Tour de la Provence 2022 – Prologue [FULL STAGE – Individual Time Trial]

February 10, 2022

Tour de la Provence 2022 – Prologue – Berre-l’Étang – Berre-l’Étang : 7,1 km

Since its inaugural edition in 2016, the Tour de la Provence has fallen in February and served up an opportunity for pro riders from all over the world to kick start their road racing seasons and blow away the winter cobwebs. The four-day stage race, which takes place largely within the mountainous Provence region of southeast France, was built from the ashes of the Tour du Vaucluse and the Tour du Sud-Est – merging aspects of the two former races into one bigger and better event. Despite it being one of the youngest races on the UCI’s ProSeries calendar, it has quickly become one of the most prestigious stage races in France.

World time trial champion Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) wasted no time in stamping his authority on the discipline in 2022, taking out a commanding victory in the prologue of the Tour de la Provence.

The Italian blazed through the 7.1km course in Berre-l’Étang in just over eight minutes to deny his teammate Ethan Hayter the stage win, beating him by 12 seconds. Swede Tobias Ludvigsson (Groupama-FDJ) was a close third, less than a second further behind.

It was Ganna’s second time trial win of the year after he claimed the final stage of Etoile de Bessèges.

“To come back to Provence and win again is really nice,” Ganna said, referring to his 2019 prologue victory in his debut with his current squad when it was Team Sky, he added, “my first victory in a WorldTour team I did here. To come back, it’s nice to see another win after three or four days. It’s a good start to the season.”

With Hayter well positioned in the standings, and a relatively flat day ahead but one that could be tricky with high winds, Ganna said, “now we think to the next stages to improve with the team and cross our fingers. Tomorrow is a really hard stage because there’s a lot of wind. Maybe it will be possible to cut the bunch, we’ll see. We just have to be ready.”

Warm and sunny conditions were perfect for high speeds with only a light breeze and a few technical corners to slow the 105 starters. Patrick Bevin (Israel-Premier Tech) set the fastest time as the second rider down the ramp, but the capable Kiwi was knocked out of the hot seat by Samuele Battistella (Astana Qazaqstan) soon after.

The Italian’s time stood until Ludvigsson came blasting through a second quicker. The Swede then spent the better part of the afternoon as the fastest rider until Hayter came through just four-tenths of a second faster.

But the world champion, after a friendly wave and smile before heading down the ramp, was far above the level of the rest of the field, and scorched the tarmac, covering the course at 52.8 kph.

