Maybe he's back among the best sprinters in the world. Perhaps he has learned to rein in his temper, which cost him bitter defeats in fights - verbal and physical - with competitors, sportsdirektører and fans.
Nacer Bouhanni, the French cyklings enfant terrible, has started to win again. He took a stage in the Saudi Tour a week ago and drove himself Thursday in the leader's jersey with a convincing sprint on the first stage of the Tour de la Provence.
- I have for two years been living in a nightmare, a hell, says the 29-year-old Bouhanni, according to the cyclingnews.com on the time within the shift to Arkea-Samsic in this season.
the Nightmare seems to be over. Relieved and happy, he let himself embrace of his new teammates, as the stage victory on Thursday was in the house. After a year without victories in the French large groups Cofidis, one could have feared that it was over with Bouhanni long before the time. It was not.
Quite expectedly, he lost the leader's jersey on Friday, but he comes through Saturday's tough mountain stage with the dimensions of the Mont Ventoux, the scene is set for a thrilling finale in his hometown, Aix-en-Provence, Sunday.
- I'm happy and satisfied of having won two wins so early in the season. It is a long time since I have had such a start to the season, said Bouhanni, who now has won 67 professional race, L’after a slump.
- I hope to win many victories for Arkea-Samsic - and why not take the next one on Sunday?
Cofidis-manager Cédric Vasseur did not appear on Bouhanni. He was too expensive and probably also too difficult. Vasseur kept Bouhanni out of the Tour de France and put rather his trust to Christophe Laporte in the sprints.
Nacer Bouhanni celebrates his world championships in the Saudi Tour in the beginning of February. Photo: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP / Ritzau Scanpix
along the Way there were the scandals. Bouhanni, who was previously a boxer, was easy to provoke, and he let his fists talk. In 2016, he got in fights with some guests after the French championships and injured his hand.
the Year after he beat a competitor during a Tour stage, and in 2018, he came to blows with the sports director Roberto Damiani in the Cofidis bus after a run. Cédric Vasseur was at the time a newly recruited manager, and was in time to lead the ailing team into a new era. Fist fight in the bus was not in his playbook.
Bouhanni came, in the year-to-Arkea-Samsic, where he seems to be able to establish themselves as high in the hierarchy, as his talent justifies. Many years ago in the storholdet the FDJ fought he with Arnaud Démare on a lederposition. And lost, as he did against Laporte on Cofidis.
On the Arkea-Samsic is he so far, the king of fladbane. The position he will do everything to defend the Sunday, when the field roars into the beautiful Aix-en-Provence.
Danish Jesper Hansen made the start in the race for Cofidis, while Magnus Cort are selected by ef Education First. Alexander Battle and Niklas Oak make the start for the Trek-Segafredo, and Kasper Asgreen from Deceuninck-Quick-Step rounds the Danish field of.
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