Though Team France may enter the World Championships as underdogs, it will bring a stable of riders to the road race who are riding with good form. One will be Anthony Roux (FdJ), who won Friday’s Grand Prix de la Somme in France ahead of Lloyd Mondory (Ag2R La Mondiale) and Fabian Wegmann (Leopard-Trek). The Frenchman has recovered from his efforts at the Tour de France, and will take to the roads in Copenhagen in a support role for the French team.
“Nacer Bouhanni was determined to do the sprint, but I was told by the team that it was more of a final for me, kind of a false flat,” Roux told L’Equipe about his GP de la Somme win. “It was discussed, and I told [Bouhanni] that I would take him to the last 500 meters and then we would see. But when I was about to launch, a Leopard-Trek guy did, and I went with 300 meters to go, which allowed me to stay the course even though Lloyd Mondory came back well at the end. This victory is good before the World Championships.”
“For my part, I did a good 500-meter sprint on the false flat,” Mondory said after the race. “Anthony launched the sprint but then started coming back. We crossed the line together without knowing who had won. Finally, the photo finish gave Anthony the win and I'm obviously disappointed.”
When Roux finished second at the French national road championships, he earned himself a spot on the FdJ roster at the Tour de France. By the end of La Grand Boucle, Roux was worn down from taking part in his team’s incessant attacking.
“I struggled to recover after the Tour de France,” he explained to L’Equipe. “I had power, but no energy. Then it came back slowly. At Plouay, I felt like I had the feeling again. I followed up with Paris-Brussels, GP de Wallonie, and it was confirmed, even though I did not win. This bodes well for the World Championships.”
France enters the Worlds road race without an unquestioned leader. Romain Feillu (Vacansoleil-DCM) is likely to be the designated sprinter, but he is coming back from a broken collarbone. Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) and Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) are the squad’s most proven leaders, but the Copenhagen course is expected to suit the fast finishers. Roux wasn’t ready to say that he deserves protection, though.
“I can sprint, but I claim no special status,” he admitted. “Here in France, the level is lower. At the World Championships, the sprint will be something else. Why not designate anyone? Or set the stage for Thomas or Sylvain? In any event, it is an honour to wear the team jersey of France.”