In a big year for France, the French national champion talks about Olympic dreams, winning his home race and life at FDJ after Thibaut Pinot
Words Katy Madgwick Photography Tornanti.cc
Cyclist: You became French road race champion last season. Is that something you ever believed you could achieve?
Valentin Madouas: Yes, it’s a dream that came true. It was a really hard race. Physically I was having the best day of my life – it was a real test and a dream that I’ve had since I became a pro. It’s a race that we won together, the team and I, and it was the collective strength of the team that meant I was able to win.
Cyc: After that you won your home race, the Bretagne Classic, in Brittany. What did that mean to you?
VM: It was my first WorldTour win, so it was very important for me. My goal at the start of the year was to win a WorldTour race and to be French champion, so I was really happy to win these two races and above all to win at Plouay. Once again, this was a race I’d been dreaming about winning since I was a child. It’s the only Classic in Brittany, where I live, so it was a really fine victory and something that just means so much to me.
Cyc: If 2023 was a good year, can 2024 be even better?
VM: Yes, it has to be better for me. Last year I set myself some objectives that were high but achievable. This year I hope to make further progress and be even stronger. The start of the season has been a bit trickier, but I’m hoping to reach my top level by the time of Liège-Bastogne-Liège (note: Madouas went on to finish seventh overall at La Doyenne behind the likes of Tadej Pogačar, Romain Bardet and Mathieu van der Poel) and then there are some very important races, with the Tour de France and, I hope, the Olympic Games.
Cyc: Which areas are you working to improve on?
VM: I want to be more consistent. I’ve been working on adding a bit more depth, doing more hours on the bike to be even stronger at the end of races. And experience comes into it too. I’m 27, I’m starting to know the routes, the places that are really important in a particular race, and that is what’s making the difference for me.
Cyc: You are now a leader at FDJ. How is that going?
VM: It’s true that the team has changed with the retirement of Thibaut Pinot and the departure of Arnaud Démare. I’ve always been a protected rider, but I’m one of the oldest riders in the team now, and that does change things. I’m trying to train the young guys, to create a group and move the collective forward and that’s more what my role is now. But I like this role and I hope I can do it 100%.
Cyc: Who on the team do you admire the most?
VM: For the young guys, Romain Grégoire and Lenny Martinez are very strong. I was always very close to Thibaut Pinot. We were very similar types of people, we understood each other very well and he’s a rider who marked the start of my career with the pros – he helped me have confidence in myself. It’s a mix between young guys and older riders and that’s what’s great about this team.
Cyc: What’s your favourite moment in your career so far?
VM: There have been a lot of good times. Of course, the French Championships, also Plouay, and when Thibaut retired last year at Il Lombardia, that was a really special week. Those three moments stand out the most. Also, my first win as a professional at Paris-Bourges [in 2018], which was fantastic.
Cyc: Which race would you most like to win?
VM: That’s a hard one. There are loads, but the main one for me is the Tour of Flanders. It’s a Monument and a race I’d really like to win [Madouas came third in 2022]. Hard races like Strade Bianche are the races I dream about, and then of course the Olympic Games, the World Championships and not forgetting the one major objective for my career: to win a stage of the Tour de France.
Cyc: What would it mean to represent France at your home Olympic Games this year?
VM: It would mean so much. It has been a life goal for me since I was a child; I used to watch the Olympic Games on television and this year we are incredibly lucky to have the Olympics in France, on a course that suits me. It’s an honour to be able to wear the colours of France. There will be a huge amount of people watching the race. I hope I’ll be there; I hope to ride well and do everything so that a French rider wins a medal at this race.
Cyc: What motivates you to get up and ride a bike every morning?
VM: A lot of things. I love my sport, I love training. Personally, it’s a way to think about something else and to feelgood. After that I think about races, about winning. I love competition, I love racing against strong opponents and that feeling when you win a race is truly unbelievable.
Cyc: During the off-season you climbed 6,000m Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. What made you want to do that?
VM: My partner and I like a challenge and things that are a little bit different. We like to travel, and the dream was to go on safari. We took advantage of having Mount Kilimanjaro nearby, and we had a fantastic week climbing it, where all we had to think about was ourselves and our bodies. It’s an experience I’d recommend to everyone.
Cyc: What else do you enjoy doing off the bike?
VM: Cycling takes up a lot of time in my life, but I really enjoy spending time with my family. It’s really important for me to have a bit of balance in my life. I like nature, the sea and maybe doing a bit of sailing. Just thinking of something other than cycling is something that does me a lot of good.
Valentin Madouas
Born Brest, France, 12 July 1996 Team Groupama-FDJ
Notable recent results
2023
1st, Bretagne Classic 1st, French Road Race National Championships 2nd, Strade Bianche
2022
10th, Tour de France 3rd, Tour of Flanders 1st, Mountains classification, Paris-Nice
