The team time trial, permanent guest of Paris-Nice

Initially skeptical, Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France, rallied to Lemarchand’s cause: “I have always loved time trialling as a physical, aesthetic, athletic exercise but I was always embarrassed because cycling is an individual sport that is run in teams. But since François Lemarchand and Yannick Talabardon (in charge of the layout) found a loophole in the regulations by taking the time from the first rider, that changes everything. I really like these times, especially since we will have a bumpy finish this year. (Pisserotte coast, 1 km at 5.4%). »