Thirty years ago, give or take a week, Brittany was warming up to host the start of the Tour de France – the term Grand Départ had yet to stir in marketing men’s minds – and there was only going to be one winner as far as the home nation was concerned. Bernard Hinault was headed for his second Giro-Tour double and was about to join Eddy Merckx and Jacques Anquetil in the exclusive club of five-times Tour winners.
Back then French Tour victories were a given. Between the close of Merckx’s reign in 1975 and Hinault’s fifth in 1985, the home nation took nine Tour wins from a possible 11. Before Merckx came on the scene, the picture was similar thanks to Anquetil and Louison Bobet. It is what came before that makes the 30 years of French hurt since 1985 so remarkable: there have been no French victories and only four appearances on the podium.
France’s lack of a Tour win since 1985 is not down to any one factor, because the sport has changed constantly since Hinault retired at the end of 1986. Apart from Laurent Fignon, the last Frenchman to get close to victory, in 1989, the generation behind the Breton never fulfilled its potential. The sport rapidly became fully international, meaning that the home riders were suddenly competing on a far bigger stage.
In the Lance Armstrong era, the phenomenon of “two-speed cycling” was noted – although Armstrong is keen to claim all his rivals were doping, the French federation brought in an early variant of the biological passport after the Festina scandal of 1998 and most of the teams cleaned up their act. Statistical and anecdotal evidence indicates the French simply could not hold their own against such as the Texan and those who went down the same road.
What is certain is that in terms of its showpiece event, French cycling is on a roll again. In 2014, with Jean-Christophe Péraud in second place and Thibaut Pinot third, two Frenchmen finished on the podium for the first time in 30 years; Romain Bardet’s sixth overall gave the home riders three in the first half-dozen. It was one of several recent Tours in which the French progressed; six stage wins in 2010, Thomas Voeckler’s lengthy spell in the yellow jersey in 2011, four mountain stage wins in 2012. The less successful 2013 race looks like an exception.
One reason is that “two-speed cycling” is now considered to be at an end, with the playing field levelled because of the adoption by the UCI of the biological passport in 2008. “The differences are less extreme, I can’t say everything is perfect but it’s more manageable,” Pinot’s manager Marc Madiot has said. That has resulted in a change of attitude: rather than being content with fighting valiantly in search of headlines, French cyclists have learned to win again.
Most critically, the three leading French teams, Ag2R, Europcar and Madiot’s FDJ, have all adopted enlightened youth recruitment policies. Europcar’s feeder squad, Vendée U, dates back almost 25 years while FDJ have consistently recruited young French talent – often from the top amateur squad CC Etupes, where Pinot raced – and Ag2R invest €450,000 annually on a feeder squad run in conjunction with the university in Chambéry. Eight of their team including Bardet originated there. One reason for this focus on youth is French teams have smaller budgets than most and struggle to buy in the very best from abroad.
“We have 15 young riders in Chambéry, recruited from the junior ranks, racing the international under-23 calendar and studying at the same time,” said Ag2R’s manager, Vincent Lavenu. “We started it because there are so many demands on young riders – they have to choose studies or racing. They have accommodation, the same backup as the professionals. We have a lot of demand from abroad now – this year, we have riders from Italy, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands. We had a Colombian last year who turned professional at Lampre. We’d like to think it’s setting an example to follow.”
Lavenu and Madiot also cite a “generational phenomenon”, which has seen France produce a raft of talented juniors and under-23s under the national coach, the former professional Bernard Bourreau, although in some cases the youngsters have not kicked on into the professional ranks. “The important thing now is not necessarily to win the Tour but to have charismatic French riders with a high profile,” Madiot said.
At this year’s Tour, while Péraud, Pinot and Bardet will be the focus for many, together with the sprinter Nacer Bouhanni, one youngster in particular should be worth watching: the 23-year-old Warren Barguil, who has shone in the Tour of Spain and is making his Tour de France debut. The minute he succeeds, his Breton parentage makes it inevitable he will be hailed as the next Hinault but it will take a little more than that to erase 30 years of pain.
William Fotheringham is the author of Bernard Hinault, the Fall and Rise of French Cycling, published by Yellow Jersey Press
Five Frenchmen to follow
Romain Bardet
Reed-thin youngster who was last year’s Tour revelation, finishing sixth overall at the age of 23. Weak at time trialling but a strong climber and nerveless descender as his recent stage win at Pra-Loup in the Dauphiné Libéré showed. He has clearly kicked on this year, and the Tour will show by just how much. If he survives the first week, he could make the top five and take the best young rider prize.
Warren Barguil
France’s next big thing after Bardet, the Breton will be relieved Marcel Kittel did not make the start as it means he will get full support from Giant-Alpecin in his first Tour. The 23-year-old has shone at the Vuelta, showing climbing strength and tactical nous, but his home race is another step up altogether; if he makes the top seven and presses for a stage win or two that will be a more-than-respectable start.
Bryan Coquard
Cheeky, rapid little sprinter riding for Europcar who was consistent last year although without threatening a stage win; at 23, however, he has plenty of time to improve. He’s on form, having won a stage in the Route du Sud, but most of his wins have come in French races and the Tour is several steps higher. He’s punching above his weight this July, but all it needs is the right gap, and he’s in.
Jean-Christophe Péraud
At 38, very much the oldie among the thrusting youths, but the former mountain biker has been road racing only since 2010, so is fresh to it all. Péraud can time trial and climb well but his second place last year boiled down to the fact that he stayed upright where Contador and Froome didn’t. This year’s question is not whether can get better – that’s unlikely – but how Ag2R will handle him and co-leader Bardet.
Thibaut Pinot
Promised much in 2012 with an epic stage win at Porrentruy and the best young rider’s jersey; delivered in 2014 with third overall. This year, the 25-year-old has progressed again, winning the toughest stages in the Tour de Romandie and Tour of Switzerland. In 2013 the pressure of being France’s darling got to him, so this year he needs to keep his head. May not be quite at the level of the Big Four, but shouldn’t be far off. Amusingly, you can follow what he’s been up to on the Strava website.
