"Showman" Vauquelin voices Tour ambitions after tougher day: "I’d almost rather finish 11th than…"

He had a strong start to the Tour, and after a fantastic time trial on Stage 5, the 24-year-old suddenly found himself on the Tour’s podium of the general classification. He held onto third place through two punchy stages and managed to avoid trouble during the flat weekend stages. But on France’s national holiday, things got harder, Vauquelin finished 21st on the Puy de Sancy and dropped to sixth place overall.

A lot happened in those first ten days, but Vauquelin's main objective slipped out of reach. “We were aiming for a stage win,” he told Le Parisien honestly. “But it all got a bit hectic, with those early stages where I could hang with the leaders, the time trial, the white jersey, being third overall...” The young talent from Bayeux has no regrets, though. “Things were going really well. On Monday my legs were stiff and I was tired. The rest day felt good.”

“I’ve been through a lot, both emotionally and physically,” Vauquelin continues. “It’s true, a lot has happened.” What will stick with him most from these first ten days? The Frenchman isn’t sure. “Wearing the white jersey was amazing. And that time trial in Caen, numbers don’t lie. But I’ll also remember the team spirit. My teammates were twice as motivated.”

Vauquelin has learned at least one lesson from his first week at the Tour: “Don’t give up. The day Van der Poel won in Boulogne, I felt terrible for two, maybe three hours. Before, I would’ve just ended up in the gruppetto. But this time, I launched four attacks in the final, I was one of the strongest that day. Same on Monday, when Visma attacked and I was feeling my worst. But by the end I was doing better,I limited the damage. I learned resilience. Always keep fighting.”

Anyone watching Vauquelin closely will have noticed his connection with the fans. “I’ve always been a showman,” he admits. “You just don’t notice it if the cameras aren’t rolling! I’ve stood by the roadside myself. I want to give something back to the fans, whether that’s a word, an autograph, a photo, or just raising your arms in the air. It’s about the atmosphere, it’s like being in a football stadium. You’ve got to give something back to the crowd. That’s just natural for me.”

Currently sitting sixth in the general classification, Arkéa–B&B Hotels rider Kévin Vauquelin now looks ahead to part two of the Tour. So, what are his goals? “I’m going to race for a stage win,” Vauquelin says. “But I’m still too close in the GC to be allowed into breakaways. We’ll take it day by day.”

“There are a few really tough stages coming up, including a mountain time trial,” he continues. “If I have a bad day at some point, maybe I’ll try to recover and shift my focus to attacking in the breakaways.” As for the overall result? A top 10 would be the dream. “That would be massive. This race is so demanding. Honestly, I’d almost prefer finishing 11th after trying to win a big mountain stage, than finishing eighth after two weeks of just hanging on.”