From our special correspondent in Brest,
It will serve as a little pilot fish and will open the way for runners. One day before the Grand Départ, Walter Le Goas set off this Friday morning from Brest for his own Tour de France. His challenge promises to be immense since the young man of 23 years will take the same course as the pros, but one day before them. For three weeks, he will therefore inquire about the 21 long stages of 3,414.4 kilometers and the 50,000 meters of elevation gain on the menu of this 108th edition, without anyone to cheer him on the roadside or to pass him a bottle. “But my father will never be too far away if something goes wrong,” says the polytechnic student.
The 2021 Tour de France route
From Brest to Tourmalet, via the Morvan and twice via Mont Ventoux, the Tour de France will ultimately be less alpine and more Pyrenean than in previous years. https://t.co/m3BeXPl3dZ # TDF21 pic.twitter.com/xNpnU2IHVW
– THE TEAM (@the team) June 23, 2021
If he does not have the level of Roglic, Froome and other Alaphilippe, Walter Le Goas is not a pipe either. He plays in a club at the departmental level among amateurs and recognizes himself that his power data are rather good. “But it is surely too late to turn pro”, he assures, without too much bitterness.
He needed “a reason to hurt himself”
Failing to rub shoulders with them in the peloton, the native of Pau, who also has Breton origins, will therefore set off like the riders to attack the Grande Boucle. A race that has made him dream since he was a child and that he decided to face during the second confinement this fall. “At that time, I was tired by the lack of competition and I had the bad impression that it was going to be the same in 2021,” he says.
His bike rides in the Chevreuse valley did not satisfy him, so he needed a challenge, “a reason to hurt himself”. The decision taken, Walter then swallowed asphalt to prepare for 400 kilometers per week with also some training in the mountains. “It was a short but intensive training,” said the young man.
He dreads the double climb of the Ventoux
Before leaving, he integrated all the layouts of the stages into his GPS which will guide him along the route which will cross 757 municipalities in France and the Principality of Andorra. If he already enjoys leaving home in Pau on July 14, he dreads the series of Tourmalet and the climb to Luz Ardiden planned at the end of the stage.
Not to mention the formidable Mont Ventoux which will be on the program a week earlier. “Especially since we’re going to ride it twice this year, it’s going to be terrible! He smiles. If all goes well on his journey, he will cross the finish line on July 17 on the legendary avenue des Champs-Elysées. He will then be able to breathe even if he intends to “enjoy the landscapes” throughout the route.