No title defence for Rockets in Paris-Camembert as Decathlon CMA CGM take victory

Loockx took his first professional victory in 2025 by proving the quickest from a select elite group. And what a group that was, too, as he held off Paul Seixas, Louis Barré, Ewen Costiou and Léo Bisiaux in the sprint. This year the Belgian was back again, and Unibet Rose Rockets arrived with a strong line-up in any case. Clément Venturini, who won La Roue Tourangelle on Sunday, was also at the start.

A five-man break went clear early in the race, with Iuri Leitão of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA the best-known name up the road. They lasted a relatively long time, but Decathlon CMA CGM and Groupama-FDJ kept the pace high behind. That meant the reduced peloton made contact with around 50 kilometres still to race.

After the flat run-in, the riders had by then reached the local circuit, and it was a demanding lap. The Côte de la Cavée and the Côte des Champeaux proved decisive: the first of those climbs was 1.5 kilometres long and included ramps of more than 10 per cent, while the latter was only 400 metres long. With sections above 13 per cent, however, it was anything but easy.

The road continued to rise and fall almost constantly, which made for aggressive racing. With 35 kilometres to go, Benjamin Thomas of Cofidis and Gautherat made a move, but they were quickly brought back. The sprinters were struggling under the pace, and ten kilometres after that first attack, Thomas and Gautherat got their timing right the second time around.

They broke clear of the peloton and were joined by Delettre, Vizie, Tom Donnenwirth of Groupama-FDJ and Valentin Ferron of Cofidis. Their advantage soon grew, and it became clear that the winner would come from that group. Delettre still launched an attack on the Butte de Fondits, another difficult climb, but he was brought back later on.

What followed was a chaotic final few kilometres. Both Cofidis riders attacked in the finale, but neither could get away. Gautherat then tried to go clear under the flamme rouge, but he too was reeled in. It still came down to a sprint, and in that sprint Gautherat was the strongest. He claimed the second professional win of his career. The Rockets were never really in contention: Venturini and Loockx finished 10th and 11th respectively.