For the first time since its creation in 2017, the Triathlon Super League is stopping off in Toulouse on Sunday for the fourth and penultimate race of the season. This team race offers varied and shorter formats than the Olympic triptych (set at 1.5 km of swimming, 40 km of cycling then 10 km of running), mixing the disciplines and chaining them three times, in the order different. Two Tricolores are expected on the banks of the Garonne to this “Triple Mix” : the multi-titled Vincent Luis and Cassandre Beaugrand. The recent European and world champion in the mixed relay, victorious this year in the London stage of the Super League, talks about the demands of a sport that is hoped to bring medals, in less than two years at the Olympic Games. from Paris.
Can we say that the Super League offers a supercharged version of triathlon?
Yes. The organizers sometimes change the order of the disciplines and add some rules. It’s a whole different competition actually. It’s triathlon remixed, much more dynamic, with much less room for error as it is very fast and very short. There are a lot of transitions, it’s quite technical too.
Beyond sport, can we talk about a show?
Yes, there are a lot of things happening in these races, it’s fun to do but also to watch. It’s a format that appeals even if it’s not necessarily easy to follow for someone who has never seen competitions.
You are initially a cross-country specialist, also gifted in swimming. How did you get into cycling?
I didn’t feel like choosing between swimming and running, so I had to come nicely to the bike. It wasn’t easy because it wasn’t necessarily a discipline that I liked. I learned to love her as I went along. I still have gaps but I have really improved and it’s getting interesting. The power, I think I have it now but I still have to develop the technical aspects, because the bike routes are precisely more and more technical. The triathlon is not just a nag sport (smile).
Do you already have the Paris Olympics in mind?
Yes and no. It hadn’t served me too well to think about it before Tokyo. I had been very successful during the Olympiad and, when I arrived at the Games, I was not necessarily so (individual retirement and bronze medal in the mixed relay). I prefer not to think about it now because there are plenty of challenges until then. If I continue my progression, I should just take the Games as one more race, a one-day race, where a lot can happen. Afterwards, inevitably when some days it’s harder than others, I know why I work. In fact, the Paris Games are there without being there.
How do you approach relays in your individual sport?
I never want to disappoint the team and I allow myself even less to make mistakes on the relays than in the individual races. For me, both are equally important.
Did you feel that between your results and those of Vincent Luis, the triathlon has grown?
Yes, of course. Vincent had a big impact on triathlon. It’s a much better known sport than before, which is also linked to greater media coverage. But there are always people who ask me: “what is triathlon? Is it when you ski and shoot? “. I am also sometimes asked if I do Ironman, which is much more popular. I still have questions like this, but I realized how it evolved. Triathlon is becoming more and more popular. It’s complete, and we don’t get too bored.
And you, do you ever feel tired?
By periods, yes. But we are always breaking the monotony. When I see other sports, I’m glad I chose this one. Sometimes, when things go less well in one of the three disciplines, things go better in another. There is always a way to have fun.
Speaking of training, do you spend the same amount of time in each discipline?
We spend more time on the bike because as soon as we go out, it’s for a minimum of two hours. But there are about the same number of sessions for each discipline, as well as two weight training sessions.
Last December, you hired the services of the law firm of Didier Poulmaire, which has long accompanied the career of Laure Manaudou. What has changed for you?
I was already accompanied but not really by professionals. This is the case, so I feel much more serene.