The Alpine crossing from France to Italy
Lyon – Torino
A cross-border one-day race that climbs from Lyon into the Italian Alps, finishing in Torino after a day shaped by elevation and positioning.
- Location
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- When
- First Wednesday in July
- Course
- One Day
- Most recent winner
- 🇫🇷 Romain Bardet (2025)
- Category
- Men’s Continental
About Lyon – Torino
Lyon - Torino is a men's one-day bike race that crosses from France into Italy, linking two historic cycling cities across Alpine terrain. The route typically features sustained climbing and a finish in Torino that rewards riders who can handle both the mountains and the tactical demands of a long day in the saddle.
The race traces a natural geographic line between two cities with deep cycling roots.
This is one of the few races that treats the Alps as a border to cross rather than a finish line to summit. The route connects two cycling-rich regions and usually delivers a finale shaped by who survived the climbs and who still has the positioning sharpness to contest the finish. It sits in the summer calendar as a test for stage racers looking for form and one-day specialists willing to climb.
Lyon – Torino winners
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 🇫🇷Romain Bardet |
| 2024 | 🇫🇷Thibaut Pinot |
2026 edition canceled
The first Lyon - Torino, a stage race from France to Italy planned for July 1 to 3, 2026, was canceled by its organizer in April. The race is on the UCI calendar for June 29 to July 1, 2027.
Lyon – Torino route
The race typically begins in Lyon and heads southeast toward the Italian border, crossing Alpine passes before descending into Torino. The exact routing varies, but the pattern is consistent: early positioning, sustained climbing through the middle hours, and a finish that can favor a reduced sprint, a late attack, or a small group arrival depending on how hard the climbs were raced. The key tactical question is usually whether the peloton lets a break survive the mountains or whether teams with fast finishers keep the pace high enough to bring it back. Riders need to be comfortable on long climbs without being pure climbers, and they need to stay alert through the technical descents and valley roads leading into Torino. Weather in the Alps can shift quickly, and rain or heat can reshape the race in the final third.
What shapes the race
Race type
One-day race crossing from France into Italy via the Alps. One of the few races that treats the Alps as a transit rather than a summit.
Alpine crossing
The route connects two cycling cities across alpine passes, with climbing in the middle and a flat run to the Italian finish.
Typical winner
A rider who can survive sustained alpine climbing and still compete at the finish in Torino.
Signature landmarks
From Lyon across the Alps to Torino.
- Climb
Alpine passes
The route crosses one or more alpine passes between Lyon and Torino, the defining mid-race challenge.
- Start city
Lyon
One of France's great cycling cities, the traditional starting point.
- Finish city
Torino
The Piedmontese capital, the traditional finishing point in Italy.
History
Iconic victories
Romain Bardet
Won in 2025, a French climber using the alpine terrain to his advantage.
Eras and records
A cross-border race linking France and Italy via the Alps.
Cross-border identity
One of the few professional races that crosses an international alpine border.