Elite – 214 Km

1 SHEEHAN Riley USA Israel-Premier Tech 04:39:05
2 ASKEY Lewis GBR Groupama-FDJ 00:00
3 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 00:00
4 DELBOVE Joris FRA Saint Michel-Mavic-Auber 93 00:00
5 LE GAC Olivier FRA Groupama-FDJ 00:07
6 LAPORTE Christophe FRA Jumbo-Visma 00:09
7 VAN ASBROECK Tom BEL Israel-Premier Tech 00:09
8 DÉMARE Arnaud BEL Team Arkéa-Samsic 00:09
9 THEUNS Edward BEL Lidl-Trek 00:09
10 PENHOËT Paul FRA Groupama-FDJ 00:09
11 DEGENKOLB John GER Team dsm-firmenich 00:09
12 TILLER Rasmus NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 00:09
13 TURGIS Anthony FRA TotalEnergies 00:09
14 GIRMAY Biniam ERI Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 00:09
15 NIZZOLO Giacomo ITA Israel-Premier Tech 00:09
16 VAN BOVEN Luca BEL Bingoal WB 00:09
17 DE BONDT Dries BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:09
18 BISSEGGER Stefan SUI EF Education-EasyPost 00:09
19 COQUARD Bryan FRA Cofidis 00:09
20 RAISBERG Nadav ISR Israel-Premier Tech 00:09

SHEEHAN, THE HUGE AMERICAN SURPRISE

A crazy race, a completely undecided scenario in the hot dust of the vineyard paths, and a completely new winner: it’s Riley Sheehan, a trainee with Israel-Premier Tech, who won this 117th Paris-Tours after a very close sprint against his four breakaway companions. It’s the first victory for the 23-year-old American. A major first, too, for the United States, which had never won on Avenue de Grammont. The heroic Lewis Askey (Groupama – FDJ) who led all day, took second place ahead of Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno X).

157 riders set off in the shadow of the imposing Chartres Cathedral, bathed in bright sunlight, for the 117th edition of Paris-Tours. It was an emotional start for several riders, including Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R Citroën) and Tony Gallopin (Lidl-Trek), who pinned on their race numbers for the last time in their careers. After covering more than thirty kilometers at high speed, a group of five riders finally broke away: Lewis Askey (Groupama FDJ), Théo Delacroix (Intermarché Circus Wanty), Joseph Rosskopf (Q36.5), Maxime Jarnet (Van Rysel – Roubaix Lille Metropole), and Axel Narbonne Zuccarelli (Nice Metropole Côte d’Azur). The gap never reached extravagant proportions before the first challenges of the day.

Arnaud De Lie eliminated due to a mechanical issue

The Jumbo-Visma team of Christophe Laporte, the Lotto Dstny team of Arnaud De Lie and the Bora-Hansgrohe team of Jordi Meeus were controlling the offensive before entering the first vineyard path, Limeray, at 67.1 kilometers from the finish. In the ninth sector, the Lotto Dstny leader suffered a puncture, as did Jordi Meeus, who got caught in a crash. The peloton fragmented completely, marked by multiple attacks and punctures. In the dust, European champion Christophe Laporte, Greg Van Avermaet, Magnus Cort Nielsen or Jasper Stuyven, to name a few, lost precious energy trying to get back into the first group after mechanical problems. Arnaud De Lie, on the other hand, faced numerous setbacks, leaving his hopes in the dust.

Heroic performance by Lewis Askey

In front, the impressive Lewis Askey, only twenty-two years old, put up a strong resistance as the moves kept coming. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché – Circus Wanty) tried, as did Matteo Trentin (UAE) and John Degenkolb (DSM-Firmenich). There was no letup. The British rider was finally caught on the last difficulty of the day, the Rochecobron climb, by a group of four riders who had broken away about twenty kilometers from the finish: Olivier Le Gac (Groupama FDJ), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno X), Riley Sheehan (Israel) and Joris Delbove (St Michel). Behind them, the Arkea Samsic team of the top favorite Arnaud Démare made the effort to close the gap before the famous Avenue de Grammont.

A first victory for the United States

However, their efforts were in vain as the breakaway group contested the victory in the shade of the plane trees. It was the American Riley Sheehan, only twenty-three years old and a trainee with Israel – Premier Tech, who proved to be the strongest at the end of an extremely close sprint.

Espoirs – U23 179 Km

1 LØLAND Sakarias Koller NOR Uno-X DARE Development Team 03:56:31
2 KEUP Pierre-Pascal GER Team Lotto-Kern Haus 00:00
3 THIERRY Pierre FRA Morbihan Fybolia GOA 00:03
4 HUENS Axel FRA Circus-ReUz-Technord 00:03
5 GELEIJN Owen BEL Jumbo-Visma DT 00:03
6 THOMAS Théo FRA VC Villefranche Beaujolais 00:03
7 DEJAEGHER Jasper BEL Circus-ReUz-Technord 00:39
8 VAN DER TUUK Axel NED Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel 00:39
9 ROMELE Alessandro ITA Team Colpack Ballan 00:39
10 RACCAGNI NOVIERO Andrea ITA Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team 00:39
11 MERIS Sergio ITA Team Colpack Ballan 00:39
12 MARTI Pau ESP Israel Premier Tech Academy 00:39
13 NØRTOFT Morten DEN Jumbo-Visma DT 00:39
14 BOURG Quentin FRA SCO Dijon-Team Material-velo.com 00:39
15 MIKUTIS Aivaras LTU Tudor Pro Cycling Team U23 00:55