# 2017 Étoile de Bessèges

The 2017 Étoile de Bessèges (English: Star of Bessèges) was a road cycling stage race that took place between 1 and 5 February 2017. The race was rated as a 2.1 event as part of the 2017 UCI Europe Tour, and was the 47th edition of the Étoile de Bessèges cycling race. The race included five stages; the first four were road stages while the fifth and final stage was an 11.9-kilometre (7.4 mi) individual time trial. The champion of the 2016 Étoile de Bessèges, Jérôme Coppel, did not defend his title as he had retired from professional cycling at the end of the 2016 season.
Direct Énergie rider Lilian Calmejane took the first professional stage race win of his career, after fending off a late charge from Lotto–Soudal's Tony Gallopin in the final stage time trial. Calmejane – who won the third stage of the race – held an 18-second lead over Gallopin going into the time trial, but despite Gallopin's best efforts, setting a time some 13 seconds quicker than anyone else, Calmejane was able to retain the race leader's orange jersey by 5 seconds. The podium was completed by the best young rider of the race, Mads Würtz Schmidt from Team Katusha–Alpecin, 24 seconds down on Calmejane. The race's other classifications were won by AG2R La Mondiale rider Nico Denz for the mountains classification, while Team Katusha–Alpecin's Alexander Kristoff won the points classification.

## Teams

Nineteen teams were invited to start the race. These included four UCI WorldTeams, nine UCI Professional Continental teams and six UCI Continental teams.
UCI WorldTeams
* AG2R La Mondiale
* FDJ
* Team Katusha–Alpecin
* Lotto–Soudal
UCI Professional Continental teams
* Caja Rural–Seguros RGA
* Cofidis
* Delko–Marseille Provence KTM
* Direct Énergie
* Fortuneo–Vital Concept
* Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise
* Vérandas Willems–Crelan
* Wanty–Groupe Gobert
* WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect
UCI Continental teams
* Armée de Terre
* An Post–Chain Reaction
* Cibel–Cebon
* HP BTP–Auber93
* Roth–Akros
* Roubaix–Lille Métropole

## Route

Stage schedule :
| Stage | Date | Route | Distance | Type | Winner |
| 1 | 1 February | Bellegarde to Beaucaire | 158.4 km (98 mi) | Hilly stage | Arnaud Démare (FRA) |
| 2 | 2 February | Nîmes to Rodilhan | 152.7 km (95 mi) | Hilly stage | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) |
| 3 | 3 February | Bessèges to Bessèges | 152.6 km (95 mi) | Hilly stage | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) |
| 4 | 4 February | Chusclan to Laudun-l'Ardoise | 152.9 km (95 mi) | Hilly stage | Arnaud Démare (FRA) |
| 5 | 5 February | Alès to Alès | 11.9 km (7 mi) | Individual time trial | Tony Gallopin (FRA) |

## Stages
### Stage 1
#### 1 February 2017 — Bellegarde to Beaucaire, 158.4 km (98 mi)

Result of Stage 1 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Arnaud Démare (FRA) | FDJ | 3h 34' 19" |
| 2 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 0" |
| 3 | Roy Jans (BEL) | WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | + 0" |
| 4 | Florian Sénéchal (FRA) | Cofidis | + 0" |
| 5 | Rudy Barbier (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 0" |
| 6 | Bert Van Lerberghe (BEL) | Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 0" |
| 7 | Jasper De Buyst (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | + 0" |
| 8 | Christophe Laporte (FRA) | Cofidis | + 0" |
| 9 | Damien Touzé (FRA) | HP BTP–Auber93 | + 0" |
| 10 | Jérémy Lecroq (FRA) | Roubaix–Lille Métropole | + 0" |
General classification after Stage 1 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Arnaud Démare (FRA) | FDJ | 3h 34' 09" |
| 2 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 4" |
| 3 | Roy Jans (BEL) | WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | + 6" |
| 4 | Nico Denz (GER) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 7" |
| 5 | Kévin Lebreton (FRA) | Armée de Terre | + 8" |
| 6 | Jérémy Bescond (FRA) | HP BTP–Auber93 | + 9" |
| 7 | Florian Sénéchal (FRA) | Cofidis | + 10" |
| 8 | Rudy Barbier (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 10" |
| 9 | Bert Van Lerberghe (BEL) | Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 10" |
| 10 | Jasper De Buyst (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | + 10" |

