A Giro premier
“It’s a role I wasn’t used to. I have to respect it with great desire, knowing very well that at the end of the day I will not win. In the World Tour, it's more hierarchical,” explains the Béarnais rider, who is keen to position his leaders as best as possible by rubbing shoulders and sometimes taking big risks at full speed: “That's good, I love it! »
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In good shape throughout the season, Cyril Barthe competed in 78 days of racing, the 5th total in the blue white red group. “I enjoyed a first victory for the team at the GP La Marseillaise, ideal for launching 2024. I was able to string together races and successes, particularly on the Franche-Comté weekend with three victories in three days for Lenny Martinez and David Gaudu”, jubilant the child from West Béarn.
Cyril Barthe's mission will be to launch his sprinter to victory.
Groupama-FDJ Cycling team
“At the top of my form”
A model teammate, Cyril Barthe added to his collection new prestigious races such as Tirreno-Adriatico or the Giro, interspersed with a fine 6th place on a stage of the Tour of Catalonia. Initially intended to work for the sprinter Paul Penhoët, the Béarnais saw his plans modified following the latter's injury. He thus sacrificed himself for several leaders, notably Laurence Pithie at the Giro. Without much success since the New Zealander, who has since left for Red Bull-Bora, arrived short of form in the boot.
“I used the Swiss army knife and learned a lot during this first year at Groupama-FDJ. Today, I feel in top shape physically, I have reached a milestone,” appreciates the 28-year-old runner.
“The current bike gives very specific boxes to each rider. We see that it is often the same people who win,” Cyril Barthe.
The successor of a certain Matthieu Ladagnous discovers the demands of the very high level in a cloverleaf team where “nothing is left to chance, everything is calculated, everything is done so that we just have to pedal. The dietitian is next to us, he allows us to know exactly what our body needs. We are also very aware of sleep. »
“Serving a leader”
Groupama-FDJ cycling team
The Sauveterrian discovered the Tour of Italy last season. This season he hopes to compete in a 7th Grand Tour in his career.
In 2025, Cyril Barthe will return to the train of his sprinter teammate Paul Penhoët, who at the age of 23 must confirm all the hopes placed in him. “We ran together at the end of last year. Automation is being installed, it is working well. The goal will be to win with Paul. I would be his penultimate pitcher. Then, we will do it based on the automation, the team composition, but also the facts of the race,” explains the “pilot fish” who will have to jostle to launch the Penhoët rocket during the mass arrivals.
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Now more withdrawn, Cyril Barthe feels no frustration at sacrificing his chances of success in the service of a collective. “The current bike gives very specific boxes to each rider. We see that it is often the same people who win. In the past, I had my chance several times and saw that I had not won on an individual level. So I try to put everything I have learned at the service of a leader capable of winning,” argues the runner trained at UC Orthézienne, also “lucid about his level.” “I started professional cycling quite late. I still have milestones to overcome. I can progress almost everywhere, especially in the end-of-stage and more 'punchy' efforts.”
End of contract in 2025
After a final pre-season training course in Calpe, Spain, Cyril Barthe will begin his season at the Valencia Community Classic (January 26), followed by the Étoile de Bessèges (February 5 to 9), and the Tour de Provence (02/14 to 16). He should then test the pavement on the Belgian semi-classic Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (March 2). The rest will depend on its form and that of its leader.
Groupama-FDJ cycling team
Cyril Barthe saw another Béarnais join his team, his friend Tom Donnenwirth.
“I don’t really know yet if I’m going to race a Grand Tour. I'm already going to focus on this first big block of February. With experience, when we make plans on the comet, it never goes as planned. It is better to focus on the short term,” observes the runner from Sauveterre. At the end of his contract at the end of the 2025 season, Cyril Barthe has the firm intention of continuing at the highest level of cycling. “It only depends on me, I have to be good in my role without having physical problems and in good health. »
