Great travelers. Professional cyclists, like tennis players or other athletes, are used to packing their suitcases. More than two hundred days a year, they go running to the four corners of the world, they go to train several hours away from home… Behind the scenes, this is also the case for sports directors, coaches , the assistants. This lifestyle is not without consequences for those around us, those close to us, who must adapt to these repeated wanderings. For those interested, it can be a dilemma, too. Between on one side his passion, his job, and on the other the other side of the coin with this distance from his family. Poitevin Philippe Mauduit, 56, was a runner, is now sports director of Groupama-FDJ. In the past, he has managed Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Thibaut Pinot. And he always loved moving. How does he experience this situation? As the Tour de France launches this Saturday June 29 from Florence, West France questioned him.
Philippe, how many days do you leave home per year for cycling?
I’ve never counted, but I know that my wife once calculated about 220 days. That was a few years ago and it hasn’t really changed… On the other hand, I work at home a lot more than before. This is the advantage or disadvantage of new technologies. We now have the possibility, by being connected, to look for more details than before, to find information, things that can help with our missions…
“People may have a hard time understanding it.”
Do you find it difficult to leave the house so often?
Honestly no, because I have always been attracted to movement, I can’t stand staying at home for two weeks, for example. I left my parents’ house at a very young age to be a boarder at the high school, I did other training courses far from home, and every summer we went on the road, here and there. I’m curious about everything. I’m not a homebody at all. I am a “Gipsy”, me…
