Tour de France: "In France, we are a bit hypocritical," Martin-Guyonnet defends his choice to play for the general classification
The Frenchman does not understand why stage victory is valued more than a good place in the general classification in the Tour de France.
Should you play the general classification by trying to keep up with the best or should you let yourself fall behind in the standings to better aim for a stage victory? Faced with this eternal dilemma, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet has made his decision. The Groupama-FDJ rider will be fighting for a place in the top twenty in the hope, why not, of making it into the Top 10 of the Tour de France .
The 32-year-old Norman is making this choice knowing that he might be criticized by some of the public who sometimes point to a lack of panache, a somewhat follower-like spirit lacking in risk-taking. "Between fifteenth place and a stage, what would I choose? It's better to win a stage and finish fifteenth, that seems obvious to me, doesn't it?" reacted the rider from the French team.
Skip the adGuillaume Martin has always favored the overall classification in the Tour de France in the past, with some success. He finished 12th in 2019 and 11th in 2020. He notably took a magnificent 8th place in Paris in 2021, his best result, then 10th in 2023 and 13th in 2024. This is a remarkable consistency, even if he has never won a stage in the most beautiful of cycling races.
"I think that in France, we are a bit hypocritical. We always nitpick. We complain that no French rider has won the Tour for 40 years (and Bernard Hinault's victory, editor's note) and at the same time, we make fun of the riders (who are competing for the general classification, editor's note). I know what I am capable of, I am not starting the Tour to win in the end but rather to finish in the waters of what I have done in the past," defended the rider, standing firm, while other French people have clearly displayed their ambition to one day shine on a stage, even if it means leaving the general classification aside.
It's too easy to hope for a winner and at the same time say that we just need stage victories.
Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet
"I'm thinking about the young talents who are coming into the French peloton. You have to be able to finish 10th, 8th or 7th before thinking about victory, you have to be able to manage that. If you never start racing for consistency, you'll never be able to compete for the overall," insisted the former Cofidis team rider . "I think that in France, we should also be able to revalue that if we ever want to have a Frenchman win the Tour. It's too easy to hope for a winner and at the same time say that we just need stage wins."
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