The French Elite Track Championships took place from Friday January 3 to Sunday January 5, 2025 at the Brittany Velodrome in Loudéac (Côtes-d'Armor). In competition in women's keirin – the young Réunionnaise Léa Grondin climbed to the third step of the podium (Photo: Pôle France Cyclisme Outre-Mer FFC)
Aged 16, the Reunion Island cyclist failed to win against Marie-Louise Drouode who won the championship and Lou Dolez.
Not enough to make the sportswoman blush, who still finished in third place in the women's keirin.
The young cyclist races under the banner of the eastern Bras-Panon club.
A real pride for his parents who follow his journey closely.
To understand what keirin is. It is a 2,000 meter speed race, contested by a peloton of six to eight cyclists, aligned according to a draw at the start.
But the keirin has an originality: during the first 1,400 meters, a moped keeps the pace. When she moves away, the sprint begins between the riders, and it often turns out to be spectacular with lots of contact and falls.
The order of passage of the line determines the final classification.
– Léa Grondin, the hope of French Cycling –
Interviewed by Imaz Press just a few weeks ago, Léa Grondin is a surprising young woman nicknamed “Miss 985 Watts”.
Read also – Track cycling: Léa Grondin, Miss 985 Watts
At only 16 years old, Léa – a sportswoman at the Overseas pole (which brings together overseas hopefuls in different sporting disciplines in a single CREPS) in Bourges – still has a great program of competitions awaiting her.
After these French Elite Track Championships, she continues with an international event in Apeldoorn, in the Netherlands. A useful guideline in view of the Junior World Championships which will take place on the same oval in August 2025.
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Sport, Cycling, Léa Grondin
