“Competition is what pushes me to transcend myself. »
With 250 other runners, he will try to play his card during the Worlds in the 44/49 year old category. “I don’t know the entire circuit but during the European Championships last year, we took part of the final loop,” specifies the man who climbed to 6e place last year. Victory went to the Spaniard Samuel Sanchez, Olympic road champion in 2008 in Beijing.
Between his departure from Charente in the middle of the week and the race, his days between Hal and Louvain will be numbered. No time to mark the entire 183 km course, which he should complete in 5h30. “We will have 90 km on the line before two laps of the circuit,” specifies the man who will have all the information related to the route dictated on his computer. “I still have this navigation. It is a discipline that requires a lot of concentration and this allows you to anticipate. »
His Team Coop teammate Maxime Teulière, injured, will ultimately not be there. But Charente will be able to count on Damien Cordeiro (Angoulême VC), among the 19/34 year olds.
A former road pro for 18 years and a veteran of cyclo-cross, the athlete removed from the peloton for six months in 2008 for using a banned substance, has always appreciated “the natural side of gravel. From the start, I had a good feeling. First by hiking and then competing. I get adrenaline again. You need concentration, analysis, choosing your equipment and your racing strategy carefully… Everything can change much more quickly than on the road so you have to know how to position yourself so as not to be trapped. There are also fewer falls and they are less heavy than on the road,” he explains.
Angoulême-Chamonix in 27 hours
To prepare as best as possible, the long outings he undertakes have been assets. “I am capable of going for 250, 300 km. Basically, I’m not afraid of long distances. » Bordeaux-Paris, tour of the Charente… and even Angoulême-Chamonix (735 km) in 27 hours!
On site, his daughter and Magali Richard, from Team Coop, will be ready to supply the runner and anticipate his needs during the race. “The energy expenditure is much higher than on the road, with around 40 g more carbohydrates to consume per hour. So you have to eat well,” he analyzes.
European champion last year, he also won this summer in Millau, during a World Cup round. The only one disputed in France. “Competition is what pushes me to transcend myself,” he sums up.
In Belgium, Loïc Herbreteau, on the front line thanks to his good results, will have to be wary of the wind and the breaks. And if there are a few clouds, he hopes to see the sun so that a rainbow will appear on his jersey. Before heading back to Asiago (Italy), to put his European title back on the line.
Desires for competition in Charente
An idea seems to have been running through Loïc Herbreteau’s head for some time: organizing a gravel competition in Charente. World Cup round, French championship… Why not. “I would like to be a standard bearer of the discipline in Charente. And develop discipline here. We really have what it takes to have a great event and when we see the number of entrants elsewhere…” announces the athlete, who is looking for partners and a town to host the event. His hike, La Charentaise, is already in its third edition. But this is not an audience of competitors. “They are more like epicureans,” smiles Loïc Herbreteau. Athletes who do not necessarily come to put on a bib and set off on a timed course. “That’s also what we like about gravel: stopping and enjoying the landscape.”
Related News :