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04.07.2025 16:09
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📹https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsKjMrRAmEVR0546MkD_La_JZ953neH8F
The Cycling Iceberg is now also coming to you in podcast format!
🍎https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/cycling-iceberg-podcast/id1823544554
🍏https://open.spotify.com/show/5vJ129ApkX10zE97GWSwNB?si=_LfcoxxCRxSn3ul0jO_1bg&nd=1&dlsi=9b5565a6ae624e65
Sources:
www.sudouest.fr/sport/cyclis...
chroniqueduvelo.fr/sicard-plais...
www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/an-od...
velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-ra...
www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2019/...
www.eurosport.fr/cyclisme/rom...
www.lemonde.fr/sport/articl...
With the last French tour win 40 years behind us, the French media has continued on it's relentless quest to find their next superstar. They have now placed their hope on Lenny Martinez & Paul Seixas. We will soon find out if this generation of French talents progresses differently than those before
He didn't manage a top 10 finish in the 2015-2016 Tour. Interestingly enough, he did best in the year he didn't target a GC.
In 2017, Barguil won stages 13 and 18 in the KOM jersey. He finished 10th in GC, a result he replicated more anonymously in 2019.
With the retirement of Bardet, Warren Barguil is the last remaining rider of the trident of new Bernard Hinault's. After winning 2 stages in the 2013 Vuelta for Argos-Shimano, Barguil too was labeled a big prospect.
Wawa targeted GCs, but couldn't materialize on his 8th place in the 2014 Vuelta.
Bardet focused on other GTs, but has a brief resurgence in the 2022 Tour. He finished second on the Granon, but couldn't replicate such performances. He finished 7th - later 6th - in GC. He mainly hunted stages, winning the opening stage of his final Tour in 2024. He wore the yellow jersey for 1 day
In 2017, Bardet came closest to winning the Tour. While his climbing abilities were good, his time trial was too weak to win a Grand Tour. He placed 3rd, and never managed a better classification again. He finished 6th in 2018, and won the KOM jersey after dropping out of GC in 2019.
In 2016, Bardet placed a downhill attack in stage 19. He won the stage, and went from 6th to 2nd in GC. With his 2nd, he became the 6th French rider in 30 years to finish on the Tour podium. While he was no match for eventual winner Chris Froome, there was hope he could do so later on in his career.
While both were attacking, Bardet loved downhills. He descended fearlessly, but was also a bit more punchy than Pinot on the steep climbs. He dropped out of GC contention in 2015, but did win a stage.
For most of the years, Pinot wasn't the only French talent being hyped. In the 2014 Tour, Romain Bardet broke through in the shadow of Peraud and Pinot. He briefly held third in GC, but dropped to 6th in the final GC.
Bardet was a different type of rider than Pinot.
After the 2019 Tour, injuries kept haunting Pinot. He crashed in the 1st stage of the 2020 Tour, and a back injury meant he missed most of 2021. Pinot retired with pride in 2023. In his final season, he finished 5th in the Giro and won the KOM jersey. He raced attackingly in the Tour
More matured, Pinot returned to the Tour in 2019. The Frenchman lost time in crosswinds and the time trial, but was the strongest climber in the race. He won on the Tourmalet, and moved into third in GC. However, he had to withdraw with a torn quadriceps.
He was in contention for the overall win, but weak TT performances ultimately saw him finish 4th. After an anonymous Tour, he decided to skip the race altogether in 2018. That year, dehydration in the final mountain stage cost him a podium finish in the Giro. He did win Lombardia that fall.
Certainly, luck wasn't always on his side either. In the 2015 Tour, he crashed early on and dropped out of GC contention. He did win stage 20 on Alpe d'Huez. A year later, he crashed out in the KOM jersey.
Struggling with the status of French super talent, Pinot decided to race the Giro in 2017.
Pinot became extremely loved in France. He spoke with his heart on the tongue, attacked with style, and showed grinta. It certainly helped he raced for FDJ, the most French of teams.
It was undeniable that Pinot was extremely talented, but tactical errors and crashes cost him throughout his career.
In 2014, Pinot bounced back in a Tour marked by crashes among GC riders. He stayed upright, and finished third in GC. He also won the white jersey. With super grandpa Jean-Christophe Peraud (37) in second, it was the first time since 1984 two French riders stood on the Tour podium.
Rolland gave up GCs, and tried to win stages. He didn't manage to win another Tour stage, but did win a Giro stage.
Pinot too had a bad 2013 season. He admitted had a fear of speed, hampering him on downhills. Over the winter, he drove in sportscars and underwent special training to deal with this.
From there, the careers of Rolland and Pinot took vastly different trajectories. Rolland never really made a next step in his career. His 2013 season was disappointing, after which he finished 4th in the 2014 Giro. He finished 11th in the Tour, and managed 10th a year later.
Despite a headwind, he managed to fend off a group of GC favorites. Recciving vocal support from Marc Madiot, he crossed the line to win the stage. He would finish 10th in GC, becoming the youngest rider since Raymond Impanis in 1947 to do so.
There was however also a new French revelation that Tour, Thibaut Pinot. The 22 year old debutant went into the breakaway in Stage 8, having previously lost time in the prologue, and a stage 6 crash.
With 15km to go, Pinot left his final breakaway compatriot behind on the Col de la Croix.
In 2012, the expectations were high for the now 26 year old Rolland. The first week of his Tour was however horrible. Due to a crash, bad prologue and bad TT, he was already 10min down in GC. Through breakaways, Rolland managed to come back in GC. He won stage 11, and finished 8th in GC.
In the final mountain stage, it became clear that Voeckler wasn't going to win the Tour, so Rolland was set free. On Alpe d'Huez, he beat Contador to take the stage win. He finished 10th in GC, and won the White Jersey for best young rider. He actively needed to oppress comparisons to Hinault.
Rolland was already known as an aggressive rider, winning the KOM jersey in the Dauphine a few years prior. He worked relentlessly for Voeckler, climbing with real panache, often out of the saddle. Lance Armstrong referred to him as a rockstar during the race.
Sicard quickly disappeared to the background of the French minds, because in 2011 a new talent rose to the top in the Tour. While Thomas Voeckler came somewhat close to winning the Tour, his younger Europcar teammate Pierre Rolland impressed.
However, Sicard's potential never materialized. A combination of injuries, crashed and early peaking meant he would never finish in the Top 10 of a grand tour. He, instead, raced mostly as a domestique / baroudeur.
First, there was Romain Sicard. In 2009, the French Basque rider won the Tour de l'Avenir and the U23 World Championships. He signed with Euskaltel-Euskadi, and was named as potential next French Tour winner by Hinault in 2010.
The French drought was especially tough in the 00s. Between 2001-10, no French rider finished in the top 5 of the Tour. There were even years without French riders in the Top 10, something unthinkable for nearly a century. However, in the early 2010s, a new generation of riders gave the French hope.
Fignon came close to winning the Tour in 1989, but was of the same generation as Hinault. Later there were riders as Christophe Moreau, Richard Virenque, Christophe Rinero and Luc Leblanc, but nobody came close to the Tour win.
Bernard was labeled as worthy successor of Hinault by the French press, but turned out to be a one hit wonder. In 1988, he led the Giro but crashed in a poorly lit tunnel. Several injuries held him back for the remainder of his career. He would never finish in the top 10 of the Tour again.