Vive La France

It’s shaping up to be a very successful Tour for French cycling. Through 12 stages, we’ve had three French winners (Thomas Voeckler, Brice Feillu and Pierrick Fedrigo) and a French team (AG2R) successfully defending the yellow jersey for six stages. Recent years have marked a long, dry spell for Frenchmen in the country’s most-watched sporting event. Can you name the last Frenchmen to don the yellow jersey? It was Brice’s brother, Romain, who wore it for one stage in 2008. To find another Frenchman in yellow, you have to go back to 2006 with current AG2R team member Cyril Dessel.

But so far in 2009, the French with their three stage wins are ahead of the pace they’ve set this decade for Tour de France success. Besides Richard Virenque’s KOM victories, the French don’t have much to show for this decade. Between 2002 and 2008, the French won a grand total of 15 stages, or about two per year. Their high point was 2004, when they were led by the likes of Nazon, Virenque and Moncoutie to four stage wins.

But this Tour has given hope to the French. We are through the Pyrenees, after stage 12, five of the top seven KOM contenders are all French. Two of the top eight in the white jersey competition are French (Feillu and Pierre Roland) and AG2R is second in the team classification. AG2R has led the Tour with Nocentini, since the first stage in the Pyrenees. As we get ready to head to the Alps Nocentini will struggle to keep the yellow jersey but by the end of the Tour AG2R could be the team that carried the yellow jersey for the most days during the race.

On Stage 11 and 12 the team had to work a great amount to keep yellow. They were determined to keep the lead of the race and in order to do so the team had to ride on the front for many kilometers. Stage 12 proved more difficult for AG2R, after averaging over 47km/hr for the first two hours, the break finally went away. As the break increased their gap, the small roads continued to twist and swerve with blustery winds. This discouraged the sprinter teams from riding to help AG2R and by the end of the day the team had put in a huge effort from the start of the race to the end of the race to keep yellow. Stage 13 to Colmar was a climbing day and proved more difficult for the team. After tired legs from two days of pulling they were no match to the attacks that came on the large climbs. Immediately a break went with three riders but the images of suffering in the rain were present throughout the peloton. Nocentini sat comfortably with Astana as the tempo they set seemed to neutralize the rest of the G.C. riders. For AG2R this strategy worked in their favor because it gained them another day on the podium in yellow at the finish.

Clearly the large crowds coming out to support AG2R are proof of this country’s enduring love for cycling. So far this year, French Tour riders are repaying that love with success. Because everyone loves to get behind a champion the French have been cheering the loudest for their favorite yellow jersey wearer.