On International Day for Persons with Disabilities, we celebrate the increasing integration of para-cycling into the sport of cycling, with a special focus on the para-cycling division of UCI WorldTeam Cofidis,
Since its integration into the UCI in 2007, para-cycling has grown enormously. In 2010, the UCI introduced the annual UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup, with several rounds organised each year in the lead up to the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships. The UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships are also held on an annual basis. Both these annual events will be part of next year’s inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships, which will bring together 13 UCI World Championships in Glasgow and across Scotland. The following year, the UCI World Championships for road and para-cycling road will be held jointly, at the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships hosted by Zurich, in Switzerland. This will be another “first” for para-cycling and its continuing progression in terms of recognition and integration.
UCI WorldTeam Cofidis and its para-cycling division
Another example of integration is the para-cycling division of UCI WorldTeam Cofidis. Tenth in the 2022 UCI Team World Ranking, Cofidis finished the 2022 season with 19 victories by 10 different athletes, including a Grand Tour stage (Jesús Herrada on stage 7 of the Vuelta Ciclista a España) and nine days in the polka dot jersey at the Tour de France (Simon Geschke).
In congratulating the team, its General Manager Cédric Vasseur also paid tribute to the para-cycling division of Cofidis: “The para-cycling team was also up to the task and continues to be the pride of the Cofidis team with the quality of its results and its consistency at the highest level.”
The team’s para-cycling division comprises six athletes – four men and two women – plus a physio and mechanic. One of the para-cyclists is Gatien Le Rousseau, who finished 6th this year in the Omnium at his first UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships (including 2nd in the 200m) as well as 4th in the individual time trial and 6th in the road race at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.
We talk to him and to the Cofidis team’s para-cycling director Valérie Alexandre.
Valérie Alexandre, what are your main responsibilities?
Valérie Alexandre (VA): My most important mission is the team’s management, which in practice means to:
recruit new riders (with all the administrative aspects)
co-ordinate equipment needs – bikes, clothes, helmets and so on – to provide riders with what they need to ride
develop the annual race programme
make travel arrangements
manage the team during races and organise training camps (road or track)
ensure that the team works at its most efficient.
I also deal with stakeholder relations like race organisers and Federations to develop para-cycling, particularly in France.
How does the Directeur Sportif (DS) role differ in para-cycling compared to able-bodied cycling?
VA: It’s both the same and a different profession. In my daily activities, I have a broader spectrum than my colleagues. But the main difference is related to the size of the teams. Let me explain… A cycling team is a set of athletes who ride together. The DS must guide and coordinate them toward collective victory. In para-cycling, we don’t ride collectively because there are many categories. Para-cycling is often an individual sport. The para-cycling DS usually looks after one rider per race.
Who are some of the para-cyclists the readers should look out for?
VA: I’m proud off all our riders but two really impressed me this season: Mathieu Bosredon (MH4), who has been lighting up the results sheets. He finished third at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, plus second in the time trial and third in the road at the European Championships. He also finished on the podium four times at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup.
The young Gatien Le Rousseau (MC4), 19 years old, who started para-cycling in 2021 and finished fourth in the time trial at the UIC Para-cycling Road World Championships.
One-on-one with Gatien Le Rousseau
Gatien Le Rousseau, after your first season with Cofidis, how would you say the team helps your progress?
Gatien Le Rousseau (GLR): The big one is the bike and kit – they give me everything I need. And I’m also trained by one of the team’s coaches, Vincent Villerius, who also trains the UCI WorldTour riders, like Bryan Coquard. They’re fantastic with logistics, too. When I have a competition, they take care of flights, accommodation, bike transport… everything. It’s incredibly useful. Cofidis provides me with everything I need to perform in para-cycling, which is a great help.
Do you train full-time?
GLR: No. I am 19 years old so am still a student, though I’m training as much as I can as well as going to school every day. I’m studying sport science and hope to become a physiotherapist. If not, I’ll probably look to take a degree in economics.
How many hours do you train each week?
GLR: At the start of the year, it was around 6-7hrs per week. Now it’s more like 12-15hrs. I think we’ll increase that again at some point, maybe up to 20hrs next year. The advantage of racing for Cofidis is that my trainer’s really helping me to improve slowly but surely, which is helped by training with power.
Do you eat well?
GLR:I’ve used a nutritionist for three months and now eat very healthily. I’m also becoming more specific about what to eat on the bike and when. I’m learning all the time to live the everyday life of a cyclist.
What’s your best result this year?
GLR: Fourth place in the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championship time trial in Canada was good. Also, I became double French Champion this year in time trial and road race. And I’m French champion on the track.
Finally, what are your future goals?
GLR: Next year I will try and become an integral part of the French national team and to perform at a consistently good level. I’ll also try and become UCI World Champion. My biggest goal is success at the Paralympics in Paris in 2024. I’m aiming high.