Grand Prix de Plouay
 |
|
| Date | Late August |
|---|---|
| Region | Brittany, France |
| English name | Brittany Classic West France |
| Local name(s) | Bretagne Classic Ouest-France (French) |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI World Tour |
| Type | One-day race |
| Organiser | Comité des Fêtes de Plouay |
| First edition | 1931 |
| Editions | 80 (as of 2016) |
| First winner |
 François Favé (FRA)
|
| Most wins | 9 riders with 2 wins |
| Most recent |
 Oliver Naesen (BEL)
|
The Bretagne Classic, also called Bretagne Classic Ouest-France, is an elite cycling classic held annually in late summer around the Breton village of Plouay in western France.
The race was originally named Grand-Prix de Plouay and, from 1989 to 2015, GP Ouest-France. It was included in the inaugural UCI ProTour in 2005 and in 2011 in its successor, the UCI World Tour. Since 2016 it is called Bretagne Classic Ouest-France.
Since 2002, a women's event, the GP Plouay-Bretagne is organized on Saturday, the day before the men's race. Supporting events have grown over the years and now include BMX races, track racing and a mass-participation ride, as part of a four-day festival in the last summer weekend in Brittany.
The Bretagne Classic, originally named Circuit de Plouay and later the Grand-Prix de Plouay, was created in 1931 by former Tour de France doctor Berty, who used his influence to attract some of the biggest names of French cycling to the inaugural edition. Breton rider François Favé won the inaugural edition. In its first decades the race was dominated by French riders. The first non-French winner was Italian Ugo Anzile in 1954, the second was Holland's Frits Pirard in 1979. Nine riders have won the race two times, all of them French. The last to do so was Gilbert Duclos-Lasalle, winning in 1981 and 1987.
Throughout its history, the roll of honour includes some illustrious winners. Séan Kelly was the first English-speaking rider to win in 1984. Belgian Frank Vandenbroucke became the youngest winner in 1996, at the age of 21. Italian Vincenzo Nibali, on his way to cycling legend, took a surprise victory in 2006, at the age of 22. Australians Simon Gerrans and Matthew Goss won in 2009 and 2010 respectively, with Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen soloing to victory in 2012 and Italy's Filippo Pozzato helping resurrect his career with a surprise win in 2013.
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