When Nicolas Braillard arrived at the top of the Larringe hill during a time trial, he was entitled to “little surprise“and he must have had his eyes wide open under his Iron Man helmet. About fifty of his relatives took their place on the summit and made noise to cheer the TotalEnergies climber (26 years old).”I didn’t know exactly how many there were, where they were, they were well prepared for the attack!“
A native of Ancouille, a small hilltop village in the south of the Luberon, arrives this Thursday in Provence with an appetite to shine on his land, or almost. “Orcières-Merlette is almost a resort in Aixois, isn’t it?“, we laugh at TotalEnergies, referring to the three years Braillard spent at AVC Aix, from 2020 to 2023, before joining Saint-Michel-Mavic-Auber 93 and then the Vendée team. The runner admits that he had “verified“The bandstand for a long time was the only one he really studied before the start of the Tour.
On the climb to Orsières, a new surprise awaits him: the “Breuillard turn”, which his cousin has been organizing for several days and about which he knows almost nothing. “I had some echoes, but my family doesn’t involve me in it.“, he smiled on Monday during his rest day. Later, on the rise, he won’t be able to miss it.