Editorial
It's been called the “hare's race” because it has often been a favourable venue for fast racer-sprinters; it's been nicknamed the “fallen leaf race” due to the autumn colours that set the stage for its course, running between the Beauce and Touraine regions of France. And yet Paris-Tours, the last major French classic of the season, takes malicious pleasure in averting the clichés that its history has reserved for it.
A brief recap of its history: it is over one hundred years old, like Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, its prestigious sister races. And because of wars and interruptions, this year will be its hundredth edition – which will be celebrated, of course.
Paris-Tours has an unpredictable personality. Firstly because of its Northeast/Southwest geographical trajectory, which means it can be propelled at full speed by the wind or dramatically slowed down. And furthermore, its spectators sometimes enjoy it while wearing short sleeves under the sun of the Indian summer while other times they are packed into fall rain coats and parkas. It's impossible to know what the conditions will be like ahead of time.
It's also impossible to anticipate what's going to happen during the race, which also often depends on the weather. The Avenue de Grammont in Tours has on occasion offered up superb sprints like the one that made Erik Zabel a third-time champion last year. On the other hand, the race's attackers and fighters have at times had the last word: For example, Richard Virenque in 2001 and Jacky Durand in 1998 drew inspiration from the persistence demonstrated by Albert Bouvet in 1956 and succeeded him as some of the rare French winners of the modern era.
In short, Paris-Tours is not a classic in the conventional sense and this 2006 edition that the city of Tours, the daily paper “La Nouvelle République” and the organisers of Amaury Sport Organisation are preparing to celebrate will aim to provide this end of season and the sport of cycling with the renewed energy and enthusiasm they need.
Jean-Marie LEBLANC