Alaphilippe and David Gaudu to sprint it out.
The race is Julian Alaphilippe's.
David Gaudu finishes second.
Third-place Mattias Skjelmose & fourth-place Victor Lafay.
The podium, from left: David Gaudu (2nd), Julian Alaphilippe (1st) & Mattias Skjelmose (3rd).
Race winner Julian Alaphilippe
Start list with back numbers, February 24, 2023:
UAE TEAM EMIRATES | |
1 | Marc Hirschi |
2 | George Bennett |
3 | Finn Fisher-Black |
4 | Ryan Gibbons |
5 | Ivo Oliveira |
6 | Jan Polanc |
7 | Diego Ulissi |
BORA-HANSGROHE | |
11 | Sergio Higuita |
12 | Jai Hindley |
13 | Cesare Benedetti |
14 | Victor Koretzky |
15 | Anton Palzer |
16 | Cian Uijtdebroeks |
17 | Frederik Wandahl |
INTERMARCHÉ-CIRCUS-WANTY | |
21 | Lilian Calmejane |
22 | Francesco Busatto |
23 | Rui Costa |
24 | Kobe Goossens |
25 | Lorenzo Rota |
26 | Dion Smith |
27 | Georg Zimmermann |
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP | |
31 | Julian Alaphilippe |
32 | Andrea Bagioli |
33 | Remi Cavagna |
34 | Dries Devenyns |
35 | James Knox |
36 | Martin Svrcek |
37 | Ilan Van Wilder |
GROUPAMA-FDJ | |
41 | David Gaudu |
42 | Bruno Armirail |
43 | Romain Grégoire |
44 | Lenny Martinez |
45 | Quentin Pacher |
46 | Matthieu Ladagnous |
47 | Lorenzo Germani |
COFIDIS | |
51 | Guillaume Martin |
52 | François Bidard |
53 | Alexandre Delettre |
54 | Victor Lafay |
55 | Axel Mariault |
56 | Anthony Perez |
57 | Pierre-Luc Périchon |
TREK-SEGAFREDO | |
61 | Mattias Skjelmose Jensen |
62 | Julien Bernard |
63 | Dario Cataldo |
64 | Tony Gallopin |
66 | Quinn Simmons |
67 | Natnael Tesfazion |
ARKÉA-SAMSIC | |
71 | Louis Barré |
72 | Ewen Costiou |
73 | Nicolas Edet |
74 | Elie Gesbert |
75 | Clément Champoussin |
76 | Michel Ries |
77 | Cristian Rodriguez |
AG2R CITROËN | |
81 | Ben O'Connor |
82 | Nans Peters |
83 | Mikaël Chérel |
84 | Felix Gall |
85 | Dorian Godon |
86 | Aurélien Paret-Peintre |
87 | Clément Venturini |
JAYCO-ALULA | |
91 | Matteo Sobrero |
92 | Kevin Colleoni |
93 | Alessandro De Marchi |
94 | Tsgabu Grmay |
95 | Filippo Zana |
96 | Jesus David Peña |
97 | Rudy Porter |
EF EDUCATION-EASYPOST | |
101 | Esteban Chaves |
102 | Jonathan Caicedo |
103 | Sean Quinn |
104 | Alexander Cepeda |
105 | Odd Christian Eiking |
106 | Mikkel Honore |
107 | Merhawi Kudus |
TEAM DSM | |
111 | Romain Bardet |
112 | Romain Combaud |
113 | Matthew Dinham |
114 | Chris Hamilton |
115 | Lorenzo Milesi |
116 | Martijn Tusveld |
117 | Max Van Der Meulen |
ASTANA QAZAQSTAN | |
121 | Andrey Zeits |
122 | Vadim Pronskiy |
123 | Fabio Felline |
124 | Alexandr Riabushenko |
126 | Martin López |
127 | Nicolas Vinokourov |
LOTTO DSTNY | |
131 | Andreas Kron |
132 | Ramses Debruyne |
133 | Jago Willems |
134 | Sylvain Moniquet |
135 | Harry Sweeny |
136 | Lennert Van Eetvelt |
137 | Maxim Van Gils |
TOTALENERGIES | |
141 | Pierre Latour |
142 | Alexis Vuillermoz |
143 | Jérémy Cabot |
144 | Fabien Doubey |
145 | Valentin Ferron |
146 | Alan Jousseaume |
147 | Paul Ourselin |
ISRAEL-PREMIER TECH | |
151 | Simon Clarke |
152 | Mason Hollyman |
153 | Hugo Houle |
154 | Daryl Impey |
155 | Nick Schultz |
156 | Stephen Williams |
157 | Michael Woods |
UNO-X PRO CYCLING | |
161 | Fredrik Dversnes |
162 | Torstein Træen |
163 | Marcus Sander Hansen |
164 | Ådne Holter |
165 | Jacob Hindsgaul Madsen |
167 | Niklas Eg |
BINGOAL-WB | |
171 | Alexis Guérin |
172 | Floris De Tier |
173 | Johan Meens |
174 | Dimitri Peyskens |
175 | Lennert Teugels |
176 | Marco Tizza |
177 | Aaron Van Der Beken |
TUDOR PRO CYCLING | |
181 | Sebastien Reichenbach |
182 | Nils Brun |
183 | Aloïs Charrin |
184 | Lucas Eriksson |
185 | Simon Pellaud |
186 | Arthur Kluckers |
187 | Joel Suter |
ST MICHEL-MAVIC-AUBER 93 | |
191 | Rudy Barbier |
192 | Romain Cardis |
193 | Nicolas Debeaumarché |
194 | Joris Delbove |
195 | Anthony Maldonado |
196 | Flavien Maurelet |
197 | Théo Delacroix |
CIC U NANTES ATLANTIQUE | |
201 | Jordan Jegat |
202 | Yaël Joalland |
203 | Léo Danès |
204 | Maël Guégan |
205 | Robin Plamondon |
206 | Nolann Mahoudo |
207 | Noa Isidore |
NICE MÉTROPOLE-CÔTE D'AZUR | |
211 | Jonathan Couanon |
212 | Tristan Delacroix |
213 | Damien Girard |
214 | Julian Lino |
215 | Jean-Louis Le Ny |
216 | Andrea Mifsud |
217 | Maxime Urruty |