Tour de France in the wheel of Pierre-Luc Périchon: "A real ice rink"

Cofidis rider Pierre-Luc Périchon rinsed at the finish of the first stage of the Tour de France 2020, in Nice. RFI / Thomas de Saint-Leger

Text by: Thomas-Sean de Saint Leger Follow

3 min

During the duration of this 2020 Tour, RFI will have a common thread, a special envoy to the heart of the peloton: the rider of Cofidis Pierre-Luc Périchon. Today, the team-mate of Guillaume Martin and Elia Viviani, 5th "Grande Boucle" on the clock, looks back on a chaotic first stage, marked by rain and cascading falls.

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“  We weren't surprised, we spoke at the briefing about the weather conditions and the risk posed by these roads, which are very busy throughout the year and dry for quite a long time. In these cases, when there are showers and gasoline stains left by cars, it becomes a real skating rink. Unlike many others, I didn't fall but I blocked the rear wheel twice, unintentionally, it was really dangerous. In the peloton, there were discussions and some teams offered to neutralize the race in the last two descents, before the final 25km part until the finish. It was a smart move, especially for a first step, because there was more to lose than to gain.

Passage of the #TourdeFrance peloton in the streets of #Nice # TDF2020 pic.twitter.com/OWEsKzYS6C

  Thomas de Saint Leger (@ThomasdeStLeger) August 29, 2020

Today (Saturday), I had to protect Guillaume Martin (note: the leader of the team, passed between the drops, despite a great fright), and at the end of the stage, I came to give a hand to my friends for the sprint of Elia Viviani (6th on the stage). Regarding the atmosphere, apart from the start, where blackout barriers separated us from the public, it was actually quite nice. People were at the rendezvous in the climbs and the urban circuit layout allowed spectators to see us pass several times. Compared to the presentation of the teams, which had to be held in front of a very small audience Thursday evening, I found that finally, we had entered the event. There is a happy medium between a real Tour de France and a Tour de France behind closed doors, we are there, and that's a good thing for cycling.  "

► Also to listen: International report, Tour de France: in Nice, the public is not invited to the celebrations

Separated from the public by a barrier, the riders of the Ineos-Grenadier team prepare for the start of the first stage of the Tour de France 2020. RFI / Thomas de Saint-Leger

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