Q&A Valentin Madouas
In a big year for France, the French national champion talks about Olympic dreams, winning his home race and life at FDJ after Thibaut Pinot
Words Katy Madgwick Photography Tornanti.cc
Cyclist: You became French road race champion last season. Is that something you ever believed you could achieve?
Valentin Madouas: Yes, it’s a dream that came true. It was a really hard race. Physically I was having the best day of my life – it was a real test and a dream that I’ve had since I became a pro.
It’s a race that we won together, the team and I, and it was the collective strength of the team that meant I was able to win.
Cyc: After that you won your home race, the Bretagne Classic, in Brittany. What did that mean to you?
VM: It was my first WorldTour win, so it was very important for me. My goal at the start of the year was to win a WorldTour race and to be French champion, so I was really happy to win these two races and above all to win at Plouay.
Once again, this was a race I’d been dreaming about winning since I was a child. It’s the only Classic in Brittany, where I live, so it was a really fine victory and something that just means so much to me.
Cyc: If 2023 was a good year, can 2024 be even better?
VM: Yes, it has to be better for me. Last year I set myself some objectives that were high but achievable. This year I hope to make further progress and be even stronger. The start of the season has been a bit trickier, but starting from E3 in Belgium I’m hoping to reach my top level by the time of Liège-Bastogne-Liège and then there are some very important races, with the Tour de France and, I hope, the Olympic Games.
Cyc: Which areas are you working to improve on?
VM: I want to be more consistent. I’ve been working on adding a bit more depth, doing more hours on the bike to be even stronger at the end of races. And experience comes into it too. I’m 27, I’m starting to know the routes, the places that are really important in a particular race, and that is what’s making the difference for me.
Cyc: You are now a leader at FDJ. How is that going?
VM: It’s true that the team has changed with the retirement of Thibaut Pinot and the departure of Arnaud Démare. I’ve always been a protected rider, but I’m one of the oldest riders in the team now, and that does change things.
I’m trying to train the young guys, to create a group and move the collective forward and that’s more what my role is now. But I like this role and I hope I can do it
