“I have big expectations and we’ll see how it goes,” said founder Antoine Cyr to Sportcom on Saturday, about the classic 20 kilometer mass start of the World Cup in Les Rousses, France. It is clear that the Gatineau resident has filled them, he who ranked eighth on Sunday.
“I was hoping for a solid top 20 Where top 15but there to make another top 10 like that, in season, it’s great! It was a really difficult course,” commented Cyr, in an interview after his doping test.
The 24-year-old athlete finished fourth in the classic 15 kilometer mass start of the recent Tour de Ski on January 7.
Deprived of Saturday’s sprint victory by the Frenchman Richard Jouve, the Norwegian and leader in the World Cup standings, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, beat the specialist in the classic style, the Finn Iivo Niskanen (+1.2 s) and the Swedish William Poromaa (+1.3 s). Cyr was 38.4 seconds behind the four-time Beijing Games medalist.
” Today [dimanche], I attacked the event without pressure and with the idea of having a good race and doing my job for which I train several months a year. It made me happy and it was such a fun race in front of an audience, and I repeat, which was amazing! It was crazy ! I’m really, really happy! »
The Quebecer was pointing around the 20e place in the first intermediate times when he began his ascent towards the head of the group. Eighth after the seven kilometer mark, he held his own in these waters until the finish.
“After two laps, it was starting to get elastic behind, so I snuck in to go forward. I did this at the right time as the race started to explode with the intermediate sprint. »
Present in the World Cup since his debut at the Ski Tour of Canada in March 2019, the Olympian now knows how to read the races perfectly in order to position himself well in the group, without however putting himself in the red in anticipation of the last kilometers.
The gap that separated him from the lead crossed the 10-second mark with just under 5 kilometers to go, except that he was still able to maintain his eighth place.
Antoine Cyr will head for Livigno, Italy, to take part in a preparation course for the World Championships.