Imitation, flattery…
As pointed to in the threads on the Tour wold cards, France already has the most riders in the Pro Tour of any country so clearly what they need to improve is not a wider talent pool.
Got to be good that they are thinking hard about improving - if they can compete with the GB success then the sport will be healthier.
Indeed - I seem to recall labelling the young French up and coming stars as only ever turning out to be one-trick, showboating ponies, about this time last year.
I was kind of hoping in a spirit of entente cordiale, that Sky would take one on - someone like Pinot perhaps and polish him up into a gemstone to show the French the way to go. It looks like they may have finally sussed it on their own!
I appreciate that he's not French, but I read recently that Pip Gilbert has never had a coach, and he's far from the only one. All very amateurish and Sky, and now Movistar, have pushed the science forward.