Cycling: the launch of the road season promises to be shy

The Aveyron runners warm up on the starting line of the season, but they will not be as numerous as the Rodez bike club hoped. Sunday, May 4, the prefecture club will be at the helm of the first road meeting of the year, in Sébazac. And if a little more than 80 competitors have, when the online recordings are closed on Thursday evening, took their bibs for one of the four races of the day, there are only 42 to have registered on the open test, which will serve as a frame in the first round of the departmental challenge.

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“It’s a bit shyrecognizes Victor Santos, president of the VCR, as well as the Aveyron committee of cycling. And the weather forecast may not encourage last -minute registrations. ” In order to ensure the safety and good performance of the event, forty volunteers will be on deck. “In some races, there will be more volunteers than competitorsregrets the Ruthenian leader. We are not paid for our investment. “

Competition from another race

“We will have to ask the question of the date”, he adds. Because the Sébazacoise test, which usually takes place on May 8, was advanced in order to “To no longer be in competition with the Tour du Tarn Cadets”which deprived the VCR of participants in its U17 race. Only, it is another neighboring meeting, having also changed date, which will take a dozen potential competitors at the Etienne-Fabre memory: the Tour of the Carmausin Ségala U19. “It is a race which has become federal, on regional selections, and which takes us participants of Occitanie and Auvergne”explains the manager, whose Ruthenian protégé Johan Blanc will also be aligned in the Tarn with the Occitan jersey.

Sunday on the Causse Comtal, the peloton will thus be mainly composed of Aveyronnais. Victor Santos estimates this “Good local attendance at 80 % of what the peloton of the department can represent.” Corentin Cros, winner of the 2024 edition of the challenge, which was skeptical about leaving for a season on this circuit, had not taken a bib yesterday. It is therefore a whole new race for the white jersey that will start, the first carrier of which will be designated after 68 kilometers and four laps. Departure at 3 p.m., after the U17 (10 a.m.), U15 (1:30 p.m.) and U13 (1:35 p.m. tests).