Published on : 07/02/2023
He took a chance, believed in it right to the end, and gave himself one of the greatest joys in the career of a professional rider. For the first time since 2008, a Cofidis rider raised his arms in the Tour de France. It was a moment of sweet euphoria and, above all, a moment in history.
You had to hold on, resist everything, find the deepest part of yourself to win. Victor Lafay tried his luck with less than a kilometer to go, he knew he had a chance and he stuck with it. The Savoyard patiently held on to his place among the leaders before pulling away from the favourites to make his move. His victorious attempt was an example of daring, of surpassing oneself and of the energy needed to reach cycling's finest emotions. Having won the Giro (2021), he can now taste the euphoria of a Tour victory.
What follows are the small pleasures of victory: congratulations from Christian Prudhomme, a hug from Tadej Pogačar, hugs from Thierry Vittu and Cedric Vasseur, the incongruity of the green jersey, the crowd at the bus and the joy of his team-mates.
VICTOR LAFAY'S REACTION
"For once, I had a plan. I knew I didn't have the legs to attack over the hump, and besides, that's often where the strongest riders attack, so there was no point. When I saw that the Jumbo-Visma team were coming back on Tadej, I thought I'd take advantage. As I approached the last kilometer, I attacked and didn't question my decision. I took off hard on the left, opposite to where they were. After that, I worked as hard as I could, leaning over the bike as much as possible like Benjamin Thomas did last year. And let's face it, we've got great bikes, and they're really good aero-wise, so I think that obviously helped.
I didn't have time to think I was going to win, I could see the line and I knew I could be caught on the line. At no point did I say to myself 'it's done'. Once I crossed the line, I realized: "Wait a minute, there's nobody in front of me? I've won. Does that mean I've won?" And then I raise my arms, it's incredible!"