Léna Gerault showed that she was in good shape last weekend. The Team Scott Creuse Oxygene Guéret rider won the last round of the French Mountain Bike Cup in Agde. An opportunity to reassure herself about her feelings.It’s always good to win. The level was perhaps lower on this round, with a little less people at the start, but it’s still important to raise your arms“, she says happily at the microphone of DirectVelo. On the Hérault circuit, the 29-year-old athlete quickly isolated herself in the lead, a wise choice given the setbacks encountered at the end of the race.I had a good feeling, so I took advantage of it to go fast in front. In the end, it turned out to be a profitable choice since I had a puncture at the end. Fortunately, I had a big enough lead to win no matter what.”.
Performing well since mid-August, Léna Gerault has launched a new dynamic after a more difficult mid-season, due to a grueling start to the year.In March, I raced in South Africa, in the Cape Epic. It was a great experience, in a duo, in a marathon event. It was super cool. But when I got back, I wanted to continue straight away, and I went to Brazil for the World Cup. In hindsight, it was perhaps not the right decision to inflict more hours of flying and jet lag on myself… My body was tired“. It is therefore complicated to respond in the spring, when the races follow one another almost every weekend. “I struggled in April-May. And when things started to get better, in June, I got Covid. It was complicated. Fortunately, the summer break, with the Olympics, did me good, it allowed me to launch a new dynamic”.
“THE FEELINGS ARE THERE”
Lined up under the colours of the French team, at the World Championship in Andorra, Léna Gerault has found her form again, even if the final result, 33rd, does not necessarily reflect her feelings.With my start to the season, I wasn’t very well placed in the UCI ranking, so I found myself starting in the eighth row, and on top of that our race was mixed with the U23s. I discovered races where you’re stuck in traffic. I’m disappointed with my final place, whereas on this circuit that suits me, I could have aimed for the Top 15. But despite everything, I see the positive, the feelings are there, and it showed on the Coupe de France in Agde”.
Barely back from Hérault, she packed her bags again and headed to North America, where she will line up in the last two rounds of the World Cup, in Lake Placid (United States) and Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada).I’m happy to be continuing, I feel like I’m fresher than some at this time of year. I’m going with ambition, I want to get back into the Top 20 that I haven’t managed to get into yet this year.“. And as the season comes to an end, Léna Gerault takes stock of 2024, an exercise that is different from what she has experienced previously.I’m happy, I gained a lot of experience and I learned a lot about myself. As it was an Olympic season and the selection was clear since last year, it allowed me to be broader, to discover new things. It allowed me to change my routine, it’s also beneficial mentally”.
