Brandon McNulty and Javier Romo go off course in final roundabout After being active all day and taking part in multiple attacks the 22-year-old French rider was part of a 12-man group that formed in the final climb of the day the steep Val d’Enfer inside of seven kilometres to go Enric Mas (Movistar) attacked the front with Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Javier Romo (Movistar) on his wheel but disaster struck when the Spaniard led the trio off the course as they took a right turn on a final roundabout instead of going straight.  Grégoire did not follow the trio and was able to speed to the finish line to claim the victory crossing the line three seconds behind the winner Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) followed to claim third place “I had a little trouble enjoying it [the victory] it's still weird the feeling with these riders who made a mistake with 300 meters to go I sort of have the impression of not having made the sprint I won and that's what counts," Grégoire said we put ourselves in front and we really took charge all day long I was a little afraid honestly halfway of the race that we had maybe done too much that we would be a little too committed in the end and in the end the guys really held up well with its nine climbs delivering over 3000 metres of elevation gain including  Jonas Grégaard (Lotto) Baptiste Poulard (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) Célestin Guillon (Van Rysel-Roubaix) and Joris Chaussinand (CIC U Nantes) build up a lead of two minutes before being reeled before the climb Saint-Romain-de-Lerps inside of 25 kilometres to go Fortunato countered an attack by Valentin Paret-Peintre  (Soudal-QuickStep) on the lower slopes and escaped in a solo move as attacks continued in the group behind him and he still had seven seconds on a chase group as he started the final climb of the day leaving 12 riders to battle for the victory Joining Fortunato and Mas were Grégoire Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) and Fortunato’s teammate Cristian Scaroni Mas attacked before the final roundabout but went off course and lost his chance at victory Results powered by FirstCycling Lyne LamoureuxLyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.  you will then be prompted to enter your display name Romain Grégoire finally got his victory in the Faun-Ardèche Classic and after putting in a lot of effort in the last thirty kilometres the young Frenchman claimed victory in Guilherand-Granges collecting his very first victory of the season This is the second one for the Groupama-FDJ cycling team in 2025 Romain Grégoire was lining up for only one thing in the Faun-Ardèche Classic on Saturday afternoon “After his great Tour of the Algarve he came here with high ambitions,” introduced Yvon Caër We wanted to take our responsibilities for a rider who keeps on growing but for us there was no doubt: it was all for Romain.” That’s why Groupama-FDJ quickly took control of the peloton on the hilly course around Guilherand-Granges “The team had complete confidence in me in this race they were all around me,” confided Romain “It could put a bit of pressure on me so it gives me that little extra to push myself even deeper I was even afraid halfway through the race that we were doing too much the young rider from Besançon could still count on all of his teammates at the head of the pack then he was attentive on the descent of Saint Romain de Lerps sixty kilometres from the finish The peloton more or less bunched up after the second time on the finish line while the morning breakaway had only a very small gap left The Mur de Cormas (2 km at 8%) and the climb of Saint Romain de Lerps (6 km at 7%) then came on their way which meant the leading group was caught while Romain Grégoire proved extremely active The 22-year-old made several attacks himself but also followed most of his rivals’ ones “I wanted to make the difference because I felt good but I think I wasted a bit of energy for nothing because the headwind was blocking the race a bit,” he said “Maybe I should have been a bit more patient.” “There was also a high level which meant it ended up being more tactical,” Yvon added Lorenzo Fortunato took advantage of the big favourites marking each other to come over the last big climb with a lead of around twenty seconds there were teams represented by two riders so we knew they were going to pull to get back,” added Yvon Groupama-FDJ also found itself in this situation since Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet came back to give a hand to his young leader The climber thus tried to lead out his puncher teammate at the bottom of the Val d’Enfer hill (1.5 km at 10%) Romain Grégoire then got closer to the leading riders before twelve riders got back together following the last downhill “We didn’t manage to make a difference on the climbs so there was no point in anticipating,” said Romain The young man therefore tried to position himself for this small-group finish he didn’t have to deliver his best sprint to cross finish line victoriously a few moments later after several of his competitors took the wrong route “They turned right at 350 metres while we had already crossed the finish line three times,” he said “I think they weren’t clear-headed anymore I knew it was straight ahead.” Although he did celebrate his first victory of the season Romain Grégoire admitted to a “somewhat strange feeling” at his