New track to prefigure French Federation's answer to Team Sky?
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Francois Pervis and Michael Bauge in the men's sprint during an exhibition race at the inauguration ceremony of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome(Image credit: AFP)
Cyclists race during the inauguration ceremony of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome(Image credit: AFP)
Michael Bauge narrowly wins the sprint ahead of Francois Pervis(Image credit: AFP)
Virginie Cueff races with Britain's Victoria Williamson during the inauguration ceremony of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome(Image credit: AFP)
Gregory Bauge was too fast for Britain's Callum Crichton Skinner on the new Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome(Image credit: AFP)
Britain's Kian Emadi-Coffin gives the 5,000 strong crowd a wave(Image credit: AFP)
Sandie Clair competes with Britain's Victoria Williamson(Image credit: AFP)
Virginie Cueff competes with Britain's Katy Marchant in the women's sprint (Image credit: AFP)
Cyclists race during the inauguration ceremony of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome in Montigny-le-Bretoneux(Image credit: AFP)
inauguration ceremony of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome in Montigny-le-Bretoneux(Image credit: AFP)
Michael Bauge wins the men's sprint ahead of his compatriot Francois Pervis during an exhibition race at the inauguration ceremony of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome(Image credit: AFP)
The curtain was raised on the Vélodrome National, the new headquarters of the French Cycling Federation in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, on Thursday evening with an exhibition match between France and Great Britain. To say the event had been a long time coming would be something of an understatement.
Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
