2023-07-10 11:23:08
He couldn’t help but shed a little tear, seeing these runners tackle the slopes of the venerable puy de Dôme again. He had been dreaming about it for so long, without really believing in it, but without resigning himself to it. Finally, he got it, this victory of tenacity.
The scene did not take place with Christian Prudhomme, the boss of the Tour de France, on the 9th stage of the Grande Boucle arriving at the top of the famous Mont d’Auvergne on Sunday July 9, but a few months earlier, in September 2022. And in the role of the moved organizer, Gérard Cabantous, less illustrious, but yellow jersey of unfeigned satisfaction. Before giving itself up to the professionals of the peloton, it is to simple amateurs that the Puy de Dôme has in fact opened up, within the framework of a race like no other: the Climbers’ Trophy.
A lack of time trial events
Gérard Cabantous, retired from Michelin and then vice-president of the Auvergne cycling committee, had the idea in 2015 of this series of races against the clock on several climbs in the territory. “The French Federation was pushing for the launch of projects as part of its campaign to promote cycling for all, and I imagined this formula above all to make people discover certain siteshe says. It was a little absurd because there was no event against the clock in Auvergne at the time, and the time was for leisure cycling. But I was offering competition, open to all categories, of course, but still…”
To establish his business, Gérard Cabantous does not jump into the saddle alone. He enlists the support of a former runner friend and owner of a company specializing in advertising objects and textiles. Claude Séguy, pro for a few years with the Super U team piloted by Cyrille Guimard, then the Toshiba with its captain Jean-François Bernard, embarked a little blindly: “We started one event, then two, and we’re up to 14 today, with the Puy de Dôme as the icing on the cake! »
Gérard Cabantous still can’t believe it: “We initially left for three years. But by betting on conviviality, shared passion, the clubs on which we rely on all the sites, we have convinced. » From mid-May to mid-October, with a break in July “because people are in front of their television for the Tour”the trophy stops at the Puy de Sancy, the Col de la Croix-Morand, or even the climb to Prat de Bouc, in Cantal.
Difficult to attract young people
“Any amateur over the age of 15 can come, we have ten categories, but it must be recognized that it is especially the 40-60 year olds who like to take on a little challenge.emphasizes Claude Séguy. We would like to be able to participate more in the identification of young talents. » The trophy now enjoys a small notoriety, “so we are not complaining, because we register 55 participants on average, except on the puy de Dôme which we limit to 200 peoplesupports Gérard Cabantous. But other races row with sometimes 20 or 30 participants. And then the flagmen, on the road, see the average age: well over 60 years old. Too bad the young people hesitate to come to our events, they think that the grandpas are having fun with each other! »
To motivate the troops, the organizers call from time to time to some professionals. Rémi Cavagna, French time trial champion in 2020 and 2023, thus participated “to a test or twoappreciates Claude Séguy. But they are very much in demand and it is difficult to attract their attention”. For Gérard Cabantous, this “lack of support from the professional world” is a small flat in the adventure of the trophy.
Bring the bike to life
This field work of many associations throughout France, Christian Prudhomme measures it every year. The director of the Tour de France did not need to be asked, during his preparatory visit a few weeks ago in Auvergne, to pay tribute to the collective animating the Trophy of the climbers: “We need organizers like you. »
A few days later, on the occasion of the climb of the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert, it was Bernard Thévenet, double winner of the Tour in 1975 and 1977 and current director of the Critérium du Dauphiné, who passed a head as a neighbour: “I’m happy to see that cycling is still alive at the grassroots. Thank you for what you do for the bike. » From now on, Gérard Cabantous and Claude Séguy would like to see their trophy grow in Allier, the only department of Auvergne that they have not yet visited.
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