Marc Madiot confided in Cyclism’Actu on the occasion of the big presentation of his team Groupama-FDJ this Wednesday, at the headquarters of partner FDJ, in the Paris region. After a correct but uneven 2024, with 16 victories but still none on the Tour de France over which she has not triumphed since 2019, like a David Gaudu in difficulty then found on The Return At the end of the year, the French team hopes to return to the top this season. At our microphone, the boss of the clover team discussed different subjects: his experience at the Groupama-FDJits ambitions for the 2025 season, but also the evolution of modern Cycling and the direction it is currently taking.
Video – Marc Madiot at the microphone of Cyclism’Actu in 2025
“I had the chance to race in the biggest teams in the world”
First of all, he spoke of his 29 years as manager of the Groupama-FDJ : “It’s even worse than that! If I count my years as a runner, it’s astronomical… it’s quite incredible yes. Would I have believed it? Not necessarily, dreaming it perhaps, probably even, but my life in cycling is still quite special. I started when I was 14-15 years old and I wanted to become a professional cyclist. As I have often said, I had the vocation to be. runner as we are meant to be priest”he explains.
He continues: “I had this vocation for around fifteen years among the pros, I had the chance to race in the greatest teams in the world, with the greatest riders in the world: Hinault, Fignon, Lemond and others… I had this chance as a runner, and then my idea was to start from scratch and create my team. It’s my second vocation, I had a chance in a million. to achieve this, and 30 years later I’m still here, so it’s a bit dizzying. Time flies: I was doing the math, I must have spent 40 months on the Tour de France, or 3-4 years of my life on the Tour de France. ..”.
“We have cultivated the desire, and that should translate into results down the road”
For this new season, he explained, like every year, starting from scratch: “When I was a rider, I reset the counter on January 1st, and I drew the curtain on the previous season. Since I became team boss, each time, it’s the same trigger: January 1st , the counter is reset to zero This year I am lucky to have a team that is a little different from what I have had in certain seasons. I have the feeling of having people at all levels who have. want to be there I have the feeling. that there is an osmosis, an adhesion, a collective and a loyalty for a certain number of runners which is important in the progress of the team”he continues.
-He also mentioned the agreement between David Gaudu et Guillaume Martinas well as general cohesion within the team: “It’s perfect. For me, it’s going in the direction we wanted. I have no doubts about the homogeneity of functioning between the two runners, they have the same temperament, the same desire to race, They both have a certain maturity. The feeling is good in the team. We make the best use of our resources, particularly in supporting the riders. but also in nutrition, physical preparation, internships… We cultivated the desire, and that should translate into results down the road”.
“You have to be careful to keep the personality of the runner”
Finally, he talked about the shift that cycling is currently taking: “Cycling is in a turning point. There is an appetite and an attraction from major sponsors who are coming towards cycling. This will inevitably change the philosophy and the approach to what the profession of cyclist and the life of a cyclist is. a team. We must be careful to keep the personality of the runner. He must be able to maintain his spontaneity, and express himself in relation to his own feelings, avoid robotizing the runner. of what is sensational, where humans take over.”.
He ends: “A good example is that of Valentin Madouas, who did not win, he came 2nd at the Olympics, but he will be one of the things that remain. He had the chance to be very operational one day, in a magical place: the Montmartre circuit He captured the public, and the public captured him. Without winning, he transmitted something that will be remembered for a long time. What the athlete transmits through his performance is often more important in the end. than the classification. The modern world of cycling should never lose sight of it. We must leave to the runners the part of the magic that they must preserve.he concludes.
