Info with one day to go

May 4 ^th 2024 - 17:23

• The 40th edition of the Tro Bro Leon will feature a record-breaking distance of ribinoùs on Sunday, 5 May: 34.6 kilometres out of 203.6 on the route around Lannilis. The race in the Finistère will be televised live on France Télévisions from 3:15 in the afternoon.
  
  
• Without a former winner at the start, the race to succeed Giacomo Nizzolo promises to be remarkably open and competitive. However, a trio of favourites stand out with Belgian Arnaud de Lie (Lotto Dstny), beaten by a narrow margin last year, Frenchmen Axel Zingle (Cofidis) and Benoît Cosnefroy (Décathlon AG2R La Mondiale), who will contest the race for the first time.
  
  
• Arkéa-B&B Hotels, winner in 2021 and 2022, will have the highest ambitions in following Luca Mozzato's runner-up result in the Tour of Flanders. American Riley Sheehan (Israel-Premier Tech), winner of Paris-Tours, and former Paris-Roubaix victor John Degenkolb (dsm-firmenich PostNL) are also eagerly awaited.

Record number of ribinoùs and reverse numbering

With 34.6 kilometres of ribinoùs of the 203.6-kilometre route, this 40th edition of the Tro Bro Leon sets a new distance record on dirt and gravel roads. There are 29 ribinoùs, the first of which is new, at km 33.6, in Saint-Renan. "It's been a long time since we've had a ribinoù this early in the race", notes legendary organiser Jean-Paul Mellouët. Another new feature is the reverse numbering of the sectors, as in Paris-Roubaix, "to make it easier for the riders to find their way around", explains Cédric Coutouly, the event's sporting director along with Jean-Paul Mellouët. The mythical ribinoù de la ferme, which passes by the château de Keroüartz, will be crossed twice, with the second passage 8 km from the finish, before the Meshuel sector, which finishes 2,200 metres from the finish line. But the big moves could begin well before the final 46-kilometre loop. Why not as early as sector 21, 76 km from the finish, near Plouguerneau, when the riders leave the majestic landscapes of the northern Finistère coast. "The local authorities have done a great job in making the ribinoùs passable," says Cédric Coutouly. "Rain is expected overnight and in the morning. But just enough to keep the dust down, the circuit should remain fairly dry”. You can watch the race from start to finish on the event's social networks and live on television on France 3 (3:15 pm) and on the Eurosport app (3:05 pm).

Cosnefroy: "Can't wait to discover"

After putting in his "best start of a season" and "decompressing mentally" following his 16th place on Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Benoît Cosnefroy says he's looking forward to "discovering this unique race" that is the Tro Bro Leon, where he aims for his 6th win of the season. The 28-year-old puncher from Décathlon AG2R La Mondiale has yet to take on the ribinoùs, not even in the cadet category, where the event, a round of the Trophée Madiot, celebrates its 16th edition on Sunday and will again be the prelude to the professional race. "It is a bit far from my parents' home - it's a four-hour drive to Cherbourg," says the rider from Normandy. "And since I've been a pro, it might have been a question of timing. But I'm excited about discovering this race. It is well-established on the French cycling calendar.” The roads don't scare him. He made his name in youth cycling through cyclo-cross. "But I hope the weather will be dry enough for the race to be physical! I won't be the only leader. It would be a shame to race like that because it's often the collective strength that makes the difference at the Tro Bro Leon, as Arkéa has done in recent years. The team is more important than the individuals". He counts Arnaud de Lie, whom he beat on Saturday at the Grand Prix du Morbihan, among his main rivals. "The Cofidis team is solid, and the terrain always suits Arkéa," he continues. "But to focus on one or two rivals would be a mistake on a Tro Bro Leon."

De Lie healed and ambitious

Arnaud de Lie said during a on-line press conference on Friday that he had been through the "most difficult period" of his young career this spring. He contracted Lyme disease, which forced him to cut short his Flanders’ campaign. But after ten days on antibiotics, and because he was "lucky" to have been diagnosed early on, "the illness was behind him", says the 22-year-old Belgian sprinter, who reassured himself of his condition by winning his comeback race last Sunday in the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic. The 'Taureau de Lescheret' is already moving forward. And he is particularly motivated to do the Tro Bro Leon. "It's a fantastic race, a special race, a classic. There are no two like it.” The Lotto-Dstny rider has come close to victory the past two years (fourth and second)—especially last season when Giacomo Nizzolo beat him in a sprint to the finish line. "I wouldn't call it revenge, but I was maybe too eager to win, especially as I'd already won the day before (in Plumelec). I was still in a euphoric state of victory. But now I know the finish fairly well. When you are the first to enter the bowl, it's hard to pick up speed again. I know I won't make the same mistakes I made last year. And I'm not the only one in the team. Bret Van Moer is very talented, as are the others. We should have high hopes."

