Description
May 17, 2026
86th Boucles de l’Aulne – Châteaulin 2026 🇫🇷 (1.1) ME – Châteaulin – Châteaulin : 177,8 km
Boucles de l’Aulne – Châteaulin is a UCI 1.1 classification that unfolds through the rugged,
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May 17, 2026
86th Boucles de l’Aulne – Châteaulin 2026 🇫🇷 (1.1) ME – Châteaulin – Châteaulin : 177,8 km
Boucles de l’Aulne – Châteaulin is a UCI 1.1 classification that unfolds through the rugged, windswept landscapes of Brittany’s Finistère department, where the roads twist and climb across a mix of steep, technical ascents, rolling farmland, and exposed coastal stretches that define the region’s unrelenting terrain. The course is built around a series of short, explosive climbs, with gradients often spiking to 10% or more on ramps like the Côte de Menez Quelerc’h or Côte de Ty Marrec, where the road tilts upward abruptly, forcing riders to dig deep and accelerate hard. The descents are fast and technical, their narrow lanes and sharp bends demanding precision and control, while the flatter sections are frequently exposed to the full force of Atlantic winds, turning the race into a tactical battle for shelter and position.
The race dynamics are shaped by these climbs and wind-exposed stretches, with attacks launching on the steepest ramps or during moments of crosswind chaos, the peloton fracturing as riders struggle to hold the wheel ahead. The final laps around Châteaulin feature a relentless succession of climbs and technical descents, where the race often reaches its climax. The finish is typically decided by a reduced bunch sprint after a punchy ascent, or a solo rider who has timed their move to perfection, holding off the chasing pack by a handful of seconds. The Boucles de l’Aulne is a race that embodies the raw, untamed spirit of Breton cycling—a grueling test of strength, skill, and resilience against a backdrop of dramatic landscapes and relentless terrain.
Jon Barrenetxea (Movistar) sailed past Clément Venturini (Unibet Rose Rockets) on the uphill finish to win Boucles de l’Aulne – Châteaulin on Sunday.
The punchy incline in Châteaulin was part of four finishing circuits in the final 33km of the 177.8km one-day race. Unibet Rose Rockets’ Lander Loockx hammered up the climb for Venturini, but Barrenetxea was glued to the duo along with Maxime Vezie (CIC Pro Cycling Academy) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ United).
The quintet went for the sprint together, the course flattening with 250 metres to go. As Venturini launched around his teammate, the Movistar rider went wider and faster, and held the lead through the line in Châteaulin.
Barrenetxea went back-to-back with victories on the weekend, taking the bunch sprint win a day before at Tour du Finistère in Quimper. Venturini improved one spot, taking second on Sunday. Vezie held on for third ahead of Loockx. Gaudu trailed three seconds later in fifth.
Once the finishing circuits, nine riders were in the breakaway. Alex Molenaar (Caja Rural-Seguros) dropped due to a mechanical, leaving the eventual top five finishers with Jefferson Cepeda (Movistar), Pierre Theirry (TotalEnergies) and Lucas Bénéteau (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93), who survived until the final 6km.
With the hill to be conquered, Thierry attacked first, then Cepeda, with the Unibet Rose Rockets duo taking over but falling one spot short.
Boucles de l’Aulne was the ninth round of the FDJ United Series, which is led by Venturini. The Frenchman holds a 90-point margin over Barrenetxea, who moved ahead of USA’s Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM) in the series.
Results :
 ME </strong> - Châteaulin - Châteaulin : 177,8 km
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Boucles de l’Aulne – Châteaulin is a UCI 1.1 classification that unfolds through the rugged, windswept landscapes of Brittany’s Finistère department, where the roads twist and climb across a mix of steep, technical ascents, rolling farmland, and exposed coastal stretches that define the region’s unrelenting terrain. The course is built around a series of short, explosive climbs, with gradients often spiking to 10% or more on ramps like the Côte de Menez Quelerc’h or Côte de Ty Marrec, where the road tilts upward abruptly, forcing riders to dig deep and accelerate hard. The descents are fast and technical, their narrow lanes and sharp bends demanding precision and control, while the flatter sections are frequently exposed to the full force of Atlantic winds, turning the race into a tactical battle for shelter and position.
The race dynamics are shaped by these climbs and wind-exposed stretches, with attacks launching on the steepest ramps or during moments of crosswind chaos, the peloton fracturing as riders struggle to hold the wheel ahead. The final laps around Châteaulin feature a relentless succession of climbs and technical descents, where the race often reaches its climax. The finish is typically decided by a reduced bunch sprint after a punchy ascent, or a solo rider who has timed their move to perfection, holding off the chasing pack by a handful of seconds. The Boucles de l’Aulne is a race that embodies the raw, untamed spirit of Breton cycling—a grueling test of strength, skill, and resilience against a backdrop of dramatic landscapes and relentless terrain.
Jon Barrenetxea (Movistar) sailed past Clément Venturini (Unibet Rose Rockets) on the uphill finish to win Boucles de l'Aulne - Châteaulin on Sunday.
The punchy incline in Châteaulin was part of four finishing circuits in the final 33km of the 177.8km one-day race. Unibet Rose Rockets' Lander Loockx hammered up the climb for Venturini, but Barrenetxea was glued to the duo along with Maxime Vezie (CIC Pro Cycling Academy) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ United).
The quintet went for the sprint together, the course flattening with 250 metres to go. As Venturini launched around his teammate, the Movistar rider went wider and faster, and held the lead through the line in Châteaulin.
Barrenetxea went back-to-back with victories on the weekend, taking the bunch sprint win a day before at Tour du Finistère in Quimper. Venturini improved one spot, taking second on Sunday. Vezie held on for third ahead of Loockx. Gaudu trailed three seconds later in fifth.
Once the finishing circuits, nine riders were in the breakaway. Alex Molenaar (Caja Rural-Seguros) dropped due to a mechanical, leaving the eventual top five finishers with Jefferson Cepeda (Movistar), Pierre Theirry (TotalEnergies) and Lucas Bénéteau (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93), who survived until the final 6km.
With the hill to be conquered, Thierry attacked first, then Cepeda, with the Unibet Rose Rockets duo taking over but falling one spot short.
Boucles de l'Aulne was the ninth round of the FDJ United Series, which is led by Venturini. The Frenchman holds a 90-point margin over Barrenetxea, who moved ahead of USA's Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM) in the series.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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