Between 1989 and 2001, Laurent Madouas was one of the most respected riders in France. A climber, he was a prized team-mate of stars like Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong. And now, nearly 25 years after he retired, his son Valentin has also become one of France’s top cyclists. Not the pure climber his father once was, the 28-year-old has forged a reputation as a gutsy rider who thrives in a race of attrition. His brute strength and resilience have earned him an enviable collection of podium finishes from Strade Bianche, through the Tour of Flanders, to the Paris Olympics last summer, where he won the hearts of the French fans with a brilliant silver-medal performance in the road race. 

Rouleur visited the Madouas clan – father and son – in their native Brittany, as we spent a memorable afternoon in Laurent’s house overlooking the coast of northwestern France.

Rouleur: Brittany has long been known as a real land of cycling. Laurent, you saw that a lot growing up, we are sure. Why do you think that is?

Laurent Madouas: I’m not quite sure but I think there are a lot of reasons. For one Brittany has produced a lot of champions, from Louison Bobet to Bernard Hinault, so the kids grew up with real idols, and parents often encouraged them. In Brittany there are two sports: cycling and football. Nobody is going to send their kid to play rugby here. As a result, every town or village, it seems, has a cycling school or cycling team. 

Valentin Madouas: In Brittany there are a lot of farmers. It’s a hard life so the people really respect a sport that is hard, one that requires a lot of sacrifice and hard work. Certainly there are fewer races than before, but that tradition is still very much alive. Yesterday I rode the Tro-Bro Léon in the pouring rain, but the crowd that came out despite the weather was just incredible. And still, compared to other regions, there are a lot of races, and they are easily accessible. There are some regions where you must drive 300 kilometres just to get to a race on a weekend. That makes a 600-kilometre round trip. Who is going to do that every weekend? Here in Brittany, even today, you never have to drive more than 50 kilometres. 

Laurent, you were a professional for 12 years between 1989 and 2001 and you rode for many of the best teams. Interestingly you were a team-mate to both Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong. What do you remember about them?

Laurent: I remember them both well, but they were very different. I was team-mates with Greg in 1990 on Team Z. I was only in my second season and he was the defending Tour de France champion. He was still very much in his prime. But he was also so relaxed. I never had the impression that he was stressed about anything. finished eighth and he finished 10th. I would never have guessed that just a few weeks later he was going to win the Tour de France for a third time. I mean, I was just a second-year pro and I finished in front of him, so I really didn’t get the impression that he was anywhere close to Tour-winning form. But he was totally relaxed. Not stressed at all by the approach of the Tour.

Lance was very different. He had a really strong personality. He put a lot of pressure on himself, and hence we felt the pressure. When I signed with Motorola in 1996, Lance’s big goals that year were Paris-Nice, the Ardennes and the Tour Dupont. He was clear that he wanted the best team with him and we had to be at 100 per cent for those races. But he accomplished those things. He finished second in Paris-Nice and Liège-Bastogne-Liège and he won Flèche-Wallonne and the Tour Dupont.

A Frenchman riding for an American team at the time was very rare. Did you sense a big difference in the way the team was organised, or the approach?

Laurent: At the time, Motorola was so much more structured than the French teams. For example, at the first training camp of the year, they split us up in groups that were at the same level of condition. The French teams back then would all ride together in the first camp and they were really competitive. But that was counterproductive, because not everyone starts the season with the same objectives or in the same condition. But on Motorola we rode in groups that were at similar fitness levels, hence you could more easily improve at your own pace.

One of your best career results came when you finished second to Marco Pantani on the mountain stage to Guzet-Neige in the 1995 Tour. You were a good climber. What was it like racing against Pantani in the high mountains?

Laurent: What I remember most about Pantani is how much he climbed out of the saddle. He could go really hard for three or four minutes out of the saddle. As a result, if you wanted to have a chance, you had to anticipate his move, because once he attacked, he just rode you off his wheel. On another stage to Alpe d’Huez, I tried to follow him and I just blew up. His accelerations were so hard and they lasted for so long, there just wasn’t anything you could do.

Valentin, you were born in 1996 when your dad was with Motorola. Do you have memories of him racing?

Valentin: A bit. I certainly remember the Tour de France in 2000 because my mum rented a campervan to follow the race, and we travelled all around the country following dad. And then in his final season, we followed him to a lot of criteriums, and often he would bring me up on the podium.

You did a lot of sports growing up, swimming and judo among others. When did you understand that you wanted to focus on cycling?

