Thibaud Gruel’s career is off to a good start. A year ago, he was preparing to alternate events with Conti and the Groupama-FDJ WorldTeam before a definitive move to the big leagues on January 1, 2025. It was finally in March that he made the jump. “There were many unexpected twists and turns. I figured it would save me some time. I was able to learn faster than expected. It didn’t scare me, I saw it as an opportunity”. He was able to grasp it very quickly. “I had some good results, even in the WorldTour. I didn’t expect to run these races and I was able to make Top 10, at the Tour de Romandie and in Plouay. I progressed quickly (see its DirectVelo file)”, he appreciates from DirectVelobefore launching its 2025 season this Sunday at the Valencia Grand Prix.
The 20-year-old runner estimates he has “luck” to be quite complete on the bike. “It’s a quality that I must manage to keep. Where I feel the best is on the efforts for the punchers”. And that’s good, many races correspond to this quality. He has a preference for Flandrian classics. “It’s these races that make me dream. I’ve already done a few cobblestone climbs, I felt comfortable, I like it. These are efforts that suit me well. They’re also my favorite to watch on television, there are always lots of twists and turns. There is also the very famous Belgian atmosphere. All this combined makes it really tempting”.
But he will have to wait to compete in these events. The runner from Indre-et-Loire had asked his team to be aligned this year with a few Flandriennes, but they chose another calendar for him for the spring. “After Paris-Nice and until mid-May, the team prefers that I do quite a few rounds of the Coupe de France to play for the win”. Which is not to displease him. “I have other races to compete in to learn and arrive at the Classics more ready next season, I hope. A Tour of Flanders, I know it’s not nothing, it’s long, super hard. I do not pretend to say that I will be at the level of our leaders”. Considering his 2024 season, he seems on track to get closer quite quickly.
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