She succeeds the Cycling Tour Sarthe-Pays-de-la-Loire, which will therefore have lasted 68 years. The regional council of Pays-de-la-Loire formalized this Tuesday the launch of a new road cycling event registered in the international calendar (UCI). Called the Région Pays-de-la-Loire Tour, this four-stage race will take place every year in April. The first edition, which will therefore take place from April 4 to 7, will bring together the best French teams (Groupama-FDJ, AG2R, Cofidis, Arkea-Samsic, TotalEnergies) as well as some foreign big names (EF Education-Easypost, Euskatel-Euskadi, Tudor Pro Cycling Team).
Broadcast daily live on the L’Equipe channel, it will set off from Saint-Nazaire to end 700 kilometers further on, at Le Mans. Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, Clisson, Le Lion d’Angers, Mayenne, Baugé and Sablé-sur-Sarthe will be stopover towns.
Objective: to make it a “showcase” of the territory
The identities of the riders who will participate have not yet been revealed, but we will have to deal with competition from the Tour of the Basque Country which will take place at the same time. Bryan Coquard, Arnaud Démare and Peter Sagan are, however, among the names cited.
“It is not common for a region to embark on such a project”, recognizes Christelle Morançais (ex LR), president of Pays-de-la-Loire, who intends to make the competition a “showcase” of “landscapes and regional heritage. The announced budget is 1.4 million euros. The left opposition regretted this Tuesday the absence of a female version.