Veistroffer thrills Tour de France crowds with breakaway spirit

LE LIORAN, France, July 14 : On the Tour de France's first rest day on Monday, French rider Baptiste Veistroffer — 149th in the general classification — was busy signing autographs and posing for photos with children in the square outside Aurillac's town hall.While the 26-year-old may be well down in the race, more than two hours adrift of Slovenian leader Tadej Pogacar, his two long breakaways so far on his Tour debut earned him the combativity award for the first week of the race."There's growing enthusiasm and passion from the French public, which makes me happy. But I'll remain true to myself," Veistroffer told reporters. "I just want to be myself, bring joy, and share moments with fans."Despite not wearing any of the race's distinctive category jerseys or finishing higher than 81st on