Tracking the French drought

[CheckMyPecs]

The aim of this thread is to provide a documentary reference of top races and their last French winner:

Tour Down Under: Gilles Maignan (2000)
Paris-Nice: Laurent Jalabert (1997)
Tirreno-Adriatico: NEVER
Milan-San Remo: Arnaud Démare (2016)
E3 Harelbeke: NEVER
Volta a Catalunya: Laurent Jalabert (1995)
Gent-Wevelgem: Philippe Gaumont (1997)
Tour of Flanders: Jacky Durand (1992)
Tour of the Basque Country: Laurent Jalabert (1999)
Paris-Roubaix: Frédéric Guesdon (1997)
Amstel Gold Race: Bernard Hinault (1981)
La Flèche Wallonne: Laurent Jalabert (1997)
Liège-Bastogne-Liège: Bernard Hinault (1980)
Tour de Romandie: Laurent Jalabert (1999)
Giro d'Italia: Laurent Fignon (1989)
Critérium du Dauphiné: Christophe Moreau (2007)
Tour de Suisse: Christophe Agnolutto (1997)
Tour de France: Bernard Hinault (1985)
Clásica de San Sebastián: Tony Gallopin (2013)
Vattenfall Cyclassics: Arnaud Démare (2012)
Tour de Pologne: Laurent Brochard (2002)
Eneco Tour: NEVER
GP Ouest-France: Sylvain Chavanel (2014)
Vuelta a España: Laurent Jalabert (1995)
GP de Québec: Thomas Voeckler (2010)
GP de Montréal: NEVER
World Individual Time Trial Championship: Laurent Jalabert (1997)
World Team Time Trial Championship: NEVER IN THE TRADE TEAM FORMAT
World Road Race Championship: Laurent Brochard (1997)
Giro di Lombardia: Laurent Jalabert (1997)

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Do you reckon Vuillermoz can end the 50-year French drought in the Amstel Gold Race?

 

[Red Rick]

Why isn't the WCRR or WCITT in there?

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

Do you reckon Vuillermoz can end the 50-year French drought in the Amstel Gold Race?

I see him more as a FW rider, but it would be awesome.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Re:

Why isn't the WCRR or WCITT in there?

I picked World Tour races, but sure, I'll throw them in with the lot.

 

[ciranda]

Tour de Suisse: Gaspard Rinaldi (1935)

Christophe Agnolutto won the TdS in 1997

 

[TMP402]

Re:

Do you reckon Vuillermoz can end the 50-year French drought in the Amstel Gold Race?

More likely Gallopin or Coquard...

 

[Tonton]

Tour de Suisse: Gaspard Rinaldi (1935)

Christophe Agnolutto won the TdS in 1997

True. The tortoise that hares never caught...

Between Demare, Nacer, Coquard and Gallopin, Alaphilippe, Vuillermoz, Bardet, French sprinters and punchers should update that list in the years to come. Pinot at the GDL also. Gougeard and Latour can break through as well. For the GTs, maybe '17 or '18. It depends on many factors that we can't discuss here. A lot of Jalabert on that list .

French cycling is better than it has been in over 20 years.

 

[movingtarget]

I don't think the French are any closer to winning a Grand Tour when you see the opposition they have still. Yes there are some good riders like Pinot and Bardet but I see them as top five riders at best. The 2014 Tour was an anomaly for obvious reasons. For all of the hype around Rolland the hoped for results were never close to being realized. Part of the problem is that many of them are mediocre TT riders and while their climbing can be good they are not near the level of Froome, Contador or Nibali and Quintana who can also time trial well. Of course the pressures on them are probably similar to the pressure that was on VDB as a Belgian hopeful in GTs but his best years are behind him now as they are for Rolland. We have been hearing for years about young French riders who will succeed one day and maybe Pinot and Bardet are their best hopes for many years depending on how much they can improve.

 

[Breh]

Re: Re:

Do you reckon Vuillermoz can end the 50-year French drought in the Amstel Gold Race?

More likely Gallopin or Coquard...

Alaphilippe?

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Tour de Suisse: Gaspard Rinaldi (1935)

Christophe Agnolutto won the TdS in 1997

My bad. Corrected.

 

[swissfr]

"GP Ouest-France: Laurent Brochard (2002)"
???

Sylvain Chavanel (2014), Voeckler (2007), Fedrigo (2008), Flickinger (2003), Rous (2004) ...
lol

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

I don't think the French are any closer to winning a Grand Tour when you see the opposition they have still. Yes there are some good riders like Pinot and Bardet but I see them as top five riders at best.

This kind of statement forgets that the field in Grand Tours can be very uneven. 2014 Tour wasn't really that much of an anomaly if you look at the three GTs rather than just the TdF. Neither Pinot nor Bardet can win the Tour de France without showing a big improvement in level. But if you can podium or top 5 a weak edition of the Tour, you can win a weak Vuelta or even Giro. Pinot and Bardet have more GT pedigree than a Hesjedal, Cobo or Horner.

The fact that they are French makes that harder, of course, because they are likely to target the Giro or Vuelta in the first place.

 

[Kwibus]

Tour de Suisse: Gaspard Rinaldi (1935)

Christophe Agnolutto won the TdS in 1997

True. The tortoise that hares never caught...

