Clash of dates rules Frenchman out of battle with Sagan, Van Avermaet and Cavendish
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Christophe Laporte comes up to teammate Nacer Bouhanni after stage 1 of the Route d'Occitaine(Image credit: Route d'Occitaine)
Cofidis' French cyclist Nacer Bouhanni celebrates as he crosses the finish line winning the fourth stage of the 97th Volta Catalunya
Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images Sport)
Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) wins stage 21 at the Tour de France(Image credit: Getty Images)
Peter Sagan on the Tour de France podium after winning stage 13(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Nacer Bouhanni has not been selected as part of the French team for the European road race championships in Glasgow, with Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) and Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept) the expected leaders of the French squad.
Bouhanni was not selected for the Cofidis Tour de France team after a difficult spring and tension within the French Professional Continental team. He has been selected for the Tour de Pologne WorldTour race (August 4-10) as vital preparation for the Vuelta a España.
However, French national coach Cyril Guimard has explained that riding the Tour de Pologne makes it impossible for Bouhanni to be at his best for the European road race on Sunday August 12.
"The Tour de Pologne finishes two days before the European Championships but he would have had to quit the race at least three days before," L’Equipe report Guimard as saying, revealing his frustration that WorldTour races clash with the European Championships.
The European Championships will be held between August 2-12, with titles and the special European champion’s jersey up for grabs on the track, in mountain biking, road racing and time trials. The women’s road race will be held on Sunday August 5 and the men's road race on Sunday August 12, while the time trials will be held on Wednesday August 8.
The cycling titles will be held as part of multi-sport European championships that will be repeated every four years. Aquatics, Gymnastics, Rowing, Triathlon, and Golf championships will also be held in Glasgow, while Berlin hosts the European Athletics Championships.
Alexander Kristoff will try to defend his European champion’s jersey but will face serious opposition from world champion Peter Sagan, Olympic Champion Greg Van Avermaet, Elia Viviani, Mark Cavendish, André Greipel and John Degenkolb.
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Belgium’s Victor Campenaerts will try to defend his time trial title but will be challenged by Belarusian Vasil Kiryienka, Switzerland’s Stefan Kung, Britain’s Alex Dowsett and Irishman Ryan Mullen.
Multiple Olympic World and European Champion Marianne Vos will be one of the favourites in the women’s road race. The reigning European champion will lead the Dutch national team which will also includes the Olympic gold medalist Anna van der Breggen, world champion Chantal Blaak, and 2017 time trial champion Ellen van Dijk. Their rivals will include Britain’s Dani Rowe and Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma.
