Description
August 18, 2026
59th Tour du Limousin-Périgord – Nouvelle Aquitaine 2026 🇫🇷 (2.1) ME – Stage 1 – Veyrac – Dun-le-Palestel : 174,9 km
Tour du Limousin is a UCI 2.1 stage race run across rolling and hilly central French terrain,
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August 18, 2026
59th Tour du Limousin-Périgord – Nouvelle Aquitaine 2026 🇫🇷 (2.1) ME – Stage 1 – Veyrac – Dun-le-Palestel : 174,9 km
Tour du Limousin is a UCI 2.1 stage race run across rolling and hilly central French terrain, where constant elevation change, narrow roads, and exposed ridges create a steady attritional challenge. The course often mixes punchy climbs with long transitional stretches, so riders must balance climbing effort with efficient recovery from stage to stage. Wind and summer heat can add to the difficulty, especially on open roads and in the late kilometers of selective stages. Race dynamics usually center on aggressive breakaways, controlled chasing by strong teams, and repeated attacks on the shorter climbs that define the region. Typical stage profiles include rolling circuits, uphill drags, technical descents, and occasional summit-style finishes that can fracture the field. The race rarely settles into a single pattern for long, and timing is important when the pace rises repeatedly in the final part of a stage. Finishes may come as reduced-group sprints, solo arrivals, or small breakaway successes depending on how selective the day has been. It rewards consistency, climbing depth, and tactical patience.
Noa Isidore (Decathlon CMA CGM) sprinted to the first victory of his professional career in the opening stage Tour du Limousin, the 21-year-old speeding into the race lead on the uphill finish in Dun-le-Palestel.
The Frenchman outpaced Daan Depuyt (Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions) to the line at the end of the 175km stage. Hugo Page (Cofidis) rounded out the podium ahead of Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Alex Aranburu (Cofidis).
Isidore’s win comes after a host of near misses earlier in the season. The punchy sprinter has five podium places to his name this year, including second on a stage of the Volta a Catalunya, and second at the GP du Morbihan.
“It was quite a tough day, very wearing, but I knew this course could suit me, especially that finish on a slight false flat. The team trusted me and worked really hard. I’m grateful to them; I was determined to wrap it up in the best possible way: with a win,” Isidore said after the stage.
“The whole team wanted to perform well, especially Émilien Jacquelin, who, in just his second pro race, helped us keep the breakaway in check. I had a real fire in me to win after missing out so many times. I kept working with that drive just to get that feeling of joy again.”
The stage, which featured 2,000 metres of elevation, posed a challenging start to the four-day race. A breakaway of five riders went clear early on as Antoine Berge (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93), Joonas Puuraid (Bike Aid), Clément Davy (Nice Métropole-Côte d’Azur), Jean-Louis Le Ny (Veloce Club Rouen 76), and Maximilien Juillard (VC Villefrance Beaujolais) got away.
Behind them, Cofidis and Lotto-Intermarché controlled the peloton, letting the move go three minutes clear. The break – minus Berger, dropped with 104km to go, and Puuraid, dropped 57km out – stayed together until the 21km to go mark.
There, sensing the peloton drawing closer, Davy launched an attack to go clear. He’d last 4km out front before he, too, was caught. From there, Lotto took over, before Decathlon joined them for the final kilometres before taking over at the front on the run-in to deliver Isidore to victory.
Results :
 ME - Stage 1 </strong> - Veyrac - Dun-le-Palestel : 174,9 km
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Tour du Limousin is a UCI 2.1 stage race run across rolling and hilly central French terrain, where constant elevation change, narrow roads, and exposed ridges create a steady attritional challenge. The course often mixes punchy climbs with long transitional stretches, so riders must balance climbing effort with efficient recovery from stage to stage. Wind and summer heat can add to the difficulty, especially on open roads and in the late kilometers of selective stages. Race dynamics usually center on aggressive breakaways, controlled chasing by strong teams, and repeated attacks on the shorter climbs that define the region. Typical stage profiles include rolling circuits, uphill drags, technical descents, and occasional summit-style finishes that can fracture the field. The race rarely settles into a single pattern for long, and timing is important when the pace rises repeatedly in the final part of a stage. Finishes may come as reduced-group sprints, solo arrivals, or small breakaway successes depending on how selective the day has been. It rewards consistency, climbing depth, and tactical patience.
Noa Isidore (Decathlon CMA CGM) sprinted to the first victory of his professional career in the opening stage Tour du Limousin, the 21-year-old speeding into the race lead on the uphill finish in Dun-le-Palestel.
The Frenchman outpaced Daan Depuyt (Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions) to the line at the end of the 175km stage. Hugo Page (Cofidis) rounded out the podium ahead of Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Alex Aranburu (Cofidis).
Isidore's win comes after a host of near misses earlier in the season. The punchy sprinter has five podium places to his name this year, including second on a stage of the Volta a Catalunya, and second at the GP du Morbihan.
"It was quite a tough day, very wearing, but I knew this course could suit me, especially that finish on a slight false flat. The team trusted me and worked really hard. I’m grateful to them; I was determined to wrap it up in the best possible way: with a win," Isidore said after the stage.
"The whole team wanted to perform well, especially Émilien Jacquelin, who, in just his second pro race, helped us keep the breakaway in check. I had a real fire in me to win after missing out so many times. I kept working with that drive just to get that feeling of joy again."
The stage, which featured 2,000 metres of elevation, posed a challenging start to the four-day race. A breakaway of five riders went clear early on as Antoine Berge (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93), Joonas Puuraid (Bike Aid), Clément Davy (Nice Métropole-Côte d'Azur), Jean-Louis Le Ny (Veloce Club Rouen 76), and Maximilien Juillard (VC Villefrance Beaujolais) got away.
Behind them, Cofidis and Lotto-Intermarché controlled the peloton, letting the move go three minutes clear. The break – minus Berger, dropped with 104km to go, and Puuraid, dropped 57km out – stayed together until the 21km to go mark.
There, sensing the peloton drawing closer, Davy launched an attack to go clear. He'd last 4km out front before he, too, was caught. From there, Lotto took over, before Decathlon joined them for the final kilometres before taking over at the front on the run-in to deliver Isidore to victory.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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