"Winning the Tour of Flanders is a step above" - Valentin Madouas prioritizes cobbled classics over all other races

Valentin Madouas has for the past few years shown immense talent in different terrains however 2022 proved to be a breakthrough year in the cobbled classics, where the Frenchman is set to prioritize his preparation into 2023.

In an interview with Le Télégramme, Madouas has shared that "i've had real results on a WorldTour level, with big leaders and champions fighting for the top races. I feel that they're looking at me, seeing me as a favourite. My status has changed and it's a milestone ticked off."

Madouas had hinted at his talent in the cobbles, riding to 14th at the 2020 Tour des Flandres, 13th at the Leuven World Championships, and then 7th at the E3 Saxo Bank Classic. His climbing capacity was clear, and in the steep bergs of the Tour des Flandres he used it to ride into third place, bridging over to that podium position in the final meters alongside Dylan van Baarle.

"I briefly thought about [winning]. You see the helicopter above and you're going 20 kilometres an hour quicker," he said of the Flandrien monument. "I got in front but my legs quickly reminded me that I wasn't fresh, I was totally dead and that was that." Nevertheless, he went through Tadej Pogacar to climb onto the podium.

"For the connoisseurs of cycling, winning the Tour of Flanders is a step above," he says, also reassuring he would put his focus onto the cobbles in 2023. Alongside Stefan Küng, Groupama-FDJ has had a very successful cobbled classics campaign, and will be aiming for more in the coming real.

"Yes and no," he responded to whether he can improve, more specifically in relation to the Tour de France. "Personally, I felt capable of doing that well. I felt I progressed in a fair few areas. The experience did me a lot of good, we did a lot of specific preparation at altitude, which I was lacking in before ... but it's the consistency. I was there every day and it was maybe a surprise to do that at this level."

Despite riding in support of David Gaudu, Madouas managed to finish in 10th place at the Tour. He's taken additional wins at the Tour du Doubs and the Skoda Tour Luxembourg later in the year, but his performance at the Grand Boucle also delivered promise that he could possibly target the overall classification one day.

"I prepared well for the race, but I didn't do everything I could. There are lots of little things that can be improved for the years to come," he concluded.