# 2015 Étoile de Bessèges

The 2015 Étoile de Bessèges (English: Star of Bessèges) was the 45th running of the Étoile de Bessèges road cycling stage race. It was rated as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour and took place from 4 to 8 February 2015 in southern France, near the town of Bessèges. It was the first stage race of the 2015 European season.
The race consisted of five stages, four of which were road stages and the last of which was an individual time trial. The 2014 champion was Tobias Ludvigsson, but his Team Giant–Alpecin was not selected to take part in the 2015 edition.
The race was won by Bob Jungels (Trek Factory Racing), who won the time trial on the final day. He finished nine seconds ahead of the second placed rider, Lotto–Soudal's Tony Gallopin, with Gallopin's teammate Kris Boeckmans a further second back in third place. Edward Theuns (Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise) won the points competition, while Julien Loubet (Team Marseille 13 KTM) won the mountains competition. The best young rider was Alexis Gougeard (AG2R La Mondiale). Trek Factory Racing were the best team.

## Teams

Twenty-one teams competed in the 2015 Étoile de Bessèges. These included four UCI WorldTeams, nine UCI Professional Continental and eight UCI Continental teams.
The teams that participated in the race were:
* AG2R La Mondiale
* An Post–Chain Reaction
* Armée de Terre
* Auber 93
* Bretagne–Séché Environnement
* Caja Rural–Seguros RGA
* CCC–Sprandi–Polkowice
* Cofidis
* Colombia
* Team Europcar
* FDJ
* Lotto–Soudal
* Team Marseille 13 KTM
* Team Roompot
* Roth–Škoda
* Roubaix–Lille Métropole
* Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise
* Trek Factory Racing
* Veranclassic–Ekoi
* Wallonie-Bruxelles
* Wanty–Groupe Gobert

## Route

List of stages :
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner |
| 1 | 4 February | Bellegarde to Beaucaire | 154 km (95.7 mi) | Flat stage | Kris Boeckmans (BEL) |
| 2 | 5 February | Nîmes to Les Fumades | 154.5 km (96.0 mi) | Flat stage | Roy Jans (BEL) |
| 3 | 6 February | Bessèges to Bessèges | 152.6 km (94.8 mi) | Flat stage | Bryan Coquard (FRA) |
| 4 | 7 February | L'Ardoise to Laudun | 147.1 km (91.4 mi) | Hilly stage | Tony Gallopin (FRA) |
| 5 | 8 February | Alès to Alès | 11.92 km (7.4 mi) | Individual time trial | Bob Jungels (LUX) |

## Stages
### Stage 1
#### 4 February 2015 — Bellegarde to Beaucaire, 154 km (95.7 mi)

Stage 1 result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Kris Boeckmans (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | 3h 25' 37" |
| 2 | Edward Theuns (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 0" |
| 3 | Marco Coledan (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | + 0" |
| 4 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 0" |
| 5 | Julien Duval (FRA) | Armée de Terre | + 0" |
| 6 | Evaldas Šiškevičius (LTU) | Team Marseille 13 KTM | + 0" |
| 7 | Arnaud Courteille (FRA) | FDJ | + 0" |
| 8 | Alexis Gougeard (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 0" |
| 9 | Loïc Chetout (FRA) | Cofidis | + 0" |
| 10 | Brian van Goethem (NED) | Team Roompot | + 0" |
General classification after stage 1 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Kris Boeckmans (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | 3h 25' 27" |
| 2 | Edward Theuns (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 4" |
| 3 | Marco Coledan (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | + 6" |
| 4 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 10" |
| 5 | Julien Duval (FRA) | Armée de Terre | + 10" |
| 6 | Evaldas Šiškevičius (LTU) | Team Marseille 13 KTM | + 10" |
| 7 | Arnaud Courteille (FRA) | FDJ | + 10" |
| 8 | Alexis Gougeard (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 10" |
| 9 | Loïc Chetout (FRA) | Cofidis | + 10" |
| 10 | Brian van Goethem (NED) | Team Roompot | + 10" |

### Stage 2
#### 5 February 2015 — Nîmes to Les Fumades, 154.5 km (96.0 mi)

Stage 2 result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Roy Jans (BEL) | Wanty–Groupe Gobert | 4h 27' 54" |
| 2 | Alexandre Blain (FRA) | Team Marseille 13 KTM | + 0" |
| 3 | Bob Jungels (LUX) | Trek Factory Racing | + 0" |
| 4 | Marco Coledan (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | + 0" |
| 5 | Yannick Martinez (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 0" |
| 6 | Olivier Chevalier (BEL) | Wallonie-Bruxelles | + 0" |
| 7 | Antoine Demoitié (BEL) | Wallonie-Bruxelles | + 0" |
| 8 | Baptiste Planckaert (BEL) | Roubaix–Lille Métropole | + 0" |
| 9 | Edward Theuns (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 0" |
| 10 | Fábio Silvestre (POR) | Trek Factory Racing | + 0" |
General classification after stage 2 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Kris Boeckmans (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | 7h 53' 21" |
| 2 | Edward Theuns (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 4" |
| 3 | Marco Coledan (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | + 6" |
| 4 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 10" |
| 5 | Alexis Gougeard (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 10" |
| 6 | Julien Duval (FRA) | Armée de Terre | + 10" |
| 7 | Dennis Vanendert (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | + 10" |
| 8 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Lotto–Soudal | + 10" |
| 9 | Loïc Chetout (FRA) | Cofidis | + 10" |
| 10 | Evaldas Šiškevičius (LTU) | Team Marseille 13 KTM | + 10" |

