- The 42nd edition of the Roc d’Azur CIC will take place from 7 to 11 October 2026, with 19,000 participants registered for the event
- A host of renowned champions: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Cédrine Kerbaol, Maëva Squiban, Marion Bunel, Julien Absalon, Lilian Calmejane, Mathis Azzaro, Jordan Sarrou, Steve Chainel, Yoann Offredo, Isabeau Courdurier, Kilian Bron, Mathis Dumas and Juan Arbelaez
- 300 exhibitors and numerous well-known figures at the exhibition, held at the Base Nature François Léotard in Fréjus
- The Roc d’Azur CIC will be broadcast live on the L’Équipe channel on Sunday 11 October
- An adjusted Roc Marathon by Škoda route offering participants greater comfort
- The Clean Walk returns to Fréjus on 3 October
Women's cycling takes centre stage at the Roc d'Azur CIC
The 42nd edition of the Roc d’Azur CIC is set to bring cycling and outdoor sports enthusiasts together for five days, from 7 to 11 October 2026, on the trails of the Maures and Estérel massifs in the Var region. This new edition will notably feature a strong women’s cycling presence.
Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) and Maëva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ), who both recently competed in the Road World Championships in Canada, will be attending. Maëva Squiban, a two-time stage winner at the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, will line up for the 77.4 km Continental Gravel Roc on Saturday, 10 October. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, winner of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, will be one of the leading names at this year’s event. The 2024 Olympic mountain bike champion will take part in several activities at the heart of the exhibition, including an appearance on the Roc d’Azur CIC stage on Saturday, 10 October at 3 pm, as well as at the HiPRO stand. French national team riders Marion Bunel (Visma–Lease a Bike) and Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) will meet the public at the CIC stand on Friday and Saturday. The presence of these elite women cyclists reflects the evolution of the Roc d’Azur CIC, which has developed over the years into an event welcoming every type of cycling and every audience.
This momentum will also extend to younger visitors through several awareness-raising and educational initiatives led by CIC, as Patrice Cauvet, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of CIC, explains: “Many pupils from local schools will be invited to the Roc d’Azur CIC to take part in the Savoir Rouler à Vélo cycling skills programme, as well as to share a moment of discussion and reflection around the educational booklet alongside some of the French national team athletes whom we support throughout the year. They will also be delighted to meet visitors at our stand during the four-day event.”
Read the full interview with Patrice Cauvet, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of CIC
An exhibition at the heart of the event
Located at the Base Nature François Léotard, the exhibition is an unmissable part of the event. Nearly 300 brands will showcase their latest innovations and products to a large audience. Leading figures from the worlds of sport and adventure will be on hand to meet visitors, making the exhibition a meeting place for champions, participants, brands and the general public. Guests will include:
- Julien Absalon, a two-time Olympic cross-country mountain bike champion, will sign autographs at the Alltricks stand on Thursday, 8 October at 6 pm and at the Ekoï stand on Saturday, 10 October at 2 pm.
- Lilian Calmejane, a former professional cyclist and France Télévisions pundit, will compete in the 140 km Alltricks Rando Gravel on Saturday, 10 October.
- Mathis Azzaro, the 2026 French XCO champion, will be at the CIC and Ekoï stands on Saturday, 10 October.
- Martina Berta, the 2026 XCO world silver medallist (Origine Racing Division), will sign autographs at the Ekoï stand on Saturday, 10 October at 2 pm.
- Steve Chainel and Yoann Offredo, former professional cyclists who now work as cycling pundits, and Mathis Dumas, mountaineer and adventurer, will be at the Canyon stand.
- Isabeau Courdurier, a four-time enduro world champion, Kilian Bron, a leading figure in freeride mountain biking, and Juan Arbelaez, chef, will be at the Thule stand.
The Roc d’Azur CIC live on the L’Équipe channel
The flagship 55 km Roc d’Azur CIC race will be broadcast live on television on Sunday, 11 October, from 8:05 am to 11:20 am, on the L’Équipe channel. Viewers will be able to watch the main contenders in this 42nd edition compete on the trails of the Var region. With 2025 winners Jakob Dorigoni and Giorgia Marchet absent, the competition promises to be wide open.
In the men’s race, Italians Stefano Goria and Davide Foccoli, ranked fourth and fifth in the world respectively in the XCM category, will be among the favourites alongside Colombia’s Hector Leonardo Paez Leon, who finished third in the 2025 Roc d’Azur CIC and fourth in 2024. Among the French contenders, Jordan Sarrou, a five-time winner of the event who holds the record for the most Roc d’Azur CIC victories, will once again line up for Sunday’s race. Joshua Dubau, who finished third in 2024, will also be looking to make his mark.
In the women’s race, Italy’s Chiara Gualandi, who finished third last year, returns with victory in her sights. She will face fellow Italians Sandra Mairhofer, runner-up in 2024, and Greta Seiwald, who finished third that same year.
A redesigned Roc Marathon by Škoda route to improve participant comfort
Another major highlight, the 100.6 km Roc Marathon by Škoda, will take place on Friday, 9 October. This year, the route has been adjusted to offer participants greater comfort, particularly in its final section. For the first time, they will have the entire course to themselves, allowing them to complete the event in better conditions.
The CIC-supported Clean Walk returns to Fréjus on 3 October
The Roc d’Azur CIC is also renewing its environmental initiatives with the return of the CIC-supported Clean Walk, which will take place in Fréjus on Saturday, 3 October 2026, from 9 am to 12 noon.
Organised in partnership with the Clean My Nature association, this litter-picking operation forms part of the Roc d’Azur CIC’s broader environmental approach, which encompasses the protection of natural areas—particularly Natura 2000 sites—as well as waste sorting and recycling. The objective is to collect as much litter as possible along the banks of the Reyran, a river that flows into the Argens within the Fréjus area, close to the beach and the Base Nature François Léotard. The event is free and open to everyone.
