Bruno Armirail retained his French national time trial title, triumphing over runner-up Kévin Vauquelin by 21 seconds in a 26.5 km race at Les Herbiers. Despite a crash that slightly injured Vauquelin, Armirail's strong start and steady pace allowed him to build a significant lead. Young teammate Paul Seixas earned bronze in a tight contest with former champion Rémi Cavagna. Armirail remarked on the importance of this victory, especially as he had focused preparation for the Tour de France rather than the championships.
"It was one of the big objectives of the season," Armirail said afterwards to race TV. "I was preparing more for the Tour de France than the Championships, but seeing how it worked out, I'm satisfied."
Vauquelin was unlucky enough to crash early on, hurting his elbow and thigh, but fortunately, his injuries were minor enough for him to be quickly back on his bike.
Seixas was engaged in a ding-dong battle with former double champion Cavagna. He finally came home six seconds ahead of Cavagna - a huge result for such a young rider.
After Armirail opened up the throttle even further to ensure he had all the fastest intermediate times, barring total disaster, only one result was really possible...21 seconds ahead of Vauquelin.
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