Bet on cycling

The small Breton town of Plouay in north-eastern France has hosted a race since 1931 and has created a spectacular weekend of world class cycling.

The action begins on the Friday with the hugely popular Cyclo Morbihan ride that attracts thousands of cycling fans. An amateur race and the UCI Women Road World Cup race is held on the Saturday and then the men’s UCI ProTour race is on the Sunday, this year on August 22nd.

Thousands of spectators pack the hilly circuit used for the racing during the weekend, with many staying in campervans or tents as they traditionally end their summer holidays at the race.

The event organisation is always world class thanks to the hard work of the many local volunteers who are extremely passionate about cycling. Riders love to compete in the GP Ouest France – Plouay because of the special atmosphere and it is one of the biggest objectives of the season for the French riders.

The 229km race covers 12 laps of a demanding circuit that includes short climbs and technical descents. Coming just a few weeks before the UCI Road World Championships, the GP Ouest France – Plouay is always a key indication of riders’ fitness.

In 2009 Australia’s Simon Gerrans snatched victory with a late surge to the line. He was in the decisive breakaway with Ireland’s Dan Martin, 2008 winner Pierrick Fedrigo, his fellow Frenchman Anthony Roux and Germany’s Paul Martens. Martin made a strong attack on the last climb but everything came together for Gerrans who was the fastest in the sprint to take the biggest win of his career.

Gerrans will surely be back in 2010 because he is a talented hilly classics rider. Other names to watch for include previous winners George Hincapie (2005), Vincenzo Nibali (2006), Thomas Voeckler (2007) and Pierrick Fedrigo (2008).