2018 Royal Bernard La Drôme Classic (1.1), France
6th edition: Sunday, February 25, 2018
La Drôme Classic podium history | 2017 edition | 2019 edition | Course map and profile
Livron - Livron, 209 km
Lilian Calmejane wins in Livron
The race: Here's the report from Team Quick-Step
Jhonatan Narvaez became the first South American rider to finish the Drôme Classic (206 kilometers) on the podium, after a solid team effort and a remarkable ride in the final 30 kilometers, when the race was restarted after the last rider in the break, Rémi Cavagna, had been brought back. Cavagna was the one to instigate the break of the day, after launching a powerful attack soon after the flag went down and pulling four other riders with him in that move.
Inside the final 60 kilometers, the 22-year-old surged clear from that group and maintained a 2:30 over the thinned out peloton, which reabsorbed him with 25 kilometers to go, when a series of attacks reduced the group to 30 riders. From that group, Bob Jungels powered ahead on the descent from Côte des Roberts, dragging Jhonatan Narvaez and Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie) as the trio quickly put 20 seconds between them and the over favourites.
Jungels – who fine-tuned his form in France ahead of a third consecutive start in Tirreno-Adriatico – was the heart and soul of the three-man group, relentlessly pushing the pace on Mur dÁllex and Côte de Haut Livron, where Calmejane jumped from his wheel. Narvaez responded, but on the tricky downhill he was distanced by the Frenchman, who soloed to the win.
Complete Results:
209 kilometers raced at an average speed of 39.631 km/hr
| 1 | Calmejane, Lilian | Direct Energie | 5hr 16min 25sec |
| 2 | Narvaez, Jhonnatan | Quick-Step Floors | @ 2sec |
| 3 | Jungels, Bob | Quick-Step Floors | + 00' 11'' |
| 4 | Dumoulin, Samuel | Ag2r La Mondiale | + 01' 06'' |
| 5 | Vichot, Arthur | FDJ | + 01' 10'' |
| 6 | Hivert, Jonathan | Direct Energie | s.t. |
| 7 | Pasqualon, Andrea | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | s.t. |
| 8 | Bardet, Romain | Ag2r La Mondiale | s.t. |
| 9 | Serry, Pieter | Quick-Step Floors | s.t. |
| 10 | Warbasse, Larry | Aqua Blue Sport | s.t. |
| 11 | Schachmann, Maximilian | Quick-Step Floors | + 01' 12'' |
| 12 | Pacher, Quentin | Vital Concept | + 01' 18'' |
| 13 | Barguil, Warren | Fortuneo-Samsic | s.t. |
| 14 | Chernetski, Sergei | Astana | s.t. |
| 15 | Ballerini, Davide | Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec | s.t. |
| 16 | Houle, Hugo | Astana | + 01' 25'' |
| 17 | Kreder, Michel | Aqua Blue Sport | + 01' 37'' |
| 18 | Chavanel, Sylvain | Direct Energie | + 01' 50'' |
| 19 | Frapporti, Marco | Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec | s.t. |
| 20 | Canola, Marco | Nippo-Vini Fantini | + 02' 30'' |
| 21 | Le Cunff, Kévin | St Michel-Auber 93 | + 02' 44'' |
| 22 | Doubey, Fabien | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | + 02' 46'' |
| 23 | Combaud, Romain | Delko-Marseille Provence | + 02' 52'' |
| 24 | Gautier, Cyril | Ag2r La Mondiale | + 03' 44'' |
| 25 | Latour, Pierre | Ag2r La Mondiale | s.t. |
| 26 | Ladagnous, Matthieu | FDJ | + 04' 33'' |
| 27 | Reichenbach, Sébastien | FDJ | s.t. |
| 28 | Maldonado, Anthony | St Michel-Auber 93 | + 04' 51'' |
| 29 | Grivko, Andrei | Astana | + 05' 07'' |
| 30 | Bonnafond, Guillaume | Cofidis | + 05' 58'' |
| 31 | Lietaer, Eliot | WB-Aqua Protect-Veranclassic | s.t. |
| 32 | Ourselin, Paul | Direct Energie | s.t. |
| 33 | Tizza, Marco | Nippo-Vini Fantini | + 06' 07'' |
| 34 | Cavagna, Rémi | Quick-Step Floors | + 06' 22'' |
| 35 | Meijers, Jeroen | Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij | + 06' 26'' |
| 36 | Veyhe, Torkil | Virtu Cycling | + 07' 26'' |
| 37 | Domont, Axel | Ag2r La Mondiale | + 09' 31'' |
| 38 | Dernies, Tom | Roubaix-Lille Métropole | s.t. |
| 39 | Guglielmi, Simon | Team France | + 09' 55'' |
| 40 | Burgaudeau, Mathieu | Team France | s.t. |
| 41 | Honoré, Mikkel | Virtu Cycling | + 11' 08'' |
| 42 | Vuillermoz, Alexis | Ag2r La Mondiale | + 11' 15'' |
| 43 | Madrazo, Ángel | Delko-Marseille Provence | s.t. |
| 44 | Roux, Anthony | FDJ | + 11' 17'' |
| 45 | Minnaard, Marco | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | s.t. |
| 46 | Gaudu, David | FDJ | + 11' 26'' |
| 47 | Torres, Rodolfo | Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec | + 11' 30'' |
| 48 | El Fares, Julien | Delko-Marseille Provence | + 11' 34'' |
| 49 | Kangert, Tanel | Astana | s.t. |
| 50 | Carboni, Giovanni | Bardiani-CSF | s.t. |
| 51 | Rota, Lorenzo | Bardiani-CSF | s.t. |
| 52 | Pichon, Laurent | Fortuneo-Samsic | s.t. |
| 53 | Fonseca, Armindo | Fortuneo-Samsic | s.t. |
| 54 | Martin, Guillaume | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | s.t. |
| 55 | Manzin, Lorrenzo | Vital Concept | s.t. |
| 56 | Bernard, Julien | Trek-Segafredo | + 11' 46'' |
| 57 | Delaplace, Anthony | Fortuneo-Samsic | s.t. |
| 58 | Courteille, Arnaud | Vital Concept | s.t. |
| 59 | Ledanois, Kévin | Fortuneo-Samsic | s.t. |
| 60 | Oronte, Emerson | Rally Cycling | s.t. |
| 61 | Barbin, Enrico | Bardiani-CSF | s.t. |
| 62 | Maurelet, Flavien | St Michel-Auber 93 | s.t. |
| 63 | Riesebeek, Oscar | Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij | + 12' 00'' |
| 64 | Finetto, Mauro | Delko-Marseille Provence | + 12' 11'' |
| 65 | Budding, Martijn | Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij | + 12' 19'' |
| 66 | Kozhatayev, Bakhtiyar | Astana | + 12' 21'' |
| 67 | Le Roux, Romain | Fortuneo-Samsic | + 14' 57' |
2018 Drome Classic map
2018 Drome Classic profile