# 2022 Étoile de Bessèges

The 2022 Étoile de Bessèges – Tour du Gard (transl. Star of Bessèges – Tour of Gard) was a road cycling stage race that took place between 2 and 6 February 2022 almost entirely within the French department of Gard. The race was rated as a category 2.1 event on the 2022 UCI Europe Tour calendar, and was the 52nd edition of the Étoile de Bessèges.

## Teams

Nine of the 18 UCI WorldTeams, nine UCI ProTeams, and three UCI Continental teams made up the 21 teams that participated in the race. Each team entered a full squad of seven riders, for a total of 147 riders who started the race, of which 123 finished.
UCI WorldTeams
* AG2R Citroën Team
* Cofidis
* EF Education–EasyPost
* Groupama–FDJ
* Ineos Grenadiers
* Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux
* Israel–Premier Tech
* Trek–Segafredo
* UAE Team Emirates
UCI ProTeams
* Alpecin–Fenix
* Arkéa–Samsic
* B&B Hotels–KTM
* Bardiani–CSF–Faizanè
* Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB
* Equipo Kern Pharma
* Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise
* Team TotalEnergies
* Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
UCI Continental Teams
* Go Sport–Roubaix–Lille Métropole
* St. Michel–Auber93
* Team UC Nantes Atlantique

## Route

Stage characteristics and winners :
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Type | Stage winner |
| 1 | 2 February | Bellegarde to Bellegarde | 160.86 km (99.95 mi) | | Flat stage | Mads Pedersen (DEN) |
| 2 | 3 February | Saint-Christol-lès-Alès to Rousson | 156.21 km (97.06 mi) | | Hilly stage | Bryan Coquard (FRA) |
| 3 | 4 February | Bessèges to Bessèges | 155.65 km (96.72 mi) | | Hilly stage | Benjamin Thomas (FRA) |
| 4 | 5 February | Saint-Hilaire-de-Brethmas to Mont Bouquet [fr] | 146.71 km (91.16 mi) | | Mountain stage | Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) |
| 5 | 6 February | Alès to Alès | 10.63 km (6.61 mi) | | Individual time trial | Filippo Ganna (ITA) |
| Total | Total | Total | 630.06 km (391.50 mi) | 630.06 km (391.50 mi) | 630.06 km (391.50 mi) | 630.06 km (391.50 mi) |

## Stages
### Stage 1
#### 2 February 2022 – Bellegarde to Bellegarde, 160.86 km (99.95 mi)

Stage 1 Result (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Mads Pedersen (DEN) | Trek–Segafredo | 3h 32' 47" |
| 2 | Hugo Hofstetter (FRA) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 1" |
| 3 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team TotalEnergies | + 1" |
| 4 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Education–EasyPost | + 1" |
| 5 | Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 1" |
| 6 | Chris Lawless (GBR) | Team TotalEnergies | + 4" |
| 7 | Filippo Ganna (ITA) | Ineos Grenadiers | + 7" |
| 8 | Benjamin Thomas (FRA) | Cofidis | + 7" |
| 9 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | AG2R Citroën Team | + 7" |
| 10 | Toms Skujiņš (LAT) | Trek–Segafredo | + 11" |
General classification after Stage 1 (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Mads Pedersen (DEN) | Trek–Segafredo | 3h 32' 37" |
| 2 | Hugo Hofstetter (FRA) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 5" |
| 3 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team TotalEnergies | + 7" |
| 4 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Education–EasyPost | + 11" |
| 5 | Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 11" |
| 6 | Chris Lawless (GBR) | Team TotalEnergies | + 14" |
| 7 | Filippo Ganna (ITA) | Ineos Grenadiers | + 17" |
| 8 | Benjamin Thomas (FRA) | Cofidis | + 17" |
| 9 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | AG2R Citroën Team | + 17" |
| 10 | Toms Skujiņš (LAT) | Trek–Segafredo | + 21" |

