Info with one day to go
October 10 th 2026 - 18:07
- The 120th edition of Paris-Tours gets under way in Chartres on Sunday at 11.55am. The peloton will tackle a demanding 216.2 km course (vs. 211.6 km in 2025), including nine climbs and ten vineyard track sectors in the final 70 km. See you on the Race Center at 11.25am. The race will receive two hours and 20 minutes of live television coverage, starting at 3pm on France 3, HBO Max and Eurosport 2.
- Three-time winner and defending champion Matteo Trentin is targeting a record-breaking fourth Paris-Tours victory, but faces strong opposition from sprinters Tim Merlier, who specifically requested to make his debut on the vineyard tracks, Arnaud De Lie and Soren Waerenskjold. Alberto Bettiol, fresh from finishing third at Gran Piemonte on Thursday, is another leading contender in a race that can favour sprinters and attackers alike.
- Christophe Laporte, the last French winner in 2024, returns seeking revenge after narrowly missing out on a second consecutive victory last year. He is among the leading French contenders alongside Dorian Godon, who claimed his seventh win of the season at Gran Piemonte on Thursday, and Vuelta stage winner Bastien Tronchon. Godon's sporting director Ian Stannard hopes for “a small group coming into the finish”, while Tronchon warns that “anything can happen at Paris-Tours”, a race where “legs, tactics and technical skills all play a role”.
A RACE "OPEN TO EVERYONE, FROM SPRINTERS TO ATTACKERS"
Ten vineyard tracks feature on the route of the 120th edition of Paris-Tours, one more than in 2025, with the Château de Valmer sector (no. 7) returning after construction work nearby. Otherwise, the course remains largely unchanged from previous years, with nine climbs and 216.2 km to cover, including 10.5 km on the vineyard tracks, before reaching the finish on Boulevard Beranger.
Race director Cedric Coutouly expects the action to begin early in the afternoon. “The route lends itself to racing starting early. The first part is fairly flat and exposed to crosswinds, but strong winds aren't forecast, so things should start to accelerate from the Côte de Cangey, around 70 kilometres from the finish. We talk a lot about the vineyard tracks, but the climbs play a big part too. The succession of nine climbs and ten tracks in the final 70 kilometres is a bit like being in a giant washing machine. It's difficult to move back up through the peloton, find your teammates or organise a chase behind a breakaway. That's what makes this new finale so challenging,” he explains.
These ingredients add to the unpredictability that has become the hallmark of Paris-Tours. “It's a race that's open to everyone. The climbs are short, with the longest just one kilometre. Your endurance is tested by the fatigue caused by all those tracks and climbs, but there's still a place for the sprinters. It's always a battle between the late attackers and the sprinters, just as it was in the past on the old course. This is the ninth year with the vineyard tracks and we're getting used to them now. It's just as open to a sprinter as it is to a breakaway specialist or an attacking rider.”
TRENTIN: A FOURTH VICTORY TO MAKE HISTORY?
Three-time winner and defending champion Matteo Trentin (Tudor), who triumphed in 2015, 2017 and 2025, has not won since his success on Boulevard Beranger a year ago. A return to winning ways would help him put the injuries he suffered in the spring behind him and make him the outright record holder with four victories. “The first objective is to win the race, and by doing that [the record] will follow. Paris-Tours 2025 is my most recent victory, unfortunately for me, because that means I haven’t won since. But it seems the run of injuries I suffered after breaking my collarbone [at the Tour of Flanders in early April 2026] is finally behind me. So I hope this will be the race!” he says. At 37, the Italian is also one of the veterans of Paris-Tours, making his eighth appearance since 2015. “It is certainly a difficult race to win, especially if there isn’t a strong wind early on, because then you have to be very good on all the vineyard track sectors while keeping something in reserve for the finale. It is a very complete race from a technical point of view.”
MERLIER WANTS A NEW CHALLENGE: “I SPECIFICALLY ASKED TO RACE HERE”
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) is approaching 80 professional victories, but winning on a course like Paris-Tours, with its mixture of tarmac and tracks, would be a first. “I’ve got a few podium finishes in this type of race. Let's hope for the top step of the podium on Sunday,” he says. The Belgian is one of the world’s leading sprinters, as demonstrated by his three stage victories at the most recent Tour de France, but Paris-Tours presents a unique challenge. “It is the first time I am participating in this race. I specifically asked the team for permission to race here, to see what might be possible this year or in the coming years. It’s a difficult race to only go for a sprint. We need to be strong as a collective, and then, heading into the final sectors, decide who we’ll ride for in the finale.” A Merlier victory would end an unusually long wait for a win in this race for Belgium, whose last winner here was Jelle Wallays in 2019. He is among his country’s leading contenders, alongside Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Intermarche), following the late withdrawal of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech).
