Paris-Tours has been around since 1896, although at the time it was still an amateur race. The race was part of the ProTour, the predecessor to the WorldTour, until 2008, when it was downgraded. Since then, the French one-day race has been a 1. Pro race.

Many climbs, but not too steep: that was the recipe for Paris-Tours for years, even decades. It was not until 2018 that the organization switched to a different recipe when it introduced gravel sections. Since then, Paris-Tours has provided the necessary spectacle every year, with Christophe Laporte winning in a thrilling spectacle last year.

2024 Christophe Laporte

Although the race is called Paris-Tours, the riders will start in Chartres, southwest of the French capital, as is customary nowadays. The riders will then head south towards Tours, where the finish line is located after 211.6 kilometers. There are many difficulties along the way, although the first 140 kilometers are relatively easy.

The final stage begins with just over 70 kilometers to go. That's when the first climb of the day looms: the Côte de Cangey. From that point on, the hills follow in rapid succession, and it's basically up and down until the last 10 kilometers.

Characteristics of the Paris-Tours race as we know it today are the unpaved sections, which have been included in large numbers again this year. The riders encounter the first of these just after the second climb of the day, in Limeray. The longest section, with a length of 1.6 kilometers, is located twenty kilometers from the finish. That is the penultimate section, just before the final climb.

Weather
While autumn seems to be setting in, France is still enjoying a wonderful late summer. On Sunday, the temperature will rise to around 20 degrees thanks to some lovely October sunshine. There will be no rain and a slight tailwind.

Times
Start: 12:10 PM local time (06:10 AM EDT)
Finish: around 4:45 PM local time (10:45 AM EDT)

Last year, Christophe Laporte was the best, and this year the defending champion will be there again. He has only just got back on his bike after a nasty virus, but the Frenchman from Visma | Lease a Bike already finished third in Binche-Chimay-Binche. In addition, Matthew Brennan, Victor Campenaerts, and Olav Kooij will also be at the start for the Dutch team.

But there is plenty of competition. There are quite a few top sprinters at the start of the race: top riders such as Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) should be able to handle this kind of race well. The former already finished third in 2024. In the second row of sprinters, we also find Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers), Søren Waerenskjold (Uno-X Mobility), and Dorian Godon (Decathlon).

There will also be a lot of attention for Arnaud Démare (Arkéa - B&B Hotels). The Frenchman has already won Paris-Tours twice and recently announced his retirement. Can he surprise us one more time? It will be difficult. Davide Ballerini (XDS-Astana) is also well suited to a course like this, as is his teammate Mike Teunissen.

However, the sprinters will have a tough time against the attackers. On the unpaved roads and rugged hills, many riders will see their chance. Baroudeurs such as Jasper Stuyven, Albert Withen Philipsen (Lidl-Trek), Paul Lapeira (Decathlon), António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), and, of course, Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) will see their chance.

And what about Taco van der Hoorn? He might attack during the race. He won't be the only one, as someone like Lukas Kubis (Unibet Tietema Rockets) also isn't afraid to race aggressively. The same goes for Anthony Turgis, the Frenchman from TotalEnergies who won a Tour stage on unpaved roads last year.

We should also keep an eye on a strong duo from Israel - Premier Tech, namely Riley Sheehan (the winner in 2023) and Corbin Strong. Tudor also has a dangerous contender in the experienced Matteo Trentin, who also has Rick Pluimers alongside him in the selection for the French one-day race.

Top favorites: Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) and Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike).
Outsiders: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Olav Kooij, Christophe Laporte (both Visma | Lease a Bike), Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility)
Longshots:Søren Waerenskjold (Uno-X Mobility), Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers), Riley Sheehan (Israel - Premier Tech), Arnaud Démare (Arkéa - B&B Hotels), Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies), Lukas Kubis (Unibet Tietema Rockets), António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Dorian Godon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Davide Ballerini (XDS-Astana) and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ)