2024 Faun Ardèche Classic (1.Pro), France

Faun Ardèche Classic podium history | 2023 edition | Course map & profile

Guilherand-Granges - Guilherand-Granges, 168.6 km

Juan Ayuso takes the race. UAE Team Emirates photo

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Weather at the start/finish city of Guilherand-Granges at 1:45 PM, local time: 11C (52F), mostly cloudy, with the wind from the south at 16 km/hr (10 mph). There is a 14% chance of rain.

The race: Here's the report from winner Juan Ayuso's UAE Team Emirates.

Juan Ayuso capped off a strong day for UAE Team Emirates winning in a four-man sprint to the line to take the victory at the Faun-Ardèche Classic.

There were more than a few climbs. Sirotti photo

The young Spaniard was part of a late-race breakaway which formed over the penultimate ascent, Saint-Romain-de-Lerps, and maintained the advantage on the run-in to the finish in Guilherand-Granges.

The four riders held a comfortable gap in the closing kilometres with Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) opening up the sprint but Ayuso proving too strong. Grégoire hung on for second while Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) was third and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) fourth.

The peloton climbs the Cote Du Pin. Sirotti photo

Ayuso: “The race went really well. It was quite a hard one and the team did a great job with Bax pulling the buch all day and then Novak getting me in position for the climb. Arrieta covered well in the group behind also. I didn’t want to start the sprint from the front but I was hearing in the radio that they were coming from behind so I opened it up early. The guys came past me initially but thankfully I managed to haul them back and take the win. We’ll aim to go for another good result tomorrow.”

Juan Ayuso just after winning the stage. Sirotti photo

Meanwhile in Belgium Nils Politt took a major result in the first big classic of the Belgian campaign with 2nd place at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

The German teamed up with Tim Wellens to make moves off the front of the bunch before entering the decisive one together with Jan Tratnik (Visma LAB) inside the final -15km.

The duo built a maximum gap of 20” but would hold it steady to the chasing peloton, with Tratnik proving the strongest ahead of Politt in the final.

Politt: “I knew there was some strong sprinters in the group so I was happy to be out front and take 2nd place. Our plan was that Wellens would do something on the Muur and I would cover behind and the plan worked pretty well.

In the sprint I went from the front and was already quite empty but it was better to take 2nd than nothing from today so I’m happy. Then when his group came back I followed Tratnik and went with him. It’s nice to start the season like this in the first big race for me of the year. “

On home soil at the UAE Tour Jay Vine continued his tenure in the red leaders jersey ahead of tomorrow’s decisive stage to Jebel Hafeet. The Australian goes in with a 11” cushion over Ben O’ Connor (Decathlon Ag2r) in what will be an exciting finale.

The 2024 Faun Ardeche podium, from left: Romain Grégoire (2nd), Juan Ayuso (1st) & Mattias Skjelmose (3rd).