### Stage 2
#### 2 February 2017 — Nîmes to Rodilhan, 152.7 km (95 mi)

Result of Stage 2 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | 3h 26' 59" |
| 2 | Rudy Barbier (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 0" |
| 3 | Arnaud Démare (FRA) | FDJ | + 0" |
| 4 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Direct Énergie | + 0" |
| 5 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | + 0" |
| 6 | Pieter Vanspeybrouck (BEL) | Wanty–Groupe Gobert | + 0" |
| 7 | Christophe Laporte (FRA) | Cofidis | + 0" |
| 8 | Sylvain Chavanel (FRA) | Direct Énergie | + 0" |
| 9 | Rick Zabel (GER) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 0" |
| 10 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 0" |
General classification after Stage 2 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | 7h 01' 00" |
| 2 | Arnaud Démare (FRA) | FDJ | + 4" |
| 3 | Rudy Barbier (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 12" |
| 4 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | + 15" |
| 5 | Christophe Laporte (FRA) | Cofidis | + 18" |
| 6 | Florian Sénéchal (FRA) | Cofidis | + 18" |
| 7 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | + 18" |
| 8 | Sylvain Chavanel (FRA) | Direct Énergie | + 18" |
| 9 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Direct Énergie | + 18" |
| 10 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 18" |

### Stage 3
#### 3 February 2017 — Bessèges to Bessèges, 152.6 km (95 mi)

Result of Stage 3 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Direct Énergie | 3h 48' 07" |
| 2 | Mads Würtz Schmidt (DEN) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 7" |
| 3 | Mauro Finetto (ITA) | Delko–Marseille Provence KTM | + 9" |
| 4 | Samuel Dumoulin (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 9" |
| 5 | Nils Politt (GER) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 9" |
| 6 | Sylvain Chavanel (FRA) | Direct Énergie | + 9" |
| 7 | Romain Hardy (FRA) | Fortuneo–Vital Concept | + 9" |
| 8 | Christophe Laporte (FRA) | Cofidis | + 9" |
| 9 | Frederik Backaert (BEL) | Wanty–Groupe Gobert | + 9" |
| 10 | Reto Hollenstein (SUI) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 9" |
General classification after Stage 3 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Direct Énergie | 10h 49' 09" |
| 2 | Mads Würtz Schmidt (DEN) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 17" |
| 3 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | + 18" |
| 4 | Sylvain Chavanel (FRA) | Direct Énergie | + 22" |
| 5 | Christophe Laporte (FRA) | Cofidis | + 25" |
| 6 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 25" |
| 7 | Reto Hollenstein (SUI) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 25" |
| 8 | Nils Politt (GER) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 25" |
| 9 | Romain Hardy (FRA) | Fortuneo–Vital Concept | + 25" |
| 10 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | + 33" |

