Guillaume, can you go back to your Norman roots?
“I was born in Paris, I arrived in Normandy when I was just a few weeks old. My father is from Orne near Flers. My parents met in Paris but they wanted to come back here. For my part, I consider myself truly Norman, I grew up exclusively in Orne, in a place called Le Boderie where I still live. »
At what age did you start cycling?
“I was in the town of Saint-Honorine-la-Chardonne on the Calvados border, I started in the Condé-en-Normandie club. I took my first cycling license at 12 or 13 years old, I had tried Football before. I had my license for three years in the small club of Ségrie-Fontaine, I believe that they have recently rebuilt the club. I really liked football, the technical part, I think I wasn't bad at it. I had done internships in Alsace and near Nantes. The team sport aspect did not particularly suit my character. I was quite frustrated at not being in control of the results so I turned to cycling. »
So you had a childhood very focused on sport…
“Yes, we have a fairly sporty family in general, I was raised in sport and competition. My mother was more into rugby. Football was more my father even if I think he loved Stade Malherbe more than football itself. During this period between six and twelve years, we went to Ornano very regularly. »
What are your childhood memories of Stade Malherbe?
« It was our family outing with my father and my brother. We were afraid of traffic jams so we arrived super early and had our ritual. We started by going to see the car dealerships, then we went to see the youth matches in Venoix, we entered the stadium as soon as the doors opened and to avoid traffic jams, we went to see the players exit. For me it was at the beginning of the 2000s, I mainly experienced Ligue 2 and the rise to Ligue 1 in 2004. My youth idols were Franck Dumas, Titi Deroin and Kor Sarr.
The match that really struck me the most was in the Coupe de France against Auxerre. The stadium was as full as an egg and we scored a disallowed goal at the end of the match, it put my father in a state that I will always remember. And then this match against Zaragoza, I wasn't born but my father had the VHS at home that I played on repeat when I was a kid. I don't have much experience of other stadiums but the fervor here has always struck me. There is a loyalty here that I have always been quite proud of, the people are behind this club regardless of the results. »
How often do you follow football today?
“A bit like my father, I quickly detached myself from football. Even today I watch what's happening in Ligue 1 or the Champions League but I really rarely watch matches. On the other hand, I have always continued to follow at least the results from Stade Malherbe. We each have our own lives now but when possible, we make this little Proust madeleine with my brother and my father by coming to the stadium in the same conditions. »
The Tour de France in Normandy, what does it mean to you?
“I was told by Thierry Gouvenou a few weeks before the route was revealed. There were rumors in the press too but yes I was super happy and excited to be there. Personally, the Bayeux – Vire stage will pass a few hundred meters from my home, I will have to make the most of it, it will certainly only happen once in my career, it is the most beautiful race in the world. Since I became a pro, we had only had to do around thirty kilometers in the south of Orne on the Tour. »
If you had to go on an outing with the players, where would you take them?
“From d’Ornano you can do a nice loop. We will head towards Suisse Normande towards Thury Harcourt and Clécy, we will climb some beautiful hills like La Rançonnière, pushing on to Roche d'Oëtre. Then we will return with the wind at our backs across the plain to Caen. »
And if you had to make a football team with Normandy cyclists, what would it look like?
“I think there would be a lot of midfielders because there are a lot of tough guys. I will give the armband to Anthony Delaplace for the experience and I will put him with me in midfield. Up front I see more Kévin Vauquelin and Paul Lapeira who could make his grinta speak. And behind I put Paul Ourselin to protect us but it would be a team focused on attack. »
