Valentin Madouas: "Everyone's been talking to me about this race ever since I became a rider"
May 7 th 2025 - 15:11
Valentin Madouas will receive a late baptism of fire when the 41st edition of Tro Bro Leon gets under way on Sunday. The 28-year-old from the Finistère department has watched it "somewhere between 15 and 20 times" from the roadside since he was a little boy, but he has never before lined up for his "home race", an unpredictable event that the Groupama–FDJ rider has come to "love". At long last, an overhauled schedule will allow the Olympic silver medallist to take the start in Lannilis. He is determined to finish the day with one arm wrapped around a pig and the other one around a bouquet.
You are set to discover the Tro Bro Leon at 28, in your ninth season as a pro. We find it hard not to say, "About time!". Do you feel the same way?
Yes and no! I wanted to ride it, of course. But it was part of the game, so to speak, because there were always big races that clashed with it. Earlier, it was up against the Amstel. Later on, I rode the Giro. After that, it fell right when I returned to competition during the build-up to the Tour, and I saw no point in coming if I wasn't in decent shape. I wasn't going to show up just to be an also-ran.
How come you can ride it this year?
We tweaked my race calendar a bit. I started the classics a bit later and tried to push back my peak. Apart from that, switching out the Dauphiné for the Tour de Suisse means I can stop right after Tro Bro. It gave me an extra week to play with, so it slotted in nicely.
At any rate, there was no way you were going to eventually retire without entering this race...
Definitely! It's my "home race", after all.
You are probably the active rider with the most appearances at the race… as a roadside spectator.
Certainly! I've been going to the race since I was a kid. It's kind of the local fixture. The tracks are what I really like about it. It's a proper race, not just a sprint finish. The landscapes are breathtaking. It also shines a light on the beauty of northern Finistère. And the tracks make it a bit… You never quite know how it's going to play out. I've seen some absolutely wild turnarounds here. It's always a cracking race to watch. I love it!
How many times have you watched it from the roadside?
Pfff… No idea. I'm 28, right? Somewhere between 15 and 20 times, I guess. As a kid, I used to go there all the time. After my dad retired in 2001, we went to watch nearly every edition because the company he used to work for, Trecobat, a builder of detached houses, is one of the race sponsors. It has its headquarters in Lannilis, right by the start. My dad was a sales rep there before becoming head of sales, so he was often at the race for work and he even commented it on TV. So yeah, I've been there loads of times!
It is not entirely true to say that you will be pinning on your first race number on the ribinoù, as in 2012 you already raced Tro Bro Cadets, the U17 event that serves as the warm-up act for the pro race. What sticks out from that experience?
It was great! I'm glad I did it. But I set the bar too high for myself. I was really keen to get a result, not least because it was part of the Madiot Trophy. My result [tenth] was nothing to write home about, but it was a race we were all buzzing for. At the U17 level, you rarely get to race with the full pro setup around you. It was quite funny!
"It reminds me of the Belgian classics. Some people call it Brittany's answer to Paris–Roubaix and I tend to agree"
Are we right to assume that your goal this year is to take the win and the pig that comes with it?
Not mine, my girlfriend's!
Really?
Yes. In fact, she's right behind me [this is a phone interview]. She just loves piglets. You know, we bought a seaside holiday house in Le Conquet. We're renovating it and it should be finished by summer. I told her the pig would be there for the housewarming! She has no intention of slaughtering it, but I told her a pig is for a pig roast! It's meant for a proper celebration [his girlfriend is not happy]. It'll make a fond memory!
How would you describe your relationship with Tro Bro Leon? Is it the race closest to your heart?
I guess you could say that. I haven't given it a lot of thought, to be honest… These are our quintessential roads. When you go out gravel riding around here, you realise just how many tracks there are. On a 60-kilometre loop, you can spend 50 on ribinoù. They're a defining characteristic of our lands. It's a real classic. It reminds me of the Belgian classics. Some people call it Brittany's answer to Paris–Roubaix and I tend to agree. Sectors come thick and fast, like in Roubaix, even though the distance isn't quite the same. The course doesn't go out of its way to tackle climbs, it's not brutally hard. But it does grind you down. You need to stay focused from start to finish and know exactly where to put your wheels to avoid the stones because you can throw the whole race away on something stupid like that.
You could almost say that nearly every ribin has a story tied to you. The Leuré Braz track, for example, ends in Plouider, where your parents got married.
It's pretty funny, I know all the early race sectors inside out. One of them, the third one, finishes right next to my house. I live in Gouesnou, just by the airport. I know the ones in the finale really well too. But saying the course tells the story of my life… That might be a bit of a stretch! Still, they're places I know like the back of my hand.
Your club, Team Oxygène Ploudal-Portsall, is even planning to set up a Madouas Corner… That gives you a good idea of what to expect on Sunday!
Everyone's been talking to me about this race ever since I became a rider. I know everyone's going to have their eyes on me. It's funny, really. The club said they wanted to do a little something. They're planning to gather just after the last ribin, about 2 or 3 kilometres from the finish. They've spoken to the local farmers to clear a space and create some positive vibes. Of course, it's to cheer me on. But it's also about being together. When you're in a cycling club and you're volunteering, you deal with a lot of hassle and not many moments to just celebrate. You've got to make the most of these moments. I don't want to know too much in advance either! I'll be over the moon if they have a great time and, if I'm up there, it'll make it all the more special!
Last year, you were the rider featured on the official race poster, painted by Jean-Paul Mellouet. That must have meant a lot to you.
Absolutely! Every rider dreams of ending up on one of Jean-Paul's posters! The poster is always incredibly beautiful.
You have just come off a somewhat frustrating classics campaign. Your last win dates back nearly two years. It was also in your home region, at the Bretagne Classic. We can imagine that you are especially fired up to get back to winning ways, and even more so on home soil.
Yes, definitely, that's the goal! That's why I'm here: to try and win. As a team, we're approaching it the same way we did in the Franche-Comté races, where Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet claimed two victories. The aim is to bag as many victories as we can from these four races, whoever gets them [the Boucles de l'Aulne, Tour du Finistère, Classique de Morbihan and Tro Bro Leon, in a sequence from Thursday to Sunday]. I'll only be riding the first one, in Châteaulin, and then Tro Bro. I'm feeling good, in great shape. Now I just need to make it happen!