“Kimberley Lecourt will be more mature by 2028 and has a good chance of winning a medal”

Kimberley Lecourt-Pienaar and the Mauritian team were deeply disappointed during the women’s road race at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The fault was a mechanical incident 60 km from the finish. Frustratingly, the double Mauritian 2024 champion finished in the top 15. However, Jean-Philippe Lagane, president of the Mauritian Cycling Federation (FMC), did not want to compete. ‘Blaming each other’.

“It’s an unfortunate incident. It’s unfortunate, but these are the things that can happen on a bike.””, concludes Jean-Philippe Lagane, who prefers to see the positive side of things. “This is a lesson we all learned. It will help us in the future.”

“But I think Kimberly was apprehensive about going to the Olympics because it was her first time. She is still tender in the workplace. What happened happened. In her team (AG Insurance-Soudal), she was used to wearing headphones. There, the sports director could follow the cyclists’ races in real time and intervene quickly if there was a problem. There, headphones are prohibited. Of course she panicked. Maybe she should have waited for her tech car to arrive before stopping. Because the wheel was broken, she could still drive, but not fast. Her car passed her without seeing her. Cars were lined up in double file. It could have happened. She called on Yannick Lincoln, who was not used to doing this job. Of course, it was a great opportunity to win a medal for the country, but we can’t go back.”indicates Jean-Philippe Ragané.

For the Mauritian cyclists, “Kim has come out of these races stronger and is already focused on her next race, the Women’s Tour de France. I think she will be more experienced at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and have a great chance of winning a medal. I hope she will trust the Federation Team.”

In addition, the FMC Chairman said he was pleased with the results achieved by Christopher Lagane in the men’s road race. “Christopher had two choices. Either he stayed at the wheel, knowing that when the big cars started fighting he would be left behind and probably finish 60th in complete anonymity, or he broke through in the morning and showed the national team jersey. I think he did well to choose the second option. Trevor Court (head coach) explained both options to him as well. He will be ahead for more than 180 kilometers. That is a source of satisfaction”he pointed out.

In the case of Aurélie Halbwachs-Lincoln in the mountain bike (MTB) event, who fell after the first lap and was forced to abandon the race, Jean-Philippe Lagane would say that if we didn’t have a real cross-country Olympic race (XCO), we wouldn’t make any progress.

It can be said that the mountain bike track at each Olympic Games is more technical than the previous one. “I had the opportunity to visit the course in Paris. If we don’t build such a circuit in Mauritius, we won’t even be in the top 15. You have to try to find landowners willing to make their land available so that the circuit can be built. There is also government land in St. Maarten that can accommodate such infrastructure. It will be a question of finding a formula. Otherwise, our representatives will find themselves facing an insurmountable task every time””, explained the FMC Chairman.

“Aurelie had cleared the obstacles on the course during her reconnaissance, but during the race, it was a very different story. Under pressure, she was pushed the wrong way and fell. That’s what happens when you’re not used to playing on this type of course.”Jean-Philippe Ragané concludes.