Will arrive at the Tour de France with fresh legs for the first time
Following a rough start to his 2010 season, Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel says he’s back on track just in time for the Tour de France, but isn’t sure if this will be his last ride there with the Quick Step team. He doesn’t rule out staying with the Belgian squad, but with his contract set to expire at the end of the year, he is definitely keeping his options open.
“I’ll see if Patrick Lefevere is interested and what he wants to do with me,” he told French publication Sud-Ouest,”but I have had a lot of contact with other teams. It is not impossible that I come back [and remain with Quick Step] – yes,” he admitted.
His name is connected to French teams Cofidis, where he has already spent four years of his career, and Saur-Sojasun. Prior to his time with Cofidis he spent five years riding for Jean-René Bernaudeau, who is rumored to have lined up a substantial replacement sponsor to replace Bbox Bouygues Telecom for next season. Chavanel’s brother Sébastien currently rides for the Française des Jeux team, which might also be an option.
Chavanel was a standout performer for the Quick Step team during the spring Classics last season, but had trouble getting things going for his second year on the squad. Once things looked to be getting back on track, he collided with a team car near the end of Liège-Bastogne-Liège and fractured his skull.
He went on to ride in the Tour de Suisse hoping he would gain selection for his home Tour with a strong performance there. It turned out to be a good choice, and he was able to impress team boss Patrick Lefevere enough to make the team.
“I shouldn’t have been there, I wasn’t scheduled to do the Tour de Suisse, but I took the initiative to go there,” he said. “We saw every day that it was better.”
The Frenchman sees himself coming into this year’s Grande Boucle with a solid chance of picking his second Tour de France stage win.
“I continue to climb the steps and I think I ‘m close to my top form,” he explained. “This is the first time I will be coming to the Tour so fresh. In May I had zero competition. I did the Tour [de Suisse in June] and French Championships [last week]. I think my top form is coming soon.”