Schoolboy from Montauban, Clément Bouyssou has just won his third title of French cycling champion in his category. Portrait of this athlete with his head in the handlebars.
“On the furniture there are about twenty trophies but in total I have about ninety victories to my credit”, launches Clément Bouyssou from the height of his 14 years. The number leaves stoic. It’s quite rare to speak to someone, moreover, of his age with so many victories without detecting the slightest ego. “Ah, and I am also a double champion of France,” he continues, giving his prize list with disconcerting modesty. The first title dates from 2019 and the second from 2022.
At the Bouyssou, the passion for cycling is deeply rooted. “My grandfather and my father also cycled. When I started the sport, I also rode a bike. “In seven years of practice, the young Clément has not always been in the Tarn-et-Garonne.
The story begins in the Mediterranean, in Bastia in Corsica. The Island of Beauty saw him begin and it is his father, Christophe who has trained him since his beginnings. “I train him but I don’t force him. I don’t want to be one of his former athletes who were frustrated at not having succeeded. He is in control and if he wants to stop, he stops,” explains the coach dad.
For Clément, the stop is not on the agenda. Before sport, whether for the father or the son, the most important thing is school. At school, as on the road, everything rolls. “I have an average of 16 in college, I manage to reconcile the two rather well”, explains Clément with a little modesty. A little phrase that shows that in Clément’s mind, something started must be successful.
A family pride
“We are proud of him, of course, but we make sure he doesn’t get overwhelmed,” teases Christophe Bouyssou, who can rest easy on this point. In the quest for victories, Clément also has the support of Nathalie Bely, former secretary of Espoir Cycliste Montalbanais, in which Clément is dismissed.
“I saw in Clément that he had everything to succeed, so we worked and he became French champion, it’s an immense source of pride”. In addition to being pushed by his relatives, Clément is also pushed by his first club, in Bastia. The club is linked to that of Montauban and its performances are monitored there.
Champion for the third time
This support is a way for the Montalban champion to draw his motivation. “It helps me to always do better. I sometimes train on the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix and I have spoken to great champions. I’m happy and I don’t put any pressure on myself, ”explains the champion.
The pressure is not felt it is true. From his young age, he also thinks about the future, when he has to put the bike down or when he wants to stop on his own. “I see myself as a doctor or a sports manager”. With the background he has, there is no doubt that he will succeed in doing what he pleases.
In any case, the bike is not about to be deposited in the garage. Friday July 15, in Côte-d’Or, not far from Dijon, Clément won his third title of champion of France. A victory which, like the others, will be modestly told, without overdoing it but knowing that he is a champion. Something to make a whole department proud.
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