Tour de France: French cycling on alternative mode

Following the example of the Champs-Elysées sprint on Sunday, completed by Arnaud Démare in third place, the overall, honorable in terms of statistics, leaves a lack of taste behind the tricolor side.

is down compared to last year (5 stages and 3rd place for Bardet). Even if, with three successes of stages (2 for Alaphilippe, 1 for Démare), it is located at the level of Colombia, Slovakia and the Netherlands, the most often victorious countries.

Alaphilippe, at contagious dynamism, has inflamed the race several times. It has become especially "the darling of the public", in the opinion of the director of the Tour Christian Prudhomme, blown away by the popularity of Auvergne Montlucon on the roadside. "I've never been so applauded," said Alaphilippe, who had a daydream in the second half of the Tour, like Warren Barguil twelve months ago.

The puncher of the Quick-Step team has made himself known this time the general public who discovered this tonic runner, fiery, hyper-active. In a word, spectacular.

The white jersey, consolation prize for AG2R

The balance sheet of the French cycling was enriched by the white jersey of best young, won by Pierre Latour, 13th in the final ranking.

For his team AG2R La Mondiale, the distintion is mostly a consolation prize at the end of a Tour thwarted by injuries and abandonment (Domont, Vuillermoz, Gallopin) who have finished using his leader Romain Bardet.

"We thought it would be better," agrees Auvergnat, present on the final podium the two previous years. "This year, I have never been able to win the Tour. Sixth, I'm not ashamed, I did the maximum. But I know we're always waiting for more. "

"I had a very good level in Alpe d'Huez, the one that allowed me to be on the podium before," says Bardet who emerged "frustrated" Tour. He took pleasure only in rare occasions, especially on the pavements of the stage Roubaix although he had to deliver an exhausting chase.

"The Sky did not leave me any leeway "

Ransom of his performances, Auvergnat de Brioude is closely watched. "The Sky do not leave me any room for maneuver. If I have to distance them, it's on the pedal, "he says, recalling the bitter truth of the fight for the yellow jersey:" On the Tour, you have to be there for two or three days. The rest of the time is defense so as not to waste time. "

" The more years pbad, the higher the standards are. I fight with the means that I have, "says the only French who badumes his ambition to aim for victory:" I'm 27 years old (the age of Dumoulin), I'm progressing from year to year but it's not is not a linear progression. We are more or less there, in the match, to fight, and I want that. "