### Stage 3
#### 6 February 2015 — Bessèges to Bessèges, 152.6 km (94.8 mi)

Stage 3 result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Bryan Coquard (FRA) | Team Europcar | 3h 48' 06" |
| 2 | Giacomo Nizzolo (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | + 0" |
| 3 | Edward Theuns (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 0" |
| 4 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Lotto–Soudal | + 0" |
| 5 | Marc Sarreau (FRA) | FDJ | + 0" |
| 6 | Anthony Maldonado (FRA) | Auber 93 | + 0" |
| 7 | Edwin Ávila (COL) | Colombia | + 0" |
| 8 | Justin Jules (FRA) | Veranclassic–Ekoi | + 0" |
| 9 | Julien Duval (FRA) | Armée de Terre | + 0" |
| 10 | Dylan Groenewegen (NED) | Team Roompot | + 0" |
General classification after stage 3 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Edward Theuns (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | 11h 41' 24" |
| 2 | Kris Boeckmans (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | + 3" |
| 3 | Marco Coledan (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | + 9" |
| 4 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 11" |
| 5 | Alexis Gougeard (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 13" |
| 6 | Julien Duval (FRA) | Armée de Terre | + 13" |
| 7 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Lotto–Soudal | + 13" |
| 8 | Loïc Chetout (FRA) | Cofidis | + 13" |
| 9 | Eliot Lietaer (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 13" |
| 10 | Brian van Goethem (NED) | Team Roompot | + 13" |

### Stage 4
#### 7 February 2015 — L'Ardoise to Laudun, 147.1 km (91.4 mi)

Stage 4 result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | 3h 43' 51" |
| 2 | Christophe Laporte (FRA) | Cofidis | + 0" |
| 3 | Edward Theuns (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 0" |
| 4 | Fabio Felline (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | + 0" |
| 5 | Roy Jans (BEL) | Wanty–Groupe Gobert | + 0" |
| 6 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Lotto–Soudal | + 0" |
| 7 | Baptiste Planckaert (BEL) | Roubaix–Lille Métropole | + 0" |
| 8 | Armindo Fonseca (FRA) | Bretagne–Séché Environnement | + 0" |
| 9 | Bob Jungels (LUX) | Trek Factory Racing | + 0" |
| 10 | Marco Marcato (ITA) | Wanty–Groupe Gobert | + 0" |
General classification after stage 4 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Edward Theuns (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | 15h 25' 11" |
| 2 | Kris Boeckmans (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | + 7" |
| 3 | Marco Coledan (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | + 13" |
| 4 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 15" |
| 5 | Julien Duval (FRA) | Armée de Terre | + 17" |
| 6 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Lotto–Soudal | + 17" |
| 7 | Alexis Gougeard (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 17" |
| 8 | Loïc Chetout (FRA) | Cofidis | + 17" |
| 9 | Eliot Lietaer (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 17" |
| 10 | Brian van Goethem (NED) | Team Roompot | + 17" |

### Stage 5
#### 8 February 2015 — Alès to Alès, 11.92 km (7.4 mi), individual time trial (ITT)

Stage 5 result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Bob Jungels (LUX) | Trek Factory Racing | 17' 40" |
| 2 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | + 19" |
| 3 | Fabio Felline (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | + 20" |
| 4 | Riccardo Zoidl (AUT) | Trek Factory Racing | + 21" |
| 5 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 26" |
| 6 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | + 27" |
| 7 | Alexis Gougeard (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 30" |
| 8 | Jonathan Hivert (FRA) | Bretagne–Séché Environnement | + 32" |
| 9 | Kris Boeckmans (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | + 33" |
| 10 | Thibaut Pinot (FRA) | FDJ | + 34" |
Final general classification :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Bob Jungels (LUX) | Trek Factory Racing | 15h 43' 21" |
| 2 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | + 9" |
| 3 | Kris Boeckmans (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | + 10" |
| 4 | Alexis Gougeard (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 17" |
| 5 | Edward Theuns (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 20" |
| 6 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 22" |
| 7 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 30" |
| 8 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | + 31" |
| 9 | Eliot Lietaer (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 31" |
| 10 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Lotto–Soudal | + 35" |

## Classification leadership table

In the 2015 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 2015 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 1992 were eligible to be ranked in the classification. There was also a classification for teams, in which the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added together; the leading team at the end of the race was the team with the lowest total time.
| Stage | Winner | General classification | Points classification | Mountain classification | Young rider classification | Team classification |
| 1 | Kris Boeckmans | Kris Boeckmans | Kris Boeckmans | Julien Loubet | Alexis Gougeard | Lotto–Soudal |
| 2 | Roy Jans | Kris Boeckmans | Marco Coledan | Julien Loubet | Alexis Gougeard | Lotto–Soudal |
| 3 | Bryan Coquard | Edward Theuns | Edward Theuns | Julien Loubet | Alexis Gougeard | Lotto–Soudal |
| 4 | Tony Gallopin | Edward Theuns | Edward Theuns | Julien Loubet | Alexis Gougeard | Lotto–Soudal |
| 5 | Bob Jungels | Bob Jungels | Edward Theuns | Julien Loubet | Alexis Gougeard | Trek Factory Racing |
| Final | Final | Bob Jungels | Edward Theuns | Julien Loubet | Alexis Gougeard | Trek Factory Racing |

## Final results
### General classification

Final general classification :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Bob Jungels (LUX) | Trek Factory Racing | 15h 43' 21" |
| 2 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | + 9" |
| 3 | Kris Boeckmans (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | + 10" |
| 4 | Alexis Gougeard (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 17" |
| 5 | Edward Theuns (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 20" |
| 6 | Cyril Gautier (FRA) | Team Europcar | + 22" |
| 7 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 30" |
| 8 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | + 31" |
| 9 | Eliot Lietaer (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 31" |
| 10 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Lotto–Soudal | + 35" |