On the eve of his Tour de France debut in 2021, Bruno Armirail was under no illusions about the place he occupied in the cosmos of a sport where lightyears have traditionally divided the stars from the water carriers.
"A cycling team is a bit like a factory: there's a hierarchy and if someone isn't made to be a boss, it's best that he never becomes one," Armirail told L'Équipe back then. "Me, I like my status as an équipier. I take a lot of pride in it."