### Stage 4
#### 4 February 2017 — Chusclan to Laudun-l'Ardoise, 152.9 km (95 mi)

Result of Stage 4 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Arnaud Démare (FRA) | FDJ | 3h 36' 24" |
| 2 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 0" |
| 3 | Christophe Laporte (FRA) | Cofidis | + 0" |
| 4 | Armindo Fonseca (FRA) | Fortuneo–Vital Concept | + 0" |
| 5 | Mads Würtz Schmidt (DEN) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 0" |
| 6 | Pieter Vanspeybrouck (BEL) | Wanty–Groupe Gobert | + 0" |
| 7 | Roy Jans (BEL) | WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | + 0" |
| 8 | Eduard Prades (ESP) | Caja Rural–Seguros RGA | + 0" |
| 9 | Andrea Pasqualon (ITA) | Wanty–Groupe Gobert | + 0" |
| 10 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | + 0" |
General classification after Stage 4 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Direct Énergie | 14h 25' 33" |
| 2 | Mads Würtz Schmidt (DEN) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 17" |
| 3 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | + 18" |
| 4 | Christophe Laporte (FRA) | Cofidis | + 21" |
| 5 | Sylvain Chavanel (FRA) | Direct Énergie | + 22" |
| 6 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 25" |
| 7 | Nils Politt (GER) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 25" |
| 8 | Reto Hollenstein (SUI) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 25" |
| 9 | Romain Hardy (FRA) | Fortuneo–Vital Concept | + 25" |
| 10 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | + 33" |

### Stage 5
#### 5 February 2017 — Alès to Alès, 11.9 km (7 mi), individual time trial (ITT)

Result of Stage 5 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | 17' 05" |
| 2 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Direct Énergie | + 13" |
| 3 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 17" |
| 4 | Mads Würtz Schmidt (DEN) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 20" |
| 5 | Sylvain Chavanel (FRA) | Direct Énergie | + 22" |
| 6 | Olivier Pardini (BEL) | WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | + 38" |
| 7 | Nils Politt (GER) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 41" |
| 8 | Kevyn Ista (BEL) | WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | + 51" |
| 9 | Christophe Laporte (FRA) | Cofidis | + 51" |
| 10 | Anthony Turgis (FRA) | Cofidis | + 52" |
Final general classification :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Direct Énergie | 14h 42' 51" |
| 2 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | + 5" |
| 3 | Mads Würtz Schmidt (DEN) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 24" |
| 4 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 29" |
| 5 | Sylvain Chavanel (FRA) | Direct Énergie | + 31" |
| 6 | Nils Politt (GER) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 53" |
| 7 | Christophe Laporte (FRA) | Cofidis | + 59" |
| 8 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | + 1' 18" |
| 9 | Reto Hollenstein (SUI) | Team Katusha–Alpecin | + 1' 33" |
| 10 | Romain Hardy (FRA) | Fortuneo–Vital Concept | + 2' 11" |

## Classification leadership table

In the 2017 Étoile de Bessèges, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers at intermediate sprints and at the finish of mass-start stages, the leader received an orange jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the 2017 Étoile de Bessèges, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race.
Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a yellow jersey. In the points classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 15 in a mass-start stage. For winning a stage, a rider earned 25 points, with 20 for second, 16 for third, 13 for fourth, 11 for fifth with a point fewer per place down to a single point for 15th place. Points towards the classification could also be accrued at intermediate sprint points during each stage; these intermediate sprints also offered bonus seconds towards the general classification. There was also a mountains classification, the leadership of which was marked by a blue jersey. In the mountains classification, points were won by reaching the top of a climb before other cyclists, with more points available for the higher-categorised climbs.
The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification, marked by a white jersey. This was decided in the same way as the general classification, but only riders born after 1 January 1994 were eligible to be ranked in the classification.
| Stage | Winner | General classification | Points classification | Mountains classification | Young rider classification |
| 1 | Arnaud Démare | Arnaud Démare | Arnaud Démare | Nico Denz | Nico Denz |
| 2 | Alexander Kristoff | Alexander Kristoff | Alexander Kristoff | Nico Denz | Nils Politt |
| 3 | Lilian Calmejane | Lilian Calmejane | Lilian Calmejane | Nico Denz | Mads Würtz Schmidt |
| 4 | Arnaud Démare | Lilian Calmejane | Alexander Kristoff | Nico Denz | Mads Würtz Schmidt |
| 5 | Tony Gallopin | Lilian Calmejane | Alexander Kristoff | Nico Denz | Mads Würtz Schmidt |
| Final | Final | Lilian Calmejane | Alexander Kristoff | Nico Denz | Mads Würtz Schmidt |