Cycling: Thaïs Poirier crowned French junior time trial champion

When she crossed the finish line, Thaïs Poirier saw her mother, Gaëlle Carreau, in tears. In fact, she had posted a message on social media at the finish line. "I cry, I cry, I cry," it read. And for good reason: this Wednesday, August 6, in La Tour-du-Pin, the 16-year-old became French junior time trial champion, a discipline she has been working on for the past few months [Editor's note: the course was 23.9 kilometers long and she completed it in 35:03].

After finishing fourth in the Tour du Gévaudan, where Thaïs Poirier tested herself on the famous Laurent Jalabert climb, the Périgourdine, registered in Marmande, continues to cause a sensation. "It's crazy," exclaimed Yohan Poirier, her father and sports director of the Périgueux Dordogne cycling club.