Interview Bénédicte Ollier (EN)

 Interview Bénédicte Ollier 

France is a a country that has many legends in cycling. Even that there are still many great cyclists today, we already can notice the new generation. Bénédicte Ollier is one of these talents. She's a multiple vice-worldchampion who won 3 silver medals on the most recent junior worldchampionships. How does the life of the a young athlete look like and what are her ambitions for the future?

 

On the last worldchampionships, you won 3 silver medals. How has this week been for you?

It's a week that will stay in my mind. So many emotions. First of all so much stress, pressure and the deception after the qualifications for the team pursuit where we realized a time that was worse then we did on training before. Fortunately, the whole team succeeded to mobilize again to take the silver medal on the day after. Afterwards, there was a lot less pressure and I could enjoy the other races and medals!

You didn't have a lot of competition before the worldchampionship. Was it hard to prepare yourself for this competition without knowing much about the other cyclists?

Yes, it's sure that it was an extra pressure that I didn't know what to expect when I arrived on track. I didn't know that I was on a good level, so there was a lot more stress. But those conditions were especially due to the covid pandemic so it was the same for the other riders!

Now you're active on the road and on the track. Would you like to combine it in the future too?

Yes, I will continue to practice sometimes on the road and sometimes on the track even that my main goals are on the track. The road is very important to prepare for these goals.

Who was your inspiration to enter cycling competitions?

I'm not part of a cycling family so I haven't really watched a lot of races on TV and I didn't have idols when I started to enter the competitions. In fact, it's my neighbour who was in school with me when I was 6 or 7 years old who invited me to join on MTB tours.

What are your dreams in the sport?

My dream is to become an Olympic champion on the track

Your country France has a very big history in the sport. Do you know well the national legends of the sport like Bernhard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil, Jeannie Longo or Pauline Ferrand-Prévot for example?

I'm interested in the history of my sport but I prefer to follow the athletes who are writing history at this moment. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has done a good job, like Benjamin Thomas or Julian Alaphilippe too!

Do you like to train based on data or do you prefer to train by instinct without many numbers?

I train very few without bike computer. I'm used to know permantly the watts and my heart beat on my bike computer, more specific on the road.On the track it's different because it's forbidden to have a bike computer on the bike. So I'm forced to do it more by feelings even that we still have time indications that are written on the board of our trainer, especially in the pursuit. I suppose that I am quite depending on the data and technology for training. I think that it's an interesting method that can be interesting but it never replaces feelings.

What would you like to say to other young girls who thinks about taking part in the sport too?

I advice them to let them surround themselves well, to be patient and to b persistent because cycling is a difficult sport and the results won't always be there, but they shouldn't lose their courage! And most of all the most important is to always have fun!

Interview Bénédicte Ollier (FR)

 Interview Bénédicte Ollier

La France est un pays qui compte de nombreuses légendes du cyclisme. Même s'il y a encore de grands champions dans le peloton aujourd'hui, on voit déjà les champions de demain. Bénédicte Ollier est un de ces talents. Elle a remporté trois médailles lors des derniers championnats du monde. Elle est le vice-championne du monde aux 3 disciplines sur la piste chez les juniors.  À quoi ressemble la vie d'une jeune athlète et quelles sont ses ambitions pour l'avenir ?

 

 

Sur les dernières Mondiaux, tu as gagné 3 médailles d'argent. Comment était cette semaine pour toi?

C'est une semaine qui restera gravée dans ma mémoire, pleine d'émotions : d'abord beaucoup de stress, de pression et de la déception après les qualifications de poursuite par équipe où on réalise un temps bien moins bon qu'à l'entraînement. Heureusement toute l'équipe a réussi à se remobiliser pour décrocher la médaille d'argent le deuxième jour. Ensuite il y avait beaucoup moins de pression et j'ai pu profiter des autres courses et des médailles !!

Tu n'as pas eu beaucoup de compétitions avant le championnat du monde. Cétait difficile de préparer cette compétition sans en savoir beaucoup sur les autres cyclistes?

Oui c'est sûr que ça a été une pression supplémentaire de ne pas savoir à quoi s'attendre en arrivant sur la piste : je ne savais pas si j'étais au niveau alors forcément il y a beaucoup plus de stress. Mais ces conditions étaient surtout dues à l'épidémie de covid et étaient donc assez similaires pour mes concurrentes !

Maintenant tu es active sur la route et sur la piste. Tu voudrais les combiner dans le futur aussi?

Oui je vais continuer à pratiquer à la fois la route et la piste même si mes principaux objectifs seront sur la piste, la route est très importante pour la préparation de ces objectifs.

 

Qui était ton inspiration pour débuter les compétitions cyclistes?

Je ne suis pas issue d'une famille cycliste donc je ne regardais pas forcément les courses à la télé et je n'avais pas d'idole quand j'ai commencé les compétitions. En fait, c'est mon voisin qui était à l'école avec moi quand j'avais 6 ou 7 ans qui m'a proposé de l'accompagner à une course de VTT !

 

Quels sont tes rêves dans le sport?

Mon rêve serait d'être championne olympique sur piste

 

 

Ton pays la France a une grande histoire dans le sport. Est ce que tu connais bien les légendes nationales du sport comme Bernhard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil, Jeannie Longo ou Pauline Ferrand-Prévot par exemple?

