Paris (AFP)

A stage victory, a final top 10 and a super-combative prize: the results of the French on the Tour, without being catastrophic, are poorer than expected.

The tricolor counter was however unlocked from the first day: imperial in Landerneau, the world champion Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck) immediately seized the yellow jersey.

The party was short-lived since Raymond Poulidor's grandson, the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin), snatched the golden tunic from him the next day.

A disappointing time trial during the 5th stage ended speculation around Julian Alaphilippe's ability to seek final victory in Paris.

There remained the prospect of further stage victories.

Despite countless breakaways, Alaphilippe was no longer able to raise his arms, marked so closely by his opponents that he confided in the last days of the race his "haste" to finish the Tour, which he finished at 30th place, 1h43 from Pogacar.

- Crossed destinies -

It was finally another striker who was rewarded: present in many breakaways, Franck Bonnamour (BB Hotels) was named super-combative of the 108th Grande Boucle.

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"It's huge, I would never have expected that at the start of the Tour de France. It rewards my efforts," said the 26-year-old Breton rider, ranked in the top 10 of four stages.

Another carrot, Bonnamour has extended his contract for an additional year, until the end of 2023, his BB Hotels team announced on Sunday.

Best French chances in the general classification from Brest on June 26, Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) had crossed destinies.

The first was aiming for a stage victory and finished eighth and best Frenchman on the Tour.

The runner-up was mostly in the overall standings and finally came close to stage victory in the last week.

"It is satisfaction that dominates. We can be very happy with the top 10", assured Guillaume Martin, whose team has nevertheless not managed to win its first bouquet since 2008.

At Groupama-FDJ, the second half of the Tour was better than its start, marked by two withdrawals and two late arrivals in the first half of the course, for Arnaud Démare and his train.

Obviously recovered from the vomiting which had nailed him to the road on the day of the double ascent of Ventoux (11th stage), David Gaudu took breakaways during four stages in a row.

But neither he nor the rider Stefan Küng, favorite of the two time trials of the Tour, managed to raise their arms.

- High expectations -

A "disappointment" for the Swiss, who wanted "absolutely to win" the second fastest time after seeing Tadej Pogacar crush the first in Laval (Mayenne).

The Tour was even more bitter for Arkéa-Samsic, who rallied Paris with three out of eight riders and without the polka-dot jersey that Nairo Quintana coveted.

At TotalEnergies, Pierre Latour distinguished himself by his very offensive behavior and spent several days in the top 10 of the general classification during the first week of the race.

For the rest, the training of Jean-René Bernaudeau hardly weighed on the scenario of the stages.

At the time of the assessment, the main satisfaction of the French teams is perhaps Australian.

Ben O'Connor lit up the AG2R Citroën Tour by winning the 9th stage in Tignes.

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Second in the general classification on the evening of his victory, the 25-year-old Australian has never left the top 10 and has joined Paris in fourth place.

"The stage victory delivered us", analyzed Vincent Lavenu.

"It's one of our best Tours, a little unexpected, we didn't necessarily hope to do so well", admitted the general manager of the team.

Compared to the 2019 Tour ignited by Alaphilippe and Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ), or the two French people on the final podium in 2014 (Jean-Christophe Péraud, 2nd and Thibaut Pinot, 3rd), the French Grande Boucle is however mixed.

"Expectations are high, it's true, we (the followers) would like to see a Frenchman or a French team win the Tour," admits Vincent Lavenu.

© 2021 AFP