Loana Lecomte riding her way to the summits!
Loana Lecomte, a cross-country and mountain bike cyclist supported by Banque Populaire Auvergne Rhône Alpes, confirmed her ascension in her sport by winning the silver medal in the mountain bike cross-country event at the World Cycling and Para-Cycling Championships organized recently in Scotland. Victor Koretzky, a rider supported by the Caisse d'Epargne Languedoc-Roussillon, came in 4th in the men's race
De l’argent qui vaut de l’or
This time, 24-year-old Loana Lecomte turned the pressure of the event into a source of strength. Last year, at the World Championships in Les Gets, France, the young woman buckled under the weight of this competition staged in her home country. In Scotland, however, the young cyclist supported by Banque Populaire Auvergne Rhône Alpes gave free rein to her cycling prowess which, combined with her technical skills, brought her up among the front-runners. After winning the U23 title, Loana went on to become runner-up in the world cross-country championships behind her team-mate, the experienced Pauline Ferrand Prévôt.
With this remarkable result just a few months before the Olympic Games, Loana Lecomte is now well on her way to Paris 2024 with her performance on a rising curve driven by constantly better results: 6th in Tokyo, 4th at the World Championships in 2022, No.1 in Europe… and world runner-up! This magnificent result comes on top of the silver medal she won with Jordan Sarrou, supported by the Caisse d'Epargne Auvergne Limousin, and their team-mates in the French mixed relay team.
Victor Koretzky one step off the podium
Victor Koretzky, a cross-country mountain biker and road cyclist supported by the Caisse d'Epargne Languedoc-Roussillon, also deserved a podium finish in the cross-country event. Unfortunately, he came in 4th when a last-minute rule change gave an advantage to road racers in this mountain bike event. Despite this, he put up a tremendous performance, keeping his hopes alive for next year... And he didn't leave Scotland empty-handed thanks to the silver medal he won in the short-track event. The same goes for Rayan Helal, supported by the Caisse d'Epargne Rhône Alpes, who won a bronze medal with the French team in the track speed relay event.
Valentine Fortin, a racing cyclist supported by Banque Populaire Rives de Paris, also put up a brilliant performance on the Glasgow velodrome, becoming runner-up in the World Cup elimination event. She also won a bronze medal with Marie Le Net, a cyclist supported by Banque Populaire Val de France, in the team pursuit event with their French team-mates.
To know more: Read the interview with Loana Lecomte, October 2022