The new race La Méditerranéen will be on the UCI calendar for 2016, taking place from the 11th to the 14th of February and beginning in Girona, Catalunya, and finishing in Seborga (Italy). The 2.1 race replaces the Tour du Méditerranéen which was canceled 2015.

As reported by Sportimagen in a statement, the race will consist of four stages, beginning on February 11 in Girona with a team time trial and finising three days later in Seborga (Italy), on the border with France. The race will be attended by 16 teams, eight from WorldTour. It is not yet included in the official calendar of the International Cycling Union (UCI).

With the new race, the French calendar will include four stage races in February, Etoile de Bessèges (February 3-7), Le Méditerranéen (February 11-14), Tour du Haut-Var (February 20-21) and the new Tour Provence (​​February 23-25) before the late-month one-day races Classic Sud-Ardeche and Drome Classic on February 27 and 28, respectively.

Lucien Aimar, former rider and race director of the Tour du Méditerranéen, threw in the towel last year due to lack of financial support and debts. The organizers of the new race have created a new organizational structure with new incentives both in terms of maintaining and/or exceeding the the level of its predecessor and new economic aid from the local authorities and private companies, the press release claims.

For the first edition, the organizers have designed a 537km course over four stages. From Girona in Catalonia, it goes through very significant towns in the area of ​​the French Mediterranean, like Banyoles, Beziers, Cadolive and Pegomas and then enters Italy in Bordighera before reaching the end in Seborga (Italy) with a hard finish for this first edition.

Course: 
Stage 1: Girona - Girona (team time trial 7km) 
Stage 2 Banyoles - Beziers (220km) 
Stage 3: Cadolive - Pegomas (180km) 

Stage 4: Bordighera - Seborga (130km)

Teams:

AG2R La Mondiale, FDJ, BMC Racing Team, Trek Factory Racing, Giant-Alpecin, Team Sky, Lotto Soudal, Movistar Team, Cofidis, Delko Marseille, Direct Energie, Fortuneo Vital Concept, Androni Giocattoli, Auber 93, Roth -Skoda and Roubaix. Reserves: Lampre-Merida, Wallonie Bruxelles, Murias Taldea, CCC Sprandi-Polkowice and Caja Rural.

Cummings beat Péraud and Zoidl in the 2014 Tour Mediteraneen; Löfkvist won in 2013, Tiernan Locke in 2012, Moncoutie in 2011, Nocentini in 2010 and Luis Leon Sanchez in 2009.