There's no stopping Léane Tabu. Second title in two days and third medal in three days for the track rider in this French Future Championship in Loudéac. The representative of the Centre-Val de Loire committee added the blue-white-red jersey of the Omnium this Saturday, after that of the elimination worn the day before. But perhaps it was Thursday's bronze medal in the individual pursuit that started it all. “The pursuit medal was the trigger to finally tell me that I was not that far from the others physically and that I could perhaps finish the season correctly in this French Championship.“, she comments for DirectVelo. And yet, this trigger almost did not exist. “I wasn't planning on doing the individual pursuit because I had had very bad times in my Regional Championship. I signed up anyway because I didn't have a race that day. In the end, it's a good surprise because I never realized these times (2'25″5, Editor's note)”.
“IT’S THIS SPORT THAT I LOVE TO PRACTICE”
The first title, on elimination, is his first blue-white-red jersey since his hat-trick on the road in Plédran, already in the Côtes d'Armor, a year ago. “Yesterday's jersey (Friday) has a different flavor because I had a really complicated year. I didn't have the results for it to be a good year. I'm still vice-World Champion in team pursuit so that's very goodshe recalls. But I also had a lot of downs. When you look at the path I've covered, it's a jersey that's good for your morale“. Champion's second tunic still has “a different flavor. To win the Omnium, you have to be good all day, it's the one that does the most good for your head“. And at the finish, she shared her joy with Violette Demay and Mélanie Dupin who shared the podium with her. “It’s a little revenge for the 2022 French Championship in Hyères where Mélanie beat me at the Omnium”smiles Léane Tabu who had won five titles that summer.
Its good past results helped it stay afloat in the storm so as not to sink. “I held on because I still had my year 2023 in mind to tell me not to stop. I wanted to find my level again. This is the sport that I love to practice. I couldn't see myself stopping like that. Obviously, I wanted to finish the season. I didn't arrive here telling myself that I was going to get on the podium, but just that I was going to do it with the means at hand.”. Besides, during the Open, she felt “a little worse than yesterday. The feelings are great but I gave a lot“.
“NEED TO START FROM ZERO”
This Saturday, Léane Tabu delivered a perfect score. First of the scratch, the tempo and the elimination, like the day before. “I really like elimination. It's one of my favorite events on the track and in which I feel good. Either I get through it completely or I do well. Even if we are the best, we can be trapped very easily and come out in the lastshe warns. You have to stay focused, remember past mistakes so as not to make them again…“.
In 2025, the triple 2023 French Junior Road Champion will change N1 and wear the Team Elles-Groupama-Pays de la Loire jersey. “After this complicated year, I needed a change and to start from scratchexplains the member of Team Féminin Centre-Val de Loire. Team ELLES contacted me. They were very interested in my profile and for me to come. They trusted me. They told me several times that my level was not going to go away and that they wanted to help me get it back. Obviously, it's nice, we want to follow them and I wanted to try the adventure in their team“So no UCI team for his first year with the Espoirs.”I was pretty fair this season, it wasn't the best option to turn pro. It was better to stay in N1, to trust myself again and find a good level“. To extend the good momentum found in Loudéac.