### Stage 2
#### 3 February 2022 – Saint-Christol-lès-Alès to Rousson, 156.21 km (97.06 mi)

Stage 2 Result (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Bryan Coquard (FRA) | Cofidis | 3h 41' 46" |
| 2 | Mads Pedersen (DEN) | Trek–Segafredo | + 0" |
| 3 | Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) | Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | + 0" |
| 4 | Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 0" |
| 5 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Education–EasyPost | + 4" |
| 6 | Benjamin Thomas (FRA) | Cofidis | + 4" |
| 7 | Connor Swift (GBR) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 4" |
| 8 | Milan Menten (BEL) | Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB | + 4" |
| 9 | Clément Champoussin (FRA) | AG2R Citroën Team | + 4" |
| 10 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 4" |
General classification after Stage 2 (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Mads Pedersen (DEN) | Trek–Segafredo | 7h 14' 17" |
| 2 | Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 17" |
| 3 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Education–EasyPost | + 21" |
| 4 | Benjamin Thomas (FRA) | Cofidis | + 27" |
| 5 | Connor Swift (GBR) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 33" |
| 6 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team TotalEnergies | + 35" |
| 7 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 38" |
| 8 | Toms Skujiņš (LAT) | Trek–Segafredo | + 44" |
| 9 | Bryan Coquard (FRA) | Cofidis | + 47" |
| 10 | Richard Carapaz (ECU) | Ineos Grenadiers | + 51" |

### Stage 3
#### 4 February 2022 – Bessèges to Bessèges, 155.65 km (96.72 mi)

Stage 3 Result (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Benjamin Thomas (FRA) | Cofidis | 3h 38' 31" |
| 2 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Education–EasyPost | + 9" |
| 3 | Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) | Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | + 9" |
| 4 | Rasmus Tiller (NOR) | Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | + 15" |
| 5 | Bryan Coquard (FRA) | Cofidis | + 15" |
| 6 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team TotalEnergies | + 15" |
| 7 | Hugo Hofstetter (FRA) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 15" |
| 8 | Clément Champoussin (FRA) | AG2R Citroën Team | + 15" |
| 9 | Diego Ulissi (ITA) | UAE Team Emirates | + 15" |
| 10 | Georg Zimmermann (GER) | Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux | + 15" |
General classification after Stage 3 (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Benjamin Thomas (FRA) | Cofidis | 10h 53' 05" |
| 2 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Education–EasyPost | + 7" |
| 3 | Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 15" |
| 4 | Connor Swift (GBR) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 31" |
| 5 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | Team TotalEnergies | + 33" |
| 6 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 36" |
| 7 | Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) | Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | + 41" |
| 8 | Toms Skujiņš (LAT) | Trek–Segafredo | + 42" |
| 9 | Bryan Coquard (FRA) | Cofidis | + 45" |
| 10 | Mads Pedersen (DEN) | Trek–Segafredo | + 51" |

### Stage 4
#### 5 February 2022 – Saint-Hilaire-de-Brethmas to Mont Bouquet [fr], 146.71 km (91.16 mi)

Stage 4 Result (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) | Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | 3h 30' 22" |
| 2 | Jay Vine (AUS) | Alpecin–Fenix | + 0" |
| 3 | Antonio Tiberi (ITA) | Trek–Segafredo | + 0" |
| 4 | Clément Champoussin (FRA) | AG2R Citroën Team | + 0" |
| 5 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 12" |
| 6 | Diego Ulissi (ITA) | UAE Team Emirates | + 20" |
| 7 | Bauke Mollema (NED) | Trek–Segafredo | + 20" |
| 8 | Alessandro Verre (ITA) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 21" |
| 9 | Sébastien Reichenbach (SUI) | Groupama–FDJ | + 21" |
| 10 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Education–EasyPost | + 23" |
General classification after Stage 4 (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Benjamin Thomas (FRA) | Cofidis | 14h 23' 50" |
| 2 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Education–EasyPost | + 7" |
| 3 | Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) | Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | + 8" |
| 4 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 25" |
| 5 | Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 26" |
| 6 | Connor Swift (GBR) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 56" |
| 7 | Diego Ulissi (ITA) | UAE Team Emirates | + 56" |
| 8 | Toms Skujiņš (LAT) | Trek–Segafredo | + 1' 13" |
| 9 | Thibault Guernalec (FRA) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 1' 14" |
| 10 | Quentin Pacher (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | + 1' 16" |

