The 2017 Étoile de Bessèges (English: Star of Bessèges) was a road cyclingstage race that took place between 1 and 5 February 2017. The race was rated as a 2.1 event as part of the 2017 UCI Europe Tour, and was the 47th edition of the Étoile de Bessèges cycling race.[2] The race included five stages; the first four were road stages while the fifth and final stage was an 11.9-kilometre (7.4 mi) individual time trial. The champion of the 2016 Étoile de Bessèges, Jérôme Coppel, did not defend his title as he had retired from professional cycling at the end of the 2016 season.
Direct Énergie rider Lilian Calmejane took the first professional stage race win of his career,[3] after fending off a late charge from Lotto–Soudal's Tony Gallopin in the final stage time trial. Calmejane – who won the third stage of the race – held an 18-second lead over Gallopin going into the time trial, but despite Gallopin's best efforts, setting a time some 13 seconds quicker than anyone else, Calmejane was able to retain the race leader's orange jersey by 5 seconds. The podium was completed by the best young rider of the race, Mads Würtz Schmidt from Team Katusha–Alpecin,[4] 24 seconds down on Calmejane. The race's other classifications were won by AG2R La Mondiale rider Nico Denz for the mountains classification,[5] while Team Katusha–Alpecin's Alexander Kristoff won the points classification.[6]
In the 2017 Étoile de Bessèges, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers at intermediate sprints and at the finish of mass-start stages, the leader received an orange jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the 2017 Étoile de Bessèges, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race.
Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a yellow jersey. In the points classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 15 in a mass-start stage. For winning a stage, a rider earned 25 points, with 20 for second, 16 for third, 13 for fourth, 11 for fifth with a point fewer per place down to a single point for 15th place. Points towards the classification could also be accrued at intermediate sprint points during each stage; these intermediate sprints also offered bonus seconds towards the general classification. There was also a mountains classification, the leadership of which was marked by a blue jersey. In the mountains classification, points were won by reaching the top of a climb before other cyclists, with more points available for the higher-categorised climbs.
The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification, marked by a white jersey. This was decided in the same way as the general classification, but only riders born after 1 January 1994 were eligible to be ranked in the classification.
