Anything but a piece of paper to frame and hang on the wall, while pedaling away in the meantime. At this Tour de France there are two French debutants who are no longer in their youth, both twenty-six years old, the class of 2000 Baptiste Veistroffer and Clement Afonso Braz, born in November 1999.

What do they have in common? A degree in engineering. In the role of long-range attacker, the barrodeur as they say across the Alps, the Breton from Lotto Intermarché is now accustomed to taking off and going, as in yesterday's stage that arrived in Bordeaux, not satisfied with 144 km of solo breakaway heading towards Pau. To his credit another 157 km and the counter is destined to be updated.

Veistroffer has a story of an all-around athlete, born through triathlon which he practiced during his university years: he, graduated from Lorient in Thermal Engineering, on his LinkedIn profile has shown interest in renewable energies and particularly solar and marine. Not surprisingly, after university, he worked for the national navy, entering the ranks of professional cyclists only three years ago.

The "wild boar of Fouesnant" comes from a small town in Finistère made up of beaches and cliffs, mussels and fries: broad shoulders, 1.82 m for 73 kg, he has wide shoulders and a propensity for attacking that justify his nickname. When in 2022 engineer Baptiste presented himself at the VCP Loudeac (not far from Hinault's home), he managed to show excellent qualities, but only a stage in August 2023, with Ag2r Decathlon, opened up a prospect that could have seemed hopeless. Not for those who claim a rather atypical path to reaching the first Grande Boucle: it is not common to see a World Tour professional – winner of a stage at the 2026 Tour of Oman – take a winter vacation as a bikepacker, three weeks in Thailand with a friend.

And then there's Clément Afonso Braz, who finished fifth on a stage at the Vuelta, when Bernal won. Heading towards Bordeaux he made headlines for a puncture, when there were 52 km left to the finish and his colleague Veistroffer was in a breakaway from the start with Czech rider Otruba. Portuguese family origins, as indicated by the name Afonso which recalls Eulalio, the rider from Brive-la-Gaillarde, who as a university student in Montbéliard reached campus on his grandmother's old bike. "I've put behind me a first year in the WT that satisfied both the team and myself," he explained on the occasion of his contract renewal until 2028, the excellent collaborator of the Groupama FDJ United captains, who in 2025 raced in no fewer than seventy races, citing the help offered to Gaudu on the occasion of the latter's victory at the Tour of Oman.

And then the visit of relatives and his sister to the Vuelta, or that day scouting ahead with Bernal and Landa. The world of two wheels has been the point of reference also in terms of university studies: "Currently I dedicate myself to my passion for cycling as a professional athlete, a career started in 2024. The objective of this profile is to build a solid and targeted network of contacts, precious for my future" Clément Afonso illustrates on his Instagram profile. Having reached his degree in 2024, when he was racing for Cic U Nantes Atlantique, Braz will put his career to good use through the direct experience gained in the peloton. With his particular way of looking at racing frames, in 2022 he also designed a three-wheeled bike model to propose to restaurateurs. In the meantime he's enjoying the Tour in all its nuances, then we'll see.