Bryan Coquard found beautiful colors this Saturday evening in the Loudéac velodrome. Associated with Benjamin Thomas, the pair became French American Champions. “It's been a long time since I had one, a French Champion jersey is respectable. That's what I came for, mission accomplished. It was a great pleasure to do the American with Ben. We put on a great show and did the best we could.'', he comments to DirectVelo. The Cofidis duo dominated the race but not without experiencing a scare. Bryan Coquard narrowly avoided a fall when Mathieu Dupé (associated with Erwan Besnier, one of the men in form in this Championship) hit his rear wheel as he fell. “With the little mechanical problem, I had a bit of a problem on the way back’’.
However, the decision to come to Loudéac was somewhat at the last moment. “A month ago, the day of the team presentation at the Roubaix velodrome. We did a race with young people, taking bikes from the middle of the track and we said to ourselves that we could come and compete for the Championshiphe recalls. That’s how we got motivated’’.
“IMPORTANT FOR THE TEAM TO START WELL”
The other objective of this return to the track was to produce big efforts before the resumption of the road season. ''I went quite deep today. I wanted to prepare for the road with very high intensity on the track. I'm leaving Down Under on the 9th and it's important to make an effort''. The 32-year-old runner therefore returns to a race where he won in 2023.I know I'm doing well at the start of the season. It's important for the team to get off to a good start in the points race''. The track racer knows the points race well since he became vice-Champion of France on Friday.
The season therefore begins in blue-white-red, enough to give him ideas for the Road Championship, in Véndée aux Herbiers. “It's a life goal, a career goal, but it's a Championship, I've already placed 2nd but also been disappointed several times’’.
France
Cycling
