Can you introduce yourselves?

Holly: My name is Holly, I'm 27 years old, and this year I'm working at the shop in Bédoin after having worked for five years in Nice. I worked for two years at the Nice shop and then two years in B2B at the Café du Cycliste offices.

Victor: I'm Victor, I'm 30 years old, I'm from Dijon, and I'm starting my second season at the Café du Cycliste in Bédoin.

Morgan: My name is Morgan, I'm 32 years old, and I'm from Picardy. In 2019, I left France to settle in Canada, where I stayed for six years. I completed almost all of my education and work experience there.

What is your relationship with cycling?

Holly: I started cycling at 15 and then I was on the national team for six years in the Charente-Maritime National Division. I started in a boys' club; there really weren't any girls with me. The only girl there was an hour and a half away. I remember we did training camps together; she would come to my place and I would go to hers, and we would ride together. My first women's race was near La Rochelle. It was a criterium on a two-and-a-half-kilometer circuit, and we attacked. We broke away, the two of us, and we lapped the peloton. It was incredible; I finished second that day. After that, I joined a women's team, ADN 17, which was based in Charente-Maritime. I raced for six years, competing in all the French Cups, national races, and in Belgium. We even went to Ireland to do the Tour of Ireland, and a few Belgian classics too. Then we won the French Women's Cup in 2019! So it was really awesome, I learned a lot. I think I stopped because after a while I did too much and it kind of turned me off. I was training all the time, and maybe I was training too much, so I wasn't progressing, and then it became a vicious cycle.

Morgan: I'm a big fan of single-speed and fixed-gear bikes without brakes and all the related culture. I'm a big fan of bike messengers, alley cat races, etc. And it's kind of my dream to do an alley cat race in New York one day, for example. I bought my first fixie when I was in Australia, working as a bike messenger for two months in Sydney, and I loved it. That was in 2016. I stayed in the fixie world for a long time until I came to Canada, where I discovered gravel riding. When I moved south of Montreal, I was in Bromont, on the Vermont border, and they have miles of gravel roads. I bought my first gravel bike there in 2021, and now I ride gravel a lot. And I do a lot of road riding too, of course, but I like road riding when the spots are cool, whereas with gravel you can still get away from it all.

Have you ever climbed Mont Ventoux?

Holly: A few times, via Bédoin and Malaucène.

Morgan: Yes, I've done it on a gravel bike, a road bike, and also on a trail bike – all three!

Victor: We're planning to climb it together, the three of us, for the symbolism!

What's new compared to last year?

Victor: The women's Tour de France is coming through, we're expecting a lot of people and we're going to make sure that a lot of people come. We want as many people as for the men's race, even more if possible! It's going to be spectacular. We’re also organising a gravel event on 27 September . It's not timed, but it will be the first event organised by the shop. These are the two major events of the season, along with lots of smaller events throughout.

How would you present the team?

Victor: We have very complementary profiles, but at the same time, we support each other. I see the team as very athletic; everyone is a cyclist, everyone comes by bike (at least 40km a day, we live 20km from the shop).We are committed to giving customers good advice based on their type of riding. We have members who can provide the keys to understanding the brand, whether it's gravel riding with Morgan, Holly who can advise women and on road cycling in general, and then myself, with my experience in road cycling and trail running!