We imagine that you are not unhappy to see this 2024 season come to an end…
Paradoxically, no. I was just thinking about that this morning at training. I told myself that I still loved cycling just as much. I told myself that at almost 33 years old (October 28), I still enjoyed going out to train and racing with my colleagues. I think I’ll still like that. Last Thursday, I was frustrated not to compete in the Gran Piemonte. When you’re my age and you’re reaching the end of the season, that’s a pretty good sign, right? However, it’s true, this 2024 season really hasn’t been easy.
For what reasons?
Changing teams is never easy (after six years at Arkéa, he joined DSM in the off-season). I remember that when I left Sunweb for Fortuneo (in 2018), my first season was also complicated. There are benchmarks to take, you have to adapt to a new coach. My start to the year was rather good (6th in the Muscat Classic, 6th in the Tour of Oman, 4th in the Drôme Classic), unfortunately the rest did not go as I hoped. After a three-week altitude course (on the slopes of the Teide volcano), I broke a rib during the Tour of the Basque Country (early April). This injury deprived me of the Ardennes classics, my first objective of the season.
The second, the Tour de France, was also upset…
My start to the Tour (its tenth) was rather encouraging. Romain (Bardet) had the Yellow Jersey, I was by his side to help him. I thought I would then be able to be offensive and slip into breakaways. Unfortunately, I realized that I was quickly tired and that I couldn’t push myself. No matter how hard I fought, it didn’t work. On the mountain stages, when I saw 30 or 40 runners leaving, I couldn’t accompany them. It was heartbreaking. I couldn’t go high in the laps, I coughed a lot after the effort. Physically and mentally, it was difficult. I didn’t understand what was happening. I understood it much later.
You suffered from whooping cough…
At first, we found nothing. As there were several cases of whooping cough in my son’s school, we tested it and I had the symptoms. Somehow it reassured me to know what was wrong. In 2024, I have not been spared but I have also made mistakes.
Which ones?
I probably never trained this hard last winter. As I was changing teams, I was getting a fresh start. I was in the shoes of a junior who was moving into the hopeful category. I wanted to do too well. As a result, I overdid it. Far too much. I went a bit to the extreme. Last February on the Drôme Classic, I was going strong, I was even surprised by my level, on the pedals, I was in front with Skjelmose and Hirschi. But it didn’t last.
Is this your worst season since your turn to the pros in 2013?
In terms of results, in UCI points, probably. It’s also one of the most frustrating. I gave myself the means to succeed and it didn’t pay off. There are a lot of disappointments. That said, I also had a lot of fun being a teammate on certain races. When Romain (Bardet) won the first stage of the Tour de France, we experienced a great thing, for example.
When you experience a difficult season at your age, do you tell yourself that you are on the decline?
I am aware that I am no longer young, I know that there is a new generation growing. Not everyone is Pogacar. What reassures me is knowing why it didn’t. I’m not giving up. And then, in certain races, like the Bretagne Classic, I had really good legs. It was probably my best day of the season. I still believe in it. There’s no reason why it won’t work next year. I don’t ask myself any questions about my future. It’s up to me to better manage my offseason. I always have this goal in mind to win a stage in the Giro, which would allow me to have won in the three Grand Tours.
What do you expect from the Tour of Lombardy?
I will be serving Romain (Bardet). I hope to accompany him as far as possible, to position him as best as possible so that he gets a big result. I had good legs in Croatia (8th in the general Cro Race ranking) last week. Morally, it did me good, I want to end on a good note.
