Roman Gregoire he can't stop: in three weeks he has taken home four top classics in the under 23 panorama. On April 16th he won the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, two days later he came to Italy and in 24 hours he conquered Belvedere tour e Recioto PalioNot content, on May 8th he fled to Ardennes Fleche with two other riders and dominated them in the sprint to the point that a margin of one second was marked between him and them.
We are talking about a rider in his first year in the category, the European junior champion and world silver medalist behind the Norwegian Hagen's (also featured in the Lotto Soudal Development, but not at the same levels). On closer inspection, the much-vaunted Evenepoel had done little more…
A talent to protect
We didn't bring up the Belgian by chance. In today's cycling world, which is desperately searching for the champion, Gregoire's victories have not gone unnoticed., so much so that at home Groupama FDJ legitimate satisfaction coexists substantially with a certain concern. For this reason, when speaking about his protégé Marc Madiot, the French team's “supreme boss” is very buttoned up and protective of such capital.
Always available, the two-time winner of the Paris-Roubaix He willingly submits to questions about Gregoire, but you can hear from his voice that he is keen to keep a low profile, to avoid mounting pressure on the 19-year-old from Besançon.
«I'm also getting to know Romain, in person but also through what the Development team managers tell me.His quality is certainly there for all to see, but I think it's still too early to fully evaluate him."
Were you surprised by such a high performance in his first year in the new category?
I wouldn't say surprised. He certainly started winning early, but I expected that given his training skills and what he was able to do as a junior, he could be competitive straight away.. He has a lot of character and this is a fundamental ingredient for standing out.
From what we've seen, is he a rider who also has a chance in stage races?
He's a rider yet to be discovered, but I think he could be one. When called upon he did well, last year he was fourth in the Peace Race, he also won multi-day races and this year at the Circuit des Ardennes he stood out despite suffering a poor first stage which knocked him out of the standings. I'm very curious to see what he can do in the Giro Under 23Regardless of the result, I'm interested to see how he handles it. The plan is for him to do both the Giro and the Tour de l'Avenir, which will be a good test for him.
Is there a rider from the past or present to whom Gregoire can be compared?
No, I don't feel like making comparisons because he's still a rider who needs to develop. We must not make the mistake of projecting the results obtained in the lower categories into professionalism, because this is a world apart. Those results are valuable up to a certain point; as a pro, everything changes.
Which professional races, especially the Northern Classics, are best suited to him?
The speech is the same as before: Gregoire has certainly won important races which would make one think, for example, that he could emerge in the Ardennes trials, but when you go pro' the discussion changes substantially, it takes time to understand where it can get to and where it can emerge.
Do you think it's already possible to place him in a professional team or does he need at least another year in team development?
No, he'll definitely stay on the development team, but he'll have opportunities to "taste" the highest level. We want him to progress gradually and not rush things.
Broadening the discussion, you are satisfied with how the season has gone for your team so far.
We couldn't help but be… The results of demare At the Giro they are there to testify to our competitiveness, then with Kung and Madouas we did very well in the Northern classics. However, I never look at what has been done but as soon as a race is finished I am already projected towards the next one, so I think there is still a lot to do.
Are there other Gregoires in French cycling, other riders as promising?
I sincerely hope so, Our movement is generally growing strongly and I am convinced that there are other Gregoires around, perhaps even with something moreWe are careful to discover new talent and give them the opportunity to grow, but slowly, as is right.
