Injury blighted the French sprinter’s year, but when fully fit Bouhanni showed why he is revered as such a talent when it comes to sprinting. Having worn the leaders jersey at Paris-Nice before withdrawing and achieving three top-five finishes at the Giro before succumbing to the treacherous conditions, Bouhanni suffered a disappointing Tour de France.
However, upon regaining fitness he bounced back incredibly strongly, winning three stages at the Tour du Poitou Charentes before one-day victories at the GP de Fourmies and Tour de Vendee. And the Frenchman ensured he was the name on everybody’s lips as the season ended in Beijing, earning back-to-back stage victories to wear the leader’s jersey for two stages and end his year by topping the points classification to fire a warning to anybody who had considered writing him off.