Between Demare, Nacer, Coquard and Gallopin, Alaphilippe, Vuillermoz, Bardet, French sprinters and punchers should update that list in the years to come. Pinot at the GDL also. Gougeard and Latour can break through as well. For the GTs, maybe '17 or '18. It depends on many factors that we can't discuss here. A lot of Jalabert on that list .

French cycling is better than it has been in over 20 years.

You say you can't discuss it here, but I'm afraid you don't want to see reality. a bit naive for a good member of this forum.

 

[SeriousSam]

data should always be visualised

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Re:

"GP Ouest-France: Laurent Brochard (2002)"
???

Sylvain Chavanel (2014), Voeckler (2007), Fedrigo (2008), Flickinger (2003), Rous (2004) ...
lol

Argh, I did put Sylvain Chavanel (2014), but in the wrong place (Eneco Tour, which was actually won by Wellens that year). Thanks. Corrected.

 

[TomasC]

Re: Re:

Do you reckon Vuillermoz can end the 50-year French drought in the Amstel Gold Race?

More likely Gallopin or Coquard...

Alaphilippe?

Alaphilippe would probably be a better bet for Fleche Walonne, but not sure about this year, Etixx's main man will be probably Dan Martin..

 

[Maxiton]

Re:

data should always be visualised

Quoted for brilliance.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

I don't think the French are any closer to winning a Grand Tour when you see the opposition they have still. Yes there are some good riders like Pinot and Bardet but I see them as top five riders at best.

This kind of statement forgets that the field in Grand Tours can be very uneven. 2014 Tour wasn't really that much of an anomaly if you look at the three GTs rather than just the TdF. Neither Pinot nor Bardet can win the Tour de France without showing a big improvement in level. But if you can podium or top 5 a weak edition of the Tour, you can win a weak Vuelta or even Giro. Pinot and Bardet have more GT pedigree than a Hesjedal, Cobo or Horner.

The fact that they are French makes that harder, of course, because they are likely to target the Giro or Vuelta in the first place.

Can't see it happening for them this year but when Contador has retired and Froome and others start to go backwards re a generational change it might be possible. You can never tell with young riders unless they find immediate success which is rare these days in GTs.

 

[jsem94]

Lmao, that visualization is brilliant.

 

[jaylew]

Re: Re:

I don't think the French are any closer to winning a Grand Tour when you see the opposition they have still. Yes there are some good riders like Pinot and Bardet but I see them as top five riders at best.

This kind of statement forgets that the field in Grand Tours can be very uneven. 2014 Tour wasn't really that much of an anomaly if you look at the three GTs rather than just the TdF. Neither Pinot nor Bardet can win the Tour de France without showing a big improvement in level. But if you can podium or top 5 a weak edition of the Tour, you can win a weak Vuelta or even Giro. Pinot and Bardet have more GT pedigree than a Hesjedal, Cobo or Horner.

The fact that they are French makes that harder, of course, because they are likely to target the Giro or Vuelta in the first place.

Can't see it happening for them this year but when Contador has retired and Froome and others start to go backwards re a generational change it might be possible. You can never tell with young riders unless they find immediate success which is rare these days in GTs.

Certainly possible PInot or Bardet take a step forward in future years but I'm thinking it would have to be a year similar to 2014 when some top riders have bad luck through crash/illness or the like. Unfortunately for them, Nairo and Aru are the same age, though you never know in what years Aru might focus on the Giro. I prefer Bardet but at this point Pinot looks to be the better bet, having upped his TT game.

 

[Tonton]

Tour de Suisse: Gaspard Rinaldi (1935)

Christophe Agnolutto won the TdS in 1997

True. The tortoise that hares never caught...

Between Demare, Nacer, Coquard and Gallopin, Alaphilippe, Vuillermoz, Bardet, French sprinters and punchers should update that list in the years to come. Pinot at the GDL also. Gougeard and Latour can break through as well. For the GTs, maybe '17 or '18. It depends on many factors that we can't discuss here. A lot of Jalabert on that list .

French cycling is better than it has been in over 20 years.

You say you can't discuss it here, but I'm afraid you don't want to see reality. a bit naive for a good member of this forum.

Naive maybe. And/or optimistic, as it relates to Pinot. I have been wrong before. I'll be wrong again. But it's the kind of outlook that has helped me keep my passion for cycling over the years. I still hope that there are good guys, that the good guys can/will win, and that the sport will evolve in a positive way.

 

[Echoes]

I know that this thread is actually not about the French drought as a whole but the French drought on GT's

But how come that Jean Stablinski is the last French to win Amstel while he's Polish and Hinault won it 15 years after him? And nobody spotted that error after two pages? (unless a French won yesterday, but pretty sure it's not the case, haven't seen the race )

 

[CheckMyPecs]

But how come that Jean Stablinski is the last French to win Amstel while he's Polish and Hinault won it 15 years after him? And nobody spotted that error after two pages? (unless a French won yesterday, but pretty sure it's not the case, haven't seen the race )

Stablinski may have been of Polish descent, but he was born in the very French-sounding Thun-Saint-Amand!

On another note, correction duly noted. Cheers.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Vuillermoz out of the FW due to injury. He was one of the French hopes for the Mur de Huy.