Clément Pédron, Media365: published on Sunday January 26, 2025 at 1:11 p.m.
A few hours before competing in his first race of the season in Valencia in Spain, Valentin Madouas gave an interview to the Team to take stock of the previous year and determine the objectives for 2025. The silver medalist of the Olympic Games of Paris 2024 says it: he wants to win a “big race” this year.
While other riders are still in preparation, in Spain or elsewhere, some are making their return this Sunday during the Valencia Classic, a 184 km race between Valencia and La Nucía with three climbs on the Alt Alt program. del Canonge. Among the main entrants, we find Cees Bol, Michael Matthews, Matej Mohoric. And Valentin Madouas. The Breton has decided to resume a little earlier than planned, just to definitively switch to 2025 and this new season which is coming. The Groupama-FDJ rider progresses in the pelotons with the label of Olympic vice-champion obtained in Paris in 2024. But apart from this major performance, the Finistère considers that his season is “average” as he indicated to the Team. “You have to be realistic, I didn’t win. I was there (16th in the Ronde, 6th in the Amstel, 15th in the Flèche Wallonne, 7th in Liège-Bastogne-Liège), but I was missing something to go play higher up. »
-At L'Équipe, David Gaudu's teammate indicated that he had enjoyed his winter a lot, spending a lot of time with his family. “Since the Tour and all the way to Lombardy, I was on the go,” admits Madouas. I needed to assimilate all of this. Do something else, think about something else, live my life a little for a month and a half without asking myself any questions. » After these long weeks of rest, the Frenchman got back on the bike, first alone then with his team where he did things differently. “We revitalized everything,” explains the Breton. I was going around in circles a bit. […] I've been on the team for seven years, you don't have ten solutions. You can change it, but I feel capable of revitalizing myself within Groupama-FDJ, because there are lots of things that I haven't seen. »
Relive the great thrill
At the start of this 2025 season, Valentin Madouas knows, he wants to look for something more concrete: “Winning a big race, tells the rider to the Team. Flanders, whatever, a big race.” Galvanized by the emotions felt last summer when he won a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Finisterian is more than motivated. It is determined: “ I put it in my head that I had to relive the same emotions as at the Olympics, slips the runner. They will be different, but I want to relive them just as strong, and not just once, several times. It made me feel so good deep down. Everyone was happy. I felt something deep. »
