GP Marseillaise 2016 Preview

By David Hunter

Marseille – Marseille 135km

Time for the peloton to return to the streets of France, with the 37th GP Marseillaise. It’s a race that usually finishes in a bunch sprint, Pim Ligthart being the lucky man in 2015. This year the route is slightly longer and harder, there is no guarantee of a sprint finish in 2016. There is actually some dispute about the length of the race. When first announced the organisers claimed it was 152km but my good friends, Lasterketa Burua, make it 135km. I trust them!

We have 3 KOM points, but 4 major climbs:-

Petit Galibier – 4.9km at 4.8%

Col de l’Espigoulier – 13.8km at 3.8%

Col des Crêtes – 4km at 6%

Col de la Gineste – 7.4km at 3.1%

It’s the addition of the Cretes that is potentially game changing. It is the steepest climb of the day and crests with 27km remaining. It is quickly followed by the Gineste, that has an opening kilometre at 6%, before flattening out for the remainder of the climb.

Coming so early in the season, this race is a nightmare to predict. It’s possible for a large break to escape, early in the race. They have plenty of climbs to help build a large lead. On the road back to Marseille, a few teams usually work together to pull them back and we get a sprint.

For a break to escape, you need very strong riders. At this time of year, the vast majority of the bunch are not ready for a long breakaway. That is one of the reasons it usually comes back together, but the teams are just as important.

This race is mainly a French/Belgian affair. The “big” teams are Lotto, AG2R, FDJ and IAM. We also have Cofidis, Delko Marseille, Direct Energie, Fortuneo Vital, TopSport, Wanty and Caja Rural. In France, you cannot ignore the “small” teams. It is quite possible for Armee de Terre, Auber93, Roubaix Lille or Wallonie-Bruxelles to get a big result. That is the beauty of the race!

To contend, the big teams would like to arrive with a climber and sprinter. Time to look at the teams:-

Lotto – De Bie, Gallopin, Monfort, Van der Sande

AG2R – Bardet, Cherel, Dumoulin

FDJ – Pinot, Reichenbach, Vichot, Reza

IAM – Coppel, Devenyns, Haussler

Cofidis – Hardy, Ahlstrand, Van Staeyen, Vanbilsen

Delko – Diaz, Fernandez, Martinez

Direct Energie – Chavanel

Furtuneo Vital – Hivert, Perichon

Wanty – Baugnies, Marcato, Demoitie

Caja Rural – Barbero

Armee de Terre – Duval

Wallonie Bruxelles – Planckaert

Obviously, the world tour teams will be expected to dominate. The fastest sprinter of the race is not clear cut. Most of the sprint options can go quick on their day, but are inconsistent. IAM would expect Haussler to be in contention, considering his fast start to 2015. They have even been talking about how good he has been in training. Having him is an excellent option as he can cope well with a hard race.

Tosh Van der Sande ended 2015 in great sprinting form, finishing in the top 10 of the Vuelta on 5 occasions. He also was 2nd in Paris-Tours. If he can manage to maintain that progression, he could be the fastest here and Lotto have a great chance of retaining the title. The have plenty of options, with Gallopin and De Bie, potential race winners.

It’s too early to expect the Tour de France riders to be in great form. I would expect to see Bardet and Pinot do a good job for their teams and hope to set up a teammate. I am looking forward to the debut of Sebastien Reichenbach. When I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago, he confirmed that the plan is to ride the Tour, in support of Pinot. He was keen to stress that it depended on him performing well enough to be selected. He’s had a good winter and will be looking to start the season well. Unlike the other big teams, FDJ lack a sprinter. Yes, they do have Kevin Reza, but he seemed to lose his sprinting legs in 2015. They will be hoping for a significantly reduced peloton.

Cofidis have the look of a nearly team. They contain good riders, who know this race well, but maybe lack some top-end quality. Kenneth Vanbilsen won the race in 2014 and was 2nd in 2015. His season was disrupted by injury, a real shame as he could have provided Cofidis will a real option in the classic races. Clearly he is a rider that goes well over winter and cannot be ignored for this race.

The other French, pro-conti squads, are looking weak. A real shame that new sponsors get poor teams. Not sure what Direct Energie, Furtuneo-Vital and Delko will achieve in 2016, but I’m certainly not impressed with the squads they send to the opening race.

It certainly opens the door a little for the other teams. I’m looking forward to two riders, who switched teams in the close season. Antoine Demoitie stepped up from Wallonie-Bruxelles to Wanty. The 25 year old Belgian is a very talented sprinter and really deserves a shot in a bigger squad. He will certainly put pressure on Wanty’s other sprinter, Roy Jans. Competition is good and I think Demoitie will outshine Jans in 2016.

Replacing him at Wallonie-Bruxelles is Baptiste Planckaert. He makes the move from Roubaix Lille and is similar to Demoitie. He’s a fast sprinter, that doesn’t mind a tough day in the saddle. At 27 years old, he’s a little older but will be desperate to make a move up the ranks, before it’s too late. I wish both riders all the best for the forthcoming season.

Talking of debuts, you should keep an eye out for some very talented riders. Oliver Naesen is riding for IAM, after a move from TopSport. Most of the talk was about Edward Theuns, so Naesen has flown under the radar, but he is a seriously good rider. Daniel Hoelgaard is a neo-pro with FDJ. He is a fast sprinter from Norway, signed to help support Arnaud Demare. He might just get to sprint in this race.

The last rider I’d like to mention is Sergio Pardilla. The rider who’s career was nearly ended, thanks to the organisers of Pais Vasco. It’s brilliant news that he is back on his bike and racing. Vamos Sergio!

Prediction Time

Bad news for the break, the run home is going to be into a strong headwind. The addition of the Col des Cretes will shrink the bunch down, but we should still get a sprint. I’m going with IAM and Heinrich Haussler. When they were training in Mallorca, he went out after most training rides, for an extra session. He’s already in great shape!

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