Tour de France: a first for Quebec cycling

COPENHAGEN | Quebecer Guillaume Boivin arrived on the sly yesterday at 109^e Tour de France, just in time to participate in the magnificent presentation of the riders in front of tens of thousands of spectators in the Tivoli Gardens.

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For Quebec cycling, this is a great first with three athletes on the most beautiful race in the world.

It was nearly 4 p.m. in Copenhagen when plans for the day changed dramatically. A Twitter post announced the immediate removal of Israeli Omer Goldstein, who poses a high risk of transmission of COVID-19 due to close contact. The misfortune of one has made the happiness of the other.

Antoine Duchesne, who had learned the good news a few hours in advance, had stretched a beautiful fishing line by asking during his interview if the local media had really spoken to all Quebecers.

A suprise

By contacting Boivin, it was not messages from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport that echoed on the line, but the voice of Hugo Houle laughing.

“Stop bothering him, he has a race to prepare!”

And wham. Boivin was already in Denmark for his second Tour de France.

“COVID created the opportunity,” explained Israel-Premier Tech team boss Sylvan Adams.

Another team player, Daryl Impey, finds himself in a similar situation, but a decision will be made today in his case.

Relief

Arrived at the end of the morning, Boivin no longer knew the day or the time, but he was beaming on the stage with all his teammates after a grandiose parade in the center of the Danish capital at 7:30 p.m.

“It’s just sick to see the world. I was told to do a PCR test and come over. I had been hoping for it since the beginning of the year. I’m just happy to be here, ”launched a relieved Boivin to the cries of a crowd who only had it for the Dane Jakob Fuglsang.

After the Canadian Championship in Edmonton last weekend, Boivin was preparing to return to Montreal to spend the month of July. Instead, he crossed the Atlantic a second time within a few days.

A privilege

“I’m not here for nothing. I will do my best to recover well. I’m on adrenaline and it’s a privilege to do the Tour. Nothing will stop me from enjoying it!” added the 33-year-old professional.

“He had sent me a photo of his plane ticket, but I did not know if the announcement was made. We never have a big tour together the three!” explained Duchesne.

After a superb ninth place in Paris-Roubaix last year, Boivin has long been targeting the fifth stage of the Grande Boucle which has 11 sections of cobblestones.

“It’s incredible to see so many cyclists from Quebec end up on the Tour de France. Their presence is an encouragement for the runners who follow them, ”said the director of the Quebec Federation of Cycling Sports, Louis Barbeau.

Four Canadians

With Canadian Michael Woods, who has long cycled in Gatineau, Quebec fans will have four bibs to watch.

“I want to chase stages in weeks two and three. That’s the goal,” he said.

Around 10:45 p.m., at dusk, this crazy day ended with fireworks. The citizens deserve the pyrotechnics since Denmark would have spent more than $16 million Canadian to host three stages of the Tour de France.

Duchesne must deliver the goods

COPENHAGEN | As a model teammate, Antoine Duchesne is already feeling some pressure in view of the big departure in Denmark.

“As of this weekend, it is really important for me. I have to be 100% operational on Saturday, and I don’t have five or six days to adapt,” he said, with Olympian calm despite everything.

At Groupama-FDJ, we believe we can surprise in the general classification with David Gaudu, who finished 11^e rank last year. The 25-year-old Frenchman will be the sole leader, and Thibaut Pinot his “guardian angel”.

Voltage

“I have never approached a big tour with such good preparation. I’m there mainly for the first six days. It won’t be physically hard every day, but there is tension with the wind and the falls. The first week, you win nothing, but you can lose everything,” adds Duchesne.

Newly dad for two months, he sees his selection in 2022 as a personal challenge. His spouse took a flight to Quebec alone with their son to visit the family for the first time. The grandfathers had still not seen their grandson.

“I couldn’t wait for them to land to know that everything was fine. The thought also of telling me that I am missing a third of his life, I anticipate it. It’s a choice, but it’s more stress in mind, “said the 30-year-old Saguenean.

He dreams of arriving in Paris, on the Champs-Élysées, in front of his whole family.

Over the years, Duchesne befriended Thibaut Pinot, who also overcame several difficulties in his career.

“Antoine, we have had a fairly strong relationship for several years. In his role, he is one of the best in the team,” said the Frenchman, who has three stage wins and third place overall in 2014.

“We have a similar style of humor. We are real friends. He knows my family and he has the same passion for agriculture. He has sheep, goats, cows, a horse and a real farm! It makes our trips more enjoyable,” concludes Duchesne.

The course

His boss cut short the few criticisms heard in Europe concerning the choice of the Quebecer in the team. We also understand that his unifying side is appreciated.

“When we make the Tour team, we do it first in relation to the proposed route. There are sometimes selections which can surprise from the outside, but we often realize that it is quite logical, ”concluded Marc Madiot, who has participated nine times in the Tour de France.

In the notebook…

• Nine years later David Veilleuxwho in 2013 became the first native of Quebec to participate in the Tour de France, there are now three of them taking the start even though our climate is not more favourable.
• Several teams hold their opening press conference in a way Virtual and the runners are all wearing an N95 type mask again.
• To be able to chat outside the hotel with Antoine Duchesne, the negotiations were not easy. His team demanded the mask, but also proof of a negative antigen test. We had to make a detour to the pharmacy and then rub our nose with a swab. Real fears or madness, the rules are tightening in the face of the seventh wave in Europe.
• Even in Denmark, hockey always resurfaces. Gaspard, a journalist for the daily Ouest-France, wanted to talk yesterday about the NHL Draft and the Canadian’s first choice. And the death of Guy Lafleur!
• The Israel-Premier Tech team trip with a very strong delegation and a slightly above average management staff. Including the eight cyclists, there are a total of more than forty people, particularly for care, nutrition and mechanics.