Preview Faun-Ardèche and Faun-Drome Classic 2025 | Who can break UAE’s dominance?

In 2024, the Faun-Ardèche Classic featured a stellar lineup, and it delivered. After an intense finale, Juan Ayuso emerged victorious, outclassing the likes of Romain Grégoire, Mattias Skjelmose, and Felix Gall. The next day, UAE celebrated again, as Marc Hirschi attacked on the final climb to drop Ayuso and Maxim Van Gils. Given the race dynamics in recent years, we can expect more fireworks this time around.

Ardèche Classic.

2024: Juan Ayuso
2023: Julian Alaphilippe
2022: Brandon McNulty
2021: David Gaudu
2020: Rémi Cavagna
2019: Lilian Calmejane
2018: Romain Bardet
2017: Mauro Finetto
2016: Petr Vakoc
2015: Eduardo Sepulveda
2014: Florian Vachon

2024: Marc Hirschi
2023: Anthony Perez
2022: Jonas Vingegaard
2021: Andrea Bagioli
2020: Simon Clarke
2019: Alexis Vuillermoz
2018: Lilian Calmejane
2017: Sébastien Delfosse
2016: Petr Vakoc
2015: Samuel Dumoulin
2014: Romain Bardet

Saturday: Ardèche Classic.

The route remains almost unchanged from last year. Riders will face over 3,000 meters of elevation gain across 166 kilometers, but as in previous years, the race is expected to explode in the final 50 kilometers. The decisive section starts with the Val d'Enfer (1.5 km at 10.5%) and leads into the Saint Romain de Lerps (6.3 km at 7.6%). If no decisive move has been made by then, riders will tackle Val d'Enfer once again with 10 kilometers to go, followed by a fast run-in to the finish.

Sunday: Drôme Classic.

On Sunday, the riders will cover 20 additional kilometers, but with 2,400 meters of elevation, the course is slightly less demanding. The first 120 kilometers feature minor climbs, but the real action begins 40 kilometers from the finish, with the Col de la Grande Limite (4.6 km at 6.1%). After that, a series of short, punchy climbs leads into a steep final kilometer. While Saturday favors pure climbers, Sunday’s race is better suited to powerful puncheurs.

Weather
The riders can expect beautiful racing weather next weekend. The temperature will be between ten and fifteen degrees and there is a good chance they will get to ride in the sun all day. Great spring weather, in other words!

Times
Start: 12:00 PM (local time) | 6:00 AM (EST)
Finish: between 4:00 PM and 5 PM:00 (local time)| between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM (EST)

The start lists for both one-day races are nearly identical for each team, so this overview highlights riders who could perform well in both events. We begin with UAE Team Emirates XRG, which brings Juan Ayuso, last year’s Faun-Ardèche Classic winner, to the start. Jan Christen, who already took a strong victory in Portugal, is another name to watch. Additionally, rising star Isaac Del Toro will be competing.

Who poses the biggest threat to the UAE squad? Most likely former teammate Marc Hirschi (Tudor). The Swiss rider has already won in Spain and is showing strong form. Meanwhile, Visma | Lease a Bike returns after being absent last year, fielding Ben Tulett and Cian Uijtdebroeks, both of whom have already impressed this season. Another interesting name is Axel Zingle, a French climbing specialist who could deliver a strong performance on his debut in these races.

From Lidl-Trek, the main contender is Mattias Skjelmose, who performed well in last year’s one-day races. Another strong presence from last year is Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-Quick Step). Among the French hopefuls, Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Victor Lafay (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), and Warren Barguil (Picnic PostNL) will look to shine on home soil.

For Movistar, Enric Mas and Javier Romo will be their main riders. What can Ben Healy do in his season debut? Alongside Richard Carapaz, he will lead EF Education-EasyPost. Another in-form rider to watch is Cristian Scaroni (XDS Astana), who will aim to continue collecting strong results. Other contenders include Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech), Alex Aranburu (Cofidis), and Giovanni Carboni (Unibet Tietema Rockets), all of whom could make an impact in these challenging races.

Top favorites: Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates XRG), Marc Hirschi (Tudor) Cristian Scaroni (XDS Astana)
Outsiders: Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates XRG), Cian Uijtdebroeks and Ben Tullet (Visma | Lease a Bike), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-Quick Step) and Ben Healy (EF Education - EasyPost)
Long shots: Axel Zingle (Visma | Lease a Bike), Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG), Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Victor Lafay (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Warren Barguil (Picnic PostNL), Enric Mas and Javier Romo (Movistar), Richard Carapaz (EF Education - EasyPost), Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech), Alex Aranburu (Cofidis) and Giovanni Carboni (Unibet Tietema Rockets)

As a cycling fan, you’ll have plenty to watch this weekend. Eurosport will prioritize coverage of the Belgian Opening Weekend for both men and women. However, the French one-day races will be available on HBO Max. Both races will be broadcast live from 1:00 PM on both days.