Paris (AFP)
Lots of hopes, first promises and then the slump.
The Tour de France 2020, on the French side, was not the fireworks of summer 2019. The satisfactions of Alaphilippe, Peters and Cosnefroy hardly compensate for the disappointments of Pinot and Bardet.
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Alaphilippe at the rendezvous
Hero of July 2019 with his 14 days in yellow, Julian Alaphilippe launched the Tour des Français in the best way: by winning the stage he had announced, the 2nd and his mid-mountain course around Nice.
No remake of the golden epic this time, since the yellow adventure lasted only three stages, the fault of a damaging penalty for unauthorized refueling.
This did not prevent him from repeating that his Tour was "successful".
"I really have the feeling of having finished tired but not totally exhausted like last year and that's what I wanted", appreciates the Frenchman, who has other goals in mind: the world championship in Imola (Italy) Sunday then the Ardennes classics.
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First for Peters
The only other French success did not come from Alaphilippe, who had subscribed to the doubles for the past two years, but from Nans Peters.
The AG2R courier, already stage winner on the Giro 2019, landed it on the first Pyrenean stage, in Loudenvielle, after an attack in the port of Balès, the first pass classified out of category of this Tour.
The very slopes where the main chance in the general classification on the French side was shattered with the surprise failure of Thibaut Pinot - who actually clenched his teeth from the start in Nice.
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Pinot Noir
"To fall the first day like that while we were coming out of a rather convincing Dauphiné and that I arrived in good shape on the Tour de France ...", still rages the unhappy hero of July 2019.
"I would never have thought that I was going to experience such an ordeal, he describes. It was a rather violent fall, it handicapped me on the whole Tour".
To the point that the winner of the Tour of Lombardy 2018 was never able to save his Big Loop by trying to win a stage.
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Martin confirmation
Pinot out of the game, French hopes turned to Romain Bardet, twice on the Tour podium (2016 and 2017), and Cofidis leader Guillaume Martin.
The Normand, 12th last year, revealed himself to the general public by staying for six days on the podium of the race ... until the stage of Puy Mary.
The 13th of this Tour - it can't be invented - was the gravedigger of the last blue hopes Guillaume Martin and Romain Bardet.
The first, who fell three days earlier during the island stage, between Oléron and Ré, lost contact from the Col de Neronne and tumbled to 12th place.
A rank that he improved after the time trial by overtaking Alejandro Valverde.
"It remains a correct way to finish a Tour which remains successful", he retains.
With his 11th place in the final, he improved his result of last year by one.
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Bitter end for Bardet
For his last Tour under the colors of AG2R La Mondiale before his transfer to Sunweb, Romain Bardet did not see the 14th stage.
Victim of a fall at 65 km / h on his land in Auvergne, the climber suffered a concussion.
Back in the saddle, he lost two and a half minutes at the end of the stage before resigning himself to retirement in the evening.
"Obviously, the big disappointment is the fall of Romain, recognizes Vincent Lavenu. If we look at the scenario of the Tour 2020, we could expect a top 5".
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Cosnefroy peas
The boss of the AG2R team also retains the "polka dot jersey for fifteen days" of Benoît Cosnefroy.
The Norman puncheur is the Frenchman who has kept the stuff the longest since Richard Virenque in 1996.
"It's a wonderful memory. I will come out happy with this Tour de France", confides the 2017 world champion who has his opinion on the French record: "Even if I hear the public not very optimistic, I find that 'there have been beautiful things done. "
© 2020 AFP