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100 riders at the start, 32 only at the finish : these two figures clearly illustrate the difficult conditions that the riders had to face at the Grand-prix François Faber 2009, in the year of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the victory of the “Giant from Colombes” at the Tour de France 1909. The hail, the rain, the wind, the cold and the tough course caused lots of riders to give it up, but the riders from Differdange clearly had everything under control. They realized a perfect race and also had a tremendous result with the victory for Christian Poos and four riders among the five Best.
100 riders exactly lined up for the 87th edition of the Grand-prix François Faber,
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100 riders under dark clouds.
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on wet roads and with lots of threatening clouds above them. After the first downhill, which was ridden in neutralized mode, the attacks started on the flat and windy section between Syren and Moutfort. Repeating accelerations and crosswinds have seriously shaken the peloton and in the second lap, 21 riders broke clear at the front, among them a whole bunch of men from Differdange (Gregory Brenes, Christian Poos, Nicolas Bazin, Vinzenco Centrone, Cyrille Heymans, Frederik Johansson, Hakan Nilson et
Claude Wolter), but also Dutchmen Tjarco Cuppens, Nick Mulder and Tom Dumoulin from the team Belisol, Belgian Kevin Van Acker, Luxemburgish riders Ralph Diseviscourt, Benn Wurth, Claude Degano, Paul Bentner and Olivier Laterza, as well as the three juniors Christophe Fanck, Bob Jungels and Kevin Feiereisen. Two crashes on exactly the same slippery place in the downhill in laps 2 and 3 brought several riders down with
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Attacks at the beginning.
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Leading group of 11 riders.
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Morten Knudsen, Nicolas Bazin, Pascal Triebel or Carlo Van Drogenbosch being involved. While Knudsen had to be sent to hospital with severe injury, Pascal Triebel was able to come back into the peloton after a hard chase, but they were already a minute late on the front of the race at that moment.
On lap six, after an attack of Tjarco Cuppens on the climb in rue de Moutfort, the leading group broke into two pieces, with 10 riders remaining at the front : Wurth, Jungels, Centrone, Heymans, Poos, Nilson, Johansson, Wolter, Cuppens and Dumoulin, joined a little bit later by another Belisol rider, Nick Mulder. But against the 3 Dutchmen, Differdange still had a numeric advantage with 6 riders at the front, even if Wolter was dropped later in the race. The main peloton had also broken up into several groups and around a dozen riders, among them National champion Tom Flammang, Pascal Triebel or junior Tom Schanen bridged up a little later to the 10 remaining contenders out of the initial group of 21. They were still around a minute behind the leading 10, whereas behind them, lots of riders decided to call it quit.
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Differdange dominates.
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Junior winner Bob Jungels.
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In lap nine, Differdange strengthened the pace even more and, after accelerations from a very easy looking Christian Poos, three riders broke away in the lead: Poos, Hakan Nilson and Tjarco Cuppens. Behind them, the group had exploded completely; Tom Dumoulin was at thirty seconds with Johansson on his wheel, whereas the surprising Bob Jungels still managed to hold onto Heymans and Centrone several meters further behind. For Wurth and Mulder, things looked a little bit worse and they were falling backwards. In the leading trio, Tjarco Cuppens was able contain several accelerations of Christian Poos during the next lap, whereas Centrone and Heymans bridged up to Dumoulin and Johansson, half a minute behind the leaders and ahead of the main peloton still consisting of around 30 riders.
Bob Jungels had been dropped, but he only had one more lap to go in the junior race. On the last loop, he was on his own and lost some time to the chasing peloton, but he still crossed the line as winner of the junior category, around 40 seconds ahead of the next group containing
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Christian Poos attacks ....
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two more juniors taking second and third, Kevin Feiereisen and Tom Schanen. During this time, the elite race had entered its deciding laps. Poos still accelerated each time on the climb, but wasn’t able to get away, while Johansson and Centrone tried one after another to bridge up to the leaders without wanting to take Cuppens’ team-mate Dumoulin with them. Vincenzo Centrone has begun his cycling career at the ACC Contern and was feeling stronger as the race went on, he tried hard to get back to the front again.
On the penultimate lap, Hakan Nilson had a flat tyre, leaving his team-mate Poos alone with Cuppens.
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... and flies to victory.
