His grandson is French cycling champion: “He sacrificed his youth for this”

He is the one from whom Paul Lapeira caught the little queen virus. Rémi Heudes, maternal grandfather, of the new French cycling champion was overwhelmed after his grandson’s victory in Saint-Martin-de-Landelles (Manche), Sunday June 23, 2024.

However, his love for cycling only came late. In fact, Rémi Heudes only started cycling once he was in his thirties. But once inside, the grandpa of the new French champion never gave up and even ran competitively until the age of 63 at the regional level.

Paul came to encourage me when he was little. And now it’s the other way around. It’s the logic of things!

“He sacrificed his youth for this”

Two hours after the coronation of his grandson, Rémi Heudes was not necessarily surprised.

Paul deserved it. He worked and sacrificed his youth for this. He started cycling at the VC Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët cycling school, before his parents put him into competition in juniors. He started to go strong in his second year among the cadets with around fifteen victories. From then on, he didn’t stop.

In 2019, Paul Lapeira, then 18 years old, left the family cocoon to join Savoie. He first joined the Chambéry Cyclisme Formation team then, in 2021, the AG2R-Citroën U23 team. These two teams from the World Tour Décathlon-AG2R La Mondiale training incubator provide half of the riders in the current squad.

“When he signed his professional contract with AG2R-Citroën Team (Editor’s note, the name of the team at the time), his sports manager Vincent Lavenu told me that Paul felt good about racing, but that he just needed to let it grow,” says Rémi Heudes.

After having completed his apprenticeship at the highest level for two years, with two grand tours carried out in 2023 (retirement at the Tour of Italy, 109th place at the Tour of Spain), Paul Lapeira has certainly turned the corner during this first semester after extending his lease with his current team until 2025.

A click this year

In March, during the same weekend, he won his first two professional successes. First in the French Cup on the Classic Loire-Atlantique then on the Cholet Agglo Tour. The cyclist from Grandparigny followed up at the beginning of April with his very first World Tour success. The highest level in the world. He notably triumphed in the 2nd stage of the Tour of the Basque Country in Spain, before confirming this a few days later by finishing 5th in the Dutch classic, the Amstel Gold Race.

This title of French champion, won at home in front of all his family, friends and members of his fan club, rewards all the work accomplished in the discipline with the support of his parents Franco and Fabienne. “Paul is a good kid who knows what he wants. And as he has always been serious, the results follow today. Work pays! »

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