First light of a new dawn: The resurgence of French cycling

French riders caught the popular imagination at the Tour de France last year, highlighting how the likes of Julian Alaphilippe and Thibaut Pinot are breathing new life into a sport that has long wallowed in the French doldrums

Julian Alaphilippe and Thibaut Pinot at the 2019 Tour de France (Photo by Bernard Papon-Pool/Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Let’s start with some stats: 40 years since the last victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège; 35 since the last in the Tour de France; 31 since the last Giro d’Italia; 28 years since the last Tour of Flanders; 25 since the last Vuelta a España; 23 since the last Paris-Roubaix and World Championship win. This is the record of France’s male cyclists in cycling’s most prestigious events.

To a large extent, these numbers explain why cycling has lost its lustre in one of racing’s traditional powers over the past three decades. Combined with innumerable doping scandals, cycling has steadily slid down the sporting hierarchy, mirroring declines in both Italy and Spain. Once able to put football in the shade, during the summer at least, bike racing has been anchored in the doldrums for so long that a host of other sports have caught and sailed past it, notably Formula 1, basketball and rugby.

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