A special Arkéa-B&B Hotels jersey

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, as well as the 40th anniversary of the Tro Bro Leon, the Arkéa-B&B Hôtels team will sport an "Excalibur" jersey on Sunday, all in black and white, a reference "to the famous Gwan Ha Du so dear to the Bretons", says sports director Arnaud Gérard. It's an additional source of motivation for the Armorican team, which won the event in 2021 and 2022 thanks to Connor Swift and Hugo Hofstetter, two riders who have since gone to other teams. It will have plenty of options, starting with Luca Mozzato, runner-up in this year's Tour of Flanders and second in the Tro Bro two years ago. "We need an attacking attitude and get out in front," says the Italian. "That will be the key to success. And in the final, the legs will do the talking.” Kevin Ledanois (ninth in 2015) and Clément Venturini (sixth in 2022) have also finished in the top 10. And let's not forget Italy's Vincenzo Albanese, Belgium's Amaury Capiot, Florian Dauphin and Mathis Le Berre from Brittany, who is making his debut in the pro race but finished 20th in the cadet category in 2017, an edition in which Hugo Page (Intermarché-Wanty), another young Frenchman to watch on Sunday, finished sixth.

Zingle: "It's the right time"

Still in search of a first victory this season, the Cofidis team can count on Belgian rider Piet Allegaert (second in 2021), Bryan Coquard (51 career wins) and Axel Zingle, who wasn't on the initial versions of the entry list. "I insisted on racing. The Tro Bro is a race I love”, explains the former mountain bike rider, who finished 12th last year in his first participation. "I had a lot of fun last year but had a hard time too. It's not my home region, but I enjoy the scenery, and it's truly photogenic. I want to add this race to my list of victories. I think it's the right time. Like the Strade Bianche, the event is certain to get bigger. I think it's better to position yourself early". The 25-year-old sprinter-puncher stopped his Flemish campaign after Gent-Wevelgem on 24 March: "After several crashes, I felt that my form wasn't going in the right direction and that it was better to stop right away to get back on track.” He made an "encouraging recovery" after a five-week break, finishing runner-up in the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic. "But I've been ill since then, and things didn't go well in Frankfurt (50th). I hope that won't handicap me too much."

Sheehan and the kouign amann

On 8 October of last year, at the start of Paris-Tours, Riley Sheehan was just a young stagiaire who no one imagined would win on the Avenue de Grammont, but he did just that, becoming the first American to win the Classic of the Falling Leaves. The 23-year-old rider from Israel-Premier Tech has since been "able to confirm that he can perform in the big races", like his 13th place on the Tour of Flanders. And he arrives in excellent form after Eschborn-Frankfurt (third), where he claimed his first World Tour podium on Wednesday. "I'm super motivated. I already did this race in 2022. During the recce on Friday, I realised just how much I've changed as a rider in the last two years. It's a privilege to be one of the favourites. And I hope I can handle the pressure! The race is magnificent; it's a bit like Paris-Tours. And it's always good to race in Brittany.” The Colorado native has a special bond with the region. He lived in Noyal-Châtillon, south of Rennes, for two years when he completed his cycling formation with Sojasun-espoir ACNC (2020 and 2021). "I learnt so much on the roads of Brittany, and it's very motivating to come back and race here. It brings back fond memories. And maybe I'll have the chance to eat a kouign-amann; I love it!” Unlike Cosnefroy, De Lie or Zingle, he didn't race in Saturday's Grand Prix du Morbihan and could benefit from the extra rest. "I think that's an advantage. In Frankfurt, I had to dig deep during the race. And I was a little tired after the long trip to Brest on Thursday. The fact that I've been able to spend two relaxed days here and do more reconnaissance is better."

The cyclosportives open the festivities

On Saturday afternoon, the ‘Tro Bro Challenge avec Giant' set a new participation record on Saturday afternoon (1,500 compared with 1,200 last year), with the notable presence of Pierre Rolland and Tristan Valentin, winner of the pro race in 2005. Cycling fans had the opportunity to ride along the ribinoùs that have made the Tro Bro Leon a legend on the three 'cyclo’ routes, but also to discover new paths thanks to the two ‘gravel’ routes. The cyclosportive events meandered between land and sea over distances of between 35 and 135 kilometres. On the two longer routes, there was a pause to savour the local cuisine at the Bistrot des Légendes, on the Meneham site, before returning to the seaside at Lannilis