Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

A23
SPORTS Tuesday 30 July 2019

More Tour frustration for France but future looking bright

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN and 8 to Saint-Etienne to gain
JOHN LEICESTER time on Thomas and Bernal.
AP Sports Writers Pinot also showed a new-
PARIS (AP) — "Now or Nev- ly found mental fortitude
er." later in the race, quickly
That was the headline run- bouncing back after the
ning across the front page loss of 1 minute, 40 seconds
of France's biggest-selling in crosswinds. An emotion-
sports newspaper L'Equipe al rider, Pinot responded
three weeks ago, amid with a display of class and
nationwide hopes that a power in the Pyrenees. In
homegrown rider could the southwestern mountain
finally win the Tour de range, he stood out from
France. the rest, even putting the
In the absence of many pure climber Bernal on the
big names — including back foot with devastating
four-time champion Chris acceleration which earned
Froome — France's top him a prestige win at the
contenders Thibaut Pinot Tourmalet summit.
and Romain Bardet were But Pinot's fragile health
expected to make the most overtook his challenge. His
of this year's climb-heavy Tour abruptly ended Friday
route, and even finally end in the arms of William Bon-
the 34-year drought. net, the teammate who
Three weeks later, neither rode by his side in the last
Pinot nor Bardet stood on meters before his with-
the Tour podium and the drawal, his left leg badly af-
wait for a French winner fected by a muscular injury
continues. sustained earlier in the final
The future of French cy- week.
cling looks bright, though, A third-place finisher at the
and a successor to Bernard 2014 Tour, Pinot has not fin-
Hinault — the last French- ished his home race since
man to win cycling's mar- 2015. On Saturday morn-
quee race back in 1985 — In this Saturday, July 13, 2019 file photo France's Thibaut Pinot, right, and France's Julian Ala- ing, he still had to choke
is likely to emerge sooner philippe crosse the finish line of the eighth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 200 back tears when speaking
than later. kilometers (125 miles) with start in Macon and finish in Saint Etienne, France. to a TV crew about his with-
Although Bardet, twice a Associated Press drawal. But he has prom-
podium finisher, was never ised to come back in 2020.
an overall threat and had week of racing with a bold the stage. Tour winner would require a "The confidence I have in
to be content with the attack. After losing the yel- With his team not strong different approach to the Thibaut Pinot is enormous.
polka dot jersey for best low jersey, he reclaimed it enough to protect him in Tour and a different style of He is a great rider and
climber, Pinot was magnifi- and fought to stay in yellow the mountains, Alaphilippe racing, certainly less flam- will remain a great rider,"
cent until a left leg injury re- with a living-the-moment worked alone in the Alps boyant. FDJ-Groupama manager
duced him to tears on the humble attitude that ex- and ultimately paid for his "Fighting for the overall title Marc Madiot said. "He al-
side of an Alpine climb, and cited fans and impressed exhausting efforts, cracking is different mentally," Brails- ways gets back on his feet,
forced him out of the race his rivals. under the pressure of Ineos ford said. "So he's got to be I believe the best is still to
within touching distance of "It's incredible how he and Jumbo-Visma teams to ready for that. For now, he come."
the Champs Elysees. stepped up and improved," drop to fifth place overall. enjoys riding his bike. If he And maybe not just for Pi-
With Bardet nowhere to be said 2018 Tour champion But Alaphilippe's impres- takes that flair and enthu- not. "There are some really
seen, another Frenchman, Geraint Thomas, who fin- sive victory in the individual siasm away, and gets re- good French riders at the
Julian Alaphilippe, surged ished runner-up this year time trial ahead of Thom- ally focused on the three minute," Brailsford said. "Ob-
to the fore, gaining pop- behind his Ineos teammate as — a specialist in the weeks, rides in maybe a viously, the Bardet and Pi-
idol status in the space of Egan Bernal. "A big, big well race against the clock — different way, that's some- not generation. But under-
just three weeks. And five done to him. He fought until combined with his natural thing that he ought to see neath there is a new gen-
French riders finished in the the very end. He deserved flair and the bold attacks three years down the line." eration of young French
top 15 for the first time since to be on that podium." that helped him seize the Pinot's situation is slightly dif- riders coming through."
2011. In scenes sometimes remi- limelight in the short and ferent. A confirmed climber Brailsford, who said a few
A classics specialist, Ala- niscent of the "Wiggoma- punchy climbs he loves so with a team capable of years ago he would love to
philippe exceeded all ex- nia" in Britain when Bradley much, bode very well for supporting him in the moun- develop a French winner
pectations, wearing the Wiggins won the 2012 Tour, the coming years. tains, he arrived at the Tour within his team, has intrigu-
yellow jersey for 14 days af- Alaphilippe was feted in "He should certainly have in the form of his life after ingly not given up on the
ter playing havoc with tra- every village crossed by a go at the general classi- focusing on the Giro d'Italia idea. At Ineos, riders are
ditional race strategies. De- the peloton. Each morn- fication when he's ready," last year. split in two main groups de-
spite his pedigree in one- ing, fans chanted his name Ineos manager Dave Brails- Having spent weeks based pending on their age.
day races, Alaphilippe was near his team bus, asked ford, who has won seven of in the Alps with all the big "We've been working hard
not among the pre-Tour him for selfies and stopped the last eight Tours with four mountain stages in mind, with the younger group in
favorites, and many spec- him for autographs. The different winners, told The Pinot showed from the start their preparation," he said.
tators had hardly heard of excitement was such that Associated Press. he would be a force to be "That's where potentially
him when the race started. at some point Alaphilippe But Brailsford believes that reckoned with when he having some very talented
But he took the Tour lead had to be escorted by po- Alaphilippe's transforma- jumped on Alaphilippe's French riders in that group
by storm during the first lice officers to the start of tion into a potential Grand wheel during the hilly Stage would be fantastic."q