The cyclist will be on the roads of the Tour de France with his tricolor jersey.
“If I win the French championship, I can die in peace.” The words were spoken by Paul Lapeira, two weeks before this championship and therefore his victory. A wish and a thirst for victory because the race was arriving 8 kilometers from home and he couldn’t see himself doing it any other way. But who is the French cyclist?
Paul Lapeira is a purebred Norman and a great hope for French cycling. Present in the AG2R training center, Paul Lapeira notably won the Tour of Lombardy in this category. The rider still took time to reach the highest level, turning pro only 3 years ago. His performances do not really live up to the talent that is attributed to him even if he achieves a brilliant coup on the Giro in 2023 by taking the best climber jersey before giving up two days later after catching a cold.
As a result, the AG2R team rider is not far from leaving, but Vincent Lavenu, the manager, and Julien Jurdie, the sports director, are fighting to give him a new chance, which he will get. “Kids sometimes need a little more time to blossom. Sometimes, you have to be patient with young people and they give you back. A choice that is paying off since the Frenchman is currently having his best season among the professionals with two rounds of the Coupe de France, the Classic Loire-Atlantique, on March 16 then Cholet Agglo-Tour the next day before winning his first World Tour race on the 2nd stage of the Tour of the Basque Country. He will also have a great Classics season with a fifth place in the Amstel Gold Race and an eleventh in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. On the Tour de France, with his French champion’s jersey, Paul Lapeira will aim for a stage victory.