Forty long years have passed since a French rider won the Tour de France. Forty years of hand-wringing in L’Equipe and feverish tension every July. The great Bernard Hinault has endured a long wait for a successor.
As Pauline Ferrand-Prevot crossed the line in Chatel, soaking in the adulation of the crowd, 40 years of hurt came to an end. She held out her arms, slipped off her bike and lay flat on her back in the finish area, the weight of her achievement sinking in.
