Mathias Guillemette | “I’m not intimidated by big names”

Who are you, Mathias Guillemette? That’s kind of the question the Trois-Rivières cyclist had to answer during a virtual conference organized by the UCI Track Cycling Champions League on Wednesday.

As the leader of the endurance events after the first two rounds of the circuit, Guillemette occupied the poster with two Olympic gold medalists and a world vice-champion.

“It was still fun, but the two questions I had was who I was because they had no idea! Guillemette laughed half an hour after the conclusion of the exercise with the journalists.

And how is it defined? “I’m a cyclist from Canada… I don’t really have any other description than that! [Cet anonymat relatif], it’s not bad just because I’m young and I haven’t been here long. »

surprise guest

In reality, Guillemette was the 72^e and the last guest by the organizer of the Champions League, a circuit inaugurated in 2021 by the UCI and the Discovery group, which finances it with millions under an eight-year agreement.

The 20-year-old Quebecer received an unexpected pass the day after his participation in the World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (Paris), where he finished in the top 15 three times in mid-October.

“I kind of sold myself [à l’organisateur] at the Worlds. »

The format of the Champions League, very short, is adapted for television and intended to raise awareness of this discipline which is little exposed outside the Olympic Games.

At each of the five rounds, contested over a month and in four countries, four events are presented: speed, keirin, elimination race and scratch. A champion is crowned at the very end for each category of racing: endurance and sprint. The 72 cyclists, 36 women and 36 men, will share total purses of 500,000 euros (nearly CAN$700,000).

At the first stage, in Mallorca, Guillemette caused a surprise by winning the elimination and finishing sixth overall. In Berlin, last Saturday, he did it again with a third place in the elimination, where his young compatriot Dylan Bibic won, and another sixth position in the scratch.

Elimination is a race where the last cyclist in the peloton is eliminated every two laps. The scrach race is the closest track event to a road race; the first runner to cross the line wins.

By virtue of these results, he will have the honor of donning the leader’s jersey during the third installment, on Saturday, at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

In trust

Surprised ? Yes and no, according to the young man who does not seem to lack confidence. “It was still a possibility when we came here. The competition is not the same as at the Worlds. The races are a bit different, shorter, faster. It is sure that it benefits us [les deux Canadiens]. To be the leader right now is a bit of a surprise, but to perform well, no. »

Mathias Guillemette devoted himself to track cycling a few years ago to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Tristan, a member of the Canadian team at the 2017 Junior Worlds. The youngest took part in the same competition two years later. late.

After an eclipse due to the pandemic, Guillemette was a reserve for the 2021 Senior Worlds. He has progressed this year by participating in the three stages of the Nations Cup, the equivalent of the World Cups. He experienced a “click” in mid-May when he finished off the podium in elimination in Milton, Ontario.

The Canadian cyclist then lined up at the Commonwealth Games and the Worlds, where he placed 11^e in team pursuit, 13^e in the points race and 13^e American style with Bibic, crowned world scratch champion.

“All of that really gave me a lot of experience,” noted coach Laura Brown’s protege, bronze medalist in the team pursuit at the Rio Olympics.

After training at the new Sylvan Adams velodrome at the Bromont National Cycling Center, under the supervision of Pascal Choquette and Yannik Morin, Guillemette arrived in the Champions League with the desire to win at least one podium. Its mission is already largely accomplished.

In a peloton that is admittedly less competitive than at the Worlds, he is ahead of excellent cyclists like the Scotsman Mark Stewart (2^e) and Spaniard Sebastian Mora (4^e).

“Some are intimidated by people with big track records,” he said. They’re not necessarily going to attack them. They are going to let themselves down a bit even at the start of the race. Me, I’m not really intimidated by big names. »

For the moment, he is concentrating on the next stage of the Champions League, which will take place precisely in the future Olympic velodrome. At the end of the interview, he pointed his phone at the turquoise jersey of the leader of the endurance classification, hanging on the edge of his bed. He wants to keep it until the last rounds presented in London, on December 3 and 4.

“I would like to keep it to frame it at home rather than having to put it in a box…”

The Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines competition will be webcast on cbc.ca starting at 1 p.m. Saturday.