Thanks to Victor Lafay, the French have already done as well on the 2023 Tour as they did last year. In 2022, only Christophe Laporte had raised his arms. While Lafay won in the second stage, this Sunday in San Sebastian, the Jumbo-Visma rider had waited for the 19th stage to win. A year earlier, Julian Alaphilippe had provided the essentials from the inaugural stage. On the other hand, this success at Landerneau had no little brother.
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It is only to be hoped that Lafay’s performance will appeal to others. In 2020, Nans Peters had signed the second tricolor victory during the 8th stage, six days after the feat of the essential Alaphilippe, who had taken the opportunity to wear the yellow jersey. He got used to it in 2019, an edition in which the Deceunink-Quick Step runner won twice. He had notably created a surprise on the Pau time trial, on the eve of Thibaut Pinot’s success at the top of the Tourmalet.
5 successes in 2017
Same record in 2018: three victories, two for “Alaf”, one for Arnaud Démare, again in Pau. The Groupama-FDJ sprinter had opened his counter on the Tour a year earlier. IN 2017, he started the ball rolling during the 4th stage: Lilian Calmejane, Romain Bardet and Warren Barguil, twice, had the French raid with five successes.
Enough to catch up after a rather bland 2016 edition in terms of victory. Romain Bardet remained very much alone, after raising his arms in Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc, during the 19th stage. The former AG2R cyclist shines at the end of the Grande Boucle. In 2015, he triumphed at Saint-Jean de Maurienne, three days before the finish on the Champs, imitated two days later by Pinot at Alpe d’Huez. Alexis Vuillermoz, he had dynamited the peloton at Mûr-de-Bretagne during the 8th stage.
2014 had crowned only two Blues, Blel Kadri and Tony Gallopin, during an edition cannibalized by Vincenzo Nibali.
