PHOTOGRAPHS : PAULINE BALLET / ASO , ETIENNE GARNIER / L ’ ÉQUIPE

Thanks to your second Tour de France victory in 2021 , your status as leader of the 2021 WorldTour ranking and your fantastic start to the 2022 season , which included victories at Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico , many consider you to be the best rider in the world at the moment . Do you see yourself that way ? To be very honest , I don ’ t see it that way at all . Nowadays , the peloton ’ s performance level has got so high that it ’ s absolutely vital to try to be at your best in every race you start , as the gaps between the contenders are so small . When I ’ m in my very best condition , I know I ’ m competitive , but I never forget that in cycling you lose more often than you win . It ’ s an age-old truth . But , also , it ’ s that desire to have an edge on your rivals in the finale of the biggest races that pushes you to work hard .

Did your second Tour success last year have a different flavour to the first ? Yes , a little bit because of the circumstances . In 2020 I was in shock when I took the yellow jersey in the time trial at La Planche des Belles Filles , on the evening before the very final stage . Last

season , my title challenge began to take shape much earlier and that gave me the chance to see it build each day in a calmer and more serene way . So , the two experiences were very different and that ’ s the charm of it .

Thanks to your two stage wins in the mountains and your victory in the Changé to Laval time trial , your performance last July appeared faultless . How have you developed as a rider since your professional debut ? Experience is one of the most valuable

assets in our sport . Dealing more often , for instance , with certain competitive challenges in a race finale , having to come to terms with being a leader and maintaining that status inevitably makes you grow . Having contact with teammates who are more experienced is also very beneficial . What ’ s also fantastic is that this process never stops and I ’ m convinced that I still have a lot to learn .

Your UAE Team Emirates team has been considerably strengthened this

winter by the arrival of several climbers , such as Marc Soler and George Bennett . Was this a necessary response to the strength of your rivals ? I ’ ve always had confidence in my team ’ s qualities . We were strong last season and we will be again this year . It ’ s true that we ’ ve brought in some big names who have fitted in perfectly with our group , but I think that ’ s mainly been done to cope with the demands of a long season during which that depth of talent can only be an asset .

This year the Tour de France is returning to La Planche des Belles Filles , which is a special place for you as it ’ s where you clinched the 2020 edition . Does this prospect generate any particular feelings for you ? Yes , because La Planche des Belles Filles will always be a magical place in my personal story . It ’ s impossible for me to say that I ’ ll be able to repeat my winning feat there , but if an opportunity arises that day , I ’ ll definitely go for it .

Thanks to the Grand Départ in Denmark , where the wind could play an important role , and the cobbled stage that features on day

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