Tours: Jasper Philipsen among the names announced at the start on Sunday

D-6 for Paris-Tours! The entry list is not yet finalized but the first names of runners were made official this Monday, September 30 by Amaury Sport Organization. And that already makes you want to be there this Sunday to see the mano a mano between the attackers and the sprinters on the vineyard paths, because the casting is promising! With one caveat, always necessary in cycling: not all the riders announced on the prelists will necessarily be at the start…

The return podium

Honor to the outgoing first. They liked Paris-Tours 2023, they are asking for more in 2024. On paper, they will not necessarily be in the trio or quintet of favorites, but experience speaks for them. Riley Sheehan (Israel-Premier Tech), surprise winner last year, Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ) and Tobias Johannessen (Uno X), respectively 2^e et 3^ewill be there again on Sunday.

Philipsen finally?

If he is there at the start of Chartres, he will be one of the big favorites. Jasper Philipsen, this season, it’s a victory on Milan-San-Remo, a second place behind his teammate Mathieu van der Poel on Paris-Roubaix, or even three stage victories on the Tour de France. Until now, the Belgian from Alpecin has never succeeded in taming the vineyard paths. On the other hand, he has already raised his arms on Avenue Grammont, but it was among the hopefuls in 2017, that is to say during the last “old version” edition.

Alpecin will also be able to count on Soren Kragh Andersen who has already conquered dust and stones, winning in Tours in 2018. The Dane will, inevitably, be in the small papers.

Pedersen, De Lie en vedettes

Former world champion Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) is announced. The Dane, who has never participated in the Classic of Dead Leaves, has everything to be able to have fun there. With the advantage of being able to jump everything upstream or finish in a sprint.

Ditto for Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) who knows this playing field. But the winner of Tro Bro Leon this year has always struggled there, with a retirement in 2022 and 2023. Among the hopefuls , he had taken the 9^e place in 2021.

Laporte and the French

Olympic bronze medalist Christophe Laporte will also be there. The leader of Visma-Lease a bike is a faithful participant in the event, he who will compete in it for the 10th^e times, and even the 11^e if we add participation in Paris-Tours Espoirs. But his best performance remains his 6^e place last year…

The Varois will lead an obviously large contingent of Frenchmen, including Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B & B Hotels), double winner of the event but also Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergie), winner of the white paths stage on the Tour, Florian Sénéchal (Arkéa-B & B Hotels), Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ), Axel Zingle (Cofidis), or even the Chartrain Hugo Page (Intermarché-Wanty).

And also

Finally, we will still cite as “big” names John Degenkolb (DSM), Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech), Magnus Cort Nielsen (Uno-X), Edvald Boasson-Hagen (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), who could competing there in the last race of his career, or Matteo Trentin (Tudor), winner in 2015 and 2017.

Annaïck Mainguy