Claudine Fangille, president of the Bességeoise cycling union (UCB), accompanied by the mayor of the city Max Roustan, unveiled the rich line-up of this 55th edition. Camera obscura – STEPHANE BARBIER
Despite rising costs and financial partners who are cracking, Claudine Fangille's team, supported by its volunteers, is fighting hard and offering a high-level edition.
“When we organize, we always talk about the following year, but this year we will do 2025 and, even if for 2026 some municipalities have already positioned themselves, we will do things one after the other.” The warm-up of the press conference of the 55th Étoile de Bessèges, by Claudine Fangille, from February 5 to 9, was tough. Before discussing the quality of the 21 teams present, and the aces that make them up and will delight fans, the president of the association wanted to play fair. Evoking the fear experienced, at one point, of not being able to leave given the inadequacy of the provisional balance sheet, it is the commitment of each and the network of volunteers, activity in order to scrape together €1,500 here, €2,000 there, which made it possible to close the budget for this new edition (around €900,000).
Mads Pedersen, Jimmy Janssens, Rémi Cavagna and maybe Richard Carapaz…
The daughter of Roland, the founder of the event, did not hesitate to support her statement with the recent announcement of the cancellation of the Classic Loire Atlantique as well as the sword of Damocles hanging over the Mont Ventoux event. These are tough times for sport…
Romain Le Roux becomes the new head of safety for the event. Camera obscura – STEPHANE BARBIER
So, on Wednesday January 22nd, throughout a long table on the top floor of the Hup in Alès, the partners are there. And we stick together. Once the budgetary mountain event has been raised, Romain Le Roux, who has become the safety officer thanks to the passage of an examination imposed by the international cycling union, an essential function long assured by Patrick Herse (still in charge of the organization), who detailed the quality of the teams involved, including 10 world tour teams and 13 that will be lined up in the next Tour de France. “As big names we find Lidl-trek with Mads Pedersen who has regularly shone on the Étoile, Alpecin Deceunink with Jimmy Janssens (3rd in the Étoile in 2019), Arkea BB-Hôtel with Kevin Vauquelin (great animator of the Étoile who comes with Arnaud Demare, Soudal with Yves Lampaert and Paul Magnier, FDJ with Rémi Cavagna, former French time trial champion, Cofidis with Benjamin Thomas, recent Olympic track champion and recent winner of the Étoile, Ineos with Filipo Gana former stage winner and Axel Laurence the Frenchman, Ag2r with Sam Bennett and Victor Lafay, Total Energie with Alexandre Delettre from Gard, Bora Red Bull who comes with Jordi Meeus former winner of the Champs Elysées in 2023, Team Flanders with Alex Colman, Lotto with Arnaud Delie, a great host of the Étoile, the new French team Unibet, Uno-X with Magnus Cort Nielsen, Equipo with a great team of Spaniards, Wagner Bazin with Luca De meester, Cic with Ronan Auge and Joris Chaussinand, Van rysel Roubaix with the return of Baptiste Planckaert, Nice métropole with Girard Damien then Saint-Michel with Romain Cardis who goes fast in the sprint… “
All the lieutenants working in the shadows to ensure the leader's victory are missing of course, but if this list is completed by the presence of Richard Carapaz, as he recently suggested on his networks, the Étoile will be even brighter. Then illuminating the faces of the two friends, Roland and Raymond, up there…