It’s the big day for l’Essor Basque. The cycling race that opens the amateur elite season. 47th edition this year of the event, which will cross 50 towns and villages and which serves as an antechamber to professional cycling. A peloton of 190 runnersa dozen nationalities from all over the world, five days of racing spread over eight days and seven “stage towns” between the interior and the coast.
The coast, scene of the first race weekend. To begin, the traditional 115 km loop between Boucau and Tarnos, Saturday afternoon. Departure at 2 p.m. for the hilly roads towards Urt, then La Bastide-Clairence before climbing to the heights of Orègue, Bidache and Guiche. To conclude by the edges of Adour and the intercommunal stadium of Tarnos a little around 4:45 p.m. Sunday, four loops around Cambo les Bains (107 km in all), passing by the coasts of Espelette and the ridge road between Souraïde and Ustaritz. A stage made for adventurers but which, like last year, can also end in a sprint on the Rostand de Cambo alleys.
A first for Saint-Palais
Two stages which in 2021 had revealed two future pro cyclists: Marc Brustenga, winner at Boucau, who went from Caja Rural to Trek Segafredo and Sandy Dujardin, who joined the Direct Énergie team. The test will resume Friday 11 February with the Tour de Basse-Navarre and 109 km around Saint-Palais via Mauléon, the Col d’Osquich, the Col de Gamia, the Col Iparlatze. Followed on Saturday February 12 by the Round of the Basque Country, 102 km between Saint-Jean-le-Vieux and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port with three passages at the Col de Gamia.
This 47th edition will end on February 13 with the Trophée de l’Essor, 125 km around Mauléon with four laps of a circuit including the climb to Larrebieu and a final loop via L’Hôpital-Saint-Blaise. An event in which Maxime Renoux will not participatethe angloy who signed this winter with Laboral Kutxa, the hopeful sector of the Euskaltel Euskadi team, suffers from an inflammation of the knee and he will miss at least the first weekend of the cycling event.
New in this 2022 edition of L’Essor: a female race, on Sunday 13 February in the morning. Open to cyclists from all over France, this event should bring together around forty participants, over a distance of 65 km with a long tour of Larrebieu then a new loop with a return to Mauléon via Saint-Blaise Hospital and Chéraute.
A first for Foulon
Dorian Foulon, the Paralympic champion, who trains at the hope center of Urt will be there, among the able-bodied. Under the colors of his new Occitane formation, which evolves in National 1 (the highest amateur level). With the ambition to perform in order to compete in the world track championships join the Olympic team.