Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) will be looking for a repeat victory in the GP Ouest France-Plouay on Sunday August 31st, which would also allow the Australian to make important gains in the UCI WorldTour individual ranking.
Gerrans has already claimed one win in the 229.1 kilometre hilly French Classic, back in 2009, and will be heading a strong Orica-GreenEdge team this Sunday.
Success would reap several rewards for the 2014 Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner and former Tour de France leader. Neither Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team), Albert Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana Pro Team) or Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team), who occupy to the top four places on the WorldTour individual classification are taking part, with Valverde, Contador and Quintana all currently racing the Vuelta a España.
Gerrans is currently lying fifth in the UCI WorldTour rankings, with 318 points after he took third in the Vattenfall Cyclassics last weekend. A victory would therefore allow him to move into the top three of the UCI WorldTour.
However, there is a very strong line-up in the GP Ouest France-Plouay. Although defending champion Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) is not present – he is also taking part in the Vuelta a España – Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing), who finished second last year and second in the recent Vattenfalls Cyclassics will be present. So took, will be Samuel Dumoulin (AG2R La Mondiale), who completed the podium of the French one-day Classic last year alongside the two Italians, in third place.
Along with Gerrans, two other riders currently forming part of the top ten of the UCI WorldTour ranking will be lining up on Sunday: Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha), in sixth place and one of the top favourites following his victory in the Vattenfall Cyclassics last weekend, and reigning UCI World Champion Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida), in ninth. Both riders, like Gerrans, have excellent track records in tough one-day events.
Other favourites include Sir Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), Michael Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and Wiggins team-mate and former Ouest France-Plouay winner Edvald Boasson Hagen. One thing is certain: with such a strong field, the French event will be very unpredictable and hard to control, all but guaranteeing some exciting racing on Sunday afternoon.
In the UCI WorldTour teams classification, Movistar, with 1,105 points and a 216 point advantage over second placed AG2R La Mondiale, with 889 points will be certain to remain in the lead after Sunday’s race. However, the battle between AG2R La Mondiale, third-placed Tinkoff-Saxo with 853 points and Omega Pharma-Quick Step, with 842, is much more intense and changes in their respective positions cannot be ruled out.
The UCI WorldTour nations classification has a similar profile, with Spain’s total of 1, 250 points placing the top ranking country well clear of second-placed Italy, with 940 points. However, Italy’s margin on France, with 901 points and the Netherlands, in fourth place with 847 points, is much smaller - again making changes more likely. Watch this space.