"It allows us to open up to a younger public" - Christian Prudhomme praises impact of Netflix's Tour de France documentary

It may only be January, but excitement is already building for what looks like arguably the most hotly-anticipated Tour de France for a long while, much to the delight of Christian Prudhomme.

Prudhomme believes, alongside the immense talent set to be on show this summer, the extra interest in the race following Netflix's 'Tour de France: Unchained' documentary can also take a lot of credit for the spike in hype surrounding the battle for the Maillot Jaune.

“I think the two are totally complementary,” Prudhomme said recently in conversation with La Dernière Heure. “Lots of people have discovered that cycling is a team sport, and speaking personally I’ve discovered what Jasper Philipsen is like as a person. That complementary nature is important and it allows us to open up to a younger public. The fact we’ve also relaunched the Tour de France Femmes is also part of a quest for new spectators.”

With the 'Big 4' of Grand Tour cycling (Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel) all set to compete in the GC, Prudhomme is incredibly excited. “Four different top names in four different teams is sparking a lot of enthusiasm,” Prudhomme says with a smile. “And of the four, we know that we have two riders who can attack no matter where or when. I’m talking about Pogačar and Evenepoel, capable of opening up a gap wherever they are least expected. It’s nice to witness their audacity, compared to more thoughtful riders like Roglic and Vingegaard.”