Key points:
 For the 113th edition of Paris-Tours, which will take place this coming 13 October, the formula of unpaved roads capable of favouring an eventful race have been brought back, with a slightly shorter distance and a reworked layout.
 The 217km race will start in Chartres, while the Paris-Tours Espoirs peloton will kick-off the action using the final 183 kilometres, starting in Bonneval. The cadets and juniors, boys and girls will compete in the Kilomètre de Paris-Tours.

The 2018 harvest season exceeded all expectations. This is not a report published by the Vouvray winegrowers, but rather conclusions drawn from the changes made to the Paris-Tours race route last year. An attacking style was rewarded, in particular for Søren Kragh Andersen, the 24-year-old winner of his first classic after finishing runner-up in 2017. When he went on the offensive, the succession of vineyards weeded out the peloton to the delight of the strongest riders. The spirit of this pitched battle has been conserved, while arranging the positioning of the difficulties that will progressively drop riders. Thus, the first unpaved sections come after more than 160 kilometres of the race, while a 10km-long portion favouring a regrouping will precede a second series of unpaved roads.

In the section exposed to wind in the Eure-et-Loir and Loir-et-Cher, the crosswinds more than anything else will preserve the race favourites. But after passing by the Château d’Amboise, they will certainly have to rely on their team mates… and finally trust their instincts and legs. On the 10.7s kilometres of vineyards (vs 12.5 kms in 2018), 6.5 kms are regrouped over a distance of 20 kms and spread out over six sectors. The race will then continue through the city of Rochecorbon and head toward the finish line in Tours where an eventual breakaway leader will have to resist his remaining rivals on the Avenue de Grammont. Unless there is a larger group on this Mecca of sprint finishes…

23 teams entered
World Teams
AG2R La Mondiale (Fra)
Groupama-FDJ (Fra)
Lotto Soudal (Bel)
Team Dimension Data (Afs)
Team Katusha-Alpecin (Sui)
Team Sunweb (All)
UAE Team Emirates (UAE)

Pro Continental
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits (Fra)
Delko Marseille Provence (Fra)
Euskadi Basque Country-Murias (Esp)
Gazprom-Rusvelo (Rus)
Israel Cycling Academy (Isr)
Rally UHC Cycling (Usa)
Riwal Readynez Cycling Team (Dan)
Roompot-Charles (Hol)
Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise (Bel)
Team Arkéa-Samsic (Fra)
Total Direct Energie (Fra)
Vital Concept-B&B Hotels (Fra)
Wallonie Bruxelles (Fra)
Wanty-Gobert Cycling Team (Bel)

Continental
Natura4Ever-Roubaix-Lille Métropole (Fra)
St Michel-Auber 93 (Fra)