# 2020 Étoile de Bessèges

The 2020 Étoile de Bessèges (transl. Star of Bessèges) was a road cycling stage race that took place between 5 and 9 February 2020. The race is rated as a 2.1 event as part of the 2020 UCI Europe Tour, and was the 50th edition of the Étoile de Bessèges cycling race.

## Teams

Twenty teams were invited to the race. Of these teams, seven are UCI WorldTour teams, eight are UCI Professional Continental teams, and five are UCI Continental teams. While NTT Pro Cycling entered six riders, every other team submitted seven. Of the 139 riders who started the race, 114 riders finished.
UCI WorldTeams
* AG2R La Mondiale
* CCC Team
* Cofidis
* EF Pro Cycling
* Groupama–FDJ
* NTT Pro Cycling
* Trek–Segafredo
UCI Professional Continental Teams
* Alpecin–Fenix
* Arkéa–Samsic
* Bingoal–Wallonie Bruxelles
* B&B Hotels–Vital Concept
* Circus–Wanty Gobert
* Nippo–Delko–One Provence
* Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise
* Total Direct Énergie
UCI Continental Teams
* Beltrami TSA–Marchiol
* Cambodia Cycling Academy
* Equipo Kern Pharma
* Natura4Ever–Roubaix–Lille Métropole
* St. Michel–Auber93

## Route

Stage characteristics and winners :
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Type | Stage winner |
| 1 | 5 February | Bellegarde to Bellegarde | 139.56 km (86.72 mi) | | Flat stage | Alexys Brunel (FRA) |
| 2 | 6 February | Milhaud to Poulx | 158.31 km (98.37 mi) | | Hilly stage | Magnus Cort (DEN) |
| 3 | 7 February | Bessèges to Bessèges | 162.24 km (100.81 mi) | | Hilly stage | Dries De Bondt (BEL) |
| 4 | 8 February | Pont du Gard to Mont Bouquet [fr] | 143.01 km (88.86 mi) | | Mountain stage | Ben O'Connor (AUS) |
| 5 | 9 February | Alès to Alès | 10.88 km (6.76 mi) | | Individual time trial | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) |
| Total | Total | 614.0 km (381.5 mi) | 614.0 km (381.5 mi) | 614.0 km (381.5 mi) | 614.0 km (381.5 mi) | 614.0 km (381.5 mi) |

## Stages
### Stage 1
#### 5 February 2020 – Bellegarde to Bellegarde, 139.56 km (86.72 mi)

Stage 1 Result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alexys Brunel (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | 3h 20' 43" |
| 2 | Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 1" |
| 3 | Edward Planckaert (BEL) | Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 3" |
| 4 | Alex Kirsch (LUX) | Trek–Segafredo | + 5" |
| 5 | Scott Thwaites (GBR) | Alpecin–Fenix | + 8" |
| 6 | Kevin Geniets (LUX) | Groupama–FDJ | + 8" |
| 7 | Gijs van Hoecke (BEL) | CCC Team | + 8" |
| 8 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Total Direct Énergie | + 8" |
| 9 | Arthur Vichot (FRA) | B&B Hotels–Vital Concept | + 8" |
| 10 | Flavien Maurelet (FRA) | St. Michel–Auber93 | + 13" |
General classification after Stage 1 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alexys Brunel (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | 3h 20' 32" |
| 2 | Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 3" |
| 3 | Edward Planckaert (BEL) | Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 10" |
| 4 | Alex Kirsch (LUX) | Trek–Segafredo | + 16" |
| 5 | Kevin Geniets (LUX) | Groupama–FDJ | + 17" |
| 6 | Scott Thwaites (GBR) | Alpecin–Fenix | + 19" |
| 7 | Gijs van Hoecke (BEL) | CCC Team | + 19" |
| 8 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Total Direct Énergie | + 19" |
| 9 | Arthur Vichot (FRA) | B&B Hotels–Vital Concept | + 19" |
| 10 | Flavien Maurelet (FRA) | St. Michel–Auber93 | + 24" |

