Laporte wins heroic edition of Paris-Tours
Early in the race, Affini broke away from the peloton with three other riders. The quartet gained a lead of only a few minutes at most, as several teams in the peloton were keen on keeping the race under control.
The race fully ignited when Mads Pedersen launched an attack around 70 kilometers from the finish. Only Affini could follow as the Danish rider bridged the gap to the breakaway. The duo led the race for a while, but were eventually overtaken by Laporte and Vacek. The Frenchman and the Czech worked well together, keeping the peloton at bay. In the final sprint, Laporte proved to be the stronger rider, comfortably winning in the finishing straight. After a grueling mud-filled race, the former European champion secured his first victory of the season. For his team, Visma | Lease a Bike, it marked their 32nd win of the year.
“This victory means a lot to me,” were Laporte’s first words after crossing the finish line. “I’m incredibly happy. It’s been a long time since my last win, back at the European Championships in 2023. The bronze medal at the Paris Olympics was fantastic, of course, but I was still missing the sweet taste of victory in 2024. I was highly motivated to perform well here. I’ve ended my season in the best possible way.”
“This is a great way to end the season”
Christophe Laporte
The Frenchman further elaborated on the key moments of the race. “Pedersen went very early. I was feeling good, but it was a tough and demanding race. That’s why I decided to hold back for a while. Several teams were controlling the race. In the end, Vacek and I made a significant effort to catch up with Pedersen and Edoardo. Vacek and I cooperated well, and that’s why we managed to stay ahead of the peloton and contest the sprint. I trusted my sprint and waited patiently, and it paid off. This is a great way to end the season. The conditions were epic, which brought tension in the peloton, especially in the beginning and on the first gravel sections. It was a long, tough, but above all, a beautiful day,” Laporte concluded.
Paris – Tours Elite
One day race
Result
Result
1
Christophe Laporte
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
05:00:27
2
Mathias Vacek
Lidl – Trek
+00:00:00
3
Jasper Philipsen
Alpecin – Deceuninck
+00:00:21
16
Mick van Dijke
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:21
36
Matthew Brennan
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:02:31
51
Tosh Van der Sande
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:03:10
60
Julien Vermote
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:04:10
127
Edoardo Affini
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:10:49
–
Per Strand Hagenes
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
DNF
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Subjects
Cycling – World Tour men
Christophe Laporte
1
Paris – Tours Elite
