Times are as tough as the gray skies for the N1 teams, the highest amateur level. In the West, two big teams, Morbihan GOA and Cré’acteur Marie Morin will not leave in 2025. Elsewhere, it is Saint-Etienne which made the same decision… “The period is complicated”, agrees Fabrice Havart, president of the route de Mayenne V&B Monbana structure.
The Mayenne formation seems to be sheltered from the worst. She should be part of the 2025 peloton, backed by a similar budget, €350,000, the one required by the French Federation to apply at this level. “ When I arrived at the presidency, at the end of 2023, I wanted us to find serenity and a vision for the future, said the president. Today, we see a little better where we can plan for 2025, and to return to a sporting level worthy of the name. »
“We were not at the level”
Fabrice Havart, who was also senior sports director of Laval Cyclisme from 2013 to 2018, is not shying away. The season for the pink and chocolate jerseys was mostly chocolate… A last place in the Coupe de France N1 rankings, with the only points scored being those in the team time trial. But no runners placed… There was no sporting downhill this year, there should be one in 2025. We will therefore have to do much better.
“Sportingly, we were not level, he said lucidly. On paper, some people were supposed to show themselves more, but it didn’t work. I am currently working on structuring the sports unit. »
Ex-pro Vincent Jérôme, while remaining general manager, has taken a step back. Brayan Feytou, who arrived at the start of the year as sports director, is not retained. The club is looking for a replacement. But Fabrice Havart especially looked closely at recruitment. He wants to increase the squad from 12 to 14 riders, to evolve on two fronts if necessary.
“We will have a round of the Coupe de France N1 on the eve of the Ronde Mayennaise, he explains. We cannot ignore one of these races. » Above all, he wants to find momentum again. “We want to revitalize the sporting aspect. Rediscovering the dynamics of the creation of DN3, where we were with local boys, a team of friends who got along well. When I took over as president in December, recruitment was done, transfers completed since October. We could have hired a foreign rider during the season, but I didn’t want to take a financial risk. »
The 2024 squad will be significantly overhauled. Only Erwan Besnier, Steven Helary and Martin Orrière are guaranteed to be part of the project. Two other elements could be kept, but the Laval-based club will mainly focus on getting Mayennais who competed elsewhere to run under its colors…
Baguelin, a track if…
Hugo Millet (Bourg-en-Bresse) will arrive, and Leo Drouard will return to the club. The Vitrean Bastien Iken arrives from Dinan Sport. Further on, the team went to look for Mathieu Dupé (Occitanie TLW, N1) or junior Théodore Sabina (Clamart). Above all, the difficulties of big teams have caused the market to evolve. “Basically, I thought that recruitment would be completed during this period, this Havart. But over the past two weeks, things have changed. There are some valuable runners that are going to be on the market. »
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This is the case of Jocelyn Baguelin, whose team is stopping. At 25 years old, the Vautorte rider is tracked by the Mayenne team. But above all he hopes to see a door open among the pros. “He has contacts, says Fabrice Havart, who trains him. It’s on our shelves, but the goal is for it to go above…”
Even without him, the 2025 season should not be worse than the one that is ending.
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