For the first time since the creation of the European road championships in 2016, a Frenchman was crowned in the road race on Sunday in the Netherlands.
Until the end of the suspense. Setting off alone 12 kilometers from the finish, Christophe Laporte believed that the title of European champion was going to slip through his fingers, Sunday September 24, in the Netherlands. While a group of three riders, led by Wout van Aert, his teammate for the rest of the year and big favorite of the day, caught him in the last meters, the Frenchman found the necessary strength to stand on the pedals and go and conquer the European champion jersey. He is ahead of Wout van Aert and the Dutchman Olav Kooij, all riders for Jumbo-Visma.
“I can’t believe it, it’s a crazy finale. […] It’s crazy, having a jersey like that is fabulous. It’s great for the French team.”savored the Varois at the finish, before returning to his superb solo number. “I felt good, and I said to myself, ‘If I go to the sprint with guys like De Lie and Wout, it’s going to be difficult to win’, so I tried and it worked. he recalled.
Laporte found the key
Victim of a puncture at the worst time during the World Cup in Glasgow in August, when he was the trump card of the Blues, Christophe Laporte was quite simply the strongest this time. “Saturday evening, he warned that he would try everything, and he did it! […] He knows how to manage, he doesn’t put himself in the red.”, noted coach Thomas Voeckler, proud of his troops, at the microphone of La Chaîne L’Equipe. “We had a great French team, despite mechanical problems. The team did a great job. […] Which team ! What a bunch of weirdos!”the latter exclaimed.
With this first title in these European championships, created in 2016, the French team finally writes its name in golden letters. After beating around the bush for a long time, the Blues finally taste first place. On the podium of the three previous editions, Arnaud Démare 2nd in 2020 and 2022, Benoît Cosnefroy 3rd in 2021. On the list, Christophe Laporte succeeds the Dutchman Fabio Jakobsen.