To contest this hilly classic the riders have to negotiate four long laps of this hilly circuit. The main question is will someone make the key move before the final climb or will we see an uphill sprint to the line?
There was plenty of interest in getting into the early breakaway, but after the initial 10 attackers the peloton decide that's enough so these the riders that made it:
Van Den Berg
Poole
Ben Ameur
Uijtdebroeks
Kunkumpai
Dzhus
Julajuj
Hoole
Froidevaux
Murn
The breakaway's lead topped out at around 5 minutes with 140 km left in the race. Riders from Sauber, Zalgiris, JEWA, Evonik and Vesuvio were riding at the front of the peloton.
We joined the live action of the race with 50 km to go. The peloton starts the Cote de la Montagne which is the finishing climb of the race. The breakaway's gap has just fallen under the 2 minute mark as the peloton is slowly starting to reduce in number.
With just over 40 km to go Primozic and Hamilton decide to attack on a flat section of the lap. Lopez actually tries to join them for a moment, but thinks better and lets them go. Shortly after that a key Evonik domestique in Calmejane has a flat which distances him from the main group.
The Primozic/Hamilton duo are caught with 30 km to go. Simmons uses that moment to counter and a little group of 12 riders emerges.
Some of the main favourites are at the front and what looked like an innocent move at first, is now with a few strong pulls by riders like Simmons and Ansons a danger for the riders who missed out.
Lopez is now leading a group with:
Mohoric Gidich Stannard Hirschi Vakoc and leftovers of the early breakaway.
An isolated group is now forced to chase consisting of:
Gesbert Lutsenko Fornmolo Schmid De Bie Romo
On the 3rd to last climb the favourites from the lead group shake off the rest of the breakaway and we can now get a clear gap to the other group. And that gap is 40''. So we have 6 riders in front chased by a group of 5 riders now as Schmid has dropped back to a bigger group 3.
The riders in front were not riding full gas so we got a merge of group 1 and 2. There are now 11 riders at the front of the race with 14 km to go.
We are now on the penultimate climb of the race. Stannard is at the front and increasing the pace.
Just as the climb is finished Gidich attacks over the top!
Mohoric is the main chaser, but other aren't willing to commit to the chase with him so Gidich has opened up a 20'' gap with only 5 km left.
Looks like we have our winner. With only the final climb left Gidich has a gap of over a minute!
Gidich starts his celebration way before the finish line, he knows he's won it! He took a chance and it paid off.
Stannard wins the sprint for 2nd place by a full bike length. The final place on the podium is more tightly contested, but Gesbert is the one to take it.
Pidcock wins the sprint of the 3rd group for 12th place.
Congratulations to Yevgeniy Gidich for winning the 2025 edition of the Grand Prix Cycliste!
Grand Prix Cycliste 
