The 4 Days of Dunkirk is being reduced from 6 to 5 days

Big news! The long-running French stage race, the Four Days of Dunkirk, is changing. Instead of, uh, six days, it’s going to be five—with an extra one-day race added.

So to repeat, the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque is still six days, but only five. You following?

The stage race takes place in the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. It’s been going on since 1963, but irrespective of the name, for many years it’s been six days.

Watch this brutal crash at the Four Days of Dunkirk

For 2025, the six-day version of the Four Days of Dunkirk will be five, with an extra standalone day tacked on. The one-day classic, called Classique Dunkerque – Grand Prix des Hauts de France, will take place starting in Dunkirk (go figure). Classified as 1.1, this event will allow riders to earn between up to 125 UCI points in a single day.

After the one-day race, the five days of racing of the Four Days begins

Following that, teams and riders will participate in the 69th edition of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque – Grand Prix des Hauts de France starting the next day. This edition will last five days, concluding in the streets of Dunkerque on Sunday, May 18. According to the organizers, this new format was announced with the release of the 2025 season calendar and may attract more teams to the Hauts de France region in May 2025. We will provide further details during the course presentation at the end of the year and are available to answer any questions you may have about these changes.

In 2024, Sam Bennett won the Four Days of Dunkirk.

Eric Marchyllie, the race president, said the change will be good for the importance of the classic French race. “After the 2024 edition, we needed to innovate to ensure our race remains a key event in the cycling season,” he said. “While there is no doubt about the organization of our event, it must also be more appealing. The creation of the Classique Dunkerque – Grand Prix des Hauts de France aligns with this goal. By allowing teams and riders to participate in this new format and introducing interesting course variations, we hope to continue developing our event and meeting the expectations of both riders and the public.”