Madiot reflects on unfortunate 2024, in which he also saw Lenny Martinez leave: "He had different ambitions"

Fifteen victories: that's what Groupama-FDJ has managed so far in 2024. It's the lowest number since 2015, when the French team also won fifteen times. "It hasn't been an easy year," so team boss Marc Madiot told Cyclism'Actu. The 65-year-old Frenchman went on to discuss the 2024 cycling season, during which they also saw golden boy Lenny Martinez leave for Bahrain Victorious.

"We lost riders with serious injuries right at the beginning of the year," the highly experienced Madiot kicks off his reflection. "So, we were never at one hundred percent of our capabilities. Rudy Molard, Ignatas Konovalovas and Paul Penhoët were out for a long time, and David Gaudu also had a tough first half of the year. All of this together resulted in a difficult season," the team boss explained.

According to Madiot, it was mainly the injury to sprinter Penhoët that led to the low number of wins this season. Because of this, the 22-year-old's season couldn't start until May. Despite seven top-three finishes, he was unable to secure a victory this calendar year. "He was injured for a long time and therefore couldn't win for a long time," Madiot says about his sprinter’s year. "We all know that, apart from Pogacar, it’s better to be a sprinter if you want to win a lot. On the other hand, that’s part of life for a cycling team. It shouldn’t be this tough every year," he adds optimistically.

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Groupama-FDJ riders during the Paris-Roubaix recon

Madiot not surprised by Lenny Martinez’s transfer: "Everyone makes their own choices"

In the fall, Gaudu found his best racing legs and raced to sixth place in the final standings of the Vuelta. Stefan Küng won the final time trial in that same Vuelta. However, in the other grand tours, Groupama-FDJ was quite invisible this year. Especially in their 'home' race, the Tour de France, the French team rode around quite anonymously. The team's last stage win in the Tour dates back to 2019, when Thibaut Pinot claimed a spectacular victory on the Tourmalet. Despite this, the team boss isn't too worried.

"Winning a stage in the Tour often comes down to a lucky combination of circumstances for a team," Madiot says pragmatically. "You first have to be in the right breakaway, and then you need to be sure you can beat your fellow escapees. It depends on many factors beyond our own initiative. If you win one, you're very happy, but it can quickly turn into not winning." Madiot himself won one Tour stage in his career. On July 1, 1984, after seven (!) hours on the bike, he was the first to cross the finish line in Louvroil.

In this difficult year, the team also lost one of its greatest talents. Lenny Martinez chose to embark on an adventure with Bahrain Victorious. The Bahraini team could offer him more, financially speaking, than the French team. "It's a matter of resources, but everyone makes their own choices. Maybe he had different ambitions," Madiot reflects on his protégé's transfer. The young Frenchman was selected for the Tour for the first time this year, but it didn’t go well. "You could say it was a mistake, but if we hadn't tried, we never would have known. A spot opened up, so we gave it a go, but it didn’t work out. We admit that," the team boss concludes candidly.

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