### Stage 5
#### 6 February 2022 – Alès to Alès, 10.63 km (6.61 mi), (ITT)

Stage 5 Result (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Filippo Ganna (ITA) | Ineos Grenadiers | 15' 32" |
| 2 | Mads Pedersen (DEN) | Trek–Segafredo | + 6" |
| 3 | Benjamin Thomas (FRA) | Cofidis | + 9" |
| 4 | Bauke Mollema (NED) | Trek–Segafredo | + 11" |
| 5 | Thibault Guernalec (FRA) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 17" |
| 6 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Education–EasyPost | + 18" |
| 7 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 19" |
| 8 | Jay Vine (AUS) | Alpecin–Fenix | + 21" |
| 9 | Diego Ulissi (ITA) | UAE Team Emirates | + 22" |
| 10 | Antonio Tiberi (ITA) | Trek–Segafredo | + 23" |
General classification after Stage 5 (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Benjamin Thomas (FRA) | Cofidis | 14h 39' 32" |
| 2 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Education–EasyPost | + 16" |
| 3 | Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) | Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | + 32" |
| 4 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 34" |
| 5 | Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 1' 02" |
| 6 | Diego Ulissi (ITA) | UAE Team Emirates | + 1' 09" |
| 7 | Connor Swift (GBR) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 1' 13" |
| 8 | Thibault Guernalec (FRA) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 1' 22" |
| 9 | Toms Skujiņš (LAT) | Trek–Segafredo | + 1' 48" |
| 10 | Quentin Pacher (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | + 1' 56" |

## Classification leadership table

Classification leadership by stage :
| Stage | Winner | General classification | Points classification | Mountains classification | Young rider classification | Team classification |
| 1 | Mads Pedersen | Mads Pedersen | Mads Pedersen | Matis Louvel | Arne Marit | Team TotalEnergies |
| 2 | Bryan Coquard | Mads Pedersen | Mads Pedersen | Martí Márquez | Tobias Halland Johannessen | Team TotalEnergies |
| 3 | Benjamin Thomas | Benjamin Thomas | Alberto Bettiol | Jérémy Cabot | Tobias Halland Johannessen | Team TotalEnergies |
| 4 | Tobias Halland Johannessen | Benjamin Thomas | Tobias Halland Johannessen | Jérémy Cabot | Tobias Halland Johannessen | Team TotalEnergies |
| 5 | Filippo Ganna | Benjamin Thomas | Mads Pedersen | Jay Vine | Tobias Halland Johannessen | Team TotalEnergies |
| Final | Final | Benjamin Thomas | Mads Pedersen | Jay Vine | Tobias Halland Johannessen | Team TotalEnergies |
* On stage 2, Hugo Hofstetter, who was second in the points classification, wore the yellow jersey, because first-placed Mads Pedersen wore the coral jersey as the leader of the general classification. For the same reason, Mathieu Burgaudeau wore the yellow jersey on stage 3.
* After stage 3, Bruno Armirail was deemed to be leading the mountains classification and was presented with the blue jersey after the stage. However, before stage 4, the results of the KOM sprint atop the Col de Portes from stage 3 were corrected, so Jérémy Cabot became the new leader of the mountains classification and wore the blue jersey on stage 4.
* On stage 5, Pau Miquel, who was second in the young rider classification, wore the white jersey, because first-placed Tobias Halland Johannessen wore the yellow jersey as the leader of the points classification.

