Two different leaders in three days, a yellow jersey that often changed shoulders during the three stages, a winner for a second… Suspense reigned over the 53rd edition of a successful Tour d’Eure-et-Loir, despite some downsides.
We liked
The thrilling finale of the event. As in the two previous editions of this event listed on the international calendar (UCI) since 2019, the Tour of Eure-et-Loir was played in the final kilometers. On the final line, even! Because, by reversing the order of the first two of the 3rd stage in Chartres, Valentin Tabellion (Roubaix) would be victorious, for one second, ahead of his teammate Samuel Leroux.
Valentin Tabellion (centre) and Samuel Leroux (right), future winner of the event.
The performance of the French and amateurs. Despite the presence of eight professional teams belonging to the 3rd world division (Conti Pro), it is very often the French amateurs who have distinguished themselves on this TEL. If Roubaix, the only French Conti Pro in the peloton, held its rank, with two stage victories and two riders in the first two places overall, the National 1 teams have nothing to envy to the foreign ones. Vendée U, with Émilien Jeannière, animated the 1st stage, the Bretons of Fybolia (Mickaël Guichard) and Côtes d’Armor (Mathis Le Berre) tried several times to overthrow the leadership, without forgetting the Cross Team Legendre (Steve Chainel , Mickaël Crispin) often seen at the forefront. The proof again by the classification: all the distinctive jerseys were won by French people and, by team, Vendée U beat the Belgian Conti Pro Alpecin, tied with Côtes d’Armor.
premium 53rd edition of the Tour d’Eure-et-Loir: for the winner, Samuel Leroux (Roubaix), “it’s the perfect weekend”
The performance of C’Chartres Cyclisme. The Tom Thumb of the event (classified in N2) behaved like a big man: C’Chartres finished 9th in teams, 16 seconds from Vendée U, achieved three Top 20 on the stages (Baptiste Constantin 8th in 1st and 20th from 3rd, Ludovic Bideau 18th from 2nd) and ranked a man in the Top 10 overall (Constantin 8th at 15” and 4th best tricolor). With three finishers in the minute (Bideau 25th at 21” and Arnaud Fouquet 54th at 53”), the Eurelian club has fulfilled its contract well beyond the expectations of its president Patrick Destouches.
The C’Chartres Cyclisme team at the big start in La Loupe: Thomas Surget, Ludovic Bideau, Arnaud Fouquet, Christopher Piry, Baptiste Constantin and Maxime Maison.
Back in pictures on the 53rd edition of TEL 2022
We liked less
The profile of the test. Admittedly, Eure-et-Loir offers little elevation, but the 2022 edition would have deserved to be a little more hilly. Sometimes we got a little bored, like the 2nd stage, Cloyes – La Ferté-Vidame (191.1 km), where the main difficulties were concentrated on the first 80 kilometers, in the Perche. The remaining 110 km seemed very long. But, as Fabrice Henry, former double winner of the TEL (1988 and 1990), said on Saturday morning in Cloyes, “it’s not because a stage is long that nothing will happen. A stage of 70 terminals can sometimes be more boring than one of 200 km. Above all, it is the runners who race…”
premium Back in pictures on the 53rd edition of the Tour d’Eure-et-Loir
Team packages. Of 144 riders at the start of the TEL 2021, the peloton has melted like snow in the sun this year. Friday, at the big start from La Loupe, there were only 105. “Last year was an exceptional year due to the pandemic, and many teams wanted to run,” said the organization. There, with a year back to normal, the TEL, still in high demand, had decided to leave with 21 crews. But four withdrew, including two on the day of departure. Falling to 17 teams, the TEL was able to recover, at the last minute, the CC Étupes (N1). The fact remains that three formations presented themselves to five, instead of the six runners planned.
Jean-Andre Provost
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