Meeting with Thibaut Clément, winner of the Tour du Mont Blanc in KOM

Hi Thibaut. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your sporting background?

Hello, my name is Thibaut Clément, I am 31 years old, I live in Annecy and I am originally from Normandy.

I started playing sports seriously at the age of 7 with a football license, a sport I practiced in Normandy until I was 21. I then focused on my studies and the beginning of my professional career, both abroad and in France. I started running, but without any competitive goals.

Then a few months before the lockdown in 2019 I tried to get serious about triathlon because my father had challenged me to win the local triathlon in Normandy so that he would take me on a trek in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco in exchange. The lockdown arrived, I couldn't take up the challenge and I found myself at home riding the home trainer twice a day, like a caged lion, with nothing else to do. When we were released, I had made enormous progress in cycling but not at all in other disciplines and I swapped this triathlon project for a competitive cycling project, being the discipline in which I always felt the best.

In July 2021, I was 28 years old and I took out a day license for the Cervens GP in Haute Savoie. I won the race with a 10-minute lead and immediately realized that there was something to be done in this discipline despite my advanced age for the high level. So I looked for a national club near Annecy and Grenoble responded positively. I joined the National Division, then the Elite level with my good results. I am currently in my 2nd year in Elite at GMC38.

My goal now is to achieve the best Elite results in regional and national competitions, in addition to cyclosportives, with the idea of ​​winning as many races as possible and seeing how far I can go in terms of performance and results. With the level of competition getting higher and higher in cyclosportives, the top 10 is becoming very serious, and it's great to be able to compete with others in these races.

…What are your favorite race profiles?

Even though I'm quite heavy at 72kg for a climber, I really like long, steep races that are tiring and require stamina.

I also won the title of European GranFondo Champion on the Ardéchoise last June on a course of this style.

How do you manage work, training and other aspects of life?

I cycle around 20 hours a week, it's a big investment but I had the opportunity to work 80% in Switzerland to free up Fridays and make training and travel to competitions easier on the weekend. So I cycle 85km round trip Annecy-Geneva 4 times a week, which allows me to cycle on my journeys to work. A large part of my training is therefore "bike to work" every month of the year!

I really like this balance between my life as a cyclist and my professional life. I don't have the pressure of earning money that many elite riders have who started earlier with the sole aim of turning pro. I have much less pressure and a different approach. I enjoyed life in my early twenties, I have a job, I know I'll never turn pro so I have no pressure! My life is very different from the rest of the "amateur elite" peloton...

Can you tell us about your beginnings with GIRS and your impressions of the KOM since the first pedal strokes?

This year was my third stage of the Tour. I finished 10th in 2022, 24th last year after coming back from a broken collarbone. My ambition was to get closer to the podium this year, and I did just that with my 4th place!

For the occasion, GIRS had provided me with the new KOM model, which I quickly got to grips with. I got it a week before the race and I immediately got to grips with it. As soon as I clipped the pedals, I immediately felt that it was very responsive and I understood that it would not only be used for long, tiring events with big climbs. Despite its lightness, it is also a real courier bike. You feel the dynamism and responsiveness; you can simply use it when you need more punch. It is not a bike that sleeps and is just comfortable, you feel that it performs. I also felt that the aerodynamics had not been neglected, the bike goes very well on slightly descending sections or on the flat.

For the moment I have only tried it in racing conditions on pure climber profiles with the Etape du Tour and the Tour du Mont Blanc (330Km/8000D+) which I won, but I am looking forward to seeing what it has under the hood on more punchy FFC courses because I feel that the machine has a lot to offer in this area.

How did this stage of the Tour go?

My first race with the KOM!

We knew with the Matériel-Vélo team that we had a good squad even if the field was very strong. The strategy was to put a rider at the front from the Col de Turini, which Damien Jeanjean did and won the race. This way, behind us we just had to go with the flow, without really taking any responsibility in the race. On the penultimate climb, the Col de la Colmiane, we managed to break away with 3, all from the same team in a group of 4. We knew that at the foot of the Couillole, we had Damien in front who would have no trouble finishing given his lead, and behind us we just had to control and fight among ourselves for 2nd place.

For my part, I suffered from dehydration on the last climb and struggled to finish. This leaves me room for improvement at this level and I can aim for the podium next year!

Can you tell us about your victory in the Tour du Mont Blanc on July 13?

What an experience!

We set off at 5 a.m. from Les Saisies. It was raining at the start that day, and the temperature didn't rise above 8 degrees. Not necessarily what you want when the race starts downhill before the 330km mark...

Once the descent was over and the first rays of dawn were breaking through, I got into my race and immediately understood that given the length of the event, I was going to have to put myself in a bubble and accept to set off on a long solitary effort. So I focused on my power, my nutrition and my hydration, trying to enjoy the magnificent landscapes and above all to stay on course mentally so that the body could hold out.

As in ultra distance, you have to accept having moments of less well over these distances and tell yourself that it will get better afterwards, while trying to prevent and anticipate them.

The KOM accompanied me throughout the race and often gave me the impression of going up as if I were in a chairlift, rather practical for enjoying the panoramas around the highest peak in Europe!

Thank you Thibaut for this moment! See you soon for your next deadlines and to do the race again!