LAPORTE OUT TO RECLAIM HIS CROWN: "YOU HAVE TO BE READY TO ATTACK"
Winner in 2024, Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike) came within centimetres of repeating his triumph last year, finishing second. “I'm approaching this edition with plenty of ambition. I'm feeling good at the end of the season, it's a race where I've done well in recent years, so I'll be trying to win it with the team,” says the Frenchman, who is determined to reclaim his crown. What does it take to come out on top in Tours? “It's a difficult race. One of the most important things is to avoid punctures or any other problems. Luck plays a part, but otherwise it's the legs that do the talking. There are plenty of climbs and sectors coming one after another, and you have to be ready to attack to make things happen. That's what I've done in recent years and it's worked, but that doesn't mean it will be the same this year.”
The last Frenchman to win in Tours is also the most experienced rider in the 2026 peloton, preparing for his 12th appearance. “Paris-Tours has changed quite a lot since I first rode it. Before, there was a more traditional finale, whereas now we have the vineyard tracks. Experience always counts, but not necessarily because I've ridden the race eleven times. It's more about my years in the professional peloton and my experience in general, which can help me make the right decisions in the finale.”
NSN PAIR AIM TO REPEAT 2023 HEROICS
NSN Cycling Team go into Paris-Tours with high expectations, boasting two riders with an impressive record in the race. Riley Sheehan made history with his former team in 2023 as the first - and still the only - American winner of the race, claiming a surprise victory as a stagiaire just weeks after joining the professional peloton, narrowly beating his now NSN teammate Lewis Askey to the line. “It was pretty cool to start my professional career knowing that I'm capable of winning the big races,” recalls Sheehan. The 26-year-old from Boulder, Colorado, is determined to repeat that success despite some fatigue after a long season. “I'm approaching the race with pretty high goals. Of course, I think I set a good standard the first time. So yeah, I'm always going to try and race to win.” He also knows the importance of positioning on the vineyard tracks. “I think those sectors are where you can lose the race, maybe not win it, but staying out of trouble and up front is the best place to be for a successful race.”
Briton Askey followed up his runner-up finish in 2023 with 12th place in 2024, so the pair have the experience and tactical know-how to challenge at the front of the race once again this Sunday. Askey is clear on his target: "I’m in super good shape at the moment and I’ve been feeling really good, the last few races I’ve been performing well. I’ve been second here before, so the goal is to go one better."
UNO-X MOBILITY HAVE “RIDERS FOR EVERY SCENARIO”
Uno-X Mobility have been ticking off milestones one after another in recent years. A Paris-Tours victory remains on their to-do list, despite a podium finish for Tobias Johannessen in 2023 and two wins in the under-23 race, in 2021 and 2023. Having won stages in all three Grand Tours this season, the Norwegian team have selected a varied line-up led by sprinter Soren Waerenskjold and supported by attacking riders such as Jonas Abrahamsen. “We have had a good momentum in the last few weeks as well, with riders that are still fresh and motivated, so we go all in to finish off the season in the same style in Paris-Tours,” says sports director Max Korner.
“It’s a complicated final with a lot of possible scenarios, so I think our collective can give us a solid foundation for the different ways it can play out. It’s a complicated finale and we have to rely a bit on the instinct of the riders in the moment as well. The characteristics of Paris-Tours are interesting, where the final can provide some surprises. For example I would say the final typically suits a classics rider or a versatile sprinter, but when we had a podium in 2023 it was with our best climber, Tobias Halland Johannessen. So it’s an interesting dynamic where legs, tactics and technical skills all play a role. We have had success in the espoirs before (2021 and 2023), and hopefully we can do the same in the elite race this year.”