Results :
1 Filippo Ganna (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers 0:08:04
2 Ethan Hayter (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers 0:00:12
3 Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:13
4 Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team 0:00:15
5 Pierre Latour (Fra) TotalEnergies
6 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team 0:00:17
7 Maciej Bodnar (Pol) TotalEnergies
8 Mathias Norsgaard (Den) Movistar Team 0:00:19
9 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team
10 Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team 0:00:20
11 Miguel Heidemann (Ger) B&B Hotels-KTM
12 Patrick Bevin (NZl) Israel Start-Up Nation
13 Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team 0:00:22
14 Alexis Gougeard (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM
15 Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:24
16 Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Movistar Team
17 Pieter Serry (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team
18 Raphael Parisella (Can) B&B Hotels-KTM
19 Valentin Ferron (Fra) TotalEnergies 0:00:25
20 Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
21 Lewis Askey (GBr) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:26
22 Michele Gazzoli (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team
23 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Lotto Soudal
24 Dario Cataldo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
25 Alexander Kamp (Den) Trek-Segafredo
26 Yoann Paillot (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93
27 Maxime Bouet (Fra) Arkea-Samsic 0:00:27
28 Bruno Armirail (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
29 Fabien Doubey (Fra) TotalEnergies
30 Andrea Vendrame (Ita) AG2R Citroen Team
31 Florian Stork (Ger) Team DSM 0:00:28
32 Anthony Roux (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
33 Samuel Leroux (Fra) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole
34 Paul Ourselin (Fra) TotalEnergies 0:00:29
35 Damien Touze (Fra) AG2R Citroen Team
36 Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:30
37 Nairo Quintana (Col) Arkea-Samsic 0:00:31
38 Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Israel Start-Up Nation
39 Stéphane Rossetto (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93
40 Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Eri) Trek-Segafredo
41 Axel Zingle (Fra) Cofidis 0:00:32
42 Gleb Brussenskiy (Kaz) Astana Qazaqstan Team
43 Simone Velasco (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team 0:00:34
44 Mark Donovan (GBr) Team DSM 0:00:35
45 Michael Storer (Aus) Groupama-FDJ
46 Cedric Beullens (Bel) Lotto Soudal
47 Rudy Barbier (Fra) Israel Start-Up Nation 0:00:36
48 Bryan Coquard (Fra) Cofidis
49 Oscar Rodriguez Garaicoechea (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:37
50 Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) AG2R Citroen Team
51 Nicolas Edet (Fra) Arkea-Samsic
52 Martijn Tusveld (Ned) Team DSM 0:00:38
53 Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers
54 Evaldas Siskevicius (Ltu) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole 0:00:39
55 Aurélien Paret Peintre (Fra) AG2R Citroen Team
56 Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Israel Start-Up Nation 0:00:40
57 Victor Lafay (Fra) Cofidis
58 Lorrenzo Manzin (Fra) TotalEnergies 0:00:41
59 Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
60 Ruben Fernandez (Spa) Cofidis 0:00:42
61 Pierre-Luc Périchon (Fra) Cofidis
62 Romain Combaud (Fra) Team DSM
63 Omer Goldstein (Isr) Israel Start-Up Nation 0:00:43
64 Antonio Pedrero (Spa) Movistar Team
65 Carl Fredrik Hagen (Nor) Israel Start-Up Nation
66 Luke Rowe (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers
67 Fabien Grellier (Fra) TotalEnergies 0:00:44
68 Artyom Zakharov (Kaz) Astana Qazaqstan Team
69 Tim Naberman (Ned) Team DSM 0:00:45
70 Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
71 Jérémy Leveau (Fra) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole 0:00:46
72 José Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:48
73 Leonardo Basso (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team
74 Kenny Elissonde (Fra) Trek-Segafredo
75 Tony Hurel (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93 0:00:49
76 Jakob Egholm (Den) Trek-Segafredo
77 Valentin Tabellion (Fra) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole 0:00:51
78 Lukasz Owsian (Pol) Arkea-Samsic 0:00:52
79 Nicolas Prodhomme (Fra) AG2R Citroen Team
80 Miguel Eduardo Florez Lopez (Col) Arkea-Samsic 0:00:53
81 Viktor Verschaeve (Bel) Lotto Soudal
82 Maxime Chevalier (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM
83 Pierre Rolland (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM 0:00:54
84 Norman Vahtra (Est) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole
85 Nicolas Debeaumarche (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93 0:00:55
86 Jonathan Couanon (Fra) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur
87 Sebastian Schönberger (Aut) B&B Hotels-KTM 0:00:56
88 Joris Delbove (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93 0:00:57
89 Tom Mainguenaud (Fra) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole
90 Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Lotto Soudal 0:00:59
91 Andréa Mifsud (Fra) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur 0:01:00
92 Thomas Champion (Fra) Cofidis 0:01:01
93 Kamil Malecki (Pol) Lotto Soudal 0:01:02
94 Ivan Ramiro Sosa Cuervo (Col) Movistar Team 0:01:04
95 Emiel Vermeulen (Bel) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole
96 Xandres Vervloesem (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:01:06
97 Kévin Besson (Fra) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur
98 Maxime Urruty (Fra) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur 0:01:08
99 Pierre Barbier (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM
100 Jason Tesson (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93 0:01:11
101 Dayer Quintana (Col) Arkea-Samsic 0:01:13
102 Tristan Delacroix (Fra) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur 0:01:14
103 Mads Würtz Schmidt (Den) Israel Start-Up Nation 0:01:17
104 Antoine Berlin (Mon) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur 0:01:28
105 Jean Goubert (Fra) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur 0:01:29

