After putting down her bike at the end of the French Championship last June, Roxane Fournier will begin a new adventure as sports director of the St-Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93 training. The Francilienne reconsiders her choice and plans for the coming season DirectVelo.
DirectVelo: How did you end up as DS of the St-Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93 women's team?
Roxane Fournier: It wasn't necessarily something I had considered doing following my career. I had other plans. I quit in June, the manager (Stéphane Javalet, Editor’s note) had said a few words to me, but I didn't necessarily follow up. I needed to sit down and think about all of this. So, I let the summer pass. I took advantage of it. I wanted to let go of the end of my career and try to take some time for myself. On top of that, since the sponsor Mavic stopped, I really moved on. In September, the subject came back to the table. There is a new sponsor (Preference Home, NDLR) who arrived. I talked again with the manager and I said to myself: “I’m going to go for it!” ». It could still be a great thing to try.
“FIND A BALANCE”
You didn't necessarily imagine being a DS one day?
During your cycling career, you don't necessarily think about what's next. We have ideas, but nothing concrete. But it wasn't necessarily one of my priorities. I didn't see myself leaving home all the time yet, knowing that I had been doing it for fifteen years. That's a little bit why I was hesitant. The job interested me, especially for a team of young people, but it was more the aspect of leaving home all the time that blocked me a little. We managed to clearly define a framework and, quote, adjust my schedule somewhat, so that I could find a balance between being at home and being on the field.
What attracts you to this DS role?
I want to pass on everything I have learned to a group of young people. I wouldn't have been interested, at least at the moment, in doing that for one of the best teams in the world. In these very big teams, there is not a lot to transmit. Whereas here, in a youth team, I think I have a lot to pass on. I will try to help them not to make the mistakes I made when I was younger and give them lots of advice. That’s what really mattered to me. Being on the ground, it’s true that it perhaps allows you to relive intense things again. I'm going to stay in the industry, but differently.
You have been a consultant at Eurosport for two years. Are you going to continue this exercise?
I love doing this, it’s also a job that I enjoy. It's a great opportunity, I will combine the two next year. This was also why I had discussed at length with Auber to find an agreement and be able to reconcile the two.
“ALMOST START AGAIN WITH A CLEAN SHEET”
With Mavic stopping, were there really any big doubts that the team could continue?
Yes of course. We knew at the beginning of July that Mavic was going to stop. It's late to try to find another sponsor. The outcome is positive with the arrival of Preference Home. We found out quite late, but better late than never, I want to say. We lost a large part of the workforce. In July, we can't tell girls to wait until September to give them an answer. Most turned around and found another formation. We had to start almost from scratch to rebuild a group. It would have been a shame if the team stopped.
How did the recruitment go?
We went through and dissected all the CVs we received. We also tried to look for girls we believed in with strong potential to convince them to come. In two or three weeks, we managed to build a group which for me, on paper, is still very interesting. I'm quite happy with what we were able to create in such a short time. Now, we will have to create cohesion with a brand new group and get our bearings, but in any case we have already validated this first step.
“I WILL LEARN ON THE FIELD”
What awaits you for your debut as DS?
To begin with, it will be about learning the trade. It's completely different than being an athlete, fortunately I have good advice. Stéphan Gaudry and Tony Hurel are there to help me. During the off-season, there are lots of things to do, you don't necessarily realize it when you're a runner. There are a lot of things to manage internally. So already there, I learned a lot of things. And then, it will be the first races. The initial idea is still to be accompanied, that is to go with Tony Hurel in the car for the first men's races and then, for the first women's races that I will do, to have Stéphan Gaudry by my side. It's true that we're a little let loose in nature, it can be scary, but there's no reason. I will learn on the ground like everyone else, like everyone who came before me.
What are the team's goals for the upcoming season?
We applied for the ProTeam. Next year, it will be important to collect points so that at the end of 2025, we will be in the game for 2026. It is important to have automatic invitations to the races WorldTour. We will try to be good in the Conti Pro team rankings. There will also be the objective of seeking a victory in the WorldTour. This has not been achieved at the moment. It's important to be consistent throughout the season as well. We have a fairly homogeneous group, with good climbers and good girls for the classics, so it will be interesting.
