Interview: David Veilleux Europcar
A conversation with the talented young gun from Quebec, David Veilleux who spent
the year racing in Europe making strong impression
David Veilleux is a Canadian rider currently riding for the French
team Europcar. David was born on November 26, 1987 and will turn 24 in a few
days. Veilleux signed with Jittery Joe's team of Micah Rice in 2006; and
rode under Jonas Carney's tutelage on Kelly Benefit Strategies through 2010.
The Quebecerstarted racing at 12 in Mountain
bike and later on the road. He continued to progress racking up victories as a
Junior (wining the overall of the Junior Tour de l'Abitibi, 2005) and later as
an elite
winning the U23 ITT and Road Race Canadian Championships at 19, (the first of 4)
claiming the right to wear the Maple leaf jersey. Along the way David would
stand on the top step of the podium 17 times.
The call to go to the big show in Europe came from Jean-René Rernaudeu's Pro
Continental French outfit, Europcar in 2011 where he took his first win
for his new team in April in the 188 kilometer :a Roue Tourangelle beating
Anthony Delaplace who wuld go on to win the French Cup. He also impressed at
25th in his debut in Paris - Roubaix after getting in the early break of the
day; and placed 19th in the World Road
Championships.
Québécois Dvid Veilleux of Europcar signs in at Paris - Roubaix
Photo © 2011 Fotoreporter
Sirotti
Luke Allingham: What would you recommend to help an amateur cyclist who wants
go professional?
David Veilleux: Work hard and stay focused. Cycling is a sport that needs a lot of years of hard
work and training before you get to high level. Most of the time, it’s hard and
you suffer, but it’s all worth it when the brighter days come.
L.A.: Who is your all time favorite cyclist?
David Veilleux: Probably Eddy Merckx because he could
win any races he signed up for.
L.A.: What do you like about team Europcar?
The team atmosphere. The guys on the
team are really nice and I enjoy racing with them.
.L.A.: What would you like to improve in? (Sprinting, Time trails, climbing)
D.V: Currently,
I’m working on improving my sprint for the remaining of the season, but overall,
I would to climb better.
.L.A.: What type of training do you do during the off season?
D.V.: I spend most of the
time on the home trainer, but I also cross-country ski and do some weight
lifting.
:.L.A.: What keeps you interested
in racing?
D.V. It’s great sport because you have to give it everything at any race. There
are no easy races and you can outperform yourself every time.
.What is your idea of being a professional cyclist?
It’s all about staying focused, working hard and doing your job year-round.
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