The Hague-Fouassière (France) (AFP)
More than 200 kilometers in the lead and, after a six-hour race, a tricolor French champion jersey: Warren Barguil made his mark by winning the national title for the first time on Sunday near Nantes, two years after his last victory and six days of the Tour de France.
Two years that the Breton was waiting to raise his arms again on a finish line. Since his second stage victory on the Tour de France, July 20, 2017 at the top of the Izoard pass, it was the nothing to win. The rider of the Arkéa-Samsic team has chosen his moment to make him talk again: the Alps, he will climb the end of July with the jersey blue-white-red on the back.
"I find it hard to realize that I will have a blue-white-red bike (and a jersey) on the Tour," laughed the new French champion, ten years after his national title gleaned among juniors.
A nice revenge for the 27-year-old Morbihan, hard criticized for long months and who had had to twice rest since the beginning of 2019 after several injuries, cervical and pelvis.
- "Much doubted" -
"I think of the people who have been with me, who have reached out to me during the difficult times, the negative people, I leave them out," he reacted, not hesitating to speak of "crossing of the desert ". "I always had those legs, maybe it was the mind that was sinning, I had a lot of doubts, wanted to stop the bike at some point, but I did not let go."
The best climber of the Tour-2017 was perhaps less expected than some sprinters or pure punchers on the path breaker but without major difficulty drawn around the Haye-Fouassière (Loire-Atlantique) Sunday.
But in a heat that, for the first time this week, did not exceed thirty degrees in the thermometer, after having done more than 200 of the 252 km race in the front, it is he who has the best resisted to win his first victory in a one-day pro race, only one-fifth of his career. "I'm not a winner, but when I win, I win great races", was satisfied the winner of two stages of the Tour and two stages of the Vuelta.
He advanced in the sprint, in a small group of seven runners survivors of a long breakaway to 37 formed in the morning, two runners of the Cofidis team, Julien Simon and Damien Touzé, who have misaligned their chances in the last kilometer and fail to report to their manager Cédric Vasseur the first national title of the formation red and white.
- Pinot shemale -
"I saw myself winning, my only disappointment was not to wait a little more to start the sprint, it was freshness and timing," said Simon.
Regrets are also for the two major teams, AG2R La Mondiale and Groupama-FDJ, the only two of the WorldTour, which do not place anyone on the podium. The first, in the absence of its leader Romain Bardet focused on the Tour, has long relied on Alexis Gougeard, victim of cramps at the worst time.
The second, the most numerous at the start, and especially the most successful on the last French Championships (six victories out of the seven previous editions), may have been scattered by playing too many cards at the same time, while his sprinter Arnaud Démare seemed to be a favorite if he came back from the peloton.
Marc Madiot's team gave Thibaut Pinot a chance, who, just before the Tour where he will be on the podium, was impressive in counter-attack in the last 40 kilometers. But too lonely in his attempt.
? 2019 AFP