Lucas Mainguenaud is back in business, and in what way! After a disappointing start of spring, the Vendée U runner won, this Saturday afternoon, the Grand Prix de la Sologne des Etangs, the second round of the French Cup N1 (see classification). Personal but also collective relief, as he explained to Directive When descent of the protocol podium. Interview.
Directvelo: What does this victory for you represent?
Lucas Mainguenaud: It’s my most beautiful! I had won my first national elite at the start of the season (at the Vendée beaches, editor’s note). There, this is my first victory in the Coupe de France. Frankly, I can only be happy. These are the most beautiful races on the calendar, the French Cup sleeves, behind the French championship. It is only pleasure. It feels good. I was not top for a month, personally, and even from a collective point of view, it has a little trouble performing with the team since the start of the season. Winning on a big race like this, it will give us back in it. We will be able to replay in front of each race now, I think. I hope it will revive a good dynamic.
Let’s go back to the race scenario: you quickly found yourself in sixteen in front, after an hour of racing. Did you immediately understand that it was going to be the right one?
I told myself that it could go very far, yes. Sixteen runners of fifteen teams, with all the large training courses represented … I tried to organize the group when some did not pass, or inside. I wanted to make sure that we go as far as possible. At the beginning, I was really serene but when it came down to 40 seconds, I told myself that my buttocks had to move. At three-four terminals of the finish, we did not see the peloton and there, I definitely understood that we were going to play the victory.
“I preferred to arrive from behind”
How did you manage the final?
I know I go very quickly to the sprint. But after a long breakaway like this, they are no longer the same sprints. The Bourg-en-Bresse runner (Antoine Roussel, editor’s note) Attacked, I was afraid that he would try by kicking the kilometer. On a group of fifteen, you cannot designate a guy to monitor him. I played with fate by betting on the sprint. I wanted to take the last turn in last position because in my opinion, it was not going to launch at 500 meters, it was far too far. I didn’t want to be locked up. I preferred to arrive from behind and myself to lock up others. A runner launched 300, I got into his wheel and in fact, he took me the sprint. I deleted at 150 and I was able to hold on to the end.
The team goes back in the top 5 of the French Cup (see classification) Thanks to your victory!
And the next round will be the team time (Le Chrono Champenois, May 18, editor’s note). We have a solid team in this discipline. We love the time. The guys will prepare it well and I think they can score other points. I hope that we will be well classified after this round to align with six to the herbaries during the French championship at home.
“I was really not sure of myself”
You explained previously “Not having been at the top” In recent weeks. How do you explain it?
I took a blood test about ten days ago and it turned out that I was in deficiency of vitamins D and very low in iron. I spoke to the DS yesterday. When he told me that I was going to be the sprinter of the team here, I didn’t really know what it was going to give. I was really not sure of myself. I hope it will give me a new momentum.
What goals are you going to set up until summer?
Frankly, I will no longer set objectives. The big meetings, they were in April for me and I missed it. I had mechanical problems in Roubaix then in Loir-et-Cher … I don’t put any goals anymore, I prefer to take the races as they come.
