On Saturday, Remco Evenepoel achieved what no male rider had done before in cycling history: winning both the Olympic time trial and road race. He crossed the line with a one-minute lead over French rider Valentin Madouas.
The Belgian had shattered the peloton after a move involving favorites like Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Julian Alaphilippe was caught. Evenepoel broke away with a few riders, dropping all but two. Madouas was the only one who could keep up.
As the bell rang, Evenepoel and Madouas led by 50 seconds over five riders and 1:05 over a van Aert-van der Poel group. Before Montmartre, Evenepoel dropped Madouas but suffered a scare when he flatted with less than 4 km to go. Unsure of his time gap due to the lack of race radios, Evenepoel yelled for his mechanic, who quickly provided a bike change.
Madoaus pushed to survive for silver
Behind, Madouas gave it his all and secured the silver, with his countryman Christophe Laporte taking bronze from a group of nine.
Marc Madiot, former winner of Paris-Roubaix and current directeur sportif of Groupama–FDJ, was in the broadcast booth for RMC Sport. Madouas is not only French but also one of Madiot’s riders.
Madiot is known for his animated performances whether in the team car or behind the camera, and he did not disappoint.
“It’s the final straightaway!” he shouts, beside legendary pro cyclist and directeur sportif Cyrille Guimard, who seems amused by his enthusiasm. “For your family, for French cycling, for Bretons!”
He continues to cheer Madouas on, urging him to get the medal as he watches Madouas fight for the finish. “This is for you! You deserve it,” he exclaims. “Go, Val, go!”
As Madouas rides toward the finish, Madiot stands and yells even louder. “For France! For us! You’ve got it, it’s right there!” he shouts. “And Laporte gets third!”
You can watch the fantastic commentary below.
Vous n’entendrez rien de plus beau aujourd’hui pic.twitter.com/ReiOlyorYl
— Cessieux christophe (@ccessieux06) August 3, 2024
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