### Stage 2
#### 6 February 2020 – Milhaud to Poulx, 158.31 km (98.37 mi)

Stage 2 Result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Magnus Cort (DEN) | EF Pro Cycling | 3h 47' 46" |
| 2 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | NTT Pro Cycling | + 0" |
| 3 | Tom Devriendt (BEL) | Circus–Wanty Gobert | + 0" |
| 4 | Anthony Turgis (FRA) | Total Direct Énergie | + 0" |
| 5 | Emiel Vermeulen (BEL) | Natura4Ever–Roubaix–Lille Métropole | + 0" |
| 6 | Alexander Krieger (GER) | Alpecin–Fenix | + 0" |
| 7 | Pierre Barbier (FRA) | Nippo–Delko–One Provence | + 0" |
| 8 | Clément Venturini (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 0" |
| 9 | Roy Jans (BEL) | Alpecin–Fenix | + 0" |
| 10 | Biniam Girmay (ERI) | Nippo–Delko–One Provence | + 0" |
General classification after Stage 2 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alexys Brunel (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | 7h 08' 18" |
| 2 | Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 3" |
| 3 | Edward Planckaert (BEL) | Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 10" |
| 4 | Alex Kirsch (LUX) | Trek–Segafredo | + 16" |
| 5 | Kevin Geniets (LUX) | Groupama–FDJ | + 17" |
| 6 | Gijs van Hoecke (BEL) | CCC Team | + 19" |
| 7 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Total Direct Énergie | + 19" |
| 8 | Scott Thwaites (GBR) | Alpecin–Fenix | + 19" |
| 9 | Arthur Vichot (FRA) | B&B Hotels–Vital Concept | + 19" |
| 10 | Flavien Maurelet (FRA) | St. Michel–Auber93 | + 24" |

### Stage 3
#### 7 February 2020 – Bessèges to Bessèges, 166.24 km (103.30 mi)

Stage 3 Result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Dries De Bondt (BEL) | Alpecin–Fenix | 3h 54' 56" |
| 2 | Georg Zimmermann (GER) | CCC Team | + 0" |
| 3 | Magnus Cort (DEN) | EF Pro Cycling | + 2" |
| 4 | Roy Jans (BEL) | Alpecin–Fenix | + 2" |
| 5 | Clément Venturini (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 2" |
| 6 | Emiel Vermeulen (BEL) | Natura4Ever–Roubaix–Lille Métropole | + 2" |
| 7 | Tom Devriendt (BEL) | Circus–Wanty Gobert | + 2" |
| 8 | Lionel Taminiaux (BEL) | Bingoal–Wallonie Bruxelles | + 0" |
| 9 | Robbe Ghys (BEL) | Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 0" |
| 10 | Nicolò Parisini (ITA) | Beltrami TSA–Marchiol | + 0" |
General classification after Stage 3 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alexys Brunel (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | 11h 03' 16" |
| 2 | Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 3" |
| 3 | Edward Planckaert (BEL) | Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 10" |
| 4 | Alex Kirsch (LUX) | Trek–Segafredo | + 16" |
| 5 | Kevin Geniets (LUX) | Groupama–FDJ | + 17" |
| 6 | Scott Thwaites (GBR) | Alpecin–Fenix | + 19" |
| 7 | Gijs van Hoecke (BEL) | CCC Team | + 19" |
| 8 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Total Direct Énergie | + 19" |
| 9 | Arthur Vichot (FRA) | B&B Hotels–Vital Concept | + 19" |
| 10 | Flavien Maurelet (FRA) | St. Michel–Auber93 | + 24" |