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But the former winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège espoirs knew that he was the strongest and finally managed to get rid of his opponent on the climb. Poor Cuppens found himself with the three other riders from Differdange in the chase, having to give up his victory ambitions against the blue and white dominance. At the front and despite cramps, Poos had quickly built up a reasonable gap and showed no weakness on the last uphill in the rue de Moutfort. Christian Poos finally won the 87th Grand-prix François Faber in solo style, 1 minute and 14 seconds ahead of his team-mate Vincenzo Centrone, who was the strongest out of the chasers. Centrone had attacked in the last turn, on the steepest part of the slope and managed to get rid of Cuppens, who finished third at the end, after having worked a lot during the race. Johansson and Nilson in positions 4 and 5 rounded up the tremendous result for Differdange, whereas the U23 flowers were for team Belisol with the excellent Tom Dumoulin finishing 6th, ahead of his team-mate Yannick Janssen (7th). The latter had broken away from the peloton in the two last loops, together with Pascal Triebel (9th) and Kevin Van Acker (8th)
Down in 1909, Luxemburgish rider François Faber was the first non-French rider to win the overall classification of the Tour de France, the most important bike race in the world. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of this victory, the ACC Contern had organised a small commemoration on the day before the 87th Grand-prix François Faber. Hereafter, there are two photos of the event and a text from Carlo Hastert, revisiting in Luxemburgish and in a few lines the life of François Faber
"De Grand Prix François Faber ass di eelsten letzebuerger Velos’Course organisiéiert vum ACC Contern an Erënnerung un den 1. letzebuerger Vainqueur vum Tour de France virun genee 100 Joer, 1909. 1918, nemmen 3 Joer nom Doud vum François Faber gouf den
alleréischten Grand Pix a sénger Erënnerung gefour a vum Jos Rasqui gewonn. Zanter hiir huet esou munech spéider ganz renomméierten Coureur sein Numm an de Palmarès agedroen, wéi de Nicolas Frantz, de Jéng Majerus, de Willy Kemp, de Lucien Didier an och de Kim Kirchen.
De François Faber war 1909 dén 1. Letzebuerger dém et gelongen ass den 1903 geschaaffenen Tour de France ze gewannen. Dobei hun d’Franzousen de François Faber grad esou als Franzous ugesin, wéi mir aaner hien als Letzebuerger zanter éiwig unerkennen. De Fançois Faber ass nämléch gebiirtech vun Aulnay-sur-Iton, am Département de l’Eure an der Haute Normandie, wou hien den 26. Januar 1887 op d’Welt komm ass.
Dem Prinzip vum Droit du Sol hir war de François Faber deemno Franzous, sein Papp awer, den Jhemp Faber, war ee Letzebueger vu Woltz dén an d’Frankreich ausgewandert war fir do als Terrassier, also Garçon op enger Terrasse ze schaffen. Séng Mamm Marie-Paule war gebiirtech aus der Régioun vun Sarreguemines an der Moselle, mee och sie haat letzebuerger Originnen.
Wéi de jonken François Faber matt 21 Joer groussjährig gin ass, huet hien sech fir di letzebuerger Nationalitéit décidéiert.
Letzebuerger durch sein Pass, mais Français de coeur et de naissance könnt een also soen !
Wéi sech d’Famille Faber 1891 zu Colombes bei Pareis installéiert, huet de kléngen François Faber schon 2 Hallefbridder, ee vun hinnen den Ernest göt spéider och Coureur a gewennt och eng Etape am Tour de France.
Matt der Schoul hatt hien hien et net esou, dofir schafft de François Faber schon jonk an der Pareisser Emgéjend als Plönnerer an als Docker am Hafen vu Courbevoie un der Seine. Hien huet eng impressionnant Statur an een onbändijen Hunger a genéisst och schon emol d’Liewen, esou héscht et.
Wéi hien sech fir de Velo intresséiert, rooden him Frönn dach den Tour de France ze fueren, wou him noo enger 7. Platz 1907 an enger 2. 1908, dat Joer drop 1909 de groussen Coup geléngt: Mat 22 Joer göt hien Schlussvainqueur vum Tour an alignéiert doniewt nach 5 Etappen-Succéen noeneen, een Exploit dén bis haut nach kén dem Géant de Colombes, wéi hien an der franzéischer Presse genannt göt noogemaach huet.
Wéi den 1. Weltkrich ausbrécht, engagéiert sech de François Faber an der franzéischer Friemenlégioun matt der Matricule 1921. Den 9. Mee 1915 am Alter vun 28 Joer fällt de François Faber un der Front am franzéischen Norden bei Carency, net weit ewech vun Arras. Et héscht, dé moien vu séngem Doud hätt de François Faber ee Bréif kritt dén him d’Gebuert vu sénger Duechter mattgedeelt huet.
Eng Bronze-Plakett vun esouwuel François Faber an Nicolas Frantz, eisen zwee éischten Tour de France Vainqueuren, hänkt iwréjens am Staater Park hannert der Villa Vauban. Do hun de Samschdech 28. März d’Organisateuren vum Grand Prix François Faber a Präsenz vum Staater Buegerméschter Paul Helminger, der Sport-Scheffin Anne Brasseur an der Députéiert Fabienne Gaul, eng Blumme-Gerbe an Erennerung un de François Faber néier geluecht."
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