French Nationwide Champion Valentin Madouas has thrown down the gauntlet and stated he’s getting ready to do battle with the highest favourites within the Tour of Flanders this 12 months.
Following his most profitable season to this point in 2023 and a 3rd place in Flanders in 2022, the 27-year-old Groupama-FDJ racer informed L’Équipe newspaper that he’ll attempt to increase the bar in 2024, enjoying off his function as an outsider.
With that in thoughts, Madouas has toughened up his winter coaching program and confirmed to L’Équipe that he as soon as once more plans to go up a two-headed assault technique alongside Classics co-leader Stefan Küng.
Already on the lengthy listing for the 4 spots out there within the French Olympic highway race crew, Madouas can also be set to race each the Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de France this summer season. However at the start, the Frenchman is hoping for a high consequence throughout the Belgian border, with Flanders – which he as soon as stated he’d want to win forward of a stage of the Tour de France – near the highest of his wishlist.
“I’m conscious I’m up towards the likes of Tadej Pogačar” – final 12 months’s Flanders winner, however not collaborating this 12 months – “Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel,” he informed L’Équipe, “however I do know I’ll have my probabilities and they’re going to, sooner or later, choose to mark one another. It’ll be as much as me to benefit from that.
“I imagine in myself and once I’m at 100%, I do know that bodily, I’m one of many high 5 riders within the race.
“Tactically, I’m going to wish to journey offensively and take some dangers. I’m prepared to take them.”
After ending on the rostrum in 2022 – the primary Frenchman to take action since Sylvain Chavanel claimed second in 2011 – along with his teammate Stefan Küng in fifth, Madouas was an outsider for Flanders final 12 months. Nevertheless, he then needed to abandon because of falling sick the night time earlier than.
The ultra-versatile French racer nonetheless bounced again in type at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, including a career-best fifth place in La Doyenne to his runner’s up spot in Strade Bianche and his eighth place in E3 Saxo Basic earlier within the season. Later final 12 months, Madouas clinched each the French Nationwide Championships, held on a gruelling course that includes viciously steep cobbled climbs on the Mont Cassel, after which the Bretagne Basic, in what was by far his finest all-round season to this point.
This 12 months, as he informed L’Équipe he has boosted his low season coaching program significantly, with a 30-hour coaching load over six days within the first week of January in Tenerife and an altitude camp in the remainder of the month.
“We’re going to search for the higher limits,” he stated. “I do know I’m somebody who must do lots of coaching, however I’ve by no means recognized how far I can go.
“I really feel like I can deal with it, I’ve by no means carried out a lot quantity work earlier than presently of 12 months and I’m a bit drained, however I’m not the image of exhaustion, but.”
As a part of that harder program, Madouas talked about upping his intervals from three to 4 in a single go and lengthening every from 90 seconds to 2 minutes. He additionally highlighted doing extra motor-paced work and growing his general annual complete of coaching kilometres from 28,000 – 29,000 to 32,000 – 34,000.
“I do know what I’ve carried out nicely, and now it’s as much as me to do this once more and go discover a little bit bit extra of what I would like. To be much more thorough and extra particular,” he stated.
Madouas is presently engaged in a three-week altitude coaching camp in Tenerife along with his crew, along with his first race set to be the Vuelta a Murcia on February 10. After that, he’ll race within the GP Almeria (February 11) and Volta ao Algarve (February 14-18) previous to beginning his Classics marketing campaign in earnest.
“I do know very nicely that I gained’t win 5 Monuments,” he stated about his profession targets, “however one or two needs to be attainable.”
