Congratulations! 3rd time winner of the Men’s 1 KM Time Trial with a different jersey.
Quentin Lafargue: Thank you. It’s great. I’m very happy. It’s interesting because it wasn’t a set objective at the beginning of the season but over time it made sense. The 1 KM Time Trial is an important discipline for me and I think I learnt to understand it from a very young age it. Titles are great rewards.
Team Sprint was on the 1st day of the program. What was the coaches’strategy?
QL: During the European Championships, Melvin Landerneau started as 4th member of the team. He was planned for the Qualifying Round as 3rd cyclist. I was planned for the 1st Round and Final rounds. We achieved the 3rd best time during the Qualifying Round and again in the 1st Round. Finally, we win our Final and get the bronze medal.
Once again with your Team Sprint mates, you finish on the podium in an important competition. What do you think of your consistency?
QL: Consistency is important for our French team project. It’s important that we feel great and we perform on D day. Consistency in our results shows our team quality. Now we have to get better as the season progresses and I know we can. However I watch other teams, like the British who have done a very strong tournament with 3 times under 43 seconds for the first time in the season. Such results show that we are in an Olympic Games Year.
For the World Championships in Pruzkow, 7 out of 8 finalists were Europeans and took part in the European competition in Apeldoorn 2019. How do you explain this European density
QL: Track cycling started in Europe and then developed worldwide. Nowadays it’s very international but European tradition remains and still has very good cyclists.
For the World Championships in Pruzkow, 7 out of 8 finalists were Europeans and took part in the European competition in Apeldoorn 2019. How do you explain this European density
QL: Track cycling started in Europe and then developed worldwide. Nowadays it’s very international but European tradition remains and still has very good cyclists.
Can you tell us about the Final...
QL: For a 1 KM in Final, a lot happens in your mind and your capacity to resist lactic acid. I focused on the start of the race in order to gain easily very precious 10th seconds and then I focused on my plan. I give it all till the last round when the pain in your legs gets very intense. I keep going and say to myself: ”I have lost many times for one 100th of a second so I won’t give in till the finish line”. I cross the finish line and I don’t know right away if I have won as I have forgotten the other competitors’ best time. At first I feel disappointed as I only see my time which is worse than in the morning. Then I see 1 before my time. It’s only then that I realize I have won. I search for Laurie in the stands to share with her. I’m very happy.
Last question, what’s your plan till the end of the year 2019?
I take a few days off to recover. Then I go back to practice to prepare for the Hong Kong World Cup where I’ll take part in Team Sprint and Keirin. In the meantime, on November 16, I’ll take part in the “Gala Star en Piste" at the Saint Quentin en Yvelines Velodrome. Thirty or so cyclists will make the show. I look forward to it.