Dorian Godon crowned French cycling champion, tactical triumph for Decathlon-AG2R

He allowed himself the luxury of making the reigning French champion, Paul Lapeira, work for him in the final kilometers. On Sunday, June 29th in Les Herbiers (Vendée), Dorian Godon won his first French road cycling championship title, at the end of an event perfectly managed by his team, Decathlon-AG2R. Winner of a sprint from a breakaway of strong riders, the 29-year-old mustachioed rider won in a sprint, right under the noses of Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) and Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B & B Hotels).

"My girlfriend has been saying for a year that I was going to become French champion here ," the new French champion told Eurosport after the race. "I knew I was going to have a very good result today, from the first lap. I was really having a great day." On the 16.5-kilometer Vendée circuit, which the peloton covered 13 times – a reduced number due to the heatwave – his team managed to retain the blue, white, and red jersey by getting the better of the Groupama-FDJ armada in every race on Sunday.

Whether it was the stifling heat or the lack of earpieces – unlike the races of the rest of the season – the fact remains that the race was unbridled, and saw its favorites trade blows from the very first laps. Decathlon-AG2R were initially surprised by their rivals in blue for national supremacy, but by collaborating with Kévin Vauquelin's Arkéa-B & B Hotels, the Savoyard riders made up the lost ground.

"The race didn't start off on the best foot for us, we weren't in front, but we were able to get back on track ," analyzed Paul Lapeira, who saw his teammate succeed him. "We had to have strong nerves and not get sidetracked. To see Dorian take over from me and become French champion is exceptional."

About 50 kilometers from the finish line, at the top of Mont des Alouettes – a short climb – a group of 15 riders including the majority of the favorites (and nine Groupama-FDJ riders) broke away, and it quickly became clear that they were going to fight for the title.

Despite the numerical superiority of their opponents, Decathlon-AG2R succeeded in a textbook tactic: first stage of the rocket, Paul Lapeira escaped, trying his luck before being caught on the final climb. There, the reigning French champion led the way to put his two teammates into orbit: Nicolas Prodhomme took over and brought the sprint to Dorian Godon. "All out!" , the mustachioed rider, effective over short distances, shouted to him and the 28-year-old climber, winner this season of the queen stage of the Giro , took him at his word, almost losing the future French champion. But Dorian Godon was able to resist the powerful Romain Grégoire and Kévin Vauquelin, to raise his arms on the line.

"The team did a great job," said the winner. For the rider who highlights his moustache – "atypical" in cycling, according to him – with each victory, it's now time to rest. Having competed in the Giro d'Italia earlier in the season, Dorian Godon will not be showing off his new tricolor jersey on the roads of the Tour de France, which begins Saturday, July 5 in Lille. "I'm going on vacation happy," said the rider. His team, for its part, leaves Vendée with a full complement of national titles, having notably seen Bruno Armirail retain his time trial crown on Thursday.