Paul Lapeira is still in the match. By finishing 3rd in the Coppa Agostoni (see ranking), last Sunday, the French Champion showed that he still had very good feelings at the very end of the season. “The month of September was not easy for training because of the weather. But when I arrived at the races, I felt that things were going well. I’m not tired of the season but we have to be realistic, it’s a climbers’ race. I will be there to help the collective”he confides to DirectVelo when talking about his last race of the year, the Tour of Lombardy which takes place this Saturday between Bergamo and Como.
The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale puncher will finish with a 2024 exercise that he would not have imagined a year ago (see its DirectVelo file). “If I had to define my season in one word, it would be great. A lot of people were surprised, me first. I hoped to perform well but my season is way beyond my expectations”. By stringing together victories, including a stage of the Tour du Pays Basque in the WorldTour and the French Championship, he has changed dimension. “There is a new status, more expectations from the team, the media, the followers… We have to manage it. I am already working on it to be ready to face the good and bad sides of these expectations”.
“A LOT AT ONCE”
During the Tour de France, his first, the situation was not always easy to manage for a boy who was never the type to seek the light. “It was quite busy in the media. A few months ago, I was an anonymous member of the peloton and there I was on the Tour with the jersey. I said to myself that it was a lot at once”. Since then, the madness has subsided a little but he has also started to get used to it. “I don’t see it badly though”he assures.
During the season, Paul Lapeira moved from a teammate role to that of leader. So in the race, when he has a role to play, he must speak more than before. “I’m not a very expressive person in life, but once on the bike, I know how to say what I want, give instructions when necessary”.
“NEVER PERFECT”
Despite the excellent results acquired over the months, Paul Lapeira still has some regrets about his season. “When you’re a competitor, it’s never perfect”. He is thinking in particular of Liège-Bastogne-Liège where he had to settle for 11th place while 2nd position, far behind Tadej Pogacar, was playable according to him if all the planets had been aligned. “It would have been exceptional.”
The 6th in the last Amstel Gold Race now wants to win a WorldTour Classic. “This is the next step…. This is the goal for the next few years”. To achieve this goal, he believes he still has room for improvement. “I’m only 24 years old. It’s not that young anymore in today’s cycling but I turned pro after my third year of Hope, I’m sure I still have seasons left where I can progress. I have lots of things in mind to put in place for next year. There is constant questioning. We are already on 2025 in this month of October”.
