2023-07-12 10:51:35
Every day they try. They try to force destiny, to get out of this peloton which only meagerly delivers the exit slips. They are those team members who are not necessarily chasing victory, but who go for it anyway, with the reward, at best, of a prize for combativeness and the possibility of getting on the podium at the end of the stage.
It’s not a big deal ? ” It is enormous, retorts Simon Guglielmi. If I had been told that I would find myself in the interview area answering questions alongside Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, I would have signed immediately. » The rider from the Arkéa-Samsic team still has eyes that shine four days after his solitary ride – 130 kilometers before returning to the line – which earned him this distinction on the seventh stage to Bordeaux, on July 7. At 26, for his first Big Loop, he counted up to seven minutes ahead of the bulk of the troop, without having any illusions.
An “increasingly dense” race
“At no time did I imagine going to the endhe says. Besides, I never thought about the finish, just the next corner, to hold on until the next bump. And at the same time, as I opened the race, I took advantage, listening to the encouragement by my first name, the cries of the children asking for a can. Looking at some in the audience who didn’t just drink water, the decorations in the villages. I fought, but I also had a lot of fun. »
His teammate in the Breton formation Laurent Pichon, author in the third stage of a similar trip, in tandem then solo, also keeps “shivers and images for life”. His prize for combativeness, already won in 2018, “Pipiche” savors it all the more since, at almost 37 years old, he found himself enlisted in extremis for his third Tour de France. His breakaway, a last stand?
“It was in any case premeditated, prepared for the pre-race briefinghe says. The team was coming out of two difficult days, and we wanted to put ourselves forward. In fact, from the fictitious start, when the peloton is heading towards the official starting line, you have to try to position yourself well, because as soon as you start the pedal, it’s off. This race is becoming more and more dense, and it is becoming very complicated to build a real good breakaway. »
The game of cat and mouse, with the peloton letting go but controlling all the same from a distance, Laurent Pichon finds it quite futile in the long run. He, who is road captain of his team, also struggled in the peloton when his friend Simon Guglielmi flew away a few days later. “I went to see some runners to tell them: ‘Give him some space, up to ten minutes early, so that at least there is a match’he explains. But of course, the teams specialized in the sprint really want to keep control. »
“The peloton decides”
Puncher of the AG2R-Citroën training, Benoît Cosnefroy also regrets this “lack of suspense”. He offered himself a raid earning him the price of combativeness on the fourth stage, decided on the moment, “and I chose a friend to accompany me, namely Anthony Delaplace, because he lives 10 km from my parents in Normandy”, he specifies. Proof that not all racing facts obey convoluted strategies. For the rest, Benoît Cosnefroy knows very well that “the peloton decides” and that often “The only motivation is to show the jersey for a moment. It’s good for the sponsor, but it’s also quite frustrating”.
Pierre Latour, for the TotalEnergies team, embarked on two beautiful breakaways including the one where he snatched a second place at the top of the Puy de Dôme, Sunday July 9, evoked this feeling well at the top of the Auvergne volcano: “I’m especially happy because we finally broke up the peloton. » Still, the authorization was just as granted as it was forced.
“Maybe, but it’s all to the honor of the guys to put the cover back in this way, concludes Jean-René Bernaudeau, the manager of TotalEnergies, always ready to side with panache. Pierre has often been injured in recent years. There, he wanted to show, to be more in tune with his status, because he is an excellent runner. He regained his pride. And that’s also what counts for these race organizers. Put heart and courage, commit with honesty. »Wednesday July 12 towards Moulins, Thursday in Beaujolais, over two transition stages before the climbers regain control, so they will try again. Thanks to them.
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Pello Bilbao, a souvenir from Gino
Incessant boosts, attacks as if it were raining, shattering counter-attacks, the riders took advantage of the tormented terrain of the 10th stage towards Issoire to shake up the race from the start of the 197 km offered on Tuesday 11 July. A breakaway of 14 pyrotechnicians, including the French Julian Alaphilippe and Warren Barguil, took their ease, more than three minutes ahead of the peloton.
The group, scattered by the last difficulty of the day 30 km from the finish, transformed the final into a chase behind the Latvian Krists Neilands, a time alone at the forefront, but caught on the wire.
The matter was settled by a six-man sprint, without the French, and it is the Basque Pello Bilbao who offers victory to the Bahrain Victorious team, recently tested by the death of Gino Mäder on the Tour of Switzerland.
#runners #escape #panache