After the Les Gets World Cup, I spent the week in Morzine before driving across to my manager’s place in La Zubia Spain, to drop off my car and store some things. I spent a few days training in the Sierra Nevada Mountains before jumping on a plane to Paris for the 2024 Olympic test event.
The track was yet to be ridden by anyone and the all-weather / gravel surface had been freshly laid. This paired with some overnight rain made the first laps on track a real challenge with a soft and slow feel, lots of deep ruts forming in the gravel and grit picking up on your cleats and drivetrain. Thankfully after the first day on course the weather played ball and by race day the laps were rolling a lot faster as the track set in and came to life.
I had a strong start to the race and was in the mix with a group of the top 5 or 6 riders. As the laps wore on, I was still feeling strong and on the last lap there were just 4 of us left. Myself, Victor Koretzky, Jordan Sarrou, and Nino Schurter. Jordan was the first to drop as Victor set the pace, and then Nino started to lose the wheel also on the final climb. I was able to come around him to latch onto Victor’s wheel and the two of us came into the finishing straight together. Victor led the sprint from the front, and I was unable to come around him on such a short finishing straight.
All in all, it was a great confidence boost to show how well I can race on the Olympic track, and I learnt some great lessons from the days on track and in the race. Looking forward to the real deal in 2024!