arrival: “It’s a bit strange not to have won in the sprint the Groupama-FDJ puncher was more able to fully enjoy a well-deserved victory “It’s a race that I really had in mind” he said “I’ve really wanted to win it for a few years I also have to thank the team for the work they’ve done I hope we’ll keep on going after this good start to the season.” “Romain has reached a milestone,” said Yvon “It’s good that it paid off today because he’s a young man who provides himself with the means to succeed and who can do very good things at the international level with a bit more confidence He also has a very busy schedule ahead of him and that is why he will be resting tomorrow If he is at this level on the Strade Bianche Frenchman beats compatriot David Gaudu in Guilherand-Granges Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep) claimed victory at the Faun-Ardèche Classic beating David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) in a two-up sprint after they had escaped on the climb of Saint-Romain-de-Lerps with a shade under 30km to go The French pair collaborated smoothly on the run-in sharp ascent of the Côte de Val d’Enfer and they had a buffer of more than half a minute on the scattered chasers as they approached the finish in Guilherand-Granges Alaphilippe was forced to lead out the sprint but the two-time world champion had more than enough speed to see of Gaudu and land his first victory of the 2023 season Mathias Skjelmose (Trek-Segafredo) beat Victor Lafay (Cofidis) in the sprint for third at 31 seconds while Romain Gregoire (Groupama-FDJ) took fifth at 43 seconds It was a timely triumph form Alaphilippe in the wake of manager Patrick Lefevere’s criticism over the winter not to mention the travails of the rest of Soudal-QuickStep’ cobbled Classics team at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday afternoon “It’s a feeling I’d been missing I worked a lot in recent weeks to be in condition here and this justified that work,” said Alapahilippe who hadn’t raced since starting his season at the Challenge Mallorca in late January Alaphilippe lined up at the Ardèche Classic among the favourites though a deep field also included Romain Bardet (DSM) Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) and the Bora-Hansgrohe duo of Jay Vine and Sergio Higuita Rémi Cavagna’s presence in the early break with Valentin Ferron (TotalEnergies) meant that Soudal-QuickStep did not have the responsibility to control the peloton but Alaphilippe’s team came to the fore after the escapees were pinned back Ilan Van Wilder was prominent on the climb of Saint-Romain-de-Lerps before Alaphilippe launched what proved to be the winning move I told the team I had good legs and I wanted to try to win Ilan did a super job and then on the last climb I attacked as though the finish was at the summit,” said Alaphilippe who found a willing ally over the top in Gaudu “His team worked a lot today and then he spent the climb on my wheel he immediately understood that we needed to work together and we just pushed hard until the sprint.” Alaphilippe is due to race again at Sunday’s Faun-Drôme Classic before he turns his attention to Strade Bianche next weekend where Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel will be among his rivals The 30-year-old’s hectic Spring campaign will also include Tirreno-Adriatico the Tour of Flanders and the Ardennes Classics After his 2022 season was ruined by illness and injury Alaphilippe is up and running for the new year it confirms the work I’ve done in recent weeks,” Alaphilippe said “It’s only the start of the season and there’s a lot to do but it’s a bit of a relief all the same.” Results powered by FirstCycling The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999 and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Bordeaux native Yohan Castaing is a freelance journalist southwest France and Champagne houses for The Wine Advocate a guide to the wines of the Rh\u00f4ne Valley He also writes for wine publications including Gault&Millau and Jancis Robinson Castaing has held a variety of positions in the wine industry such as wine buyer and marketing director He was a wine marketing consultant and the author of several books about wine marketing and wine tourism before he became a full-time freelance wine journalist focusing on the industry and wine reviews has passed away in the town of Guilherand-Granges Noël Verset was considered by many a legend in Cornas winemaking particularly for his stubbornness about keeping his vines on very steep slopes After the phyloxerra crisis and the great recession in France wines from Cornas were predominantly sold in bulk Prices dropped and the vintners began to plant vines in places that were easier to cultivate persisted in working with his vines on steep slopes Noël Verset highlighted the quality found in Cornas and helped open the way to younger generations Laurent Courbis and his nephew Franck Balthazar His traditional winemaking practices became a benchmark for many winemakers working in the region today: low yields fermentation in cement vats and ageing in old demi-muids (600-litre barrels) Despite owning some of the best terroirs in Cornas which was assembled from all of his terroirs he decided to sell his Reynard parcel to one of  his philosophical heirs he sold his Sabarotte parcel to Auguste Clape and Laurent Courbis but he continued to make wine for himself and his family until 2006.