(atmospheric rock music)
(crowd cheering)
(horns honking)
- [Emma] For a teenager passionate about cycling
there can't be any dream greater than the Tour de France.
With Continental's Les Cadets-Juniors du Tour,
the next generation of cycling talent
gets to live that dream for one day.
It's an incredible opportunity.
GCN came out to Annecy to ride stage 10
of the 2018 Tour de France
with the Cadets-Juniors to find out more.
As part of their tire sponsorship at the Tour de France
Continental supports Les Cadets-Juniors de Tour.
It's an exceptional opportunity for young riders
to experience what racing the Tour de France is really like
by riding a stage on the same day as the professional race.
At the same time it's a truly wonderful chance to promote
cycling by highlighting the joy of the sport.
First though, preparation.
The Cadets-Juniors get to don limited edition
jerseys with the Continental logo,
and the tires on their bikes are the special
Tour de France, limited edition, Grand Prix 4000 RS.
This is the high-performance tire in the field,
faster than the standard GP 4000 model
due to a lighter tread construction,
and with the tour logo embossed on the side of the tire.
The support vehicles which provide assistance and logistics
to the riders are also fitted with exclusive,
special edition, premium Continental tires.
(energetic rock music)
The group of Cadets and Juniors is
presented to the crowds at the start
on the same stage where the professional riders
will sign-on just a few hours later.
It's hard to imagine how exciting,
but also nerveracking, this moment must be.
Well, actually, I don't need to imagine it,
because unexpectedly the speaker asked me
to come up onto the stage alongside the Cadets-Juniors.
(atmospheric rock music)
How do these lucky youngsters get the chance to participate?
Eight to nine young riders are nominated
by local cycling clubs in collaboration with
the stage hosting towns and cities.
They're aged between 14 to 19 years old,
so Cadets and Juniors under the French system,
and the only requirement is enthusiasm
and a love for the sport.
Although, as we found out,
many of the Cadets are accomplished
racers in their own right.
Let's meet the young riders.
(speaking foreign language)
(energetic rock music)
- Two hours before the main race,
the Cadets-Juniors riders set off
ahead of the tour's publicity caravan,
accompanied by official Continental support vehicles.
They ride the first 30 kilometers of the stage
in front of crowds of cheering supporters.
And with all the hype of the tour,
it is an incredible experience.
And for the Cadets-Juniors from the local area
there's the extra boost of knowing that their
friends and family are right there
in the cycling-mad crowds.
(energetic rock music)
(crowd cheering and applauding)
(energetic rock music)
Well, I was told they were gonna ride nice and slowly,
but it turns out that not only
are these kids taller than me,
they're also a lot faster than me,
and it's turning out to be quite hard work just to keep up.
(whistle blowing)
(energetic rock music)
(speaking foreign language)
(crowd applauding)
(speaking foreign language)
- Well that was a little bit brisker than I was expecting.
These lads are fit!
Anyway, what happens now is after 29 kilometers of the race,
well they're not racing, but they're riding,
they all hop in the cars and drive to 30k
from the end and then carry on.
So this is where the big logistical
challenge happens, I think.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Emma] He just done 159 kilometers, right?
(speaking foreign language)
- 14 years old, he's done 159k ride.
It's what?
(speaking foreign language)
- 140.
But he's a sprinter so he.
(speaking foreign language)
- 15 years old.
(atmospheric rock music)
Well this is what you get in a
Tour de France convoy packed lunch.
We have wooden cutlery.
Very chic.
Very biodegradable.
There's a salad (speaks foreign language).
There's meat with rosemary,
more salad,
some fromage.
some nuts, noisette in fact,
one apricot, because you know,
don't wanna push the bad up too much,
only one apricot,
a real glass, a Tour de France glass made of glass.
(speaking foreign language)
(atmospheric rock music)
Here we are at five kilometers from
the summit of the of the Colombier.
And now the ride resumes with the Junior-Cadets.
They're climbing out of the car, stretching their legs,
and I'm a little bit concerned
that I'm gonna be dropped straight away.
So when we rode with the Cadets-Juniors on stage 10
their parkour was around Lake Annecy at the start
and then in the second part,
the Colombier all the way to Grand Bornand.
(atmospheric rock music)
(crowd cheering and applauding)
(horns honking)
(crowd cheering)
One key difference to the actual race
is that no single rider is declared
the winner of these mini stages.
Whilst the last kilometer traditionally
does build up to a sprint,
for the rest of the ride the Cadets-Juniors stay together.
There is no final timing nor ranking,
and all the young riders share the podium
together to receive their medals.
On completion of the ceremony,
the Cadets-Juniors are then given front row seats
in the stands to witness the finish of the
Tour de France stage that they've just ridden.
And who knows, one day in the future,
they may take their place amongst
the ranks of the elite riders they're cheering for.
(atmospheric rock music)
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