I had the pleasure of being able to talk to Emmanuel Morin about his first professional seasons at Cofidis. A very interesting exchange in which Emmanuel talks about his preparation in the midst of Covid, but also his ambitions for the future. Good reading !
Cycling Times : For those who don't know you yet, you have 25 years and you have been a member of the Cofidis Solutions Crédit team for 2018, first as an intern, then as a full member since 2019. What is your assessment of these first seasons as a professional at Cofidis ?
Emmanuel morin : The results of my first season are rather mixed. I fell a lot which prevented me from being at 100% all season. But there are positives, Despite everything, I had a good physical turn and I integrated very well into the squad. My second season with the professionals is much better. Firstly because I have had personal results but also because I have been able to show that I can be an important element in the squad. In particular with Guillaume Martin. I also discovered the WorldTour with the Het Nieuwsblad and the Tour de Lombardie or the GP de Plouay. I was also able to participate in my first Grand Tour, the Vuelta where I was able to show my different qualities and where I did my first two top 10 and WorldTour (9e and 6e).
The year 2020 you did pretty well despite the pandemic, with some good results especially during the Tropicale Amissa Bongo and the Tour de Slovaquie, but also on the Vuelta, with 2 top 10 stage. What was the key for you in this special year ?
I think it’s a combination of things that have helped me to pass the big milestone I have passed this year, physically and mentally. First of all my different internships, before the team camp in December. Then I discovered the effects of altitude with an internship in Tignes de 2 weeks. Then I did an internship 10 days in the Nice region with my trainer to make the pace behind a scooter. The confinement also took me a step further, physical and mental. I was able to stay motivated throughout the confinement. Zwift races gave me a mental step forward because it is still very, very physically and psychologically trying. I also worked on food, on and off the bike. So as not to gain weight, but also to optimize my carbohydrate intake during training and running. I left nothing to chance, And I do not regret it. I will stay in the same dynamic this season.
As the season approaches 2021, which also promises to be quite special, what are the goals that will mark the next months of your preparation ?
I don't want to leave anything to chance this season either. I go back to training before the team to be efficient from the start of the season. My primary goal, from a personal point of view will be my first professional success. From a collective point of view, be an important element with my leaders. Necessarily, I dream of the Tour, with a departure in Brittany, not far from home.
Is it difficult for you to prepare for a season at the highest level in the current context ? How do you approach the next competitions, with a program that may be more flexible and uncertain than usual ?
Yes, it is necessarily different compared to other years. We cannot go on internship where we want. The health protocols are strict but we have become used to. The program was defined in the "ideal". We know that some races may not take place. But we prefer to say that everything will go as planned.
You have more of a sprinter profile if your recent results are to be believed, what are your long-term ambitions in cycling, the races on which you would like to shine the most ?
Indeed I am a sprinter but not only. I don't necessarily want to be put in a box. I am also at ease with the Flandrian classics and the tiring and hilly races. I think I'm a complete runner. In the future, I would like to become one of the best French sprinters.
You are also Elia Viviani's teammate, former European road champion, and Guillaume Martin, among others. What benefits do you manage to derive from their presence in the workforce ? Does sharing camps and running alongside world-class runners allow you to progress faster? ?
They are two very great leaders who pull the group to the top. Obviously we are progressing. I only ran with Guillaume, but I grew up. It was on the Vuelta and it gave me an express apprenticeship. Guillaume is benevolent and always seeks to help us progress and only brings out the positive. Participate in Guillaume's success, in the mountain jersey it was just exceptional and it’s my best memory since becoming a professional. I couldn't ask for more for my first grand tour.
A big thank you to Emmanuel for this exchange, we wish him a good season 2021 !
