"Obviously, these small records write the history of cycling, it's an additional motivation", declared this week by videoconference the triple champion of France (2014, 2017, 2020), sometimes frustrated that "we forget very quickly " his great deeds.

"People tend to underestimate me, but this is my 86th victory", regretted Démare, on the evening of his second bouquet in the Giro 2022. With a seventh stage success, the Picard became the most victorious Frenchman in the test.

Ahead of Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault, winners of six stages each.

Since then, the leader of Groupama-FDJ has collected an eighth before raising his arms again, for the 88th time, in the first stage of the Route d'Occitanie.

The sign of an extended form.

"Beyond writing a record over a year, we are writing a little bit of history", retains the winner of Milan-Sanremo 2016. "It does something to say that I am the best French scorer in the Giro."

Before equaling Sunday the most successful road race of the French Championships, Jean Stablinski (1960, 1962, 1963, 1964)?

At the end of the twelve laps of a technical urban circuit of 20 kilometers without real difficulty, they seem to be able to deprive him of it.

Jean Stablinski (right) next to Jacques Anquetil on May 31, 1965 after the Bordeaux-Paris cycling race won by Anquetil ahead of Stablinski - AFP/Archives

In the absence of Christophe Laporte (Jumbo), who missed out, and Nacer Bouhanni (Arkéa-Samsic), victim of a fractured cervical vertebra in April, "Nono" quotes Bryan Coquard, second in a stage of the Tour de Suisse last week.

"I have my card to play on Sunday", joins the finisher from Cofidis.

"Even if I think Arnaud Démare is the N.1 favourite."

Others with a decent burst of speed, such as Florian Sénéchal (Quick-Step) or Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies), can have their chance in the event of a tiring race through reminders.

A "training" for Alaphilippe

"It's never the same a sprint after 250 km", supports Sénéchal, who will be surrounded by a luxury teammate in the person of Julian Alaphilippe for his return to the race, five days before the big start of the Tour de France on Friday from Copenhagen .

The presence of the double world champion on the Great Loop remains to be formalized.

"I want to do the Tour, of course, but there is also the unknown about my condition and then the selection (within the team, editor's note) also happens higher", he temporized Friday during of a press briefing.

The wearer of the iridescent jersey has not pinned a bib since his fall with severe results (hemopneumothorax and multiple fractures of the ribs and a scapula) two months ago in Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Julian Alaphilippe during La Flèche Wallonne on April 20, 2022 between Blégny and Huy, in Belgium BENOIT DOPPAGNE BELGA/AFP/Archives

Even if "Alaf" shines on the circuits, do not expect to see in Cholet the sparkling puncher of Imola and Louvain, warns AFP his coach and cousin Franck Alaphilippe: "The Championship will serve as a training if he does the Tour."

"He will only have had three real weeks of training before the French Championship," he describes.

"It would be a little more by the Tour but it's still little."

A virus, on his return from his internship in Sierra Nevada, notably caused him to lose precious days.

"I don't know how it's going to be in the peloton, when it's going to go down quickly or when there will be brakes," anticipates the person concerned.

"That's also why I'm here, to regain automatisms, not just to see where I am physically."

© 2022 AFP