Paris-Tours Elite 2026: preview and favourites for the French classic

Paris-Tours Elite 2026: a late-season classic On Sunday 11 October 2026, the Paris-Tours Elite takes place, a ProSeries event held in France. The race, a traditional late-season appointment, will feature a startlist of 57 riders from WorldTour and Professional teams. The main contenders The startlist offers an interesting mix of resilient sprinters and classics specialists. Among the standout names are Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Christophe Laporte (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Intermarché). Alongside them are experienced riders suited to rolling finales such as Stefan Küng (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), Joshua Tarling (Netcompany INEOS), Jasper Stuyven and Yves Lampaert (Soudal Quick-Step), Florian Sénéchal (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Dylan Van Baarle (Soudal Quick-Step), Edoardo Affini (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Stefan Bissegger (Decathlon CMA CGM Team). The French contingent is strong: besides Laporte, there are Paul Lapeira (Decathlon CMA CGM Team), Romain Grégoire and Thibaud Gruel (Groupama-FDJ United), Dorian Godon and Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS), Alexis Renard (Cofidis), Anthony Turgis and Thomas Gachignard (TotalEnergies). Season form of the key riders Looking at 2026 results, some riders arrive with strong credentials. Tim Merlier won at Lotto Omloop van het Houtland and Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen, and also shone in a stage of the Tour de France 2026 (1st on stage 12) and at the Renewi Tour (3rd on stage 1, 10th on stage 2). Jasper Philipsen took notable placings at the Renewi Tour (1st on stages 4 and 5, 2nd on stage 3), the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro (8th) and the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen (5th). Søren Wærenskjold finished 3rd at the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen, 9th at the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro and 8th at the Gooikse pijl p/b Lotto, plus placings at the Renewi Tour (3rd on stage 2, 10th on stage 3). Paul Lapeira won the Coppa Agostoni - Giro delle Brianze and was 5th at the Lotto Grand Prix de Wallonie, 7th at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and 6th at the Bretagne Classic - CIC. Romain Grégoire placed 2nd at the Lotto Grand Prix de Wallonie, 3rd at the Gran Premio città di Peccioli - Coppa Sabatini, 7th at the Bretagne Classic - CIC and 10th at the GP Industria e Artigianato. Dorian Godon won the Gran Premio del Lazio and was 5th at the Coppa Bernocchi - GP Banco BPM, with placings at the Giro d'Abruzzo (2nd on stages 2 and 3, 4th on stage 4). Alexis Renard won the Tour de Vendée and was 7th at the Cholet Agglo Tour, 6th at Paris-Chauny and 9th at the Grand Prix d'Isbergues - Pas de Calais. Stefan Küng took a stage win at the Vuelta Ciclista a España (stage 18) and placed 7th in the individual time trial at the UCI Road World Championships - Men Elite Individual Time Trial. Joshua Tarling was 3rd on stage 1 of the Vuelta Ciclista a España and 10th on stage 16 of the Tour de France 2026. Favourites for victory Based on seasonal results, the most accredited names for the final victory are Tim Merlier and Jasper Philipsen, both with recent wins in Belgian races and placings in the Renewi Tour sprints. Merlier also secured a stage win at the Tour de France 2026. Among the outsiders, Søren Wærenskjold arrives in solid condition, while Christophe Laporte — though not a pure sprinter — has the qualities to feature in the decisive phases. Also worth watching are Paul Lapeira, fresh from an Italian win, and Dorian Godon, capable on rolling courses. The Paris-Tours Elite therefore promises to be an interesting test for resilient sprinters and late-season attackers.