Fiorelli, la dolce vita in Britanny
May 10 th 2026 - 18:02
Nothing is ever guaranteed at the Tro Bro Leon, and the 42nd edition of the Breton race proved that once again in spectacular fashion. Long uncertain, always eventful, the day appeared to have swung in favor of five contenders who broke away 30 kilometers from the finish: Per Strand Hagenes (Visma–Lease a Bike), Lewis Askey (NSN Cycling), Fred Wright (Pinarello Q36.5), Paul Lapeira (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Benoît Cosnefroy (UAE Emirates XRG). But the fighting spirit of a chasing group flipped the race. The persistence of the outsiders finally paid off with 8 kilometers to go, when they achieved their comeback while entering the sector of la ferme. In the end, the race was decided on the last of the 29 ribinou sectors, the one of Meshuel. Catching the favorites off guard, Filippo Fiorelli (Visma–Lease a Bike) launched his decisive attack three kilometers from the finish and managed to hold off the chasing riders all the way to the line. At 31 years old, and without a victory since July 2022, the Italian claimed the finest win of his career in “the Hell of the West”. He crossed the line ahead of Alexis Renard (Cofidis), proudly finishing as the best Breton rider on home soil, while Askey secured his first podium finish in four appearances at the race. Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X Mobility) completed the top five in a race whose outcome remained, as always, impossible to predict until the very end.
29, like the department number of Finistère. Also, like the number of ribinou to be tackled along the 202.1 kilometers of the race, 34 of which are unpaved. 140 riders, divided into 21 teams, take on the challenge of the 42nd edition of the Tro Bro Leon, including former winners Hugo Hofstetter (NSN Cycling, 2022) and Bastien Tronchon (Groupama FDJ-United, 2025). They are embarking on a course predicted to be muddy in some places, due to the previous day's rain. But the weather is more favorable this Sunday, with the wind drying out a good portion of the roads of "The Hell of the West." The peloton officially enters the race at 12:15 pm, after a parade through the streets of Lannilis.
First breakaway of about a hundred kilometers
The first incursions onto the Breton roads immediately spark the first attacks, but the peloton remains together and moves at high speed toward the first gravel sector of Kervalanoc (No. 29 / km 31.3). Three riders break away before entering it: Frenchman Valentin Ferron (Cofidis), accompanied by Spaniards Nil Gimeno (Kern Pharma) and Daniel Cavia (Burgos-Burpellet-BH). Behind them, another trio made up of one French rider (Pierre Thierry for TotalEnergies) and two Spaniards (Joel Nicolau for Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Sergio Romeo for Kern Pharma) sets off and bridges across, allowing a six-man breakaway to form.
The peloton allows the gap to grow to as much as 2 minutes and 25 seconds at the exit of the ribinou de Landonoi (No. 26 / km 60.7), before accelerating thanks to Lewis Askey’s NSN team. The gap drops below one minute and fluctuates as the riders traverse the extraordinary landscapes of Finistère. Nicolau (dropped) and Gimeno (puncture) are the first to lose contact with the breakaway. The breakaway officially comes to an end at the exit of the ribiou de BremelocNo. 18 / km 135.4), 65 kilometers from the finish. But no sooner are the early attackers caught than Alexys Brunel (TotalEnergies) launches a solo move, before being joined by Jenthe Biermans (Cofidis).
The favorites revealed in "la ferme"
The Franco-Belgian duo is powerful and builds up to a 40-second lead over their pursuers. Their attempt ends with the entry in the first of three passages through the ribinou de Keradraon (No. 10 / km 161.3), the famous sector of “la ferme” (the farm), where the favorites begin to test themselves. Clément Russo (Groupama FDJ-United) increases the pace and is then relieved by Axel Zingle (Team Visma-Lease a Bike). The Belgian sets the stage for his teammate Per Strand Hagenes, and the pedal strokes of the yellow jerseys contribute to a shattering of the peloton. The defending champion, Bastien Tronchon, is among those dropped.
Five men, all considered among the favorites, broke away with 30 kilometers to go: Hagenes, Paul Lapeira (Decathlon CMA CGM), Lewis Askey (NSN Cycling), Benoît Cosnefroy (UAE Emirates XRG), and Fred Wright (Pinarello Q36.5). But you can't exclude a group of riders in the pursuit, including Valentin Madouas (Groupama FDJ-United), Rasmus Tiller (Uno X-Mobility), and Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon CMA CGM) despite a mechanical issue. The gap fluctuates between 10 and 30 seconds, and several chasers finally make contact with the leaders at the entrance to the final passage through the ribin de Karadraon (No. 2 / km 193.7), with 8 kilometers remaining.
Fiorelli, the man nobody expected
Attacks keep coming in the sector of “la ferme”, but the fate of the 2026 Tro Bro Leon is ultimately decided entering the ribin de Meshuel. Catching the leading group by surprise, Filippo Fiorelli (Visma–Lease a Bike) — who seemed more likely to play a teammate role — goes on the attack with 3 kilometers to go. His rivals react too late and finish just one bike length behind the Italian at the line. Fiorelli, who has not won since the 2022 Sibiu Cycling Tour, takes the biggest victory of his career at the age of 31. It is also the first victory for his team here, which, like him, was discovering the race.
Alexis Renard (Cofidis) finishes second and best Breton rider on home roads, ahead of Britain’s Lewis Askey, who finally claims a podium finish in Lannilis at the fourth attempt. Frenchman Pierre Gautherat (4th) records his third top-five finish, while Norwegian rider Rasmus Tiller (5th) secures a fifth top-10 result. French rider Alexys Brunel (TotalEnergies) is named the race’s most combative rider, while Spain’s Daniel Cavia (Burgos-Burpellet-BH) wins the ribinou classification — another unique prize that makes the Tro Bro Leon so special.