Je m'intéresse bien sûr à l'histoire de mon sport mais je préfère suivre les sportifs qui marquent l'histoire en ce moment ! Pauline Ferrand-Prévot en fait bien sûr partie, tout comme Benjamin Thomas ou Julian Alaphilippe !

Tu aimes t’entraîner en te basant sur les dates où tu préfères le faire par instinct sans trop de chiffres?

Je m'entraîne très rarement sans aucun capteur, je suis habituée à avoir en permanence les watts et la fréquence cardiaque sur mon compteur, en particulier sur la route. Sur la piste c'est différent parce qu'il est interdit d'avoir un compteur sur le vélo. Je suis donc obligée de faire plus aux sensations même si on a alors des indications de temps qui nous sont criées sur le bord de piste par notre entraîneur, en particulier en poursuite. Je suppose que je suis donc assez dépendante des datas et de la technologie pour m'entraîner !! Je trouve que c'est une méthode qui peut être intéressante mais qui ne remplacera jamais les sensations : il faut savoir adapter à la hausse ou à la baisse ce qui était prévu en fonction de la forme du jour ! Je dirais donc que j'utilise l'alliance des datas et de mes sensations.

Qu'est-ce que tu veux dire aux autres jeunes filles qui pensent à participer dans le sport aussi?

Je leur conseillerais de bien s'entourer, d'être patientes et persévérantes parce que le vélo est un sport difficile et les résultats ne seront pas toujours là, mais il ne faut pas se décourager pour autant ! Et surtout le plus important est de toujours prendre du plaisir !!

 Interview Kristen Faulkner

When you think about Alaska, cycling is maybe not the first thing that comes to your mind. But the state has a very good cyclist, one of the best in the whole US. A rider that lived at both coasts. She discovered cycling in New York and continued her passion in California. This the story of Kirsten Faulkner. About a new passion that she discovered right after graduating and that she does professionally today. The American 'cobble eater' from Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank tells you more about this and many other things in this interview!

You grew up Alaska, discovered cycling in New York and launched your career in California Would you recommend other cyclists to discover those regions by bike?

Absolutely! Alaska has gorgeous scenery, but not much cycling infrastructure or cycling community. I did a cycling trip from Homer to Denali National Park last summer and loved it.
I find New York to have the most accessible cycling community for new riders. There are free introductory clinics for women, multiple teams that train together every week, and races every Saturday in Central Park that you can ride your bike to (which is more accessible than California, where you often need to drive several hours to races).  
California is my favorite place to ride. There are plenty of climbs, flat roads, ocean views, fast group rides, good weather, and a strong cycling community.   

You firstly rode in the European peloton on the age of 27, did you easily adapt to riding in big groups and fighting for your position?

It definitely wasn’t easy! I fell a several times in the beginning. In fact, my soigneur jokes that in my first race at Ardeche, every time I took a bottle, either the bottle went flying or I went flying. He’s not wrong. I was very scared, but I knew that I had to push through that fear because riding in the group is part of my job. I told myself that sitting in the back of the bunch wasn’t an option; I had to find a way to be in the right position at the right time. I forced myself to perform even when I was scared. Eventually, I became more comfortable in the group, but positioning is still something I work on every race.

You've been both successful in stage races and one day races, what do you enjoy the most?

I’m not sure! I think I prefer 1-day races because they tend to be incredibly hard the whole race. We only have one shot to get a result, and so we must be focused and give our best the entire race. Every move and ever mistake counts more, and so we can’t ever ease up. On the other hand, stage races provide opportunities for different riders to go for a result; there are stages for climbers, sprinters, and others in which newer riders can go for a result because the GC contenders let a break go. Stage races are also great opportunities to learn because there are so many race days….Ask me in a year and I may have a more decisive answer!

It's only the second of your career right now. What are your ambitions for the future?

I aim to compete in the 2024 Olympics and win a World Championship. 

Your team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank will seek to join the World Tour next season. How does this step up feel to you and the team?

I am so happy that the team is going World Tour. The riders will have more resources, and I also think the Peloton will treat the team with more respect. Linda Jackson has been working hard for years to make this happen, and I’m so proud of her work.

You've been racing almost only on European soil in the past seasons, would you like to race more in the US as well when more races are on the calendar again?

Right now I prefer European racing because it is more competitive. Eventually, I will probably want to return to the U.S. and race there, but right now I am enjoying the adventure of living and racing abroad.

Summer is almost over, what are your ambitions for the rest of the season? Do you think that the world championships will suit you well this year?

I am most looking forward to the World Championship. I have shown that I can perform well in the very hard 1-day races in Flanders. The punchy climbs suit me as a racer, as does the 100+ mile course that requires a lot of strength and endurance. We have a very strong U.S. team this year and multiple shots at a medal.
After the World Championship, I will aim for a result at Paris Roubaix. The cobbled course is also one that requires a lot of strength, and I’m motivated to finish the season on a high note.

What is your greatest cycling memory so far?

Winning Stage 4 of Ardeche in 2020 by attacking from a break. It was my first ever race in Europe and it gave me the confidence that I belonged here. It also taught me the rewards of taking risks and racing aggressively. I think the women’s peloton is starting to race a lot more aggressively, so that was a crucial experience to have early in my career.