Ag2r La Mondiale climber John Gadret is taking a very different approach to many of his companions in the peloton, choosing to remain very active during the winter months.
The double French cross champion, who placed fifth in the 1999 cross worlds and then began racing professionally on the road in 2003, has never forgotten his roots. He will begin his cross season this Sunday in Saverne, lining out in the first round of the national league.
Because of his high level of competition, he has been requested not to do too many of the events in that series. “Then I’ll probably race more in Belgium,” he said, according to Velochrono. “As I did last year, I will ride between 20 and 25 cross races this winter.”
He is likely to set the French championships and the worlds as goals for his cross season. However he knows he needs to be selected for the latter, and is taking nothing for granted. “If I have a place,” he says, about riding the worlds. “I say this because the young riders are developing well.”
Gadret has been a solid professional, but it’s fair to say that he hasn’t quite delivered on his promise. He rode the Giro d’Italia as a 27 year old in 2006, and placed fifth, sixth and seventh on mountain stages there. He won a stage plus the overall in the Tour de l’Ain in 2008, and this year finished 19th in the Tour de France and 13th in the Giro d’Italia. He was an impressive third on the Plan de Corones time trial there.
His Tour ride saw him finish up as best-placed Frenchman. He fell out with team-mate Nicolas Roche during the race, refusing to give the designated team leader a wheel when he punctured at a crucial moment. Roche ended the race 15th overall, but otherwise would likely have been 11th or 12th in Paris.
Gadret wants to move on from that, and a good cyclo-cross season would be a good way to remind people that he is himself a strong rider.