After placing 4th the day before, Amandine Vidon climbed onto the box this Sunday. On the Pierric circuit (Loire-Atlantique), the member of Ardennes Cross Team Gecibat took 3rd place during the second act of the French cyclo-cross Cup weekend (see ranking). The 24-year-old athlete takes stock DirectVelo.
DirectVelo: What does your 3rd place inspire you this Sunday?
Amandine Vidon: I’m really happy. Yesterday (Saturday), mentally, I didn't really believe it. Today I told myself I could do it. I didn't give up even though there were several of us for this 3rd place. It was a physical race where we couldn't tell the difference. It happened over the laps, to exhaustion. In my head, we had to not let up on anything, restart as soon as we could and not make any technical errors so as not to lose time. I tried to concentrate, to tell myself that I could do it and that was the case.
This Saturday, you finished in 4th place…
It was a special race, it was a little more slippery than today. I didn't make a mistake. I even found myself in 2nd place at one point, so I wondered what I was doing there (smile). Maybe that's why I didn't finish on the podium. I was all alone and it quickly came back. I made a mistake after the stairs and it was over… I knew I couldn't come back on a rolling circuit like that. I am still happy with my two races.
“IT GIVES CONFIDENCE FOR THE FUTURE”
With what ambitions did you make the trip?
I came to make a Top 5. After 4th place on Saturday, I told myself that the weekend was already successful. There I finished 3rd… We shouldn't stop there, it motivates me for the future, I still know what I have to work on. It will come to a crescendo. I was in the Top 10 (9th and 7th, Editor's note) in Nommay, I won on November 1 in Dijon and there I made two Top 5s. I'm gaining strength, that gives confidence for the future. A season is a long time. I paid it a little last year.
You are ahead of Célia Gery and Amandine Fouquenet who are coming off a very good European Championship…
There's not just anyone in front, that's for sure. I will use this race for the rest. It's really cool. It was a very rolling circuit, I come from mountain biking so perhaps I lacked a little strength on this terrain but it allows me to work, especially for Troyes where it will be almost the same if it doesn't rain first.
