Cycling. French Championships: One year after his second place, Kevin Vauquelin wants revenge

The image has remained. One of total desolation. On June 20, 2024, in Saint-Martin-de-Landelles, Kevin Vauquelin , determined to shine on his Normandy home turf, had been sitting in the leader's chair for several minutes when Bruno Armirail burst through at full speed. In front of his screen, Vauquelin watched the seconds tick by. Suddenly, he jumped out of his seat, grabbed his head in his hands, and collapsed at the sight of Armirail crossing the line three seconds ahead of his own time .

"It remains perhaps the biggest disappointment of my career," says the Arkéa-B&B Hotels rider. "I had really made these French Championships a goal. It was close to home, in Normandy. Those three seconds are clearly sticking in my craw."

Since then, the former track rider has grown considerably. A stage winner in the last Tour de France in Bologna and selected for the Paris Olympics, he confirmed his status in 2025 with his victory at the Etoile de Bessèges, his second place at the Flèche Wallonne behind Tadej Pogacar , and his second place on Sunday in the general classification of the Tour de Suisse , where he impressed throughout the week.

Three days later, the 24-year-old rider from Bayeux is still feeling a bit high. "I didn't have time to come down at all. I arrived home on Monday at 2 p.m. and left on Tuesday at 8 a.m. It's pretty intense. But I think the Tour de Suisse was good preparation."

Be in blue-white-red on the Tour

His unexpected performance in Switzerland, where he initially wanted to prepare for the "France", strengthens his position as time trial favourite on a 26.5 km course which he considers "to (his) advantage".

"I'm the French rider who's had the most visibility this week, so I'll have a slightly bigger banner," he says, ready to embrace his status, including in the media. "I've managed to mature in that regard. At the Tour de France and the Olympic Games, it was a real washout, and I struggled to get through it. But today I'm more relaxed, much less on social media too, which allows me to create my own little shell."

He feels that the way others look at him has changed. "I took the plane on Tuesday morning with Bruno (Armirail) and we said to ourselves that we were all a little afraid of each other. We look at each other, it's normal. And I think, yes, that the way my opponents look at me has changed a little." In addition to Armirail, the reigning champion, he cites among his main rivals Rémi Cavagna, his teammate Thibault Guernalec and the young nugget Paul Seixas .

Beyond the time trial, Vauquelin also has his eye on Sunday's road race – "it's part of the objective, I don't want to choose." The goal is to wear the blue, white, and red jersey in the Tour de France (July 5-27). "It's something that could be very powerful," he says. "The Tour passes through my home country, where I was born, where my parents live. Of course, I'll have a big ambition to win the stage from Bayeux to Vire, the one from Rouen, the time trial in Caen. And to ride these stages with the French champion's jersey on my shoulders. This is the year to do it."