Nothing again: The French's tour trauma

It has been 36 years since one of their own, Bernard Hinault, won the Tour de France. And the proud Grande Nation will probably have to be patient for many more years, says the last winner so far. “No Frenchman from the current generation will win the Tour. It may be harsh and mean to say this, but we have to be honest. They are not the best in the mountains and they are not the best in time trials,” said Hinault.

And the devastating verdict of the robust Breton from Yffiniac – now 66 years old – perfectly reflects reality. Before the last mountain stage, Guillaume Martin was the only Frenchman in the top ten. He had previously raised slight hopes of a podium finish in Paris when he jumped to second place in the overall classification on a breakaway stage. But the studied philosopher made a mistake the following day and lost touch with the favorite group on a descent. From the dream. Gaudu with problems, Pinot not there The real hope had already been caught in Provence. David Gaudu, who with his 1,73 meters and black-rimmed glasses is visually reminiscent of Harry Potter, suffered severe stomach problems on the Ventoux stage. Gaudu is now hoping for a stage win; on the queen stage in the Pyrenees he fought his way to fourth place.

France's real favorite and also tragic figure is not there this year. In top form, Thibaut Pinot is one of the best mountain riders in the world and was third in the Tour in 2014. And 2019, it seemed, was supposed to be the year of redemption. Pinot was clearly the best rider in the mountains, but was slowed down by a thigh injury and got off the bike in tears.

Thibaut Pinot is not competing this year. © AFP / ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT

Pinot's time is not over yet, after all, the professional is only 31 years old. But this year he is missing again injured and is using the time to reflect. Pinot recently gave an impressive interview to the newspaper Le Parisien in which he talked about all the pressure, all the drama and all the suffering that cycling and the expectations of his compatriots have caused him. “I'm alone in my car so often “freaked out,” said Pinot about his time in rehab after his crash on the first stage of the Tour last year. “There was this one day on the ring road in Paris when I burst into tears. I just couldn’t take it anymore.” An up and down Pinot's career is like a roller coaster ride. “I had high highs and low lows. But never lukewarm things,” said the captain of the FDJ team. And yet he hasn't lost his motivation and wants to get back on the bike and go on tour. “Cycling has given me a life that I could never have dreamed of. I won’t complain because I don’t want to be ungrateful.”

If Pinot returns, the tour organizers will certainly accommodate him with the route, as they did in 2019 with the very mountain-heavy tour. This year the route would actually have been something for Julian Alaphilippe. Hilly time trials and only three mountain finishes – it could hardly have been better prepared for the world champion without being unfair. But something else came up for Alaphilippe. Shortly before the tour, his son Nino was born; the 29-year-old was probably a little too distracted by his private happiness. But who knows, maybe Nino will one day be Hinault's successor.

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Nothing again: The French's tour trauma

The English football fans have to continue to suffer after losing the European Championship final and now 55 years of pain, the French have similar grief with their national shrine.

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