Philippa York meets Pierre Latour
The 24-year-old has been touted as France’s next big thing
Philippa York spent the recent Tour de Romandie with Cyclingnews, producing a series of articles and podcasts. Here, she catches up with French time trial champion, and the nation’s next big hope, Pierre Latour.
Now in his fourth year as a professional, AG2R La Mondiale’s Pierre Latour has steadily risen to the forefront of French cycling. Quite often in the past, young hopefuls have been burdened by the expectations of a nation waiting for the next Bernard Hinault or Jacques Anquetil.
France has a proud history of Grand Tour winners, but managing the pressure of being labelled a future champion hasn’t always been easy for riders – such as Jean-François Bernard or Laurent Jalabert – who at an early age have been labelled as potential Tour de France winners.
PL: I knew it was possible to win it, and I was in great form. And I find that it motivates me even more now that I’m the TT national champion: I want to do well. It pushes me to try harder.
PY: Vincent Lavenu, AG2R’s team manager, is known for developing riders from his local Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Is that something that you hoped to be a part of as a youngster growing up there?
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Philippa York is a long-standing Cyclingnews contributor, providing expert racing analysis. As one of the early British racers to take the plunge and relocate to France with the famed ACBB club in the 1980's, she was the inspiration for a generation of racing cyclists – and cycling fans – from the UK.
The Glaswegian gained a contract with Peugeot in 1980, making her Tour de France debut in 1983 and taking a solo win in Bagnères-de-Luchon in the Pyrenees, the mountain range which would prove a happy hunting ground throughout her Tour career.
The following year's race would prove to be one of her finest seasons, becoming the first rider from the UK to win the polka dot jersey at the Tour, whilst also becoming Britain's highest-ever placed GC finisher with 4th spot.
She finished runner-up at the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1986, to Pedro Delgado and Álvaro Pino respectively, and at the Giro d'Italia in 1987. Stage race victories include the Volta a Catalunya (1985), Tour of Britain (1989) and Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (1990). York retired from professional cycling as reigning British champion following the collapse of Le Groupement in 1995.