General Classification after Prologue :
1 Filippo Ganna (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers 0:08:04
2 Ethan Hayter (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers 0:00:12
3 Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:13
4 Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team 0:00:15
5 Pierre Latour (Fra) TotalEnergies
6 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team 0:00:17
7 Maciej Bodnar (Pol) TotalEnergies
8 Mathias Norsgaard (Den) Movistar Team 0:00:19
9 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team
10 Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team 0:00:20
11 Miguel Heidemann (Ger) B&B Hotels-KTM
12 Patrick Bevin (NZl) Israel Start-Up Nation
13 Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team 0:00:22
14 Alexis Gougeard (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM
15 Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:24
16 Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Movistar Team
17 Pieter Serry (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team
18 Raphael Parisella (Can) B&B Hotels-KTM
19 Valentin Ferron (Fra) TotalEnergies 0:00:25
20 Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
21 Lewis Askey (GBr) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:26
22 Michele Gazzoli (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team
23 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Lotto Soudal
24 Dario Cataldo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
25 Alexander Kamp (Den) Trek-Segafredo
26 Yoann Paillot (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93
27 Maxime Bouet (Fra) Arkea-Samsic 0:00:27
28 Bruno Armirail (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
29 Fabien Doubey (Fra) TotalEnergies
30 Andrea Vendrame (Ita) AG2R Citroen Team
31 Florian Stork (Ger) Team DSM 0:00:28
32 Anthony Roux (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
33 Samuel Leroux (Fra) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole
34 Paul Ourselin (Fra) TotalEnergies 0:00:29
35 Damien Touze (Fra) AG2R Citroen Team
36 Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:30
37 Nairo Quintana (Col) Arkea-Samsic 0:00:31
38 Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Israel Start-Up Nation
39 Stéphane Rossetto (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93
40 Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Eri) Trek-Segafredo
41 Axel Zingle (Fra) Cofidis 0:00:32
42 Gleb Brussenskiy (Kaz) Astana Qazaqstan Team
43 Simone Velasco (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team 0:00:34
44 Mark Donovan (GBr) Team DSM 0:00:35
45 Michael Storer (Aus) Groupama-FDJ
46 Cedric Beullens (Bel) Lotto Soudal
47 Rudy Barbier (Fra) Israel Start-Up Nation 0:00:36
48 Bryan Coquard (Fra) Cofidis
49 Oscar Rodriguez Garaicoechea (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:37
50 Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) AG2R Citroen Team
51 Nicolas Edet (Fra) Arkea-Samsic
52 Martijn Tusveld (Ned) Team DSM 0:00:38
53 Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers
54 Evaldas Siskevicius (Ltu) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole 0:00:39
55 Aurélien Paret Peintre (Fra) AG2R Citroen Team
56 Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Israel Start-Up Nation 0:00:40
57 Victor Lafay (Fra) Cofidis
58 Lorrenzo Manzin (Fra) TotalEnergies 0:00:41
59 Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
60 Ruben Fernandez (Spa) Cofidis 0:00:42
61 Pierre-Luc Périchon (Fra) Cofidis
62 Romain Combaud (Fra) Team DSM
63 Omer Goldstein (Isr) Israel Start-Up Nation 0:00:43
64 Antonio Pedrero (Spa) Movistar Team
65 Carl Fredrik Hagen (Nor) Israel Start-Up Nation
66 Luke Rowe (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers
67 Fabien Grellier (Fra) TotalEnergies 0:00:44
68 Artyom Zakharov (Kaz) Astana Qazaqstan Team
69 Tim Naberman (Ned) Team DSM 0:00:45
70 Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
71 Jérémy Leveau (Fra) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole 0:00:46
72 José Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:48
73 Leonardo Basso (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team
74 Kenny Elissonde (Fra) Trek-Segafredo
75 Tony Hurel (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93 0:00:49
76 Jakob Egholm (Den) Trek-Segafredo
77 Valentin Tabellion (Fra) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole 0:00:51
78 Lukasz Owsian (Pol) Arkea-Samsic 0:00:52
79 Nicolas Prodhomme (Fra) AG2R Citroen Team
80 Miguel Eduardo Florez Lopez (Col) Arkea-Samsic 0:00:53
81 Viktor Verschaeve (Bel) Lotto Soudal
82 Maxime Chevalier (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM
83 Pierre Rolland (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM 0:00:54
84 Norman Vahtra (Est) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole
85 Nicolas Debeaumarche (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93 0:00:55
86 Jonathan Couanon (Fra) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur
87 Sebastian Schönberger (Aut) B&B Hotels-KTM 0:00:56
88 Joris Delbove (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93 0:00:57
89 Tom Mainguenaud (Fra) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole
90 Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Lotto Soudal 0:00:59
91 Andréa Mifsud (Fra) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur 0:01:00
92 Thomas Champion (Fra) Cofidis 0:01:01
93 Kamil Malecki (Pol) Lotto Soudal 0:01:02
94 Ivan Ramiro Sosa Cuervo (Col) Movistar Team 0:01:04
95 Emiel Vermeulen (Bel) Go Sport-Roubaix Lille Meropole
96 Xandres Vervloesem (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:01:06
97 Kévin Besson (Fra) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur
98 Maxime Urruty (Fra) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur 0:01:08
99 Pierre Barbier (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM
100 Jason Tesson (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93 0:01:11
101 Dayer Quintana (Col) Arkea-Samsic 0:01:13
102 Tristan Delacroix (Fra) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur 0:01:14
103 Mads Würtz Schmidt (Den) Israel Start-Up Nation 0:01:17
104 Antoine Berlin (Mon) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur 0:01:28
105 Jean Goubert (Fra) Nice Metropole Cote d’Azur 0:01:29