Cofidis climber David Moncoutié came out of the Vuelta a España with the white and blue polka-dot mountains jersey for the third year in a row. The Frenchman also took himself a stage victory and finished the race in 14th place overall. Unsurprisingly the Spanish Tour is becoming Moncoutié’s favourite race, as he explained in an interview with Eurosport.fr.
“I am very pleased, obviously,” said Moncoutié. “I took a gamble by coming to the Vuelta to win a third consecutive climber's jersey. There was a lot of competition; I thought it would be complicated. I hoped to also get a stage win if possible. I met all my goals; we can say that everything went like a dream.”
While the Frenchman managed to meet his objectives, the race did not go perfectly for him, as a slight illness in the latter stages prevented him from performing at 100%.
“I felt really strong during the first two weeks,” he explained, “everything went exactly as I hoped, but the third was more complicated. First, because I had a bit of rhinopharyngitis and I was a little bit blocked; there was also the time trial. I was simply happy to hold on to the mountains classification and tried to keep my place in the Top 15, which I did.”
Moncoutié has enjoyed considerably more success at the Vuelta than he has at his home tour: the Tour de France, or at the Giro d’Italia. There are reasons for this, as Moncoutié explained: “As I often say,” he said, “it’s a race that suits me fine; of the three Tours, it’s the "easiest" for me.
“There are not many big flat stages like we sometimes have at the Tour, there are almost always hills or mountains, and the stages are shorter on average. Next to that, it is often very hot, unlike the Giro, and that too, I love. There’s also less contact in the peloton in the Vuelta.
Having ridden the Vuelta for the first time in 2008, where he took a stage and the mountains jersey, the 35-year-old does admit to a certain degree of regret for not discovering the race sooner. “With hindsight, one can say that actually,” he conceded. “But what I have accomplished in three years is not bad.
“The first time I did the Vuelta almost by chance, because I missed the Tour. It was a catch-up session. We can say that it has become my favorite race. Three times best climber, three stages, once I was eighth, once 14th, it’s all good.
Last week the Cofidis team announced that Moncoutié was to extend his contract with the team for one more year. He has spent his entire career with, and is a founder member of, the French team; the decision was not taken on the spur of the moment after his Vuelta success though.
“I decided to continue my career during the Tour de France in July,” he explained. “On the second rest day, I called [Cofidis team manager Eric] Boyer to tell him that I did not want to retire.
“Basically [it was] because I was a little frustrated this season,” he continued. “The Giro cost me a lot of energy when I knew it was a race that does not suit me too well. In 2011, I want a program that allows me to exploit my potential a little better. We will it discuss it together this winter.
At 35 years of age, the Parisian rider is not the oldest member of the peloton, but is certainly heading that way. Even after 13 years as a professional rider, he knows just what motivates him.
“I still love the bike,” he said. “For me, it's essential. This summer I spent five weeks without riding a single race. I was just training, and I felt that I was always having so much fun doing it.”
Looking back on his career, Moncoutié is justly proud of what he has achieved over the years.
“It's not too bad,” he said of his 13-year career, “especially taking into account my huge weaknesses. I'm catastrophic in the sprint, so if I want to win I have to do it alone. I am a very bad descender, and I hate it when there’s contact or when there’s bumping. But I still have some beautiful victories in major races.
“To have this palmares with all these flaws is pretty good.”