For many years, the classic Paris-Tours was often safe pickings for the sprinters. With the introduction of gravel sectors in 2018, one of the oldest cycling races in the world experienced a renaissance. The ride along the wine roads around the finish town of Tours gave the finale of the race a new character.
Paris-Tours 2024: Mads Pedersen with an early attack
The ride over the gravel roads is particularly impressive when it rains - as was the case recently on Sunday at the 118th edition of Paris-Tours, when ten of these gravel passages were ridden. Lidl Trek and Visma | Lease a Bike were the two teams that characterised the finale. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) had already attacked with Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech) around 70 kilometres before the finish shortly before the first gravel sector and left the German behind shortly afterwards. The Dane caught up with the original breakaway group and rode away from it together with Edoardo Affini (Visma | Lease a Bike).
His team-mate Christophe Laporte attacked out of the peloton with 33 kilometres to go with Pedersen's team-mate Mathias Vacek in tow. Both caught up with the leaders. There, Affini dropped back first, then Pedersen. This led to a two-man sprint between Laporte and Vacek, which the Frenchman won against the Czech. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) secured third place out of the peloton.
Paris-Tours 2024 - Results
Paris - Tours Elite: Chartres - Tours
Paris - Tours Elite 2024: Paris - Tours Elite, Chartres - Tours
| Rnk. | Riders | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 05:00:27 |
| 2 | Lidl - Trek | +00:00:00 |
| 3 | Alpecin - Deceuninck | +00:00:21 |
| 4 | Intermarché - Wanty | +00:00:21 |
| 5 | Cofidis | +00:00:21 |
| 6 | Astana Qazaqstan Team | +00:00:21 |
While it was Laporte's first win of the season, another rider celebrated his farewell at Paris-Tours. Edvald Boasson Hagen contested his last professional race on Sunday. The 37-year-old Norwegian (professional since 2006) had his heyday with Columbia-HTC in 2008/2009 and then later with Team Sky in the early 2010s. He won three Tour de France stages, Gent-Wevelgem and the Cyclassics in Hamburg, among others. Boasson Hagen finished 77th in his last race.
