The amateur season is slowly starting its comeback. After a stay in the South-West, in the Basque Country, then in the South-East, in the Haut-Var, it is now the North-West which is entering the dance, from this Saturday, with the Grand Prix of Saint -Hilaire-Du-Harcouët (Elite Nationale). Already present on the Buckles of Haut-Var, the VC Rouen 76 will give its first pedal strokes, at home or almost. Its sports director, Jean-Philippe Yon, is already reassured by these debuts in Provence. “We managed to create a good team, it’s important. Our goal was to win events, we didn’t succeed. We made tactical mistakes a few times, but it’s a young group, it there is a lack of experience. But physically, it is very reassuring “, he synthesizes.
“TO BE STRONGER THAN OTHERS IN THE HEAD”
After already a largely disrupted 2020 financial year, especially for the youngest of them, 2021 does not necessarily start in the best way with the new successions of cancellations and postponements. The technician sounds the alarm. “We are about to sacrifice two generations of juniors and hopes if there is not enough competition. Juniors do not progress if they do not run. There are hopes almost on the verge of passing pro. If they can’t express themselves, it will put a brake on their professional career, it’s embarrassing “. Even in the direction of his team, the problems are felt. “We can’t project ourselves. We make lines and we change all the time. We think we run twice on weekends and then we only run once. So we leave runners at home…”.
There is no question, however, of showing dejection in the face of the health crisis which threatens the holding of races. “I tell them that we will have to be stronger than the others in the head and accept this hyper indecisive situation. It is not because we stay a weekend at home that we should not be efficient. the next one. We make blocks to be efficient every time “. Especially since after a successful year 2020, the VC Rouen 76 seems to have taken another step forward, as of the winter recruitment. In particular with the arrivals of Florentin Lecamus-Lambert, Hugo Toumire or even Sébastien Havot. “It is clear that on paper we have a team that holds up strongly. It poses problems for the current lines. There are runners who walk well who cannot run as there are few races”.
“THEY MUST LEARN TO CANALIZE”
Questions arise for the most talented among them, who could make the switch among professionals. “It’s interesting to work with young people full of ambitions, there are two or three who can make it through the next year if we have a normal season”, says Jean-Philippe Yon. And this condition has played a role in the timing for the year 2021. “We had focused our calendar on a lot of Class 2, which represents about fifty days of racing. We were taken everywhere except the Flèche Ardennaise. The organizers saw our quality group”. But the 2021 book starts off badly with a number of postponements and cancellations among these races. “These talented runners need to challenge themselves at this level”, adds the Rouen sports director.
But among them, two have already won their place among the pros for 2022. These are Hugo Toumire (Cofidis) and Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa Samsic), both Espoirs 2. “They are runners who lack experience compared to the high level of racing. We have to teach them to channel themselves and ways of running differently, rather than doing anything.”. And the Class 2 represented a golden opportunity for Jean-Philippe Yon and his charges. “If you want to win a Class 2 you have to be reasonable and be hyper present in strategic places. I consider that they almost come out of the Juniors because they did not run much in 2020. Kevin must have barely ten days of racing and Hugo does not. didn’t run much with Chambéry “. Experience will therefore be a key point for both. But if the Class 2 are still desired, a race like that of Saint-Hilaire-Du-Harcouët this Saturday could allow them to take some benchmarks, because Rouen will be there with the big team.
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