Grand-Champ (France) (AFP)

Will the virtual monopoly of the Groupama-FDJ team on the blue-white-red jersey continue? Marc Madiot's team, armed with an Arnaud Démare storming through this month of August, intends to once again get hold of the tricolor tunic on Sunday in Grand-Champ, in Morbihan.

"The number 1 favorite is Arnaud Démare, it will be Groupama-FDJ who will have the keys to the race", displays Warren Barguil who thwarted the plans of the Picard sprinter's team last year during the road race. of the French championships.

After a year of an interlude far from the heart, Groupama-FDJ intends to return to the national title, which it has embraced six times since 2012: "It's only been a year but we are already missing the jersey", admits its director sportsman Yvon Madiot.

The course at Grand-Champ, in the vicinity of Vannes, seems more suited than expected to his contender Arnaud Démare, already twice French champion (2014 and 2017).

The initial Plumelec circuit, swept away by the Covid-19, gave way to an 18-kilometer eight-way loop, a little further west, to be covered 13 times for a 238 km race.

"It's about 3,300 meters of elevation gain in total, calculated Warren Baguil. So it's not flat. It will be quite hard even if there are fewer kilometers than last year (252 km, editor's note). "

The difference in altitude is divided over two bumps, one of 1 km at 4.6% average slope and another of 2.2 km at 3.3%, according to Strava, who, without making a selection, "will weigh in the final "with" the wear and tear of the towers ", predicts Marc Madiot.

Not enough to scare Arnaud Démare, on the hats of the wheel in this month of August.

"I have been thinking about it hard for two or three weeks. With the legs that I have, I have it in mind," he admitted in mid-week in an interview with Direct Vélo.

After a full success of authority in Milan-Turin, ahead of Caleb Ewan and the strong man of the moment Wout van Aert, the Picard rode on the Tour de Wallonie (August 16 - 19).

- The threat + Alaf + -

On the roads of Belgium, + Nono + again raised its arms in front of Ewan before signing a number on the last day when he responded to a sharp attack from Philippe Gilbert in the last kilometer to win the general classification as well as the stage, yet bumpy.

"The bumps are not either ... They do not last more than two minutes", judge, about the circuit of Sunday, Arnaud Démare who "has for objective a title Sunday", the third.

Since the post-war period, only one courier has achieved the treble, Jean Stablinski (1960, 1962, 1963): and the 1962 world champion has even pushed the talent to stack a fourth (1964).

To thwart the opposing offensives, tactically, Arnaud Démare will also have on his side the number with 17 riders to take the start in the Groupama-FDJ jersey (13 from the World Tour team, 4 from the mainland).

"But there is the little bomb, (Julian) Alaphilippe, who scares us", fears the double stage winner on the Tour de France. Even if + Alaf + will only have Florian Sénéchal to support him, the other Frenchman from Deceuninck, Rémi Cavagna, preferring to focus on the time trial of the European Championships on Monday three days after his coronation on the national stopwatch .

"We will have to anticipate", Demare does not budge, "because when (Alaphilippe) starts his attack, it could be fatal for me."

© 2020 AFP