Valentin: It was natural, really. I loved riding my bike. I did other sports, but I always cycled a lot. In the summers I would often go to my grandparents because they lived by the beach, and I rode all the time. Plus, my grandfather loved cycling. He was a veritable walking encyclopedia of cycling, and we would always watch the Tour on the television in the afternoons. So even though I practiced other sports, cycling was always my favourite.

Laurent, when did you understand that Valentin had something special?

Laurent: Even before he started cycling, we had our kids running a lot. And he would come back from running around the house and say to me, “Oh, I just love sweating.” So already, he enjoyed the physical exertion. And already, he had a competitive edge. He could really push himself. Already as an under-16, I could tell he not only had the mental attitude but also that he was really developing physically. He and David Gaudu were in the same category at the same time, and because we didn’t live far apart, they often raced together, and they would always finish together. They were the best riders in the region by far, so clearly he had some real physical capacity, something that just continued into the juniors.

Laurent, you were really known as a climber, but Valentin you are more of a puncher, or perhaps what we call a finisseur, someone who often finishes well placed.

Valentin: Yes, but my grandparents were a bit stockier, so at least physically, I take more after them than my dad.

Valentin, you have finished top 10 in the Tour, on the podium in Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders, and then of course, silver medallist in the Paris Olympics road race last summer. But to be honest, we never know when you are going to come up with a big result. Do you know yourself?

Valentin: Not really! I know I am pretty consistent and every once in a while, I am on another level, and I can follow the best. Sometimes I can feel it before the race, but sometimes not.

Laurent: I don’t really have the same opinion. One thing I can tell you is that Valentin can set certain objectives years in advance. For the Olympics last summer, I can tell you that he was thinking and talking about the Games two or three years before. And in 2023, when he won the French championships, he had been thinking about that race a good year in advance. So, on occasion, he can really set an objective and focus on it. He cannot maintain that intensity all of the time, but on occasion he really is capable of putting everything in place that is needed to be 100 per cent.

Valentin: That’s true. With the Olympics, I knew that the circuit really suited me, and then the fact that the Olympic Games were in Paris was something really special.

Laurent, what is Valentin’s greatest strength as a cyclist?

Laurent: I would say his determination. When he gets an idea in his head, he doesn’t let go of it. He can be pretty extreme, and it can really cost him. Sometimes he will bury himself physically and mentally, and he will be wasted for a couple of months. But he can really focus when he wants something bad enough.

Valentin, the Olympics must have been special. You had a great ride, but the atmosphere was unforgettable. Were you able to take it all in during the race?

Valentin: There was an atmosphere like I had never seen before. The entire day was incredible. Already the French athletes were getting good results and you could just sense something in the crowd that day. Even riders that didn’t have a great race were talking about the atmosphere.

Laurent, you were diagnosed with peritoneal cancer eight years ago. How are you holding up? 

Laurent: It has been eight years now and there have been plenty of highs and lows. At first there was a sense of disbelief because I felt fine and they detected it in a blood test. Then there was a lot of frustration: “Why me?” But you have no choice but to deal with it. That said, there have been certain positives. I live differently. I really focus on things that bring me pleasure. Before, I would project two or three years into the future, but now if I plan two or three months into the future, that’s a lot. If my wife has some time off and I am at a good point physically, we will take off and go somewhere, but I am not going to plan a big trip two years from now. In the time I have, I just try to focus on the positive and avoid the negative, and sometimes, I think to myself, “Why didn’t I approach life like this before?” But I have been fortunate, and we have been able to contain it reasonably. The treatment options just keep improving and I have had good luck with some of them.

Has your father’s cancer had an effect on your own career in any way, Valentin?

Valentin: Not really, at least not in terms of my racing, but it certainly has changed the way I think about life after cycling. I see the way my dad approaches life now and I am really going to try to live like that when my career does come to a close. 

You seem to be very attached to your home here in Brittany. A lot of riders at your level would be tempted by moving to Andorra or Monaco. Is that something you have ever considered?

Valentin: No, to be honest. As professionals, we travel so much already, be it for training camps or races. As a result, when I have a little down time, I would rather come back here to Brittany where I can really unwind and recharge my batteries. That said, training here is great. There is not an inch of flat road around here, and there is often a lot of wind. Riding here is plenty difficult, so it is really a good place to maintain your physical level. 

Is there one race you dream of winning?

Valentin: Well, there are certainly some Monuments I really would love to win, but at the same time, those races are being won between two riders, Pogačar and Van der Poel, these days. 

Laurent, is there a race that you think Valentin is particularly suited for?

Laurent: I’d say the Amstel Gold Race. It is the race that most resembles the landscape here around Brittany, and he has often done well at Amstel. But ironically he has never been 100 per cent at that race, so I would say that the day Valentin is really 100 per cent for Amstel, he could really have a great ride.