Through Eric Vanovertveld
Published on
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Kévin, you took part in your first Paralympic Games in Tokyo, this summer both on the track and on the road …
Kevin Le Cunff : I discovered the track a year ago now. Before, this practice was simply winter to keep your legs warm at the Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (Yvelines). It is very technical as a discipline as there are many parameters to take into consideration such as tactics, position, effort management and piloting. In parallel with my job, I also did internships at the Roubaix Velodrome. The northern ring having similarities of long straight lines with that of Izu (Japan), on which the events were contested.
“PCR tests every day …”
In the end, you didn’t win any medals on the track …
I was a novice in this discipline with no reference in competition. I made mistakes especially on the gear. I was too big on the mile when I needed more punch to start. The result was final with an eighth place. On the C1-C5 team speed, we had no automatic systems and we hardly missed the bronze medal by finishing fourth. In the individual pursuit, I collapsed at the end of the race in the small final only to fail once again at the foot of the podium. The pursuit, I would go back to both paracyclists and valid, it is an effort compatible with the practice of the road and which I like.
How was life in the Olympic Village with this global Covid-19 pandemic?
Collective training was supervised by the organization on a defined circuit. We performed PCR tests daily in addition to our body temperature report. It was a great organization, but without an audience, it’s not the same emotion both on the podium and during the closing ceremony.
Your holy grail will arrive on September 3rd at Fuji Speedway …
We had been informed that the weather in this season would be hot and humid. Initially, we had rain and a temperature around 20 degrees. I don’t like cold rain. The circuit was quite demanding with 2300 meters of vertical drop over 91 kilometers. I had ticked off names to watch out for during the test. Finally we quickly find ourselves five ahead and then two with the Ukrainian Yegor Dementyev who had beaten me in the individual pursuit for the bronze medal. I had seen that it was a little tight, I placed a first banderilla before putting a second, decisive, at 2.5 kilometers.
What were your tactics at the start of the event?
The motivation was there. It was my last chance to win a medal at this Olympics. I knew that you had to be an actor, without putting too much in and above all in unnecessary effort. In fact, this race was fought like a night with a fast start causing a first skimming then a calmer moment towards the middle of the race before starting again with a vengeance at the end.
What do you think of when you find yourself alone in the lead a few hundred meters from winning a gold medal?
I didn’t think of anyone other than me. Under humid climatic conditions, it was necessary to remain vigilant from start to finish so as not to know the slightest blunder. After the line, we think of the people around us who believed in us. I was not in denial of emotion, I realized quite quickly that I had become a Paralympic champion. To hear the Marseillaise on the podium is strong.
What will this title change for you?
After my gold medal, I had a lot of requests from many media. I hope this title will change my life (smile). I will surely repaint my bike and my helmet in gold to symbolize this Paralympic title as some have done in the past.
The road season is not over for all that on your side …
I will meet my teammates from Dunkirk-Grand Littoral-Cofidis and align myself with Paris-Vierzon, the Classique de l’Yonne and Paris-Connerré. I haven’t raced so much this season with only nineteen days of racing, but with seven podiums and three wins including the final classification of the Tour de Loire-Atlantique, the ratio is pretty good.
“I had considered returning to Team Peltrax”
You were third at Paris-Connerré in 2015 under the colors of Team Peltrax-CS Dammarie-lès-Lys…
Paris-Connerré is a race that is close to my heart and I would like to win it one day. Team Peltrax-CSD has been a springboard for me. Everyone had their chance in a team with a lot of experienced riders. We had a lot of podiums that year. Not really knowing what I was going to do at the start of the year, I had considered returning to the team. I have always had good relations with President Eric Arnaud, a passionate person.
Two years after your stint in the Dammarian structure, you join the professional peloton …
It was a great experience, notably with a victory over the Buckles of Alder in 2018. My three years at Saint-Michel-Auber 93 have been rewarding. The entire Auber staff and his manager Stéphane Javalet congratulated me on my title as did my former agent, Christophe Le Mével. I also have a thought for my bicycle dealer, my trainer Guillaume Judas as well as my relatives and my family who have always supported me.
How do you see the rest of your career after this Paralympic title?
I won the bronze medal at the World Disabled Road Race Championship in Cascais (Portugal), last June. I would like to win the rainbow jersey. I want to go to the Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024, especially since they will be “at home”. However, this will not be under the same conditions as for Tokyo (Japan). I put together my 38-hour week of work in addition to my 20 hours of cycling, without any particular arrangement. A sustained pace, especially since I have been the father of a little Lola since the beginning of the year. I also hope that partners will follow me on this Paris 2024 adventure.
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