Raphaël Gagné has killed two birds with one stone in recent months: he trained in the heat of Brazil to prepare for the next mountain biking season while sharing his daily life with his wife Viviane Favery, double Brazilian champion. from discipline to the marathon test.
The Quebecer was absent from the World Cups and World Championships last fall. The reason ? He was not part of a team recognized by the International Cycling Union, a condition imposed by Cycling Canada to give the green light to its athletes to travel to Europe.
Consolation for Gagné, the points at stake in these events should not count in the Olympic qualification process and it is the first two World Cups of the season, scheduled for May, that will prove everything. The Quebec cyclist, however, remains realistic about the races in Albstadt (Germany) and Nove Mesto (Czech Republic) which will seal the Olympic stake.
“My goal is still the Games, even if it is certain that my chances are slim,” he concedes. I’m still staying the course, because that’s what motivates me the most. I have everything to prove and nothing to lose. ”
To add to the challenge, Canada should only have one pass to the men’s event in Tokyo due to its place in the nations rankings, a first since the sport entered the Games program in 1996. At present, Léandre Bouchard is the best Canadian in the world rankings.
If Raphaël Gagné’s plan A does not work, plans B, C and D are also well established in this period where a short-term vision is essential given the uncertainty of the race schedule for the months to come.
“One thing is certain: it will be a season where it will be necessary to avoid doing several blocks of competition, but to choose two because I will not be able to multiply the quarantines. The watchword is to be flexible, ”thinks the 33-year-old athlete.
Brazil, an emerging mountain biking nation
When Raphaël Gagné is pointed out that he took the opposite path to former founder and Olympian Guido Visser, whose Brazilian spouse came to settle in Quebec, he laughs and finds the comparison interesting, even if he did not move to Brazil.
“It’s true that it looks the same anyway and in addition, my girlfriend Viviane knows Jacqueline very well (Mourao, Visser’s wife, who represented Brazil at the Olympic Games in mountain biking, cross-country skiing and biathlon ) ”, He says in an interview.
Returning to Quebec last week, Gagné had left his suitcases for four months in Campos do Jordao, a town located in the Mantiqueira mountain range. The perfect place to train, because this territory is between 500 meters and 2500 meters above sea level.
“There are a lot of playgrounds, whether it’s roads, dirt roads or trails to ride. There is a great cycling culture. ”
The reigning Pan American champion didn’t just get to see toucans from his balcony. He also saw how Brazilian mountain biking has been in turmoil for a while now, thanks in particular to Henrique Avancini, number one in the men’s world rankings and winner of a first World Cup last fall.
“The enthusiasm is really good and Brazil will be entitled to two (male) athletes at the Games. They have good depth. ”
This popularity is also evident in the webcast of the World Cup events which are now shown in Portuguese on Red Bull TV. It is also the wife of the Quebecer who is the analyst of cross-country and Short Track races.
Language lover, Gagné had learned a little Portuguese before his participation in the Olympic Games in Rio. He has a good command of Spanish and he has even often been the interpreter for the Canadian team during stays in South America.
In recent months, he has continued to learn Portuguese, while his girlfriend has taken up French.
“Now I listen to the radio or watch Netflix in Portuguese. I have no problem understanding it, but speaking it is a little more complicated. Learning this language is a form of respect for her, her family and her culture. I’ve always had this open-mindedness to soak up the culture when I went to a place to communicate with people. ”
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