Cycling-No victory but French 二人組 勝利，勝つ 小旅行する fans' hearts
By Julien Pretot
PARIS, July 28 (Reuters) - Julian Alaphilippe 降伏するd the yellow jersey in the penultimate 競争の激しい 行う／開催する／段階 and Thibaut Pinot was left sobbing at 道端 as he abandoned in the アルプス山脈, yet this French 二人組 回復するd the pride of a cycling nation and 生き返らせるd hopes of a long-を待つd home-grown 勝利者 of the 小旅行する de フラン.
World number one Alaphilippe （人命などを）奪う，主張するd the 全体にわたる lead with a long-planned attack in Epernay and wore yellow for 14 days until he 割れ目d in the Col de l'Iseran and dropped from the podium places on the eve of the parade to the Champs Elysees.
But the musketeer-直面するd Alaphilippe brought fresh panache to a race which had for years been monopolised by Team Sky -- now still 栄えるing as Team Ineos -- and with his cavalier approach won the hearts of millions of fans on the road and TV テレビ視聴者s.
"He is the biggest change to the 小旅行する, he's created a ripple 影響," 譲歩するd Team Ineos 経営者／支配人 Dave Brailsford, who celebrated his seventh 肩書を与える in eight 版s when Colombian Egan Bernal crossed the Paris finish line in yellow.
"Because of him, we were 軍隊d to 反応する to the 状況／情勢 minute by minute."
French riders had long been seen as "a laughing 在庫／株" in the peloton, によれば Groupama-FDJ sports director Philippe Mauduit, who has worked in foreign teams with the likes of Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali.
"I remember the times where our two team cars were behind the 'gruppetto' (a pack of dropped riders) and I was wondering whether we would make it within the time 削減（する）," said the Groupama-FDJ 経営者／支配人 Marc Madiot, who started the team in 1997.
For long, his best result was taking Sandy Casar to 10th 全体にわたる in Paris in 2009, just as the sport 器具／実施するd the 生物学の パスポート to fight against 麻薬ing after the EPO and Lance Armstrong 時代s.
Since then, Groupama-FDJ have grown と一緒に their leader Pinot, 勝利者 of his first 小旅行する 行う／開催する／段階 in 2012 as the youngest ri der in the race.
Third 全体にわたる in 2014, Pinot 殺到するd into real 論争 this year with a 二重の attack with Alaphilippe in St Etienne, and then 令状ing off time lost in the crosswinds with two awe-奮起させるing 業績／成果s in the Pyrenees.
He won 頂上に the iconic Col du Tourmalet and was the strongest the next day at Prat d'Albis, distancing Bernal on both occasions.
Pinot was ahead of the Colombian when he started Thursday's 行う／開催する／段階 to Valloire, but he was already 負傷させるd. The next day, he climbed into his team car with 手渡すs over his 直面する to hide his 涙／ほころびs.
Speaking to Madiot as French TV filmed a 文書の, Pinot, sitting on his bed 明らかにする-chested, said: "What did I do to deserve that? It's finished, I やめる."
On Saturday, he told French TV just before the start of the 20th 行う／開催する／段階: "It will take time (to 回復する from the 失望). They're going for the 行う／開催する／段階 and I'm going home. It's 堅い."
Pinot, who has 行う／開催する／段階 勝利，勝つs in all three grand 小旅行するs, 約束d he would be 支援する to fight for the 2020 肩書を与える.
A 猛烈な／残忍な racer, 述べるd by Cyrille Guimard, the former boss of Bernard Hinault -- the last Frenchman to 勝利，勝つ the 小旅行する in 1995 -- as a "tiger on a bike", the 29-year-old must now break the jinx that has seen him abandon the 小旅行する four times in seven 版s.
Should he fail, Alaphilippe, 27, 論証するd he could be transformed into a grand 小旅行する rider. Yet he would probably have to change teams, with his Deceuninck-Quick Step outfit having more of a 焦点（を合わせる） on one-day classics.
Brailsford, who's guided four 小旅行する 支持する／優勝者s -- Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas and Bernal -- has an 注目する，もくろむ on the prodigy and has long said he would love to 勝利，勝つ the 小旅行する with a French rider.
Team Ineos have the 予算 to afford the most exciting rider in this year's 小旅行する, but Alaphilippe still has two years on his 契約 after 延長するing last month. (報告（する）／憶測ing by Julien Pretot Editing by Ian Chadband)
