Julien Bernard from Nivernais was one of the most prominent Frenchmen on this first stage of the Tour de France, which crowned another Frenchman, Romain Bardet, on Saturday June 29, 2024, in Rimini (Italy). The winner of the 2015 Tour Nivernais Morvan was a valuable teammate for his Danish leader, Mads Pedersen.
This Saturday, June 29, 2024 was not July 14, but it looked like a national holiday for French cycling. The Tricolores were the great entertainers of this first stage of the Tour de France, contested in Italy, Saturday June 29, 2024, between Florence and Rimini (206 km), with a dream scenario for the French public: Romain Bardet, first leader of this Tour of France, and dressed in yellow after his victory in Rimini.
Tour de France. “Julien and I had the same role in the peloton”: Jean-François Bernard from Nivernais confides before his son’s 4th Grande Boucle
Julien Bernard (32 years old) was another centerpiece of this French festival on the roads of Emilia-Romagna. The son of Jean-François Bernard, one of the two Nivernais present on this 2024 Tour de France, with the surprise Lenny Martinez wasted no time in highlighting himself.
Julien Bernard recalled how valuable a lieutenant he is in the Tour de France
Coming to the roads of the Grande Boucle to support his leaders, on the flat as well as in the mountains, the man who is competing in his fourth Tour spoke of his experience, and recalled to what extent he is a valuable lieutenant, present for a large part of the Italian stage alongside its Danish leader, former world champion Mads Pedersen.
Cycling. Nivernais Yannick Martinez takes his first victory of the 2024 season in Sologne
He was there to support Pedersen when the Dane was left behind, struggling when the road rose, particularly halfway through, the victim of the violent acceleration of Tadej Pogacar’s teammates on the Barbotto climb, which decimated the peloton.
And when it was necessary to ride at the front of the peloton, in the final, to try to get back on the Franco-Dutch duo of the DSM-firmenich PostNL, Julien Bernard did not leave his part to the dog, pulling long stretches in the final, alongside the other sprinter formations, including the Visma-Lease a Bike of Wout Van Aert, to regroup, and offer a sprint to Pedersen. In vain.
His place at the finish is anecdotal (53rd in the stage, 1’24 behind Romain Bardet), his performance much better. Julien Bernard could not have started this Tour de France better. He will once again be a valuable lieutenant at Lidl-Trek.
Lenny Martinez left behind… voluntarily?
Did he deliberately lose contact with the peloton, to further his plans? Nivernais Lenny Martinez, who discovered the Tour de France at the age of 20 with Groupama-FDJ, was left behind when the UAE accelerated on the Barbotto hill, around 75 km from the finish.
Before finishing the stage quietly, crossing the line in Rimini in a delayed group, 128th, 29’14 behind Romain Bardet. Having come to “hunt for stages” for his first Grande Boucle, Lenny Martinez now has plenty of room to maneuver to go on the offensive in the next stages.
Alexandre Mazel
