The European stage-race calendar kicks off this week with the Étoile de Bessèges in France on Wednesday and the Mallorca Challenge in Spain on Sunday.

Both races are attracting top fields as cycling rolls into a new season keen to push the doping scandals and controversies that have plagued the sport the past two years into the rear-view mirror.

Scores of top French riders headline Besseges, which starts Wednedsay with a 154km circuit course in Le Grau-du-Roi, just east of Montpellier.

Among the starters include Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom), Christophe Moreau, making his debut in Agritubel colors, Patrice Halgand (Credit Agricole) and Frank Vandenbroucke (Mitsubishi-Jartazi), looking at one final run at putting his once-promising career back on track.

Others to watch include Belgian sprinters Steven Caethoven (Agritubel) and Nico Eeckhout (Topsport-Vlaanderen), Italian speedster Angelo Furlan (Credit Agricole), Tour de France stage-winner Jean-Patrick Nazo (Ag2r-La Mondiale) and Hervé Duclos Lassalle (Cofidis), winner of Sunday’s GP La Marsellaise.

Following its solid debut to the 2008 season, Slipstream-Chipotle is hoping to score a win with a strong team anchored by Mike Friedman, Will Frischkorn and Christophe Laurent.

Riders use these early season races to work out the cobwebs and get their racing legs strapped back on. Friedman had a funny account on Slipstream’s web page about what he expects in the French race.

“The team started the year off with a bang, and we will attempt to keep up the show. Etoile de Bessèges is a five-day stage race in France that starts off flat (good for me) and then goes into some smaller mountains, and one Cat. 1 climb (bad for me). The flatter stages are better because, though my intensity from track racing is high, my road volume is low. And I do have a few extra kilos of ‘love’ on me, too,” Friedman wrote. “So if I get within a few hundred meters of the line, I will be able to unleash hell over the first few stages. The plan will be for the team to ride aggressively in the windy sections, protect me, and get me to the finish line first.”

Last year’s winner, Nick Nuyens (Cofidis), is skipping Bessèges after racing last week in Qatar. Some 136 riders from 18 teams will fill a French-heavy peloton.

38th Étoile de Bessèges, February 6-10, France
Stage 1, Feb. 6: Le Grau-du-Roi circuit, 154km
Stage 2, Feb. 7: Nimes to Saint-Ambroix, 149.2km
Stage 3, Feb. 8: La Grand’Combe to Les-Salles-du-Gardon, 138km
Stage 4, Feb. 9: Les Fumades circuit, 151.7km
Stage 5, Feb. 10: Gagniéres to Bessèges, 145km

Under the sun in Mallorca
Spain’s Mallorca Challenge, which starts Sunday in Palma de Mallorca, is drawing a top field of Tour de France contenders.

Defending Tour champ Alberto Contador, fresh off an Astana training camp in New Mexico, will be making his season debut along with Vuelta a España champion Denis Menchov (Rabobank) and 2006 Tour champ Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d’Epargne).

Nine ProTour teams fill the 18-squad start list that also sees Andreas Klöden (Astana), Sandy Casar (La Française des Jeux) and Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) among the starters.

The Challenge is a series of one-day races that riders can start at their whim, with many choosing to compete in just two or three stages throughout the week. Scores of teams converge on Mallorca to enjoy its varied terrain and mild winter weather and incorporate a few days of racing.

Luís León Sánchez (Caisse d’Epargne), winner of last year’s unofficial overall title among riders who competed in all five stages, will also be back.

18th Mallorca Challenge, February 10-14, Spain
Stage 1, Feb. 10: Palma-Palma, 100km
Stage 2, Feb. 11: Cala Millor to Son Severa, 162.7km
Stage 3, Feb. 12: Pollença to Port d'Alcúdia, 168km
Stage 4, Feb. 13: Inca-Inca, 162.4km
Stage 5, Feb. 14: Magaluf to Palmanova, 147.3km