Back home after his solid week of racing in Catalunya, where he finished 4th on the on general classification and in the top five on two stages, Valentin Paret-Peintre has looked back on his first months of racing this year and how he has improved since the winter, while also talking about his upcoming races, life at home and his passions outside of cycling, including his plans for an autumn treat.
“I went to Oman with the ambition of doing a good general classification and getting a stage win, but that crash in which I was involved ended all hopes. In the final days, I didn’t feel good, which was frustrating, as I was hoping for a good start to the season there.
Thankfully, things changed in Paris-Nice, a race that I got to discover this year and really enjoyed. Before going there, I heard stories that it’s rainy, windy and very stressful, but that didn’t bother me - on the contrary: it made me look forward to it even more. I had good legs that week and was happy with what I could do in the mountains. It showed me that I was on the right track and that runner-up spot in Colombiere-le-Vieux showed me I was at a level I never before had in my career and was a confirmation of the strong winter I had.”
A career-best World Tour GC result & riding alongside Mikel Landa
“After this, I went with renewed confidence to Catalunya. I knew that my shape was there and I could be up there in the ranking. The start list was stacked with great riders, so I imagined a top ten would be achievable. I thought a top five would be very hard to get, so to be fourth there exceeded my expectations. After Coll de Pal I knew that the legs were there, and I could hope to improve my position in the standings on Queralt. The entire race was hard, even on the flat, and those two days in the mountains were ridden full gas, but it’s the kind of racing that I like.”
It was important to stay focused the entire time, but I was also lucky to have Mikel there.
“He’s a great leader, someone with a huge career and a lot of experience that he is happy to share. He rode for me, helped me and made sure I was where I needed to be on the climbs. Having such a rider by your side makes a lot of difference and it was a pleasure to ride with him. Every day I could learn something from him and just having him there gave me more confidence.
Catalunya also showed me that I can do some nice things in the general classification and this makes me confident for the future. I will try to go more for the GC in the future. Getting a good result in a World Tour week-long stage race was my first goal, and now that I’ve checked it off, maybe one day I will aim for this also in a Grand Tour.”
Mur de Huy rendez-vous in April
“Flèche Wallonne will be my first Belgian Classic and I’m excited to take part in it. The final climb can suit me and if I have good legs like in Catalunya, then I can be in contention for a nice result. I remember doing the Mur de Huy back in 2022, at the Tour de Wallonie, when Julian (Alaphilippe) won the stage.
Greg Van Avermaert was my teammate back then and he gave me some useful tips before the stage. We climbed it twice on that day and I remember suffering quite a lot. In a couple of weeks, I will be ready to suffer again and see what I can do. After that, it’s Switzerland for the Tour de Romandie, which I haven’t done since 2022.”
The one thing that always makes him dig deeper
“When I’m on the limit during a race, I think of my girlfriend. I do a lot of sacrifices for myself, but I know it’s hard also for her when I’m away from home and she is alone. I know why I make all these sacrifices and that’s something that motivates me. When I feel I’m on the limit, I try to fight even more and go deeper. I know how hard I need to be mentally in order to keep pushing and I remind myself of all the hard work I’m putting in to be where I am. Just thinking of her and knowing that by what I do I make her proud motivates me to show that all this sacrifice isn’t for nothing.”
November can’t come soon enough
“The season is still long and there are a lot of things that I still want to achieve, but I’m also counting down the days left until the launch of GTA Vl. I even said to my girlfriend that I will get a PlayStation 5 when the game finally comes out.”
I’m really looking forward to it, because I have a lot of beautiful memories from many years ago, when I played GTA V.
“I was living with my brother in our parents’ house and we had a lot of fun playing it and working together in the game. Even now, when I remember those days, they bring a big smile to my face. It’s a good thing they postponed releasing it in May, because I would have been busy then. Now that they’ve moved the game launch to November, when it’s off-season and I have plenty of time for it, I’m also thinking of skipping my holiday in order to sit at home and play it.”
Photo credit: ©Szymon Gruchalski / Getty Images
