Classic Var 2024: Lenny Martinez pips Tobias Halland Johannessen on Mont Faron finish to win inaugural one-day race(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
Tobias Halland Johannessen of Uno-X Pro Mobility celebrates before arriving at the finish line and is overtaken by charging Lenny Martinez, who wins Classic Var 2024(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
On Mont Faron, Kevin Vermaerke of Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL leads the final selection on the 6km climb to the finish(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
Lars Van Den Berg of Groupama-FDJ (left) and Lawrence Warbasse of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale lead the peloton at Classic Var 2024(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
The breakaway hanging on to a lead with under 30km to go, led by (L-R) Valentin Tabellion of Van Rysel-Roubaix and Victor Vaneeckhoutte of Lotto-Dstny during 184.3km one day race(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
A view of the breakaway during the first edition of Classic Var from Saint-Raphael to Mont Faron(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
The front of the breakaway included (L-R) Victor Vaneeckhoutte of Lotto-Dstny, Morne Van Niekerk of Team St Michel Mavic-Auber 93 and Mael Guegan of CIC U Nantes Atlantique (Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
A view of Victor Vaneeckhoutte of Lotto-Dstny, Alessandro Iacchi of Corratec-Vini Fantini, Noah Knecht of Nice Metropole Cote D'azur, Valentin Tabellion of Team Van Rysel-Roubaix, Morne Van Niekerk of St Michel Mavic-Auber 93, and Mael Guegan of CIC U Nantes Atlantique during the breakaway(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
Team Israel-Premier Tech leads the peloton(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
A view of the peloton competing during Classic Var 2024 from Saint-Raphael to Mont Faron(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
Michael Woods of Israel-Premier Tech attacks with 3km to go(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
Final six riders on Mont Faron headed to final 2km (L-R) Lenny Martinez, David Gaudu of Groupama-FDJ, Romain Bardet of DSM-Firmenich PostNL, Tobias Halland Johannessen of Uno-X Pro Mobility and Michael Woods of Israel-Premier Tech(Image credit: Billy Ceusters/Getty Images)
Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) snatched victory from Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) at the Classic Var one-day race in the south of France after the Norwegian rider celebrated too early on the hilltop finish.
Halland Johannessen had chased down a late attack by Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and could see the finish line. He eased up to celebrate and Martinez surged up to him and passed him just before the finish line.
Halland Johannessen could only raise his hand in disbelief and anger with himself.
Bardet finished third, in the same as Martinez and Halland Johannessen, with Canada’s Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) on his 2024 season debut.
20-year-old Martinez was in disbelief after winning the race.
“I just sprinted all the way to the line. It’s such a surprise to win,” he said. “It was a really, really hard race with the attacks. I wanted to try an attack but it was so hard I had to wait. Then he was slowing and so passed him.”
In contrast, Halland Johannessen was stunned and silent as he realised what had happened.
How it unfolded
The Classic Var is part of the traditional French early-season races, covering roads that have been used for training camps and races since the 1950s. It is followed by the two-day Tour des Alpes-Maritimes at the weekend on nearby roads.
The riders rolled out from Saint-Raphaël in warm 15C weather and the attacks to form the early break began from the very start.
Five riders got away, with Alessandro Iacchi (Corratec-Vini Fantini), Valentin Tabellion (Van Rysel-Roubaix), South Africa’s Morné Van Niekerk (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93), Maël Guégan (CIC U Nantes Atlantique) and Victor Vaneeckhoutt (Lotto-Dstny Development Team) going up the road.
Groupama-FDJ and Israel-Premier Tech picked up the chase to keep the attackers under control. A crash after 90km forced Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) to retire and reminded everyone of the dangers of the twisting country roads.
The break eventually fell apart in the hilly, final 50 kilometres and especially on the Col du Corps de Garde after 170km of racing. The peloton also began to fight for position at the front. Van Niekerk was the last to be caught as Decathlon AG2R also moved to the front and the USA’s Larry Warbasse did some vital work.
The climbs meant the peloton was soon reduced to just 40 riders and Decathlon AG2R were determined to lead the fast ride through Toulon to the foot of the Mont Faron climb. Indeed the peloton split due to the high-speed and hectic descent on wet roads. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) was one of the big-name riders absent from the front group after he was forced to stop due to a mechanical problem.
On the early slopes of Mont Faron as the road climbed out of Toulon, Romain Grégoire made the first attack for Groupama-FDJ but Woods quickly made an effort to control him.
David Gaudu continued the Groupama-FDJ team, launching attacks whenever the pace eased. It was spectacular full-gas racing.
The speed reduced the gap to just six riders: Woods, Gaudu, Martinez, Halland Johannessen, Bardet and Aurélien Paret-Peintre of Decathlon AG2R.
Gaudu made his last attack with 500 metres to go after a last hairpin bend. Bardet holds the Strava record for the climb and appeared to know it well. He waited until the final 300 metres of straight road and then powered way out of the saddle.
He got a gap but then Halland Johannessen closed the gap on him. As they dived through a late chicane, Halland Johannessen opened a gap and thought he was about to win. Then Martinez sprinted from behind to win and ruin Halland Johannessen’s day.
Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
