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It's the sprinter's Alpe d'Huez, a straight line of almost three kilometres with not an obstacle in sight, and endowed with a prestigious reputation thanks to its list of top flight and specialist prize-winners: the avenue de Grammont, in Tours, won its claim to fame and glory a long time ago. Tom Boonen, who triumphed here on the Tour de France this summer, clearly underlined its aura of prestige. He explained, in essence, that “In the minds of sprinters, there are three mythical victories: the Champs-Élysées in Paris, Bordeaux, and Tours.” A legend forged year after year, in the autumn, thanks to the Paris-Tours race.
An ideal finish for fast riders in the pack, Paris-Tours is not only a race for sprinters. Hence daring riders at the start in Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines have often triumphed in previous editions: Durand, Virenque, Piil, without forgetting Erik Dekker, a tireless fighter, who, with a well mastered sense of tactics, last year managed to break away from the pack of sprinters.
Two competitions are linked to the “Elites” race: first of all Paris-Tours Espoirs, which starts from Bonneval; this is followed by the “Paris-Tours Kilometre”, a road race competition reserved for cadets and juniors. Both reflect an affirmed tendency towards preparing the future.
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Christian Prudhomme |
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