The year is off to a flying start thanks to the members of the Chef de File family. Road, track, cyclo-cross, mountain bike, our athletes shine in all disciplines. And some illustrate their talent by being multidisciplinary. Sparkling on the road and dazzling in the undergrowth, today we are taking the wheel of recent bronze medalist from the last French cyclo-cross championships Théo Thomas!
This is the sensation of the 2024 French cyclo-cross championships. The Alsatian Théo Thomas, member of our partner team, the SebMotoBikes CX team, won the bronze medal behind the two tenors of the discipline. A result that arrives after having made the choice not to devote his entire winter to the discipline. A first for him who was used to combining road and cyclo-cross 100%, particularly in the youth categories. A change that he justifies as: “a balance to continue having fun during the winter on big races without losing energy stupidly ”. A paid choice and a Sunday in January that he will remember for a long time:
“It was a great moment for me, my loved ones, my team and a lot of people in the shadows whom I thank. I had this race in mind since the start of the season and I worked hard to be ready on the big day. In my head I was going there to get a result and have fun but I had very bad memories of the championships. It is a materialized outcome, a preparation with a medal in a national championship and even more in elites! There was a desire on my part to evolve and change my approach to be stronger on the road while maintaining the notion of pleasure with cyclo-cross which I love enormously. »
This medal does not appear out of nowhere, quite the contrary. Performing in the undergrowth since a young age, the Strasbourg resident was able to practice his skills in a Belgian team that is a reference in world cross country. We don't tell you anything, Belgium, land of cycling, is the kingdom of anyone dreaming of making a living from cyclo-cross. Thanks to the talent of the local runners, the infrastructure in place, the atmosphere and its audience or even the playing field of certain courses, Théo had the right to XXL learning. He returns to this chapter:
“I think it was the most important period of my young “career”. I experienced great moments but also a lot of bad ones and it was very constructive for the future. The fact of having understood and being surrounded by this period made me aware of essential things. I only remember the positive and the memories will remain engraved forever, it was a dream to live in this culture and I still admire it as much. »
With winter and the cyclo-cross season coming to an end, Théo will be able to change his hat. Now on to the road! Lucky for us, he is also a member of a club wearing our personalized outfits . From the orange jersey of the SebMotoBikes team to the red jersey of the Vélo Club Villefranche Beaujolais, there is only one nuance. A talent and training factory which is used to propelling its nuggets to the professional level, the pack will be able to count on a liberated Théo Thomas. With very promising results at the end of the 2023 season (notably his 6th place in Paris-Tours hopefuls), morale is high for this new season:
“Over time I learned to take advantage of good times to strengthen myself and manage to cope better with more difficult periods or failures. The fact of having finished the 2023 road season with good performances allowed me to continue the cyclo-cross season with confidence. I feel like I'm re-experiencing the same pattern at the moment and it's terribly satisfying and easier to delve into the next deadlines. »
For Théo, cycling is a family affair. Between his father who passed on his passion for two wheels and then his big brother with whom he used to train. And from a very young age a competitive spirit, and a desire to surpass himself which he will put into practice again this year to achieve his goals:
“First of all I want to make the most of it and be happy, have fun on the bike. Obviously doing so while seeking results will be the objective and the desire is great to progress to the next level. To then discover races that make me dream like the Walloon Arrow for example! »
A desire to perform, but not only that! A real desire to be at peace with oneself by creating connections and memories: “I have significant memories linked to results in major races which will remain forever engraved in my memory. But I would say that the most beautiful memories are the meetings and moments of sharing that cycling allowed me to experience. I met great people and wonderful places.”
Between two coffees, the tone is set for 2024, pleasure and continuity of results, we will have to count on Théo to make us dream throughout the season!
Our partners are talented and they deserve to be highlighted!
Thanks to Théo Thomas crossman at Team SebMotoBikes CX and member of the Vélo Club Villefranche Beaujolais for the time given and to Noam Meresse for the photo credits.
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