Story of the French domination of Tour de France is told by a 40-year-old rivalry between Bernard Hinault and his rival Richard Virenque

• The Guardian reports 40-year rivalry between French cycling champion Tour de France winner Bernard Hinault and his rival, Richard Virenque.
• The Guardian’s material also mentions Pol Seixs: “at some point, it became clear that the French cycling team would be able to win the Tour de France after 2014, and the team’s strategy would be to focus on the fight for overall victory.”
• The Athletic suggests that the interest in Seixs with the historic riders of the Tour de France is in the fact that the 1992 French riders won the race.

In the materials about the Tour de France winner, the French cycling champion Bernard Hinault (Bernard Hinault) is said to have bagged those victories, which could not be taken away from him. The Guardian notes that, despite the fact that he had not won for 40 years, the French champion was able to return to the race and win it again, and that the victory was named in 2019 for the Frenchman Thibaut Pinot.

According to The Guardian, among those who, in their opinion, were involved in the fight for the victory, were Richard Virenque, Luc Leblanc, Laurent Jalabert, Romain Bardet, Warren Barguil and Thibaut Pinot. The material also notes that, since 2014, French cycling federation has been actively pursuing the fight for the overall victory, which has been supported by the Team Sky.

The publication of The Guardian says that in 2026 the main focus will be on Paul Seixas. The text describes how, during the season, Seixas won the Flèche Wallonne race, which, in turn, led to the overall victory at Tour Auvergne Rhöne Alpes, which he won in the end.

The Athletic, referring to Andoni Iraola (Andoni Iraola), suggests that there is one key factor for the success of French riders at the Tour de France. Iraola says that until 2026, the interest in the overall victory of the Tour de France could be explained by the fact that, in 1992, French riders were able to win the overall victory.

The Athletic’s analysis also states that, in 1992, Andoni Iraola was 10 years old when he won the Prologue of the Tour de France San-Sebastian. The publication continues that, according to Richard Virenque, after winning the race, he was able to become the winner of the third stage of the San-Sebastian to Pau route in France.

The Athletic also reports that Tour de France 2026 will feature a new format: start with a team time trial in Barcelona and a rest day, after which the race continues with a final stage in the city.

Tags: Sport/Football