Emmanuel Hubert: "Brittany, the land of our history
General Manager of the Arkéa-Samsic team, Emmanuel Hubert presents the sporting objectives of the Arkéa-Samsic team for this historic 2021 edition of the Tour de France with the first four days spent in Brittany.
OUR BRITTANY
“The Tour and Brittany are still a great story. I have many memories of the passage of this race when I was a child and we went to see it with my parents. It was a day of celebration for everyone! It still is now that I have the chance to race this event. I have ridden stages of the Tour in Brittany, and they remain moments engraved in my memory. We often tend to say that Brittany is “the land of cycling”, and that is true. The Tour is a celebration everywhere in France, but here there is a real communion between the spectators and the riders. A real fervour of popular sharing. Brittany loves cycling, and gives it back to the Tour every time. I am looking forward to these four days of celebration for our sport and for the Arkéa-Samsic team, which will be supported by all the Breton supporters.
” The Tour always gives the riders extra motivation, but this year the fact that the race starts in Brittany and stays for four days in our region adds to the desire to do well in front of our public. We are going to feel ‘at home’ for four days in the biggest cycling event in the world, and it is bound to be great. I have already ridden the Tour with Breton stages on its route. That was in 2018. The enthusiasm and the atmosphere were already extraordinary at the finish in Mûr de Bretagne, which is fifty kilometres from my home. The public, we Breton riders, supported us in an extraordinary way that day. This year, it will be even better. The second stage will also be 15 kilometres from my home, on the Perros-Guirec to Mûr de Bretagne stage. I can already imagine the atmosphere on that day, with an arrival that is always mythical at the top of this bump that is just as mythical”.
The 2021 Tour team
“The Arkéa-Samsic team for the 2021 Tour is built around our three leaders: Nairo Quintana, Warren Barguil and Nacer Bouhanni. The objective is to open up as many opportunities as possible to win a stage, without neglecting other objectives as the race progresses. The balance of forces has been thought out so that we can be present on every type of terrain with riders who will support our leaders by giving them support in their specific areas. Five of our riders are French, including two from Brittany, which means that a quarter of our riders in the Tour will come from our region”.
Brittany, our standard
“ Britanny is our territory, the cradle of our sporting history. We are proud and attached to our roots, just like our partners Arkéa and Samsic. We hope to have a great sporting festival, but also a popular one on this 2021 Tour. We want our red and black colors to shine as brightly as possible over the three weeks of race”.
Our 8 riders presented by Emmanuel Hubert
Nairo Quintana
“Nairo is a Tour rider. This event has allowed him to reveal himself to the general public. It still makes him dream“.
Warren Barguil
“Warren rhymes with offensive cycling, that’s where he’s strongest. When he is in front to win, he rarely misses”.
Nacer Bouhanni
“Nacer belongs to the very closed circle of the best sprinters. His goal is to win the Tour, and we have given him the means to achieve his objective”.
Élie Gesbert
“His return to the forefront is a joy for everyone. Élie was amazing in the first part of the season, we feel that he has reached a new level. His strength is his mental strength”.
Connor Swift
“Connor is becoming more and more accomplished within the Arkéa-Samsic team. His range of qualities makes him a popular teammate for both climbers and sprinters. He has also shown us his ability to win great races”.
Dan McLay
“Nacer’s regular pilot fish, Dan knows perfectly how to place his sprinter at the approach of the finish. Skilled, capable of rubbing, he has often “dropped” him in an irresistible way for the win“.
Clément Russo
“Second participation in the Tour for Clément, an example of a team-mate who gives himself without any ulterior motive for his leaders, whether it is to replace them on the flat or before a climb. His “science” of the edges is also to be praised“.
Anthony Delaplace
“Archetypal team-mate, Anthony always gives 100% for the team. He also has the profile to help his leaders in the mountains, without forgetting his adventurous spirit to get into the breakaways“.