A week after having failed for gold at the Kigali Worlds, the French team, already crowned in 2023 during its last participation, won the title of European champion on the time-trial in mixed relay, this Thursday in Drôme. The Blues have ahead of Italy on the wire thanks to the sumptuous end of Cédrine Kerbaol, and Juliette Labous.
The French team has recovered! Two years after having already mounted on the roof of the old continent on the time trial of the mixed relay-the first European title of the Habs in this discipline-the Blues, absent from the last edition, were again crowned on the specialty, this Thursday at home in Etoile-du-Rhône. A few hours after Zoé Bihan, Charlotte Bouhier, Ninon Humbert, Lancelot Gayant, Gabin Gicquel and Luc Royer unlocked the French counter by winning the money on the junior race, Bruno Armirail, Rémi Cavagna, Thibault Guernalec, Cédrine Kerbaol, Juliette Labous and Marion Borras brought the first title to France European championships in France.
A week after having failed Kigali (Rwanda) for gold, the vice-champions of the world this time adorned the most beautiful metals, all after a strongly similar scenario with the one who had allowed these same French two years earlier to already climb on the highest step of the podium in front of Italy. As in 2023, the Blues ran constantly behind the transalpins, who had started very hard in the wake of their leader Filippo Ganna. There too, as in 2023, France, behind its rival to all the intermediate points, took advantage at the very end of the race for the superiority of its three representatives on their Italian counterparts, to tear off the victory, with … six seconds ahead of Italy (6 ″ 47 very exact).
Kerbaol and heroic labood!
After having voluntarily sacrificed Marion Borras, Cédrine Kerbaol and Juliette Labous, on whom all the hopes of the coronation on the French side at the dawn of the last coast, knew the situation. They had to resume a second per kilometer from the Italians out of the six remaining to win the timpani again. Our two heroines of the day did even better. And brought this first gold medal at home to this French team which should not stop there this week in Drôme. Huge favorite of this time trial in a mixed relay which again smiled at the Blues, Switzerland, who had seen from the start fly away all its hopes of victory after Stefan Küng, the first relay, was the victim of a puncture forcing him to change his bike, completes the podium, forty seconds of these French European champions for the second time in three years.
