Demi Vollering and Jonas Vingegaard received this yr’s Vélo d’Or awards for women and men, offered in a proper rite in Paris on Tuesday night time. It was once the primary time within the 31-year historical past of the ‘Golden Motorcycle’ accolades that the winners had been printed in particular person with a rite, somewhat than a front-page tale in Vélo Mag.
Vollering received the whole Girls’s WorldTour name in 2023, headlined by means of her victory at the second one version of the Excursion de France Femmes avec Zwift. Vingegaard took his moment Excursion de France GC name in 2023 and completed the season because the second-best rider within the UCI International Scores, simply at the back of Tadej Pogačar.
Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault had been provide as visitors of honour on the Pavillon Gabriel, simply off the Champs-Élysées, and passed out the particular awards that now undergo their names.
Multi-time International Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Eu Champion Christophe Laporte had been honoured as the most productive French riders of the previous season, Ferrand-Prevot accepting the Trophée Daniel Morelon for the disciplines of mountain motorcycle, BMX and observe. Laporte gained the award for very best street rider and was once on degree to obtain the prize from Hinault. Ferrand-Prévot supplied a recorded video message.
Within the new class of very best Classics riders, Lotte Kopecky and Mathieu van der Poel, each global champions at the street this yr, had been recognised because the winners for men and women with the Eddy Merckx Trophy for his or her remarkable performances within the closing yr.
Vollering was once the general athlete recognised at the brightly-lit degree on the palatial, recently-renovated tournament centre. She took the highest prize over nominees that incorporated Annemiek van Vleuten, closing yr’s winner, Kopecky, Elisa Longo Borghini, Alison Jackson, Juliette Labous, Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Gaia Realini, Marlen Reusser and Lorena Wiebes.
Vingegaard beat out nominees time trial International Champion Remco Evenepoel, Pogačar, Primož Roglič, Mads Pedersen, Tom Pidcock, Wout van Aert, Jasper Philipsen, Adam Yates and Van der Poel. The Dane was once now not in a position to wait in particular person, and supplied his acceptance speech by the use of video.
“It’s a large honour for me to win the Vélo d’Or award. Once I see the entire names profitable it up to now, it’s a loopy feeling to grasp now that I’m the winner of it,” he stated within the recording. “Eddy Merckx was once going to provide this award to me and it’s very particular. He’s this sort of large icon, and at all times profitable. I’m at all times looking to do the similar, looking to win the entire races that I’m doing. I’m more than happy with it, thanks for that.”
The inaugural Vélo d’Or went to Miguel Indurain in 1992, whilst Laurent Jalabert was once identified as the highest French rider.
In 2000, Felicia Ballanger was the primary – and handiest – feminine recipient of the Vélo d’Or Français. The ladies’s prizes didn’t go back till 2023, when Annemiek van Vleuten was the primary winner of the brand new Vélo d’Or Femmes.
Tuesday’s tournament coincided with the 2024 Excursion de France and Excursion de France Femmes avec Zwift path presentation, which follows the next day to come with its personal formal programme and an all-star solid {of professional} riders and dignitaries from the Palais des Congrès.
The 2024 Excursion de France path presentation, which starts at 10:25 a.m. GMT, will probably be broadcast in the UK and round Europe on Eurosport channels 1 and a pair of (410, 411 on Sky) and streamed on Discovery+. In the United States and Canada, FloBikes will air programming reside. Moreover, the path presentation will probably be aired in the UK, Europe and in make a choice different territories on GCN+.