"Barguilâs success was seen as heroic, particularly in France, because he had to recover from a fractured hip he suffered at the Tour de Romandie to even start the Tour de France. He was unable to target the overall classification as a consequence, but his stage victories and frequent shows of panache sparked âWawamaniaâ, especially with most of the peloton afraid to attack Chris Froome and Team Sky. [..] âI calculate things a lot less than in the past. The WorldTour system doesnât not favour me because it is more suited to the rouleurs and riders who can get over the hills. If we donât have those qualities, we miss out. So I decided to race as I like, as I did when I was young, without worrying if I fit in the system.â Barguil beat Alberto Contador in Foix, diving through the final sweeping corner to win on Bastille Day. He showed even more aggression on the mountain finish at the Col dâIzoard, attacking from the Team Sky controlled peloton to catch Darwin Atapuma (UAE Team Emirates) and win the most prestigious stage of the Tour alone. Surprisingly, it was his second place to Uran in Chambery that brought him the most pleasure at the Tour de France. "Strangely, my stage victories are not my best memories of the Tour, instead itâs the stage to Chambery. To open the road and lead the race on the Mont du Chat was magical. I suddenly felt important and a lot of good memories came to mind,â [..] âI would now be ready to go back to France, but Iâll never forget what I experienced at Sunweb, starting with being the leader in big races. This is also where I learned to race, to handle a sprint or an echelon. This team is the most beautiful cycling school Iâve ever known. Thanks to them I also learned to speak English.""
