“Allez les Bleus, Allez les Bleus…” This Sunday, the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome was transformed into a football stadium to bring Benjamin Thomas and Donavan Grondin to the world title on the Madison (the so-called race at the American). Dress rehearsal less than two years from the Paris Olympics, these Worlds were a success on the sporting and organizational level.
The French team at the rendezvous
In total, the French won seven medals: three gold (Mathilde Gros in speed, Marie-Divine Kouamé in the 500m and the Thomas-Grondin duo in Madison), three silver (Benjamin Thomas in the Omnium, Clara Copponi-Valentine Fortin on the Madison, Melvin Landerneau on the Kilometer) and a bronze (women’s team pursuit). “The objective was to play the leading roles and we played them, welcomes Florian Rousseau, head of the Olympic program at the French Cycling Federation. The objective remains the Olympic Games but these Worlds were an important marker to launch a dynamic of success. We saw a great team from France with youth and experience. It’s promising. We will enjoy and quickly get back to work. »
Five out of seven medals were won in disciplines that will be on the Olympic programme. “But the medals of Melvin and Marie-Divine, who is the real revelation of these Worlds, are also important in view of the construction of a collective for team speed”, continues Rousseau.
Mathilde Gros asserts herself, Benjamin Thomas as a leader
The first great emotion of these Worlds was offered by Mathilde Gros, 23, on Friday in a hurry. Propelled very quickly to the top of the bill, darling of the media, the ex-basketball player was lost. But she rebuilt herself with Grégory Baugé, appointed sprint coach in January. “Mathilde went through very difficult times, but she gave herself the means to bounce back, underlines Baugé. There has been a huge evolution in her. »
“She is inspiring, when I saw her win, intimately, I dreamed of doing like her”, smiles Marie-Divine Kouamé, 20 years old. With also two podiums in endurance (team pursuit, madison), the results are very positive for the girls. “There was a good progression in pursuit and in speed”, underlines Rousseau. “Thursday’s podium in the team pursuit kicked off this great week,” said endurance coach Steven Henry. I am very proud of them, because they come from very far away. It’s almost seven years of work that has been rewarded. »
With two medals, Benjamin Thomas, who arrived very tired after a long season on the road at Cofidis and suffered from dizziness on Wednesday in the team pursuit, showed that he remained the leader of this endurance team. “It’s the locomotive of the group, supports Henry. He answered now. The approach was tough but it was the desire that made the difference. He takes real pleasure in coming to the France team. »
The empty men’s sprint
Among the disappointments is the men’s team pursuit – “we tried things”, pleads Steven Henry – but especially the men’s sprint which left empty-handed. The false start in team speed on Wednesday (6th time only since 1995 that France has not been on the podium) had set the tone. “We do not go far in the keirin (4th and 5th) but clearly, staff and runners, hoped for better, recognizes Baugé. We don’t have anyone on the last day in a hurry. It’s very mixed. That’s why even if the overall balance is positive, we’re not going to fall asleep. The goal is the Olympics and we are not ready yet…”
A great popular success
“We had already experienced an atmosphere of madness in 2015 but there we went up a notch again,” smiles Florian Rousseau. As Donavan Grondin pointed out, “the crowd often gave wings” to the runners. “The magic of running at home has played, we dare not imagine what it will be like at the Olympics”, already projects Michel Callot, president of the FFC, who also draws a “positive assessment of these Worlds on the organizational level “. “We showed that the Vélodrome would be ready for Paris 2024. At the Olympics, the program is less extensive, so it’s even simpler in terms of organization than the Worlds. »
The Saint-Quentin track will undergo a little grooming. “We’re going to sand it again, it will be prettier”, continues Callot who has not forgotten the power cut which plunged the Vélodrome into darkness for a few minutes on Saturday. “It’s the advantage of organizing a big event on an Olympic site, it shows us the little things to secure in terms of infrastructure and to avoid bugs. It was a good dress rehearsal. »