The French team’s very good performance in the team time trial stage on the Indre roads between Vatan and Issoudun, on a course that was highly suitable for the exercise, was ultimately, if not disappointing, at least frustrating. Particularly for Pierre Thierry from Brittany, who had been lying in wait since he was in the breakaway on the first day and who could have imagined himself in the yellow jersey after the performance of the French team, of which he was a driving force. He couldn’t hide his bitterness as Denmark improved on the French team’s time by 12 seconds and pulled off a double in the tradition of Danish rouleurs.
Denmark’s success propelled one of its own, Carl-Frederik Bevort, into the CIC yellow jersey of leader, in the same second as his compatriot Simon Dalby, while Pierre Thierry took 3rd place overall, 7 seconds behind.
Like the Danes, the French team had kept four of its six riders to cross the finish line after Louis Rouland and then Antoine Huby had dropped out under the pace set by the phalanx of top French rouleurs.National coach Pierre-Yves Chatelon had slightly eased off the pace in order to protect the interests of Antoine Huby, winner of the Course de la Paix and therefore one of the regular leaders, until the final five kilometres, but he accepted this strategy, which he didn’t feel cost him the overall victory.
No regrets, then, against the Danes who are traditionally time trial specialists.The 4th stage between Aigurande (Indre) and Evaux-les-Bains (Creuse) over 150.1km could clarify the positions even further, with a relatively hilly finish and an uphill finish over the last two kilometres.
