The 2021 season is due to start this Sunday for the Groupama-FDJ, on the occasion of Grand Prix La Marseillaise, in a context where several events (Algarve tour, Sarthe circuit…) have been postponed or canceled in recent days. Yvon Madiot, director of the Sport division within the French team, is preparing to start the season but also for other contingencies.
Video – Marc Madiot talks about his team’s objectives for 2021!
“It would be very difficult to stop the runners in February”
“We thought that it would be the same for the recovery, that we would start again on the format of bubbles, tests, and protocols that have been proven. We are naturally aware that everything can stop, but we wanted each other, and we always want to be optimistic. In any case, it would have been impossible to set up a plan B or even a plan C. […] We imagined scenarios in the event that the competitions are maintained. We do not, however, if the general and strict confinement is pronounced. It would be very difficult to stop the runners in February. They did not run at all, they did training courses and invested themselves all winter. It would be the worst thing. We prefer not to consider it, but it’s in the back of our minds“, Explain Yvon Madiot to its formation.
“Everything is done so that we are operational”
The director of the Sport division within the Groupama-FDJ did not hide his desire to resume the season. “We are all competitors, including us sports directors. We are not going to say “there is no problem” either, because it is not true. But we are confident and we are ready to run. It’s a bit the general slogan. It is better to be in these arrangements, even if you then have to accept a cancellation and a return to square one. This is the message we send to the runners. Today, everything is being done so that we are operational for the competitions; preparation, stewardship, everything is in motion. […] We are also able to change our teams quickly. Our logistics allow us to do this. We are less apprehensive about the difficulties that may arise“, he declares.
The season will resume on Sunday, in a context that is still just as special. “But we are confident and we are ready to run,” says Yvon Madiot. Interview.
dŸ ‘‰ https://t.co/5gwdbhfffO
П ‡ ¬ðŸ ‡ § https://t.co/x7XQ8wfsro pic.twitter.com/9Mvo2zFGyA– Groupama-FDJ Cycling Team (@GroupamaFDJ) January 26, 2021
“We have set up tailor-made courses”
Yvon Madiot also discussed the preparation of his team for the 2021 season. “We have set up tailor-made courses. This year even more than usual. We adapt our courses according to the specific qualities of our runners. We have also adapted to the number. We did not want to end up with a hundred, despite the practicality and the benefits that this entails. Not only would it have been difficult to find hotels large enough, but above all, it would have been difficult to manage. There would have been a hint of risk, and now is not the time to take it“, he concludes.
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