There is a certain level of spice to the rivalry between the French and the English, whether played out through sport or otherwise.
“Going up against them, it has a unique flavor. There is always a France-England rivalry, as in other sports,” Gregory Baugé told L’Equipe, as it examined that rivalry ahead of the UCI Track World Championships in London.
The British have been a thorn in the side of the French in the past – a thorn, indeed, in the side of most other nations – and, having hosted last year’s Worlds at St-Quentin en Yvelines, the French now arrive on Britain’s home turf. They return to the Lee Valley Velodrome, the scene of the London 2012 Olympic Games where Great Britain claimed a haul of seven gold medals that no one could come close to.
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The French had to settle for three silver medals, one of which came in the team sprint, and while that trio of Baugé, Michael D’Almeida, and Kevin Sireau may now be reigning world champions, they still feel they have unfinished business.
“It’s heart-warming to come back here because we won an Olympic medal here, but in hindsight, London 2012 remains simply a defeat,” said Sireau. “We don’t want to denigrate a silver medal but we got on the track for the gold. We were sad, knocked down. A victory here, beating the English in the final, it wouldn’t erase it, but it would go a long way to making up for it.”
For his part, D’Almeida notes that the sprint set-ups of both nations haven’t clashed since London 2012, with Britain falling away somewhat following the retirement of Chris Hoy.
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