Matteo Trentin Wins Paris-Tours for Third Time, Christophe Laporte Finishes Second After Grueling Battle

Bad luck for Olav Kooij and Arnaud De Lie
This year’s edition was not soaked but sunny and therefore dusty on the unpaved roads. The peloton was very restless but managed to reel in the breakaway, including De Vries, at just under 50 kilometers from the finish. The finale was wide open. Misfortune struck Olav Kooij and Ben Turner as they suffered punctures while racing hard and the peloton was split.

De Lie also had to switch bikes more than 30 kilometers out, missing the move when Lidl-Trek pushed the pace. Soon after, Tobias Lund Andresen and Simon Dehairs also faced mechanical issues at the roadside. Meanwhile, Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R) and local rider Thibaud Gruel (Groupama-FDJ) had ridden clear from the peloton. Initially, the gaps seemed small, but the chasing effort faded, allowing the French duo to gain 40 seconds with 20 kilometers remaining.

Exciting finale with unusual tactical choices
In the closing stages, a strong elite group chased behind, including Christophe Laporte, Albert Withen Philipsen, Matteo Trentin, and Stefan Bissegger. They managed to close to within 10 seconds of Lapeira and Gruel but struggled to bridge the gap. Bissegger didn’t contribute to the chase because his teammate Lapeira was up front. This set the scene for a cat-and-mouse game in the last five kilometers.

The elite group with Christophe Laporte, Albert Withen Philipsen, and Matteo Trentin - photo: Fotopersbureau Cor Vos