Seynod, Cognin, Pontcharra… As usual, Nans Peters is doing regional cyclo-crosses during this period. “I take cyclo-cross to help me pass the stages a little more quickly by making big efforts which always help”he indicates to DirectVelo. The physical condition of the Isérois is less good than last year at this time. “I cut it quite early, at the end of September, because I had to have an operation to have my tonsils removed. I resumed training relatively early, at the end of October. On the other hand, I really lost my condition because I had to stop for a long time, I had complications following this operation”.
“HARD TO SAY NO”
The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale runner is “mixed” for its 2024 financial year. “I haven't had a victory, I'm always chasing, I've had very few during my career, they're good to take”. His first part of the season was good, with several Top 20 finishes (see its DirectVelo file). Enough to open the doors of the Tour de France to him, which was not planned in the initial plans. “I had to go to the Vuelta, he recalls. I announced at the start of the year that I was aiming for a third stage victory in each of three Grand Tours, that's why I was focusing on the Vuelta”.
His good form and Clément Berthet's physical problems finally opened the doors to the Grande Boucle. “When I was asked if I could go to the Tour I said: “It’s still the Tour, I know its beauty and its grandeur. That's where I won (in Loudenvielle in 2020, Editor’s note) and it’s thanks to that that I made a nice track record”. It’s hard to say no but sometimes it makes more sense”. His Tour de France was indeed rather complicated. “I went there without doing an altitude course, so I suffered a bit. I didn't come out of the Tour very fresh. My end of the season was not great”.
“I ALWAYS TRY TO BE AHEAD”
At 30 years old, he is now one of the most experienced riders in the Savoyard squad. “I'm starting to have a lot of experience, I'm also there to guide the younger ones, in the role of road captain and that of an all-purpose team member who can be present on all terrains all year round” . He also confides more and more that he is heading “in the role of a strong team member”.
Playing your personal card is becoming increasingly rare for a rider of his profile in current cycling. “The escapes today are harder and harder to take and go less and less far, the result is that I do less.” Nans Peters, who should launch his 2025 season in mid-February on the French calendar, still remains ambitious to complete his list of achievements. “I always try to be at the front, that's where I have the most fun, trying to be the strongest in the breakaway to go as far as possible”.
