The presentation of the new Groupama-FDJ took place this Wednesday, and it was clear in the presence of Marc Madiot, its general manager, what has changed. Changing bikes, restructuring the technical staff, without Thibaut Pinot and Arnaud Démare, a lot has evolved in recent months, within the French structure.
Follow the emotional embrace between Madiot and Thibaut Pinot, after the cyclist’s retirement
New chapter in the team’s history
“New chapter, new book, new story. There is desire, motivation and determination, I have no particular apprehension about the season approaching. My wish for 2024? The same as previous years: winning races. As much as possible, as often as possible and as big as possible,” said the team leader.
We shouldn’t look like football
“What would be embarrassing would be to look more and more like football, even though I love football. We must know how to maintain our values, our references, and I expect a lot from the UCI in this area. I don’t just expect them at half-time, I expect them in the regulation of our sport”.
“The salary cap, taking into account the fiscal disadvantages that we may have in France. We need to restore some balance in the competitiveness of those involved in our sport if we want cycling to continue to develop and move forward.”
Role of the UCI
“The essential role of the UCI for me is to regulate situations to allow everyone to live and exist. What has happened in recent weeks with mergers and transfers highlights a certain fragility in our sport, which seemed solid as a rock, but in fact rests on a lot of sand.”
“If cycling should and can do better? It is condemned to do better, otherwise it will be swallowed up by other sports. We must not forget that there is a struggle, among all sports, to find sponsorship and resources”.
Watch Marc Madiot’s entire interview: