12 months ago, Reunion Islander Lorrenzo Manzin underwent iliac artery surgery. A classic intervention among professional cyclists who ride more than 30,000 km per year. After 6 weeks of total stoppage, 10 weeks of gradual recovery, renewed physical and mental preparation, the Reunion Island cyclist who has been a pro for 10 years returned to battle with a full 2024 season. We took advantage of his visit to his home in Bras-Panon for the holidays to ask him about his new role in the Total Énergie team, his training, his dreams and his fears too, and his favorite expressions from the cycling world. … (Photo rb/www.imazpress.com)
There are only two Reunion Islanders to display the status of professional cyclist today: Donavan Grondin and Lorrenzo Manzin.
At only 30 years old, and with four Tours of Spain under his belt, Lorrenzo Manzin is a veteran of the professional pelotons with 10 years of experience: he signed his first contract with the prestigious FDJ team in 2015, continued at Vital Concept in 2017, before joining Total Energie in 2020.
He just re-signed for two more years until 2026. And became a father for the first time 4 months ago! No surprise to find him serene and smiling, despite our late meeting at Bassin La Paix, not very far from his destination for the annual vacation in Reunion, in Bras-Panon.
15 days without sport, before resuming major winter sports preparation: the races will in fact resume in mid-January 2025. His approach, however, betrays the aches and pains of a sports hike between Bélouve and the English Cape two days earlier.
We wouldn't be surprised to see it lined up on a trail in a few years, at the time of reconversion. For now, Lorrenzo Manzin is going fast on his bike. Faster and faster. But he takes the time to return to c2024, the year of all dangers. Interview
– Imaz Press: what is your state of mind after this pivotal year 2024?
– Lorrenzo Manzin : It went better than expected. After the surgical operation that I underwent in November 2023, the 6 weeks of total stoppage (a first for me since the age of 6), I went gradually, patiently during the 10 weeks of recovery.
We did original physical preparation in Rwanda for 3 weeks. I did everything I could to be ready to resume in March… and finally, I'm doing a full season: my first Paris-Roubaix, the Grand Prix du Morbihan, the Grand Prix de Wallonie, the Flanders Championship…
We finished in October with the Tour du Lake Taihu in China where the team won a stage. I found a good level, I contributed to good results, with a new role within the team, that of “sprinter-pilot fish”.
– Imaz Press : What does this role consist of concretely?
– LM : My role is to lead, to launch my sprinter over the last few hundred meters before the final sprint. I have a role as a passer. Ideally, it starts 400m from the finish line. I have to place my sprinter in a good position… after 150 km of races, controlled breakaways then caught, climbs and descents.
It’s a very specific and… super dangerous job. When it “rubs” at more than 60 km/h, it can be scary! The role of “thrower” was refined with Mark Cavendish in the early 2010s. He formed a hellish duo with Mark Renshaw. This job is specific in the sense that I don't run to win, but to help my leader win. That doesn't stop you from taking advantage of opportunities during a race! It's not a frustration for me. It can be for loved ones, my family, but not for me. I am satisfied when Jason (Tesson) or Emilien (Jeannière) wins.
– Imaz Press : Can you tell us about your dream sprint, the most meaningful, the one you remember in the most detail?
– LM : My best memory is my second place on the last stage in La Vuelta (the Tour of Spain) in 2017. We are in Madrid, we finish on the equivalent of the Champs Élysées, in the sprint, I finish one line behind Matteo Trentin. It would have been historic…
– Imaz Press : In France, cycling is generally associated with the Tour de France, aren't you disappointed not to have participated yet?
– LM : I had several phases with the Tour de France. I dreamed about it first. Then the phase of disillusionment. Then I stopped thinking about it. And there, it becomes a goal again! Even if places are expensive: there are 27 of us in the Total Energie team, there are only 8 places on a TDF and a defined core. So, we will see the manager's choices in April-May of next year, depending on the results, the state of form of each person, the profile of the stages…
– Imaz Press : What is a typical week of training for Lorrenzo Manzin?
– LM : 2 hours of downtime on Monday (if we did a race on Sunday), rest on Tuesday, 4 hours of cycling + gym on Wednesday, 5 hours on Thursday, we lighten up a little at the end of the week if we have a race during the weekend. Between training and races, I drive around 2,700 km per month, or more than 30,000 km per year!
– Imaz Press: After 10 years of experience as a professional runner, what still surprises you today?
– LM : Since the COVID crisis in 2020, the intensity of the races has really increased, there is more aggression between runners, the averages are falling one after the other. There is no more downtime on stage races, no more preparation races in the calendar. The preparation courses are also more demanding, the material continues to evolve. I see my own data progressing. In fact, it lifts everyone up. I recently did the track again, I had to change chainrings 3 times to find the right power ratio (editor's note: Lorrenzo added teeth each time)
– IP: What does Reunion represent for you? A good plan for retirement? Annual vacation? Nostalgia?
– LM : First of all, it’s a return to basics. Because I left young (at 15) for mainland France to train at the Espoirs center in La Roche sur Yon. Then it's my oxygen to disconnect and replenish my energy before heading out into the cold and rain. Before, I came back twice a year to Reunion Island. But I became the father of a boy (Matéo) 4 months ago, it changed a lot of things: it took a lot of pressure off me, gave me an additional reason to fight in the peloton. And it also allows me to put things into perspective when I come home from a race disappointed!
– IP: Finally, what expressions from the very flowery language of the cyclist do you often use?
– LM : The one that suits me the most is “I farted in a bump” (editor’s note, “I exploded in a hill”), it’s happened to me often! When you come home from a workout where you felt really strong, you can say, “I was walking.” But the instruction that I heard most often in the ranks of the Vélo Club de l’Est (VCE) was “fé pèt la kol!”. In other words, “push so hard that the glue in the hoses will melt.”
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