"We realize that we gave the impression of 'doing nothing' in the first few days"; Laurance proud of INEOS Grenadiers' Tour

“I can be pleased with my second Tour de France,” the 24-year-old Laurance said in an interview with DirectVelo. The Frenchman saw himself improve compared to last year. “This time, I was an important factor in the race. I tried several times to win a stage. That's good for the future. I learned a lot, I saw that I could compete with the best, which is positive,” said the number nine in the stage results to Mûr-de-Bretagne.

So there is absolutely no disappointment for Laurance. “Many riders come for a stage win, but in the end, only a few make it. I was combative, and I never gave up. I worked hard. I also saw that I could compete with the very best. I think I can be satisfied with the physical level I showed.”

This gives the Frenchman confidence for what is yet to come. “I was consistent from start to finish, without any real drop in form. That's very good. Considering that I've been fairly consistent since the start of the season, this is a pretty important statistic for the future.”

Laurance made the switch to INEOS Grenadiers last winter after one year in the WorldTour with Alpecin-Deceuninck. This is only the second year at the highest level for the rider from Calan. “We mustn't forget that. I'm trying not to rush things. Of course, I would have loved to win a stage this Tour, but it was clearly not the right time. I still have a lot to learn before I can really go for it.” Nevertheless, he remains positive. “This Tour can also help me for the next races. I hope it won't be long before I can win a nice race.”

When we assess INEOS' performance after the Tour, we see two stage victories at the bottom of the list. Both came from Thymen Arensman, but before the first victory (on day fourteen), INEOS mainly encountered difficulties. “It wasn't easy to lose Filippo (Ganna, ed.) early in the race in a crash. He could have done great things in the breakaways; he could have won the time trial in Caen. It hurt, but we managed to recover,” Laurance knows.

“Little by little, we started to feel better,” the Frenchman continues. “We realise that in the first few days we gave the impression that we weren’t doing anything, but those stages weren’t exactly favourable for us. In the first few days, I was the rider the team expected to perform, but I fell a little short. After that, we showed our strength. Even after losing Carlos (Rodriguez, ed.), we didn't let ourselves get discouraged. We fought until the end. We can be proud.“

A fifth place on day fifteen was Laurance's best personal result in this Tour. He would have loved to improve on that on the final day in Paris, when the course was supposed to suit him well. “Unfortunately, the temperature fluctuations and the descents from the finish line took their toll,” Laurance reflects.

The run-up to the final stage was therefore not ideal. “I had been feeling nauseous for the last two or three days. I had some trouble breathing during the climb to Montmartre. It was obviously difficult not being 100% fit. It was nerve-wracking, very tough with all those corners, the accelerations...”

So, a Tour that INEOS can be proud of, according to Laurance, but what's next for the Frenchman? "I'm going to continue in Hamburg. After that, I'll go to the Tour of Germany and Plouay,“ Laurance reveals his race schedule. ”I would love to compete in the European Championships in the Ardèche. That would be really great; I've shown my skills. I would really like to earn my first selection for the elite. My season is far from over."