French hope Grégoire ready to challenge Vingegaard, Pogacar and Evenepoel on home soil

“The opportunities are there, but they are rare. You have to be prepared, be serious and keep believing in order to take advantage of them,” Grégoire told Eurosport.

The Frenchman skipped last week’s World Championships in Kigali to focus on the continental title, convinced that the 200km course in Ardèche suits his punchy style better.

Growing up in Besançon, around four hours from Ardèche, Grégoire often trained in the region and could use that knowledge to his benefit. “I know the roads, they are efforts that suit me,” he said, recalling his victory at the Faun Ardèche Classic earlier this season. That win came in unusual circumstances, when Enric Mas and Javier Romo took a wrong turn in the final corner, leaving Grégoire to seize the opportunity.

“Staying upright when your legs are full of toxins and everyone else wants to sit down, that’s the kind of effort I like most,” says Grégoire. Perhaps he would have preferred even shorter climbs, but the terrain in Ardèche still offers him possibilities.

The profile includes 3,306 metres of climbing, with the triple ascent of Saint-Romain-de-Lerps and four trips up the steep Val d’Enfer expected to decide the race.

He arrives at the Championships in peak form after winning the Tour of Britain overall and taking two stage victories at the Tour de Luxembourg. The presence of Pogačar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel makes a French win an outside bet, yet Grégoire has already shown his willingness to measure himself against the very best.

The presence of Pogačar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel makes a French win an outside bet, yet Grégoire has already shown his willingness to measure himself against the very best.

At this year’s Milan–Sanremo, when Pogačar attacked on the Cipressa, Grégoire followed for almost a minute, alongside Van der Poel, the eventual winner, and Filippo Ganna. “At that moment I had a huge dose of adrenaline in my body. I knew I was in the right place at the right time,” he recalled on Bistrot Vélo a few days later. The result was secondary: “I went to my absolute limit until I blew up. That’s how I will progress. Next year I’ll go a minute or two further, and in a few years I’ll be at the top with them.”

Racing in front of a home crowd on familiar roads, the 22-year-old has every reason to believe. Backed by a strong French squad featuring Pavel Sivakov and rising talent Paul Seixas, he will aim to turn that belief into a medal against the sport’s dominant champions.