GODON IN RED-HOT FORM
Paris-Tours has rarely been kind to Netcompany Ineos, whose most recent - and only - top-ten finish here dates back to 2011, when Ian Stannard took fourth for what was then Team Sky. The Briton is now a sports director and hopes his riders can follow in his footsteps. His options include Ben Turner and Tobias Foss, but above all Dorian Godon. The Frenchman has delivered no fewer than seven victories for the team this year, the latest coming as recently as Thursday at the Gran Piemonte. “For sure, Dorian is one of the key contenders for the race. He knows it well and is excited to be here,” says Stannard. “Ideally, it will be a small group coming into the finish but we have a few options for multiple race scenarios. Obviously it’s no secret the gravel sections are key in this race. We want to end the season well and be in the fight for the win.”
BETTIOL LEADS ASTANA'S MULTIPLE OPTIONS
XDS Astana Team will be hoping to improve on their recent Paris-Tours record, having finished sixth with Cees Bol in 2024. They can now also call on Mike Teunissen, who finished fourth in the same edition for Intermarche-Wanty. The team head into Sunday's race with several cards to play, led by Alberto Bettiol, who showed his excellent late-season form with third place at Gran Piemonte on Thursday. The Italian will be supported by fellow Classics specialists Davide Ballerini and Teunissen, as well as youngster Alessandro Romele, giving Sports Director Lorenzo Lapage plenty of tactical options. “We see indeed Alberto [Bettiol] as a strong card to play. Everyone knows what a good Bettiol is capable of on certain days,” says Lapage. “But with Romele and guys like Teunissen and Ballerini in support, we can say we have different possibilities.”
The Belgian is keen to see his riders take the initiative rather than react to their rivals. “It will be important never to get into a defensive position, as having numbers in the final keeps the team in a strong situation. The guys will have freedom to react on moves.” With little wind forecast, Lapage expects the action to intensify as the peloton approaches the vineyard tracks. “Everyone knows that from km 145 or so the race is on, with several steep climbs, narrow open sections and gravel sections.” Keeping his riders well positioned before that point will be crucial if Astana are to challenge for victory on Boulevard Beranger.
TRONCHON WARNS: “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE AT PARIS-TOURS”
Groupama-FDJ United, whose last victory came with Arnaud Demare in 2022 and for whom Thibaud Gruel finished fifth last year, are coming to “bring the victory home”, says Bastien Tronchon with a smile. The rider from Savoie is making his Paris-Tours debut but is one of the French team’s strongest cards, having won the 2025 Tro Bro Leon, with its mix of roads and tracks, as well as a stage of La Vuelta in September. “I’m motivated and ready. The difference from Tro Bro Leon is that the gravel sectors come later here; I think I’ll enjoy that and we have a really strong team for it. It inspires me and I can’t wait. Anything is possible in a race like Paris-Tours because the gravel sectors can cause a lot of incidents, especially with the crosswinds early on. A lot can happen, and it’s the end of the season, so many riders are tired. You have to take everything into account and seize your opportunities.”
THE NEXT GENERATION HAVE A CHANCE TO SHINE
Groupama-FDJ United Continental will be hoping to repeat their success of 2025 in Sunday's Paris-Tours Espoirs, having claimed a memorable one-two in last year's edition. Neither the 2025 winner Maxime Decomble, who is racing at Il Lombardia this weekend, nor last year's runner-up Reef Roberts return to the U23 race this year, leaving the door open for a new winner. French riders have won the last two editions, with Antoine L'Hote triumphing in 2024, and Groupama-FDJ will be looking to extend that run with a line-up featuring Victor Loulergue, fifth last year, Johan Blanc and French U23 championship runner-up Esteban Foucher. The 2026 edition will cover 181.3 km from Bonneval to Tours, 4.8 km more than last year, with nine climbs and ten vineyard tracks totalling 10.5 km packed into the final 69 km.
The French squad will face strong opposition from the development teams of Lidl-Trek, Visma | Lease a Bike, Soudal Quick-Step and Decathlon CMA CGM, among others. Leading contenders include Paris-Roubaix Espoirs fourth-place finisher Joeri Schaper (Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team), Belgian U23 champion Duarte Marivoet (Lotto-Groupe Wanty) and newly crowned European U23 champion Hector Alvarez (Lidl-Trek Future Racing). Norway, whose riders won three consecutive editions from 2021 to 2023, will also have strong cards to play in Kasper Haugland (Decathlon CMA CGM Development Team) and Halvor Dolven (Lotto-Groupe Wanty), third in 2024. The race gets underway at 11.50am, with the winner expected in Tours shortly before 4pm.