Audrey Cordon-Ragot dreams of Paris Olympics after a nightmare season: "I never thought about leaving"

Following a winter spent searching for a new contract after the collapse of B&B Hotels-KTM, and then removing herself from Zaaf Cycling Team after the management’s failure to pay wages or expenses, it’s little wonder that Audrey Cordon-Ragot is ready for a turn in fortune.  

"I was already down, but I didn’t want to go deeper and just fall in my tomb. I had to be strong," Cordon-Ragot says reflecting on the year that was 2023. It was the dream of competing at a home Olympics, she says, which motivated her to fight.

"I would say 'Okay Audrey, you are not ready to stop. You want to do the Olympics in Paris, so you have to race this season. So just go on, go on, go on!'," the 34-year-old tells Cycling Weekly.

"I never thought about leaving – I always said 'there is always worse in life'. It’s just cycling. I love cycling and nobody will decide when I stop – so that was my guidance for all those months. Even when I had no team and I didn’t know when I would start racing again, I was training like normal."