Eleonora Gasparrini claimed her second victory of the 2024 season in Josselin, winning La Classique Morbihan from a reduced sprint after a controlled performance from UAE Team ADQ. The win continues a strong run of results for the 22-year-old and adds to a growing list of Italian success at the Brittany-based race.
Over a rain-soaked 114.7km, the peloton tackled four laps of the tough finishing circuit, where a short uphill drag to the line regularly decides the outcome. This time, it came down to a finely executed team plan, with Gasparrini launching to the win ahead of Marta Lach and Jade Wiel.
Italian strength again in Brittany
La Classique Morbihan has become fertile ground for Italian riders in recent seasons, and this win only extended that streak. A year earlier, Italians swept the top four places. In 2024, it was Gasparrini who proved strongest, confirming her form and her team’s control on a tricky day marked by slippery roads and awkward positioning battles on the narrow Breton lanes.
The victory was also a personal full-circle moment. Gasparrini, who took the junior European road race title in nearby Plouay in 2020, returned to the region as one of the top sprinters in the peloton and showed precisely why.
A long-range move, then a reset
The most notable attack of the day came from Omer Shapira, who went clear solo and stayed out front for the bulk of the race. On a drier day, the move might have been punished sooner, but cautious descending and greasy corners allowed the Israeli rider to hold a decent gap before the peloton reeled her in inside the final 20km.
From there, UAE Team ADQ went to the front, using strength in numbers to shut down late attacks and dictate the approach into the final climb. Dominika Wlodarczyk and Silvia Persico played key roles, keeping Gasparrini well-placed and out of trouble.
Lach launches early, Gasparrini waits
As the road kicked up into the final 200 metres, it was Marta Lach who opened the sprint first, surging clear with 170 metres to go. Gasparrini, however, had already marked her move, tucking onto the Ceratizit rider’s wheel and biding her time. When the gap opened, she made no mistake, surging past in the final 50 metres to take the win.
Jade Wiel secured third for FDJ-Suez, capping off a hard-fought and well-contested podium. Despite the reduced group, the gaps were minimal, highlighting just how much the weather, the circuit and the climb combined to sap energy and make positioning everything.
Gasparrini: “It was quite dangerous”
Speaking post-race, Gasparrini praised her teammates and acknowledged the difficulty of the course.
“The technical circuit and the weather conditions made the race quite dangerous, but my teammates were incredibly adept at keeping me safe and in a prime position,” she said.
She also pointed to the emotional lift of racing alongside riders recently returned from injury – a detail that added depth to an already well-earned victory. The win also underlined the strength of the UAE Team ADQ squad heading into the GP de Plumelec-Morbihan the following day.
Gasparrini’s form, and the effectiveness of the team’s structure, will be one to watch through the next block of racing – but for now, La Classique Morbihan once again proved itself a spring Friday not to be overlooked.
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Main photo credit: Sprint Cycling Agency
