This is not a season quite like any other for the French cyclo-cross team and its coach, François Trarieux, knows this well. “This is the first time in seven years that I have had to do this exercise, that means something is happening”he joked to the press, late Sunday afternoon, to begin the press conference announcing his selection for the world championship, on the sidelines of the French Championship in Pontchâteau. And for good reason: in three weeks, the World Championship of the discipline will take place in Liévin (Pas-de-Calais), for a first in France since 2004. As agreed, he communicated the list of athletes selected at the end of the Championship national making, as always, happy and disappointed. “It's always the same thing, the first names stand out, seem obvious, and once you reach the fifth, sixth or seventh name in a category, there are decisions to be made and it's never easy because it's always the same. there is a high density, especially among the Espoirs”.
Among the big losers of this selection, we can cite, among others, Rémi Lelandais. “I was counting on him a lot this season but he had some difficult times. He has had problems for several weekends, he had to abandon this French Championship after a fall in training the day before”. Tristan Verrier is only a substitute for the Espoirs. “This was one of the hardest decisions for me to make on this list. Tristan had a very good season in the Coupe de France but at international level, he was always a little behind the rest of the French team. The selected riders have all performed in the World Cup. Also at the French Championship, this Sunday, he finished behind all the selected riders, even though I am aware that he had mechanical problems”justifies François Trarieux, who had taken the trouble to warn Tristan Verrier the day before, “so he doesn’t find out about it in the press”.
THE AMBITION OF AN ELITE TITLE IN THE LONGER TERM
Among the runners whose balance tipped in the right direction, a certain Timothé Gabriel, “the little surprise” of François Trarieux in the premier category, “even if he did not have constant results, like others”. Martin Groslambert will also be there (see the full selection). “He had knee problems then tendinitis, he came back very late but he is 5th in this Championship”. Among the women, Caroline Mani is making her return to the World Cup, having won the silver medal in Zolder in 2016. “It’s good to have his experience for the group. Age is not a selection or non-selection criterion. It is the French No. 3 currently internationally”.
Now that the selection has been made, what are the Blues' objectives for this World Cup? “That’s always the trick question. In the management of emotions, it is necessarily special. Everyone expects great popular fervor and results, me first and foremost. It will be the apotheosis of this season for the French team”would first like to declare François Trarieux. “We will do everything to get medals, and why not titles. We often talk about the Belgians and the Dutch, but we are not there to look at them. Of course, they have more titles than us in history, but we want to settle at the highest level. I believe in it. My runners are not there to have complexes. We have three weeks left to get to the top at the World Cup.”. If it is in the young categories that the chances of medals will be greatest, François Trarieux's objective, in the longer term, remains the same: “find successors to Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (2015) and Dominique Arnould (1993)” on an Elite World Championship.
TOP 5 OBJECTIVE FOR AMANDINE FOUQUENET AND CLÉMENT VENTURINI
In Liévin, in the flagship Elite category, two runners from Arkéa-B&B Hôtels will be attending the event as reigning French Champions, Amandine Fouquenet and Clément Venturini. With what ambitions? “I made 5 of the European Championship. Certainly, the best were not there but if I set myself a Top 10, I will not do better, so I grant myself the right to dream of another Top 5”said the Breton woman clearly. “We will have to manage the pressure, which I was not able to do last year at the French Championship”. On the Villeurbanne side, it is assured that the pressure of a World Championship at home “will have no impact”. As a professional road racer, he has “seen others” and has “the habit”.
The now seven-time French Champion knows it: the weather conditions and the terrain could be decisive for him. “I hope for a circuit that will suit me, not like that of the French Championship a few years ago”remembers the one who only finished 10th in the French Championship won by Joshua Dubau in Liévin, in 2022. “We don’t ask a sprinter to win at the top of Mont Ventoux. If I have to run a lot on the circuit, it won't be to my advantage. We will see that in due time. Until then, there are three weeks of preparation left”. Like his friend Amandine Fouquenet, he dreams of a Top 5. “If I can repeat my Fayetteville performance…”. He finished 5th that day and after the sacrifices of the fall, he intends to be rewarded. “If I’ve struggled in recent weeks, it’s for this goal”.
