France see hope in their young riders

After a superb Tour de France raced entirely on French soil, there is plenty for the host nation to cheer about but the absence of a French winner remains a national sore point.

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It is 40 years since Bernard Hinault won the last of his five Tours de France. Since then the host nation has waited — not always patiently — for a successor.

But this year has produced some cheer for the home fans as they look ahead.

It's true that none of the five French teams on the roster landed either a stage win or a place on the final podium but Valentin Paret-Peintre produced some heroics to grab a memorable stage win on Mont Ventoux.

On top of that, Kevin Vauquelin and Jordan Jegat both finished in the top 10, while Vauquelin and Lenny Martinez, just 22, wore the white and polka dot jerseys — for best under-26 rider and best climber respectively — for spells.

It doesn't hide the lack of a winner but it was enough to make former French champion Bernard Thevenet guardedly positive about future home ambitions.

Thevenet, who won the world's greatest bike race in 1975 and 1977, told AFP during this year's contest — won superbly by the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar for the fourth time — that the emerging riders were about to join the top table.