Oof, we know how it goes in cycling with breakaways and sprinter’s teams. But sometimes it works….sometimes. It was a loooong afternoon off the front for Jonas Walton, and it came to a cruel end with just 5 km left on the road to the finish. As (former pro and future skimo champ) Mike Woods said, cycling is a cruel sport.
Sure, Jason Tesson powered to victory at the Classic Var, but Walton had already spent more than 170 km shaping the race from the breakaway, only to be reeled in within sight of the finish.
The third edition of the 176.6-km event, running from La Garde to Brignoles, ultimately came down to a reduced bunch sprint. Tesson surged past Tord Gudmestad and Rick Pluimers to secure TotalEnergies’ first win of the 2026 campaign, narrowly prevailing after a frantic run-in that saw teams jostling for position and a late crash disrupting the sprint trains.
But long before the fast men took centre stage, Walton was part of the day’s defining move. Btw, this isn’t the first time Walton–who as a junior broke the world Hour Record, has been in the front. Just a few days ago the punchy rider was in a break for quite a while at Tour de la Provence.
The move
The CIC Pro Cycling Academy rider slipped into an early break over the race’s rolling opening phase, joining a trio that committed fully to the move. It was not a straightforward decision.
“From the first kilometre, I wasn’t sure how my legs were feeling or what the peloton was looking for in terms of representation in the breakaway,” Walton said. “The opening was…hectic, and my legs didn’t feel great.”
An initial attempt fizzled out, leaving Walton briefly going off the front on his own. “I found myself in a small move early on, but when I looked back there was no one on my wheel. The others sat up as the peloton closed in. “I considered calling it quits, already feeling the effort, but decided to keep my foot on the gas.”
But, that persistence paid off. Three riders bridged across and the quartet quickly carved out an advantage. For much of the afternoon, the gap ebbed and flowed as the peloton measured its effort behind.”
It was a constant fight,” Walton said. “The gap was stretching and shrinking. With about 30 km to go, my legs finally started to come around, and I pushed as hard as I could.”
The escapees resisted deep into the finale, forcing the sprinters’ teams to commit fully to the chase.
Only inside the final five kilometres did the bunch finally sweep them up. And it was a heartbreaking end to Walton’s bid just as the finish banners began to loom.
“I was eventually caught with under five kilometres remaining,” he said. “It’s disappointing in the moment, but hearing at the finish that two of my teammates placed in the top ten put things into perspective. It’s still early in the season, and there are plenty of opportunities for us ahead.”
For Walton, it was a day of visible aggression and late heartbreak — a reminder that sometimes the boldest rides don’t show up on the podium, even if they shape the race from start to near-finish. But still, a helluva ride. And it’s only a matter of time before Walton—the son of Olympic silver medallist Brian, and world master’s champion Dana, snags something big. You’ll see.