## Final classification standings

Legend :
| Denotes the winner of the general classification | Denotes the winner of the mountains classification |
| Denotes the winner of the points classification | Denotes the winner of the young rider classification |

### General classification

Final general classification (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Benjamin Thomas (FRA) | Cofidis | 14h 39' 32" |
| 2 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Education–EasyPost | + 16" |
| 3 | Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) | Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | + 32" |
| 4 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 34" |
| 5 | Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | + 1' 02" |
| 6 | Diego Ulissi (ITA) | UAE Team Emirates | + 1' 09" |
| 7 | Connor Swift (GBR) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 1' 13" |
| 8 | Thibault Guernalec (FRA) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 1' 22" |
| 9 | Toms Skujiņš (LAT) | Trek–Segafredo | + 1' 48" |
| 10 | Quentin Pacher (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | + 1' 56" |

### Points classification

Final points classification (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | Mads Pedersen (DEN) | Trek–Segafredo | 65 |
| 2 | Benjamin Thomas (FRA) | Cofidis | 64 |
| 3 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Education–EasyPost | 62 |
| 4 | Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) | Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | 58 |
| 5 | Bryan Coquard (FRA) | Cofidis | 37 |
| 6 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | 36 |
| 7 | Filippo Ganna (ITA) | Ineos Grenadiers | 34 |
| 8 | Clément Champoussin (FRA) | AG2R Citroën Team | 34 |
| 9 | Jay Vine (AUS) | Alpecin–Fenix | 31 |
| 10 | Hugo Hofstetter (FRA) | Arkéa–Samsic | 29 |

### Mountains classification

Final mountains classification (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | Jay Vine (AUS) | Alpecin–Fenix | 18 |
| 2 | Jérémy Cabot (FRA) | Team TotalEnergies | 18 |
| 3 | Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) | Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | 14 |
| 4 | Magnus Sheffield (USA) | Ineos Grenadiers | 14 |
| 5 | Antonio Tiberi (ITA) | Trek–Segafredo | 14 |
| 6 | Bruno Armirail (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | 12 |
| 7 | Samuele Zoccarato (ITA) | Bardiani–CSF–Faizanè | 12 |
| 8 | Georg Zimmermann (GER) | Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux | 8 |
| 9 | Martí Márquez (ESP) | Equipo Kern Pharma | 8 |
| 10 | Alexis Gougeard (FRA) | B&B Hotels–KTM | 7 |

### Young rider classification

Final young rider classification (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) | Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | 14h 40' 04" |
| 2 | Pau Miquel (ESP) | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 5' 02" |
| 3 | Louis Barré (FRA) | Team UC Nantes Atlantique | + 5' 49" |
| 4 | Paul Lapeira (FRA) | AG2R Citroën Team | + 5' 56" |
| 5 | Matis Louvel (FRA) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 6' 14" |
| 6 | Daniel Méndez (COL) | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 6' 40" |
| 7 | Magnus Sheffield (USA) | Ineos Grenadiers | + 6' 49" |
| 8 | Corbin Strong (NZL) | Israel–Premier Tech | + 7' 12" |
| 9 | Arne Marit (BEL) | Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 9' 36" |
| 10 | Antonio Tiberi (ITA) | Trek–Segafredo | + 10' 15" |

### Team classification

Final team classification (1–10) :
| Rank | Team | Time |
| 1 | Team TotalEnergies | 44h 02' 28" |
| 2 | Trek–Segafredo | + 13" |
| 3 | Cofidis | + 1' 02" |
| 4 | Arkéa–Samsic | + 1' 02" |
| 5 | Groupama–FDJ | + 1' 33" |
| 6 | AG2R Citroën Team | + 3' 36" |
| 7 | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 8' 14" |
| 8 | Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | + 14' 38" |
| 9 | B&B Hotels–KTM | + 15' 58" |
| 10 | Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB | + 16' 39" |