Axel May, edited by Alexandre Dalifard 06h19, March 30, 2023

The general public is unfamiliar with him. And yet, it is the French cyclist in form at the beginning of the season. Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) has just won two Belgian classics back-to-back and is now a challenger in the Tour of Flanders, which takes place on Sunday.

Three days after winning Ghent-Wevelgem (with the endorsement of his Flemish teammate Wout Van Aert), Christophe Laporte won on Wednesday alone another Belgian classic well known to cycling fans: Through Flanders. "We can dream of it, but doing it is something else!" says the Var. At 30 years old, labeled a sprinter, he is building a nice little track record late and his notoriety is climbing: "I receive more and more encouragement. Running with Wout helps! We see that the public in Flanders is a public of connoisseurs and it's a pleasure."

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Laporte revealed himself in the eyes of the general public on the Tour 2022

Already last summer, it was he who saved the French honor on the Grande Boucle by winning in Cahors the only French stage victory. And at the end of September, on the other side of the planet, in Australia, Christophe Laporte became vice-world champion. Since he left the northern team Cofidis to join the formation that takes everything, the Dutch team Jumbo-Visma, the "Great" (editor's note: his nickname because he flirts with the 90 meter) is almost making forget Julian Alaphilippe or Thibaut Pinot. And above all, with his two Belgian successes, he has gone from being a teammate to an outsider in the prestigious Tour of Flanders next Sunday.