Gallery: Tour de la Provence prologue

Ganna and Co. put on a show in the 2022 Tour de la Provence prologue.

A family spirit surrounded the start of this year’s Tour de la Provence. But then it usually does, in what has become one of the most popular up-and-coming French races.

Only in its seventh year, the Tour de la Provence continues to attract many of the world’s best riders each year, as the diverse terrain and predominantly agreeable temperatures offer ideal early-season racing.

And fans love the race, which loops around the heart of the always-picturesque French Provence. The mood was high as locals mingled around the start in the town of Berre l’Etang just north of Marseille, while a group of retro cyclists even took a lap around the 7.1-kilometer loop that made up the opening prologue.

Once the racing started there was little doubt who was the overwhelming favorite — Olympic and world champion Filippo Ganna. And in this race against the clock, the statuesque Italian left little to doubt as he powered down the out-and-back loop and handily won his second time trial of the season, less than a week after the TT in the Étoile de Bessèges – Tour du Gard.