'It can be tough racing in France with the Sky jersey on'

French rider Kenny Elissonde has yet to race in his native country wearing the Team Sky jersey, and doesn't know what reception he'll get from fans

Kenny Elissonde.

(Image credit: Yuzuru Sunada)

Team Sky's new French climber Kenny Elissonde says that he understands the difficultly for the British team racing in the Tour de France in July.

Elissonde, joining from French team FDJ, is Sky's first French cyclist since Nicolas Portal and Sylvain Calzati in 2010. Not only has he joined a foreign team, but one that some fans in France have punched, spat at and tossed urine on.

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Gregor Brown

Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.