2022, year zero for French cycling on the Grande Boucle? Admittedly, Christophe Laporte saved the honor by winning the Cahors stage three days from the finish, and David Gaudu finished in a solid fourth place in the general classification. The Varois of the Jumbo and the Breton of the Groupama-FDJ team are like trees that hide the forest.
In addition to the meager harvest on the stages, the Tricolores were quickly ejected from the classifications for the distinctive jerseys (the yellow of the leader of the general, the white of the best young person in the general, the green of the best sprinter and the white with red dots of the best climber ). Franceinfo draws up the balance sheet of the Blues after the passage of the Champs-Elysées, Sunday July 24.
Behind the zero point of stage victories, an absence in the good shots
It took a teammate of a cador, Christophe Laporte, who obtained in extremis an exit voucher from the Jumbo-Visma on a transition stage, for a French rider to raise his arms on this Grande Boucle. Stage victories, without necessarily aiming for a place in the general classification, was however the ambition displayed by the French leaders (Thibaut Pinot, Romain Bardet, Warren Barguil…) before the big departure from Copenhagen. But not everything went as planned. The mountain, the usual playground of the French, refused them. And the double world champion Julian Alaphilippe, the man who used to unlock the counter, is sorely lacking this year.
In defense of tricolor cycling, we note that the best chances in the sprint, Arnaud Démare (three victories on the Giro in the spring), Nacer Bouhanni (convalescent after a fall), even Bryan Coquard (defeated by the Covid-19 the day before of the start), not to mention the status of team member of the yellow jersey of Christophe Laporte, do not make it possible to make a number in terms of podiums, unlike other years. Hence the feeble number of places in the top 3 of the stages.
Zero points also for the distinctive jerseys
Even more worryingly, no French rider wore the yellow, white, green or polka dot jersey during the three weeks. A novelty, compared to a recent past where the best climber’s tunic sometimes became a consolation goal for riders who fell short overall, like Romain Bardet, victorious in 2019.
Let’s not even talk about the prosperous years when Thomas Voeckler offered epics in yellow and when Laurent Jalabert and Richard Virenque had made polka dots a tricolor preserve. Record of the kind in 2004, where Voeckler had accumulated yellow and white for ten days, when Virenque had reigned over the peas in the second part of the race (winning this classification for the seventh time in ten years). Result that year: 35 distinctive jerseys worn by a Frenchman over the 21 stages, to be compared to the total absence of the French for the additional classifications this year.
Even the price of combativeness is refused to the French
When we have dropped the general classification, the additional classifications, the stage victories, there remains the good old breakaway “to show the jersey” (and the sponsor), just to scratch the price of combativeness. An honorary prize which rewards the most prominent runner of each stage, awarded by a dedicated jury. At the end of the three weeks of racing, a “super-combative” is also elected, for all of his work, especially in the breakaways. But again, the Tricolores are offering a small vintage this year.
It must be said that the huge favorite for the final trophy remains the Belgian ogre Wout Van Aert, omnipresent, even omnipotent on this Tour and guaranteed to win the green jersey if he crosses the finish line on Sunday evening in Paris. The most versatile rider in the peloton, on the attack almost every day, also wore the yellow jersey at the start of the race and did not go far from donning the polka dot jersey at the end of the last stage of mountain, Thursday in Hautacam.
Places in the top 10 of the final general classification as a consolation
To see the can half full, you have to look at the general classification. Because with his provisional fourth place, won with courage, David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) achieved the best performance of a tricolor rider since the podiums of Romain Bardet (2nd in 2016, 3rd in 2017) behind the untouchable Christopher Froome. This year, this same Romain Bardet managed to accompany him in the top 10 with a good 8th place.