Axel Narbonne Zuccarelli

What are your thoughts on the Café du Cycliste Gravel Team?

I’m really happy to be discovering a whole new world of riding, I’m really into the different atmosphere. I can’t wait to share it with the team – everyone gets on well, and the staff are really cool. I also can’t wait to go race, and to train on gravel with my three friends. I’m sure we’ll have some super cool moments that will stay with us.

What’s your best racing memory?

As a junior I raced the Classic des Alpes Junior, a French Cup race, and I got in a break with the three best riders at the top of the Mont du Chat. It was a great memory and a good race. At that time, I was really riding for fun, and I got a top 10 that I hadn’t dared hope for – one of those races that made me want to make bike racing my métier.

Gravel goals in 2024:

I’d love to get some real results in the first races we’re doing. Top 5 or 10 – though right now it’s difficult to know the level.

How do road and gravel combine?

I’ll put gravel into my training when I’m in Nice and not travelling, because I really think it’s complementary. I’ll try to do at least one session a week of gravel. We train in blocks, depending on our road race schedule, so I’ll integrate the gravel at the start or end of a road block. And I’ll use my level on the road to get results in gravel races.

How is gravel evolving?

At first I followed the evolution of gravel from afar, but it seems even to me to be getting so much bigger. Lots of people ride gravel for fun, and more and more competitively – lots of road cyclists are being tempted into moving over to gravel, halfway between road and mountain biking.

What is gravel to you?

It’s both fun and difficult, because it remains a hard discipline. It’s about teamwork too.

Favourite meal the night before a race?

Italian pasta