The day after the victory of the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar on the Tour de France, the time has come to take stock for French cycling.
The former rider and consultant for Europe 1, Richard Virenque, is satisfied with the performance of the French despite the only stage victory of Julian Alaphilippe, at the very start of the race.
ANALYSIS
The Tour de France vintage 2021 ended Sunday with an expected result: the second consecutive coronation of Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, one of the big favorites of the event.
Although not very successful, the French riders were able to show themselves on a few occasions and in particular during the first stage in Brittany won by the world champion Julian Alaphilippe.
Richard Virenque, consultant for Europe 1, draws up an overall positive assessment for French cycling, despite a single stage victory in total and the 8th place of Guillaume Martin, first French in the general classification.
Julian Alaphilippe, first at the service of his team
The most awaited Frenchman responded immediately by winning the first stage of the Tour between Brest and Landerneau (Finistère) and at the same time, the yellow jersey. A tunic that Julian Alaphilippe gave very quickly, from the second day, to the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, grandson of Raymond Poulidor. "We would have liked to have more stage victories for the French, but Julian Alaphilippe did the job", reacts Richard Virenque at the microphone of Europe 1. For the former cyclist, the French world champion first played for his team, Deceuninck-Quick Step, which slowed down his quest for a second stage victory.
"Julian Alaphilippe put himself at the service of his partner Mark Cavendish, he pulled the peloton. He did it to reassure the Briton. Behind, he became a team mate. Julian Alaphilippe had already run with the jersey of world champion without an audience. The fact of finding the spectators, with this jersey, he loved it. At one point, he could not help but do a little too much ", analyzes the former rider .
"He had to preserve himself a few times, that's why he missed his second victory."
At the finish line, Julian Alaphilippe is in 30th place, nearly 1h45 behind the winner Tadej Pogacar.
But he had warned before the start that he would not play the general classification this year.
Guillaume Martin, the best French overall
First Habs overall with his 8th place, Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) allows the French contingent to have a representative in the top 10. A good result for his general manager Cédric Vasseur, who reacted on Monday at the microphone of Europe 1: " Guillaume Martin had a superb Tour de France, he was amazing. He delighted us for three weeks by going on the attack. We have some regrets about the Andorra stage, but otherwise it was a flawless course on his part". Then 2nd overall, the rider of the Cofidis team had cracked on the 15th stage leading to the Principality and he fell back to 9th place in the standings.
Richard Virenque welcomes this state of mind of the French riders: "The French have always been on the attack. They have not had success with the weather and the tactical races which were not favorable to them. In any case, they They were not unworthy. They attacked throughout the Tour and I find it satisfying, even if one or two more wins would have been good ".
David Gaudu, 11th despite poor physical shape
He too was expected from the French public.
David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), 24, finished the Tour de France at the gates of the top 10, in 11th place, without managing to win on a stage.
"We set off with a bang with Julian Alaphilippe who won the first stage and the yellow jersey. We thought that David Gaudu or Guillaume Martin could have continued," regrets Richard Virenque.
It is perhaps only a postponement for Axel May, special envoy for Europe 1 on the routes of the Great Loop: "We have said a lot of good about him. He was sick, he could not get away with it. invite to the Tour podium ".
During the 11th stage (the double ascent of Ventoux), promised to the French climber, the cyclist was seized with vomiting and was therefore far behind the winner of the day, the Belgian Wout van Aert.
Nacer Bouhanni and Arnaud Démare, disappointed sprinters
The most prominent French sprinters, Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) and Nacer Bouhanni (Arkéa-Samsic), failed to secure a victory on this Tour.
"We could see them winning because they had good cartridges, and then over the stages, the falls cleaned up a bit", notes Richard Virenque, who applauds the offensive efforts made by the two riders.
Even if they did not impose themselves on this Tour, Axel May does not mention a "generational hole" in French cycling.
"There are good French riders. If he responds, Arnaud Démare can win stage victories for the French. Of course, it's a slightly worse vintage than other years, but French cycling is still there."
Warren Barguil, forced to abandon because of the falls
Hit twice in major falls, on the 3rd and 13th stages, Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) retired before the 14th stage.
A real disappointment for a runner who very rarely retires from such a prestigious race.
Winner of two stages of the Grande Boucle in his career, in 2017, Warren Barguil could not show all his talent in this 2021 edition. He will be keen to come back stronger next year in an event that he appreciates so much, in front of his audience.