{"id":690923,"date":"2026-01-12T11:09:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T11:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/690923\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T11:09:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T11:09:15","slug":"pogacar-is-still-human-hell-have-more-difficult-moments-groupamas-newest-classics-threat-insists-french-team-can-challenge-for-big-wins-this-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/690923\/","title":{"rendered":"“Pogacar is still human, he\u2019ll have more difficult moments” \u2013 Groupama’s newest Classics threat insists French team can challenge for big wins this Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

That role is not symbolic. Tronchon is being positioned as a genuine card to play in the brutal northern races that define March and April.<\/p>\n

A rider built for hard races<\/p>\n

Tronchon has built his reputation on toughness rather than glamour. His breakthrough came in 2022 when, as a stagiaire, he won a stage at the Vuelta a Burgos on just his third day with the pro team. Since then, his career has leaned towards hard one day racing and demanding terrain.<\/p>\n

In 2025 he took his biggest win to date at Tro Bro Leon, a race famous for mud, chaos and attrition rather than clean sprint finishes. That victory, along with consistent results in hilly and classics-style races, is what made him attractive to his new team.<\/p>\n

Those are exactly the kinds of races he thrives on. \u201cThe Flemish classics are always complicated,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to expect anything, it bounces around in every direction, so much happens. But that\u2019s exactly what I like: hard races, warrior races. Mentally, you have to be ready, and I will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe might not have the rider who automatically stands out like a Van der Poel, but we have a very solid and well-balanced team. With riders like Valentin Madouas<\/a>, we\u2019ll have several cards to play in the finals, and that\u2019s a real strength.\u201dWhy he left and why this role matters<\/p>\n

Until now, Tronchon had only ever known one structure at WorldTour level. Leaving was not easy. \u201cYou doubt a bit at the start, because I hadn\u2019t known anything else,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut what convinced me was the role that was offered. Decathlon was going in another direction, and here I found a role that suits me perfectly: leader at the start of the season, then support for other objectives, with more chances to play my own card later in the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

That clarity matters. Rather than being a permanent helper, Tronchon is being asked to take responsibility in the races that suit him best, then switch into support mode later in the calendar.<\/p>\n

He has also had a quick education in the culture of his new team, particularly under the influence of long-time boss Marc Madiot<\/a>. \u201cI was lucky enough to experience one of his speeches at the December training camp, and I can assure you, it really does something to you. In the moment, you almost feel like you\u2019re being told off, but afterwards, it gives you a real boost.\u201dRacing the giants<\/p>\n

Talking about Pogacar in the Classics is unavoidable. But Tronchon does not see inevitability. \u201cThere will always be race circumstances. Pogacar is still a human being, he\u2019ll also have more difficult moments. On our side, we have a very solid and well balanced team, and that will be our biggest strength in 2026. We\u2019ll have to know how to play the right cards.\u201d<\/p>\n

That is the tone of his new chapter: realistic, but not intimidated.<\/p>\n

Asked what he wants from the season, his answer is simple. \u201cVictories. Strade Bianche is still my dream race for now. I\u2019ve already done quite a lot of Flemish classics, but that\u2019s the one that makes me dream the most today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether those wins come in Tuscany\u2019s white roads or Belgium\u2019s cobbles, Tronchon is no longer riding quietly in the background. This Spring, Groupama\u2019s newest Classics threat is expected to be part of the story, not just a footnote in it.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" That role is not symbolic. Tronchon is being positioned as a genuine card to play in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":690924,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4104],"tags":[208708,4230,94767,191982,10102,79,16152,16,15,208707],"class_list":["post-690923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-bastien-tronchon","tag-cycling","tag-groupama-fdj","tag-marc-madiot","tag-mathieu-van-der-poel","tag-sports","tag-tadej-pogacar","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-valentin-madouas"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115881820954363931","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=690923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/690924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=690923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=690923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=690923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}