Cycling. Magnets to stars in 2021, the French races in February want to repeat – cycling

“This year, we had a pretty tempting line-up compared to previous years,” admits Patrick Herse, in cost of the group of the Étoile de Bessèges (February 3 to 7), which notably hosted the former world champions. Philippe Gilbert (Lotto-Soudal) and Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers).

A alternative line-up that the GP La Marseillaise (January 31, with Gilbert and John Degenkolb), the Tour de la Provence (February 11 to 14, with Alaphilippe and Bernal), the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes and the Var (February 19 to 21, with Nairo Quintana and Geraint Thomas) or the Drôme-Ardèche Buckles (February 27 to 28).

“It was very pleasant to run in the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes”, explains Fuglsang (Astana-Premier Tech), basic hunter and double winner of the Critérium du Dauphiné. “I’m happy to start the season so close to home, it makes things easier at this time” made tough by the covid-19 pandemic, provides the Dane, additionally current in Drôme and Ardèche.

“Windfall effect”

Winner of the Tour of Flanders in 2019, the Italian Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-Nippo) favored the Drôme-Ardèche Buckles, reasonably than the Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne circuit, two Flandrian races organized on the identical weekend.

The Belgian occasions are “two super important races, especially for the Belgians and the Dutch. (But) I prefer to stay calm, because my condition should reach 100% in the next few months, not now. Expectations are enormous for these (Belgian) races, I prefer to put less pressure on myself, ”Bettiol mentioned.

As for the 2013 world champion Rui Costa, he hopes to come out of the Drôme-Ardèche Buckles with “good legs” for Paris-Nice (March 7 to 14).

Because in regular instances, the heavyweights of the peloton reasonably put together their season in the solar of the Gulf (UAE Tour, Tour of Qatar and Oman), Australia (Tour Down Under) or Argentina (Tour of San Juan).

With the cancellation of a few of these occasions, journey difficulties and well being restrictions, French races had been ready to profit from a “windfall effect”, concedes Guillaume Delpech, president of the Drôme-Ardèche Buckles organizing committee. .

“Surely something to do”

The truth stays that “from La Marseillaise to the Loops, the teams can stay in the south of France. There would surely be something to do ”for the organizers of the French occasions, believes Patrick Herse. “On this block of races now well identified by all cycling players, there are areas of common development that deserve to be at least put around the table and discussed”, agrees Guillaume Delpech.

A merger – not a “pooling”, insists the organizer of the Buckles – wouldn’t solely have extra weight in the negotiations with the main groups of the peloton, to entice their nuggets. But working collectively additionally has a particular monetary curiosity, with “economies of scale” in perspective.

An vital variable, when it comes to preventing in opposition to the monetary energy of World Tour stamped occasions, the first echelon of world cycling, equivalent to the Nieuwsblad or the UAE Tour. Guillaume Delpech hopes to give you the option to depend on the federal authorities to orchestrate this merger, Patrick Herse on the National Cycling League.

For now, “in terms of stage races, we each work a little in their own corner, it’s a shame,” deplores the latter.

The 2021 sequence of French occasions has in any case already made converts, as Patrick Herse tells us. “The Bora-Hansgrohe had by no means come. They got here to see us and informed us: “We didn’t know each other, that suits us well, save us a place for next year!” »» What can Peter Sagan promise to French followers in 2022?

All cycling information

Support an expert editorial workers at the service of Brittany and the Bretons: subscribe from € 1 monthly.

I subscribe