Apeldoorn (Netherlands) (AFP)

Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish have led the way, Elia Viviani and Bryan Coquard continue to trace it: between the track and the road, the links are reinforced, woven by iconic runners and better infrastructure.

"Before, we really had specialists on the track, which we saw very little on the road.Now, some big stars of the road back on the track," said Benjamin Thomas, engaged this week in the endurance events at the European Championships Apeldoorn, the Netherlands.

The list of riders lined up in this competition confirms his words: the Italian Elia Viviani, the Danish Michael Morkov or the Frenchman Bryan Coquard made the trip.

Their choice paid off right from the start: Wednesday, Elia Viviani was golden against the elimination race, while the silver went to Bryan Coquard.

Saturday, the Italian played again the Tour of Zeeland, a day before his dolphin on the track does not align with Paris-Tours.

The cumulative road-track, "it is the initiative of the English", judge Bruno Lecki, track manager of the French Federation of cycling (FFC).

"They have demonstrated with (Bradley) Wiggins, with Geraint Thomas, that runners trained at the track (...) can consider a road career thereafter," according to this specialist.

Before winning the Tour de France (in 2012 for the first and in 2018 for the second), the two riders gleaned several world and Olympic titles on the track.

Their trajectory "obviously gives a good example and motivation to young runners," Judge Stephen Park, performance director of British Cycling, the British cycling federation.

For Corentin Ermenault, who chose in early October to abandon the road to devote himself entirely to the track, it is "the adrenaline, the unexpected" that make velodromes attractive.

"Everything is played at the moment T. On the road, 80% of the races arrive in the sprint, it is very redundant", underlines the French rider.

- variable feasibility -

Paradoxically, the sprinter Elia Viviani, multiple stage winner on the Tour of Italy and the Tour of Spain, is of the same opinion.

"I'm having fun" in the velodromes, confides the Italian to AFP.

For the Olympic champion omnium in 2016, the track is also the shortest way to Tokyo, since the road test of the Olympics 2020 will be too rough for him.

However, the feasibility of road-to-road cumulation varies greatly from one country to another.

In France, the opening of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines national velodrome in 2014 played a key role in building bridges between the road and the track.

"Arnaud Démare comes to Saint-Quentin, we see Yohan Offredo, Stéphane Rossetto ..." lists Bruno Lecki.

"The advantage of the track in winter is that it is dry, it does work a lot of intensity without long distances," he continues.

But compared to the Netherlands or the United Kingdom, which have a real culture of the track and therefore combine it more easily with the road, France can still progress.

"We are rather late French level, because we have not always had the equipment", regrets Bruno Lecki, "it is also linked to the fact that the track discipline requires a technical approach. bike without brakes ... it can be scary! "

However, things are changing, thanks to the success of Bryan Coquard on both grounds.

"This is really the example," argues Bruno Lecki.

"There was a little questioning of his method of preparation, and he wanted to return to the track regularly.He is really a choice and it creates questions for some," he concludes.

© 2019 AFP