Guillaume Martin (Groupama-FDJ) attacked from a reduced peloton on the steepest section of the climb to Monfaucon and won Classic Grand Besançon Doubs.
On the double-digit gradients of the Côte de la Malate, the second ascent marking the path to the finish, Martin made his move when pacemaker Matteo Vercher (TotalEnergies) dropped back with 2.5km to go. Martin was next in line and accelerated over the next 500 metres, charging ahead for his solo effort as the gradient relented slightly.
Clément Berthet (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and José Manuel Díaz (Burgos Berpellet BH) went on the chase for the final 2km to the finish, but never made the catch, Díaz taking second, six seconds back, and Berthet third, another two seconds back.
Martin celebrated with a fist in the air, taking his first victory in almost three years.
"I think I had the confidence all day. I had tactically perfect day," Martin said at the finish, noting that he felt like he had early symptoms of a cold but his teammates supported him well to the final climb.
The race is part of the Coupe de France series, with Stian Edvardsen-Fredheim (Uno-X Mobility) leading the overall standings by 7 points ahead of Clément Venturini (Arkéa-B&B Hotels). Martin moved into third place with the 70 points he earned for the win Friday, joining five other riders 10 points behind the leader.
Making his return to the peloton after Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) returned to racing a month after he abandoned Tirreno-Adriatico on the final stage, experiencing numbness in his legs which plagued him in 2024. The young Belgian finished 1:32 off the winning pace in 32nd position, and is expected to continue his comeback at the Tour du Jura on Saturday and the Tour du Doubs on Sunday.
With 50km to go in the 168.6km French one-day race, Loe van Belle (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Tom Portsmouth (Wagner Bazin WB) ascended the Côte de la Malate for the first pass and created the first true breakaway of the race.
They were joined by Louis Rouland (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Fabien Doubey (TotalEnergies), Théo Delacroix (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93) and Johannes Kulset (Uno-X Mobility), but the accelerations from behind ended their charge with 15km to go.
It all came down to the second and final ascent of the steep 3.9km Malate climb. Once Martin hit the front, he kept the pressure on by moving out of the saddle to open a 15-second advantage over his two chasers and held on for the victory.
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