### Stage 4
#### 8 February 2020 – Pont du Gard to Mont Bouquet [fr], 143.01 km (88.86 mi)

Stage 4 Result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Ben O'Connor (AUS) | NTT Pro Cycling | 3h 20' 29" |
| 2 | Simon Clarke (AUS) | EF Pro Cycling | + 16" |
| 3 | Kamil Małecki (POL) | CCC Team | + 16" |
| 4 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Pro Cycling | + 26" |
| 5 | Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 29" |
| 6 | Diego Rosa (ITA) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 33" |
| 7 | Laurens Huys (BEL) | Bingoal–Wallonie Bruxelles | + 36" |
| 8 | Nicolas Edet (FRA) | Cofidis | + 36" |
| 9 | Aurélien Paret-Peintre (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 38" |
| 10 | Daniel Alejandro Mendez (COL) | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 41" |
General classification after Stage 4 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | 14h 24' 17" |
| 2 | Alexys Brunel (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | + 24" |
| 3 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Pro Cycling | + 40" |
| 4 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Total Direct Énergie | + 43" |
| 5 | Kevin Geniets (LUX) | Groupama–FDJ | + 45" |
| 6 | Edward Planckaert (BEL) | Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 1' 12" |
| 7 | Aurélien Paret-Peintre (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 1' 25" |
| 8 | Laurens Huys (BEL) | Bingoal–Wallonie Bruxelles | + 1' 28" |
| 9 | Damien Touzé (FRA) | Cofidis | + 1' 29" |
| 10 | Daniel Alejandro Mendez (COL) | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 1' 33" |

### Stage 5
#### 9 February 2020 – Alès to Alès, 10.88 km (6.76 mi), (ITT)

Stage 5 Result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Pro Cycling | 15' 13" |
| 2 | Magnus Cort (DEN) | EF Pro Cycling | + 9" |
| 3 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | + 15" |
| 4 | Alexys Brunel (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | + 17" |
| 5 | Michael Valgren (DEN) | NTT Pro Cycling | + 24" |
| 6 | Ben O'Connor (AUS) | NTT Pro Cycling | + 25" |
| 7 | Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 27" |
| 8 | Aurélien Paret-Peintre (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 28" |
| 9 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | NTT Pro Cycling | + 29" |
| 10 | Kamil Małecki (POL) | CCC Team | + 31" |
General classification after Stage 5 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | 14h 39' 57" |
| 2 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Pro Cycling | + 13" |
| 3 | Alexys Brunel (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | + 14" |
| 4 | Kevin Geniets (LUX) | Groupama–FDJ | + 1' 02" |
| 5 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Total Direct Énergie | + 1' 05" |
| 6 | Aurélien Paret-Peintre (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 1' 26" |
| 7 | Damien Touzé (FRA) | Cofidis | + 1' 45" |
| 8 | Aimé De Gendt (BEL) | Circus–Wanty Gobert | + 2' 14" |
| 9 | Jimmy Janssens (BEL) | Alpecin–Fenix | + 2' 17" |
| 10 | Edward Planckaert (BEL) | Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 2' 19" |

## Classification leadership table

Classification leadership by stage :
| Stage | Winner | General classification | Points classification | Mountains classification | Youth classification | Team classification |
| 1 | Alexys Brunel | Alexys Brunel | Alexys Brunel | Georg Zimmermann | Alexys Brunel | Groupama–FDJ |
| 2 | Magnus Cort | Alexys Brunel | Alexys Brunel | Georg Zimmermann | Alexys Brunel | Groupama–FDJ |
| 3 | Dries De Bondt | Alexys Brunel | Magnus Cort | Georg Zimmermann | Alexys Brunel | Groupama–FDJ |
| 4 | Ben O'Connor | Benoît Cosnefroy | Magnus Cort | Georg Zimmermann | Alexys Brunel | EF Pro Cycling |
| 5 | Alberto Bettiol | Benoît Cosnefroy | Magnus Cort | Georg Zimmermann | Alexys Brunel | EF Pro Cycling |
| Final | Final | Benoît Cosnefroy | Magnus Cort | Georg Zimmermann | Alexys Brunel | EF Pro Cycling |

