He is one of the young French pearls who will make their big debut on this Tour de France 2024 and which will have to be followed closely. If some will only have eyes for Lenny Martinez, Romain Gregory, Paul Lapiera or Kévin Vauquelinall in French teams, we must not forget Axel Laurance. The U21 world champion in Glasgow last year would go almost unnoticed in a team Alpecin-Deceuninck who will focus above all on Jasper Philipsen et Mathieu van der Poel. But in the shadow of these two superstars, the 23-year-old from Morbihan could well do well.”I hope to be an actor in this Tour de France“, he explained to our microphone on Thursday evening, just after the presentation of the teams in Florence.
Video – Axel Laurance on our microphone before his first Tour de France
“Being at the start is a childhood dream. I still have a little trouble realizing it”
Already a 4-time winner in his first season in the WorldTour, including the general classification Tour of Norway, Axel Laurance should surprise more than one with its speed and resistance on steep terrain. Capable of lining up half a peloton on the Tour of Catalonia or to settle Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trel), excuse me for saying so, on theStar of Bessègesthe Calan native does not forbid himself anything while keeping his feet on the ground.It’s true that in the back of my mind, I would like to win a stage… But we know that it’s very hard, everyone is here for that. I don’t put any pressure on myself, there is first the work for the team to do, and only then discover.”
But before getting to the heart of the matter and the competitive aspect, Laurance can already fully enjoy this chance to be at the start of the biggest race in the world for the first time.Being at the start is just huge. In a career, it’s always something incredible, a childhood dream. When we start a cycling career, we all want to do the Tour de France. Obviously, it’s a special feeling, we’re not used to seeing this kind of presentation. It’s a moment that must be savored. Today (Thursday) is just fun, I’m trying to enjoy and look around at the environment. I still have a little trouble realizing it. After the presentation and the podium, this will perhaps already be a little more the case, and even more so on Saturday at the start.”
