Laurent Jalabert has preselected seven riders for the French Olympic team, as reported Monday by L’Equipe. The list contains a variety of sprinters and veteran attackers who may be suited to the primarily flat Olympic course in London.
Of the seven preselected, four will be chosen, with three for the road race and one for the time trial.
Leading the list, and with likely the fastest French legs in a bunch sprint, is Arnaud Démare (FDJ-BigMat). The 20-year-old most recently suffered a tough defeat to trade team-mate Nacer Bouhanni in the French road race championships. Although Démare does have an impressive five wins already in his neo-pro season, highlighted with victories in the Tour of Qatar and Route du Sud.
Démare made his Grand Tour debut in the Giro d’Italia, picking up a fourth place on stage three in Horsens, Denmark.
Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) makes an expected appearance in the preselection, as arguably the most familiar face in French cycling. Voeckler has been troubled by a knee issue of late, but is expected to start the Tour de France. Replicating last year’s outstanding fourth place in the Tour will be difficult, but the Europcar rider may be coming good just in time for the Olympic road race in the end of July.
Julien Simon’s breakout season in his fourth with Saur-Sojasun could earn him a spot as well. The 26-year-old has four wins on the season, including two in the Volta a Catalunya. He has proven to be able to take a bunch kick or an uphill sprint finish.
Likely slated to race the time trial, and perhaps the road race as well, is Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step, pictured), who was recently crowned the champion of France against the clock.
Also in the French preselection is Tony Gallopin (Radioshack-Nissan), winless as yet in his first season with the American team, but consistently improving as a sprinter. Arthur Vichot (FDJ-BigMat) could gain an Olympic spot on the strength of his breakout win in stage five of the Critérium du Dauphiné. And Anthony Roux (FDJ-BigMat), a versatile attacker, rounds out the list.
Jalabert’s final Olympic selection takes place on July 5th.
As for the women, new French time trial champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot joins Aude Biannic and Audrey Cordon on the team for the road race. Cordon will do the time trial, while Ferran-Prévot will also compete in the MTB event. There is no place for the road race champion Marion Roussee.
Also missing is multiple Olympian Jennie Longo, who was trying to once again secure qualification but who didn’t perform well in the championships. She has been under a cloud after three whereabouts violations, even if her lawyers were able to fight this on a technicality, as well as her husband’s implication in the importation of EPO.
She has claimed that she has been victimised and that his cost her the chance to go to the Games. "In the last week, they came to control myself three times in six days, taking blood and urine. It affected me because it's a kind of humiliation, a systematic suspicion, and at the same time it is tiring,” she told L’Equipe. “I was shocked, I was tired, it made me crack psychologically.”
Longo said that just before the time trial, she was also force to change her saddle position by two centimetres. “It is hostile, they wanted to get rid of me, they did it.”
For many, though, it’s time to move on, particularly as the questions remain in relation to Longo. The Olympic Games will mark a new chapter for French cycling.