Corentin Ermenault will not go to the Paris Olympic Games. The member of Team Bricquebec Cotentin announced it on his social networks. It was the dream of a career that collapsed for the 28-year-old competitor, who had planned to hang it up at the end of this season. The several-time European Champion chaser explains to DirectVelo how he feels about his non-selection.
DirectVelo: How did you learn that you were not selected?
Corentin Ermenault: Steven (Henry) came to tell me at the end of the last internship. He had two arguments. The first is that my second stint is not good enough. But Thomas’s (Denis) second stint that he selected is less good than mine. If we look at the Watts table, I lost less than him on this second stint. The other argument is that Thomas could occupy several positions but at the Olympics, we have one pursuit per day, we do not need to change the composition of the team. There is no argument actually…
“I FALL FROM HEIGHT”
What was your reaction?
At first I thought it was a joke but I quickly understood that it wasn’t. I defended my arguments, I wanted to show in black and white that Thomas was losing more Watts than me. I was shocked. It was in the morning. At noon, I gathered the riders to say a word of farewell.
How have you felt since then?
I wonder what I’m doing here. I have based my life on this objective, I live for the Olympics, so to learn that I will not be there, and the way I learned it, I do not accept it.
“I WAS NOT PLANNING ON GOING TO THE GAMES AND MAKING A RIDICULOUS OUT OF MYSELF”
You were present at the French Championship where you finished 2nd Amateur in the time trial…
Between the training camp and the French Championship, I competed in a race (La Flèche Bigoudène, 12th, Editor’s note) and I got on the bike the day before the time trial, that’s all. At the Championship, I was crying under my helmet and under my glasses.
Did you feel this non-selection coming?
I trusted the federation and Steven. I was told to prepare for the Olympics, not the training course. After the Nations Cup in Canada (in April, Editor’s note)where my level wasn’t great, Steven told me that he was still counting on me and that “If you suck in June, we’ll ask ourselves questions.“But I wasn’t told that I wouldn’t be selected. I progressed and the rules of the game were, “If your Watts improve, you will be in the selection“. I asked if I had to prepare specially for the course, I was told no. I progressed from 30 to 50 Watts for the first relay. Steven told me things that he did not respect If I wasn’t in the game during the training, I would have been the first to agree not to go. I wasn’t planning to go to the Games making a fool of myself.
“THE HOUR RECORD IS THE ONLY THING THAT COULD MAKE ME WANT AGAIN”
We feel you bruised…
The thing that stabs me the most is that I thought Steven knew me well, but no. I’m not a lightning striker in training but I’m much stronger in racing. I always put out a higher number of Watts in races. During internship, I was already above in terms of Watts. Steven didn’t take it into account.
How do you see the future?
I don’t see much. It’s very complicated for me. I feel like everything fell on me. For the moment, I don’t want to start again. I wanted to drop everything but it bothers me to finish like this. I saw myself finishing on a high note and now it’s ruining the reflection of my career. I have the image of the guy who wasn’t selected. I’d like to finish on a high note and give a good image of myself but I don’t know if I’ll manage to get back on the bike. With Axel Narbonne-Zuccarelli, we were talking about the hour record. It’s the only thing that could make me want to do it again but for the moment, the desire isn’t there. This non-selection is something that we can’t digest but we have to live with it.
