Belgian Remco Evenepoel achieved an unprecedented double in the history of men’s cycling by winning, after the time trial, the road race of the Olympic Games on Saturday 3 August. He finished ahead of two French riders, Valentin Madouas and Christophe Laporte. Eight African riders were part of the peloton.
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Remco Evenepoel won solo after dropping his breakaway companion, Valentin Madouas, on the third pass of the Butte Montmartre, 15 kilometres from the finish. Madouas came in second just ahead of a small group of chasers who were sprinted by Laporte at the end of a thrilling race in front of a huge crowd in the streets of Paris. These are the first two medals for France in the men’s road race at the Games since Arnaud Geyre’s silver in Melbourne in 1956.
Very active even before entering the final circuit in Paris, Evenepoel pulled off a fantastic performance by forcing the decision in the last thirty kilometers. He had a lead of about a minute and a half over Madouas when he had a big scare when he punctured in the courtyard of the Louvre, four kilometers from the finish. His summer has been extraordinary. But Remco Evenepoel, third in the Tour de France, wants to ” keep your feet on the ground ” because he still has many years left as a cyclist.
African runners without complexes
Mauritian Christopher Rougier-Lagane and Ugandan Charles Kagimu led the way for a long time before the big names decided to take matters into their own hands. Rawandais Eric Manizabayo and Moroccan Achraf Ed Doghmy were also in the spotlight in the first hours of the race, on the roads of the Chevreuse Valley in the Yvelines department. This is also the magic of road racing at the Olympic Games, seeing ” small countries » cycling to put itself forward in the world. In total, eight riders from the African continent set off at the end of the morning for a gargantuan menu: 273 kilometers of racing with 2,800 m of elevation gain.
After starting from Trocadéro, opposite the Eiffel Tower, the peloton crossed the Latin Quarter before heading towards the Chevreuse Valley, passing through Versailles. The peloton then returned to Paris for a circuit that took three turns along the cobblestones of the Butte Montmartre, before finishing at Trocadéro. An unforgettable memory for the African representatives.
” I hope to have inspired young cyclists from the African continent »
Arriving last, the Ugandan Charles Kagimu nevertheless savored this special day. I was very sick the day after the opening ceremony. I couldn’t get out of bed.. I’m recovered. I’m happy to have been in the morning breakaway and to have finished this Olympic race. A week ago, I would never have imagined finishing “, he admits. And adds: ” I hope to have inspired young cyclists from the African continent “. The Eritrean Biniam Girmaya three-time stage winner in the last Tour de France, finished in 49th place, more than six minutes behind the Olympic champion. It was good to get out of the box and race with nations that you never see at the highest level. That’s the Olympic spirit. “, comments Christophe Laporte, bronze medalist.
After the three French places of the BMX The day before, French cycling was in good shape. With Madouas and Laporte, France now has seven medals in cycling. A few days ago, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot had won gold in mountain biking and Victor Koretzky money. Being an Olympic medalist is rare in road cycling and when it happens to you, you don’t want to miss the boat.e,” says Marc Madiot, Valentin Madouas’ manager. We showed a beautiful face, we surfed the French wave “, says Madouas while his compatriot Christophe Laporte found the passage in Montmartre ” extraordinary ” And ” very special “.
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