Madouas: "I’ll be back to win."

May 11 ^th 2025 - 18:02

Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ): “I’ll be back to win!”

“It was truly a beautiful race—very tough—with lots of punctures and mechanical issues for everyone. It was brutal. I had a flat tire at the worst possible moment, just as the race was splitting apart and the pace was really picking up. I knew it was going to be complicated from there.

I hung on, but I was missing that one last bullet in the final. Of course, I’m a bit disappointed. It came down to almost nothing, right at the top of the ribin by the farm, but that’s part of racing. The other two were simply stronger today.

It was my first time riding this race, even though I know the course well—I’d just never done it in competition.

[On the atmosphere in the “Madouas Corner” after the last ribin]
Yes, I heard them—it was magical. I really wanted to give my supporters a win. But there’s no choice: I’ll be back to win!”