Dorine Monnier and Tom Cameron have one thing in common. Even two. They both participated in the French Championship of the Future on the track in Loudéac last week but before meeting in the velodromes, they practiced roller racing. Tom Cameron was almost born with skates on his feet. “I started roller skating at 3 years old“, he reminds DirectVelo. In this discipline, the bike is an ally in training. “Roller skating is complementary to cycling and I was registered at UV Neubourg“, explains Dorine Monnier.
The bridges between cycling and skating have been working for a long time. We can even talk about skating in the plural with the blades on the ice and the rollers in line on the surface of an ice skating rink. The similarity extends to the colors of the jerseys of the World and European roller racing champions, largely inspired by those of cycling. Clara Hughes, Connie Carpenter, Eric Heiden and his sister Beth, and even Carlijn Achtereekte went from the ice to the road. Ingrid Haringa and Christina Rothenburger, in their time, chose the track. But roller skating is not left out. We can recall that Mathys and Léa Rondel come from this discipline. Before becoming Omnium World Champion, Fernando Gaviria practiced roller racing, a popular discipline in Colombia. And recently, Indian Harshveer Sekhon switched from skates to the track bike without brakes.
“I WAS INJURED TO THE ADDUCTORS”
To definitively switch from one discipline to another, you also need an event. For Tom Cameron it is a reaction to a federal decision. “At the time of the transition to Cadet 2, I was not accepted at the Roller Hope Center. I was injured in my adductors and I was criticized for my fragility“. The skater from the Gujan Mestras club, born in 2008, takes a license at SA Mérignac. This is also the time when the FFC tries to detect sprinters in this discipline.”very explosive“, as Dorine Monnier indicates. Mathilde Pedronno, a skater, is also approached. Tom Cameron begins “really the track in February 2023. I'm training on the Bordeaux track with Arnaud Dublé (former sprinter of the French team, Editor’s note) even if we don't have exactly the same schedules“.
But to want to continue on two wheels, winning quickly is better. “I won all the races of the Normandy Championship in Minimes 2 last year“, slips Dorine Monnier. The Normandy continued with her first French Championship on the Roubaix track where she won her first medals, bronze in the Omnium and silver in the scratch. Meanwhile, Tom Cameron wore his first tricolor jersey, that of the Juniors speed, when he was only J1 “for my first real speed tournament“This year, the tournament got off to a bad start for the Bordeaux player who went crazy and fell when throwing his 200 meters in qualifying.”As I launched into the last ones, I had to get back on the bike immediately afterwards and I no longer had any legs.“, he explains.
“THANKS TO ROLLER SKATING, I HAVE MORE SPRINTING ABILITY”
On the other hand, Dorine Monnier had a successful edition in Loudéac last week. She started strong with the French record in the 200 meters. With 11″952, the member of UV Neubourg is the first tricolor Cadette to go below 12″. “I didn't expect it. Before the Championship, my best time was 12″4“, she recalls. In addition to the speed title, the resident of the Bourges pole does not want to move towards sprinting. She also won the scratch. “I am a fast endurance runner, my trainer Arthur Pennetier tells me.“But his cultivated skills on the skates have served him well.”Thanks to roller skating, I have more sprinting abilities compared to others. I have less match experience but I have a reserve of 2 km/h. Roller skating requires core strength which helps me in sprints“.
If cycling and rollerblading are complementary, it is not possible to pursue both at a high level. “In May, I went to the French Roller Skating Championship in Strasbourg. The following week, I went to the French Junior Track Cup in Poitiers, I was done“, recognizes Tom Cameron who now gives priority to cycling. Same thing for Dorine Monnier even if she continues to go spinning, for pleasure, on the Saint-Pierre-les-Elbeufs ring, when she returns home. A little active core session can't hurt.
