Fannie Estivals, the Albigensian who is making her way to the gravel worlds

She has barely been cycling for a year and already has the world championships in her sights. Fannie Estivals is what we call a young prodigy. On Saturday, she will be lined up at the start of the gravel race, which starts from Halle and ends in Louvain in Belgium (137 km).

Gravel is the modern name that has been given to the discipline halfway between road cycling and mountain biking. A form of cycling, very popular today, which mixes passages on the road as well as on trails, tracks and paths.

Fannie Estivals is part of the Albigensian team Eurinvest by Albi Vélo Sport, managed by Claudia Carceroni-Gilles and which competes in the National division. “I come from tennis… but I was fed up with it, says Fannie. I was cycling with my father on Sundays and one day I saw an ad from Claudia who was looking for runners… I said to myself why not and I went for it!”

“Heavy” in its category

In one year of practice, Fannie made two top 10s in national races and finished vice-champion of Occitanie. Out of curiosity, she signed up for a round of the gravel world cup which took place in Millau, in Aveyron. After a 145 km race, she finished… 3rd! Rebelote a few months later where she finished 3rd again.

“That’s how I qualified for the world championships,” she explains. “I let myself be tempted and above all carried away! It was a discovery. For Saturday’s race, my goal is to have fun and above all not to have any mechanical problems.”

Fannie will compete for the famous rainbow jersey in the 19-34 year old category. And opposite, there are beautiful people: Lotte Kopecky, double world champion on the road, Puck Pieterse (world mountain bike champion), Marianne Vos, Silvia Persico… without forgetting “her role model”, the Olympic mountain bike champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.

Hot air balloon pilot in life

“In my category, there are around 80 of us, underlines Fannie Estivals. In total, for these world championships, there are 2,600 participants in all categories. The Belgians are very strong… Honestly, I’m going to see! My sister will be there on the event to refuel and the next day, on Sunday, I have a friend who runs in the men’s race.”

The tour de force of gravel is to have brought together professionals and amateurs in a world championship. “We’re going back Monday, we’re going to live the experience to the fullest, without pressure,” adds Fannie.

The one, who in life is a hot air balloon pilot, trains 5 to 6 times a week. “There are a few similarities in cycling and piloting a hot air balloon… You have to be concentrated and disciplined in your work. You don’t have much room for error… Well, especially in the air,” he jokes. -She.

Come to the forests of Brabant this Saturday to see if Fannie will fly to the rainbow jersey.