Hilly French one-day race where long-range attacks meet late positioning battles
Drôme Classic
A hilly French one-day race that rewards aggressive racing and punishes hesitation in the final 40 kilometers.
Next edition Feb 28, 2027
- Location
- 🇫🇷 France
- When
- First Sunday in March
- Course
- One Day
- Most recent winner
- 🇫🇷 Romain Gregoire (2026)
- Also known as
- Faun Drome Classic
- Category
- Men’s 1.Pro
About Drôme Classic
The Drôme Classic, officially the Faun Drome Classic, is a men's one-day bike race held in southeastern France around Étoile-sur-Rhône. Part of the ProSeries calendar, it runs in early March as counter-programming to the cobbled Opening Weekend in Belgium.
Also known as: Faun Drome Classic · La Drome Classic · Royal Bernard Drome Classic
Part of France's 'Alternative Opening Weekend' alongside the Ardèche Classic.
This is the kind of race where the script can flip quickly. The terrain invites long-range moves, but the final climbs arrive late enough that positioning and team strength still matter. It sits in the calendar as an alternative to the northern cobbles, drawing a mix of stage racers testing early-season form and aggressive one-day specialists looking for space to attack. The result often hinges on whether a bold move can survive or whether the chase reels it back in time for a reduced sprint.
Drôme Classic winners
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 🇫🇷Romain Gregoire |
| 2025 | 🇪🇸Juan Ayuso |
| 2024 | 🇨🇭Marc Hirschi |
| 2023 | 🇫🇷Anthony Perez |
| 2022 | 🇩🇰Jonas Vingegaard |
| 2021 | 🇮🇹Andrea Bagioli |
| 2020 | 🇦🇺Simon Clarke |
| 2019 | 🇫🇷Alexis Vuillermoz |
| 2018 | 🇫🇷Lilian Calmejane |
2027 edition
Feb 28, 2027. The Drôme Classic 2027 is on Sunday, February 28, at Étoile-sur-Rhône in France. Romain Grégoire won the 2026 race in a two-man sprint with Matteo Jorgenson, two seconds ahead of the group behind them, after the pair went clear 17 kilometers from the finish.
Drôme Classic route
The course loops around Étoile-sur-Rhône with repeated climbs that accumulate fatigue without offering a single knockout punch. The Col de la Grande Limite typically arrives around 40 kilometers from the finish and serves as the race's defining selection point. Riders who go clear before that climb need enough of a gap to survive the chase, because the terrain after it favors organized pursuit over solo endurance. The finale rewards positioning as much as power. Teams that can control the approach to the final climbs often dictate whether the race ends in a reduced sprint or a late attack. The race has to be shaped before the final acceleration, not simply left to the last decisive section on its own.
What shapes the race
Relentless undulation
A constant "mal de mer" profile of short, punchy climbs across roughly 185 km with 2,400 meters of elevation. No single climb dominates, but the accumulation is brutal.
Climber-puncher terrain
The Col de la Grande Limite (3.9 km at 6.7%) and Cote des Roberts (1.6 km at 7.7%, ramps to 10%) arrive back to back, isolating the strongest riders.
Uphill finish
The race finishes with a 1.1 km kick at 5% in Etoile-sur-Rhone, rewarding the rider who still has an acceleration after six hours of rolling terrain.
Signature landmarks
- Climb
Col de la Grande Limite
3.9 km at 6.7%, the first major filter for the favorites, often breaking up the peloton.
- Climb
Cote des Roberts
1.6 km at 7.7% with ramps exceeding 10%. Follows immediately after the Col de la Grande Limite, isolating the strongest riders.
History
Memorable editions
- 2014
Bardet opens the race
Romain Bardet won the first edition after the planned 2013 race was cancelled by snow, establishing the event's identity.
- 2022
Vingegaard's only one-day win
Jonas Vingegaard took his only career one-day race victory here, months before winning his first Tour de France.
- 2026
Gregoire completes the Ardeche-Drome double
Romain Gregoire won the Faun-Ardeche Classic in 2025 and the Faun Drome Classic in 2026, linking the two French races.
Iconic victories
Romain Bardet
Won the inaugural 2014 edition, establishing the race's identity as a French climbers' classic.
Jonas Vingegaard
His 2022 victory is historically notable as the only one-day race win of a double Tour de France champion's career.
Marc Hirschi
His 2024 victory represented the race's growing international appeal among puncheur-climber types.
Eras and records
First held in 2014 after a planned 2013 debut was canceled by snow. No rider has won more than once.
No repeat winners
Through all editions (2014 to 2026), no rider has won the race more than once.
Total elevation
Roughly 2,400 meters of climbing across 185 to 189 km.