## Classification standings
### General classification

Final general classification (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | 14h 39' 57" |
| 2 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Pro Cycling | + 13" |
| 3 | Alexys Brunel (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | + 14" |
| 4 | Kevin Geniets (LUX) | Groupama–FDJ | + 1' 02" |
| 5 | Lilian Calmejane (FRA) | Total Direct Énergie | + 1' 05" |
| 6 | Aurélien Paret-Peintre (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 1' 26" |
| 7 | Damien Touzé (FRA) | Cofidis | + 1' 45" |
| 8 | Aimé De Gendt (BEL) | Circus–Wanty Gobert | + 2' 14" |
| 9 | Jimmy Janssens (BEL) | Alpecin–Fenix | + 2' 17" |
| 10 | Edward Planckaert (BEL) | Sport Vlaanderen–Baloise | + 2' 19" |

### Points classification

Final points classification (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | Magnus Cort (DEN) | EF Pro Cycling | 66 |
| 2 | Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | 47 |
| 3 | Alexys Brunel (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | 44 |
| 4 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | EF Pro Cycling | 39 |
| 5 | Ben O'Connor (AUS) | NTT Pro Cycling | 37 |
| 6 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) | NTT Pro Cycling | 31 |
| 7 | Georg Zimmermann (GER) | CCC Team | 28 |
| 8 | Dries De Bondt (BEL) | Alpecin–Fenix | 27 |
| 9 | Tom Devriendt (BEL) | Circus–Wanty Gobert | 25 |
| 10 | Kamil Małecki (POL) | CCC Team | 22 |

### Mountains classification

Final mountains classification (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | Georg Zimmermann (GER) | CCC Team | 28 |
| 2 | Marti Marquez (ESP) | Equipo Kern Pharma | 22 |
| 3 | Simon Clarke (AUS) | EF Pro Cycling | 18 |
| 4 | Ben O'Connor (AUS) | NTT Pro Cycling | 14 |
| 5 | Maxime Cam (FRA) | B&B Hotels–Vital Concept | 14 |
| 6 | Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | 12 |
| 7 | Pierre Latour (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | 10 |
| 8 | Dimitri Claeys (BEL) | Cofidis | 10 |
| 9 | Kevin Geniets (LUX) | Groupama–FDJ | 10 |
| 10 | Kamil Małecki (POL) | CCC Team | 10 |

### Young rider classification

Final young rider classification (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alexys Brunel (FRA) | Groupama–FDJ | 14h 40' 11" |
| 2 | Kevin Geniets (LUX) | Groupama–FDJ | + 48" |
| 3 | Laurens Huys (BEL) | Bingoal–Wallonie Bruxelles | + 2' 19" |
| 4 | Daniel Alejandro Mendez (COL) | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 2' 19" |
| 7 | Thibault Guernalec (FRA) | Arkéa–Samsic | + 2' 28" |
| 6 | Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA) | Total Direct Énergie | + 2' 58" |
| 5 | Ibon Ruiz (ESP) | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 3' 22" |
| 8 | Georg Zimmermann (GER) | CCC Team | + 3' 59" |
| 9 | Biniam Girmay (ERI) | Nippo–Delko–One Provence | + 4' 25" |
| 10 | Quinn Simmons (USA) | Trek–Segafredo | + 5' 08" |

### Teams classification

Final teams classification (1–10) :
| Rank | Team | Time |
| 1 | EF Pro Cycling | 44h 01' 40" |
| 2 | AG2R La Mondiale | + 1' 03" |
| 3 | Groupama–FDJ | + 1' 21" |
| 4 | CCC Team | + 3' 55" |
| 5 | Cofidis | + 4' 27" |
| 6 | Alpecin–Fenix | + 6' 04" |
| 7 | Total Direct Énergie | + 6' 32" |
| 8 | Arkéa–Samsic | + 6' 57" |
| 9 | B&B Hotels–Vital Concept | + 7' 27" |
| 10 | NTT Pro Cycling | + 9' 33" |