Eleonora Gasparrini stormed to victory in the Grand Prix du Morbihan Femmes with a perfectly judged effort up the Côte de Cadoual, overhauling Elise Chabbey in the final metres after a punchy finale around Plumelec. The Italian rider added another win to UAE Team ADQ’s growing tally and bounced back just a day after crashing at La Classique Morbihan.
The 83.9km route featured a series of laps around Plumelec, with the Côte de Cadoual – 1.4km at 5% – tackled repeatedly, forming both the key selection point and the uphill finish. From early on, there was a flurry of attacks, but most were quickly neutralised as teams kept a close eye on each other.
Belgian rider Margot Vanpachtenbeke was the first to break the elastic properly, going clear alongside French riders Célia Gery and Ségolène Thomas just after the halfway mark. The trio worked well together, gaining a lead of around 20 seconds, but with 15km remaining, their effort was brought to heel.
From there, the pace surged again. Paula Blasi and Eglantine Rayer had earlier tried their luck for UAE Team ADQ and FDJ-Suez, respectively, but no move was able to stick for long. With just over 10km to go, the race split into several groups under the pressure of repeated accelerations. A front selection of around 15 riders formed, including Gasparrini, Chabbey, Thomas, and Eline Jansen.
The final climb to the finish on the Côte de Cadoual brought the decisive moves. Thomas made the first bid for victory, but it was Chabbey who committed to a long sprint, trying to hold off the chasers into a headwind. For a moment, it looked like she might succeed, but Gasparrini measured her response perfectly and surged past in the final 50 metres.
A gritty comeback and composed finish
Gasparrini’s win came just 24 hours after she crashed at La Classique Morbihan, where she suffered multiple cuts and bruises. Still sore at the start, she admitted to having doubts about racing at all. “I set off this morning without a clear plan because I wasn’t sure how I would feel,” she said. “But I quickly realised I was in good shape. There was a headwind in the final, so I waited – and trusted I could catch Elise. I’m really happy, especially after yesterday.”
Chabbey held on for second after her early sprint, while Thomas capped an aggressive race with third place on home soil. Eline Jansen, winner on Friday, finished just off the podium in fourth, followed by Victoire Berteau and Nadia Quagliotto for Cofidis.
Célia Le Mouel, riding for Ceratizit, finished 10th as the top Breton rider on the day. The result marked Gasparrini’s first win of the 2025 season and the 14th road win for UAE Team ADQ.
2025 Grand Prix du Morbihan result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: UAE Team ADQ
