Cholet Agglo Tour 2026: Preview and Favourites of the French Classic

Cholet Agglo Tour 2026: a late-season French classic On Saturday 3 October 2026, the Cholet Agglo Tour, a ProContinental race, returns to light up the French roads. The race takes place in France, starting and finishing in the Cholet area, and represents one of the last major road appointments before the season closes. The Cholet Agglo Tour is one of the few ProContinental races scheduled in October, a period when the European calendar focuses mainly on late-season Italian and French classics — source: OFFICIAL RACE DATA. The main contenders at the start The entry list is packed with quality. Cofidis fields a luxury duo: Alex Aranburu and Bryan Coquard, alongside Jenthe Biermans, Alexis Renard, Clément Izquierdo, Camille Charret and Paul Ourselin. Groupama - FDJ United counters with Rémi Cavagna, Thibaud Gruel, Paul Penhoët, Tom Donnenwirth, Titouan Fontaine, Axel Huens and Matteo Milan. TotalEnergies relies on Jason Tesson, Mathieu Burgaudeau, Emilien Jeannière and Thibault Guernalec. Among the international teams, Unibet Rose Rockets stands out with Clément Venturini, Lukáš Kubiš, Abram Stockman and Jelle Johannink; Decathlon CMA CGM Team with Stefan Bissegger, Oliver Naesen, Stan Dewulf and Pierre Gautherat; Burgos Burpellet BH with César Macías and Eric Antonio Fagúndez; Caja Rural - Seguros RGA with Joel Nicolau and Sergi Darder; Equipo Kern Pharma with Marc Brustenga and Antonio Jesús Soto. This year's results of the main contenders Alex Aranburu comes off a high-level season: he won the Bretagne Classic - CIC, was 5th at the Gran Premio città di Peccioli - Coppa Sabatini and collected placings at the Tour du Limousin-Périgord - Nouvelle Aquitaine (2nd in a stage, 3rd in two stages). Bryan Coquard took a stage win at the Vuelta Ciclista a España and two second places at the same race, confirming himself among the most consistent sprinters. Thibaud Gruel won a stage at the Route d'Occitanie - CIC, was 6th at the Flandrien 0.0 Classic, 4th in a Route d'Occitanie stage, 5th at the Boucles de la Mayenne and 9th in a 4 Jours de Dunkerque stage. Lukáš Kubiš claimed three second places in stages at the PostNord Tour of Denmark, a 7th at the Flandrien 0.0 Classic and a 10th at the Trofeo Matteotti. Clément Venturini was 2nd at the Coppa Sabatini, 10th at the Lotto Grand Prix de Wallonie, 5th at the Polynormande and 7th at the Circuit Franco-Belge. Paul Penhoët narrowly missed victory in two TPC en Nouvelle-Aquitaine stages (2nd and 6th) and was 3rd in a Giro d'Italia 2026 stage, plus 4th at the ADAC Cyclassics and 10th at the Brussels Cycling Classic. Jason Tesson won a stage at the TPC en Nouvelle-Aquitaine, was 4th at the Grand Prix d'Isbergues, 7th at the Lotto Omloop van het Houtland and 10th at the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen. Pierre Gautherat took two stage podium finishes at the Skoda Tour de Luxembourg (2nd and 3rd), a 4th in two Tour du Limousin stages and a 2nd at the Classique Dunkerque. Stan Dewulf shone at the 4 Jours de Dunkerque with a 2nd and a 4th in stages, and was 4th at the E3 Saxo Classic. Rémi Cavagna raced consistently: 2nd in a TPC en Nouvelle-Aquitaine stage, 3rd in a Giro d'Italia 2026 stage and placings at the Tour de Romandie and Paris-Nice. Favourites for victory Alex Aranburu (Cofidis) is the number one candidate: his Bretagne Classic win and placings in French races make him the man to beat on a classic-style course. Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) is the luxury alternative: if the finale is a reduced sprint, his speed and the form shown at the Vuelta put him among the favourites. Thibaud Gruel (Groupama - FDJ United) is the ideal profile for an explosive finish, as shown by his stage win at the Route d'Occitanie and 6th place at the Flandrien 0.0 Classic. Lukáš Kubiš (Unibet Rose Rockets) is a constant threat: three second places in stages at the Tour of Denmark testify to excellent condition. Clément Venturini (Unibet Rose Rockets) is the quality outsider: his 2nd place at the Coppa Sabatini and consistency in French classics make him dangerous. Among possible surprises, Jason Tesson (TotalEnergies) and Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) have the numbers to feature in the fight. Note: the prediction is based exclusively on the verified data available; 71 of the 101 entrants have no history on the platform.