Announced as the favorites at the start of the Annemasse Classic, now a UCI-labelled event, “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ United fully lived up to expectations on Sunday. Dominant from start to finish, the team secured a one-two on the line: Rémi Daumas claimed his first victory since joining the squad, while defending champion Victor Loulergue took second place. A real momentum is building.
A major fixture on the amateur calendar for several decades, “Annemasse–Bellegarde et retour” underwent a transformation in 2026, becoming the Annemasse Classic and joining the UCI calendar as a class 2 race. On Sunday, raced on a circuit course, it brought together amateur clubs and continental teams, with “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ lining up with a strong line-up. “We started with six riders without Johan, who was injured, but we had Victor, the defending champion, and with Rémi’s performances in recent weeks, we clearly had that favorite status,” explained Jérôme Gannat. “That said, we didn’t want to carry the entire race on our shoulders either, so the goal was to put guys up front to act as satellite riders.” In the opening loop around Annemasse, Esteban Foucher first fulfilled that role by making it into an eleven-rider breakaway. The riders then entered the second circuit, to be covered three times, featuring the decisive climb of Gratte-Loup (5.4 km at 5.6%). On the first ascent, the breakaway was caught, before a new group formed. Soan Ruesche first went clear and was joined about twenty kilometres later by his teammate Yann Dubois in a new eleven-man break.
“It rewards the team’s great work” – Rémi Daumas
“We were well represented,” Jérôme said. “Then, on the penultimate ascent of Gratte-Loup, Rémi and Victor attacked from the peloton to bridge across to the front. We found ourselves with four riders up front and knew no one would collaborate with us. Yann and Soan then did an extraordinary job, riding hard all the way to the foot of the final climb so that our leaders could express themselves.” At the start of the final lap, the peloton was nearly two minutes behind, the win was set to come from the leading group, and the decisive move came quickly. “The guys accelerated early on Gratte-Loup, led by Rémi,” Jérôme added. “Then they played it smart with their last rival. Rémi briefly lost a few meters, which forced their opponent to pull, Victor stayed on the wheel, then Rémi came back, and they countered together.” Over the top, the “La Conti” duo had a few seconds’ advantage and continued to extend their lead on the run back to Annemasse. Rémi Daumas and Victor Loulergue then crossed the finish line hand in hand, with the win going to the youngest. “They agreed between themselves,” Jérôme added. “Victor won last year and of course would have liked to do it again, but Rémi deserves it as well. It was a good opportunity for him to take the win, as he doesn’t get that many chances.”
“Victor let me take the win, so a big thank you to him,” said Rémi. “It obviously feels great to win, especially since it hadn’t happened to me since my junior days. It means a lot because it’s also my first victory with La Conti, and it rewards the team’s great work throughout the day, especially from Soan and Yann. It would have been a disappointment not to finish it off.” Jérôme Gannat’s riders now have five victories in 2026, the previous one having come nine days earlier through Eliott Boulet at the Youngster Coast Challenge. “It’s true we were the favorites, but we always raced with humility,” Jérôme concluded. “On paper it might look straightforward, but winning is never easy. The Annemasse Classic remains a historically important race to which I’m personally very attached. You can feel that real momentum and a strong team spirit are building, and that’s also a key objective for a development team. Not only are the results there, but the group is thriving!”