Top contenders emerge from dust and dirt

May 6 ^th 2026 - 18:30

• Bastien Tronchon will defend his Tro Bro Léon crown, in a 2026 race that is anything but short on contenders. His current team, Groupama–FDJ United, also has strong options with Valentin Madouas, while his former squad, Decathlon CMA CGM, can count on riders like Pierre Gautherat.
• Three teams will discover this unique race combining asphalt, dirt, and stones, including Visma-Lease a Bike, led by Axel Zingle. He will face fellow Frenchman Benoît Cosnefroy, still chasing his first win of 2026, and hoping to deliver UAE Emirates XRG their maiden victory in Lannilis.
• The list of outsiders is just as impressive, featuring former winner Hugo Hofstetter, past podium finishers such as Clément Venturini, or riders still seeking a first one like Rasmus Tiller.

Twenty. That’s how many different winners the Tro Bro Leon has had over the past 20 editions of the Breton race, which will be held for the 42nd time this Sunday, May 10. To find a rider who successfully defended his title, one must go back to 2003–04 with Samuel Dumoulin. He remains one of only four riders in history to do so, alongside Bruno Chemin (1984–85), Philippe Dalibard (1988–89), and Frédéric Delalande (1997–98). One year after his victory in Lannilis, Bastien Tronchon returns with the ambition of joining that exclusive club. The rider from Savoie, however, is not the only Groupama–FDJ United contender among the favourites. His teammate Valentin Madouas also knows how to win in the region, having claimed his latest victory at the 2023 Bretagne Classic. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games’ silver medallist finished on the podium (3rd) in his very first appearance here last year. For both men, victory would bring Groupama–FDJ United back to the top, 11 years after their last triumph.

Eleven years indeed, because while Tronchon is defending his crown, so too, in a sense, is the Decathlon–CMA CGM team! It was with them that the defending champion triumphed in 2025, alongside Pierre Gautherat (2nd), who improved on his 2024 result (3rd). The Alsatian has already stood on the second and third steps of the podium; only the top step is missing. The 2026 Paris–Camembert winner leads a formidable squad which also includes Jordan Labrosse (11th at Strade Bianche), Stan Dewulf (9th here in 2022 and 4th at the 2026 E3 Saxo Classic), and Paul Lapeira, recently competitive at the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes (1st), Faun Drôme Classic (5th), Milan–San Remo (17th), and Strade Bianche (14th).

A former Decathlon rider could stand in their way: Benoît Cosnefroy, here leader of UAE Emirates XRG, a team that returns to Lannilis for the first time since 2022. May 10 also marks the anniversary of Cosnefroy’s most recent victory at the 2025 Grand Prix du Morbihan. His goal is clear: get back to winning ways after a strong start of the season, with podium finishes at the Clásica Jaén, La Flèche Brabançonne, and Amstel Gold Race (all 3rd), as well as 4th at La Flèche Wallonne. Cosnefroy could deliver what would be UAE’s 28th win of the season (to date), and their first ever in Lannilis.

UAE are not the only team yet to win here. It’s also the case of the Team Visma–Lease a Bike, one of the three new ones here this year alongside Modern Adventure and Lucky Sport. The Dutch squad will rely on Axel Zingle, who has claimed at least one victory every season since 2020, but has yet to do it in 2026. Quinten Hermans (Pinarello Q36.5) is another rider chasing his first win of the year, having come close with a 2nd place at La Flèche Brabançonne.

Hugo Hofstetter shares two things with Tronchon: he is a former Tro Bro Leon champion (2022), and he has not won since that triumph. The Alsatian is not the only option for the NSN team: Belgium’s Floris Van Tricht, 3rd at the 2026 Tour of Limburg, has shown his flair off paved roads, notably finishing 4th at the 2025 Gravel World Championships. Though new to the race, he benefits from the experience of teammates like Hofstetter and Riley Sheehan, 4th in 2024 (he still holds the best-ever result by an American in the event). Talking about experience, the young Unibet Rose Rockets squad also has a strong rider with Clément Venturini, runner-up in 2024 and lining up for his 9th participation this Sunday. He’s in good shape with seven top-10 finishes already this season, including a win at La Roue Tourangelle.

The outsiders’ list grows further with Hugo Page and Jenthe Biermans for Cofidis, or Rasmus Tiller for Uno-X Mobility. The Norwegian will try again after four top-10 finishes, still chasing his country’s first podium here. Morné Van Niekerk (Saint Michel–Préférence Home–Auber 93) hopes to do the same for South Africa, having finished 6th in the lead group in 2024. That year’s winner was Arnaud De Lie; two years later, his Lotto Intermarché team lines up promising 20-year-old Matys Grisel, aiming to contend at the front.

21 teams, main contenders

Belgium

Lotto Intermarché : Matys Grisel (FRA)

Team Flanders-Baloise : Michiel Lambrecht (BEL)

France

CIC Pro Cycling Academy : Axel Mariault, Maxime Vezie (FRA)

Decathlon CMA CGM Team : Pierre Gautherat, Paul Lapeira, Jordan Labrosse (FRA)

Cofidis : Jenthe Biermans (BEL), Hugo Page (FRA)

Groupama-FDJ United : Bastien Tronchon, Valentin Madouas (FRA)

Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur : Clément Davy (FRA)

Saint Michel-Préférence Home-Auber 93 : Morné Van Niekerk (ZAF)

TotalEnergies : Thomas Gachignard, Sandy Dujardin, Florian Dauphin (FRA)

Unibet Rose Rockets : Clément Venturini (FRA), Lander Loockx (BEL)

Van Rysel Roubaix : Maxime Jarnet, Louis Hardouin (FRA)

Netherlands

Team Visma-Lease a Bike : Louis Barré, Axel Zingle (FRA), Per Strand Hagenes (NOR)

Norway

Uno-X Mobility : Rasmus Tiller (NOR)

Spain

Burgos-Burpellet-BH : Hugo de la Calle (ESP), Lorenzo Quartucci (ITA)

Caja Rural-Seguros RGA : Eduard Prades, Joel Nicolau (ESP)

Equipo Kern Pharma : Marc Brustenga (ESP)

Sweden

Lucky Sport Cycling Team : Axel Källberg (FIN)

Switzerland

Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team : Fred Wright (GBR), Brent Van Moer (BEL)

NSN Cycling Team : Hugo Hofstetter (FRA), Riley Sheehan (USA), Floris Van Tricht (BEL)

United Arab Emirates

UAE Team Emirates XRG : Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA), Filippo Baroncini (ITA)

United States

Modern Adventure Pro Cycling : Ben Oliver (NZL)