If you missed it, find her first part of Mathilde's interview right here ! Otherwise, good reading of the game 2 !
Cycling Times : […] You are a committed woman. Whether in your statements or in the way you act, you always put the role of young enthusiasts forward.
What place do you think young people have in the media? ? Or, should they take ?
Mathilde L’Azou : I would like them to take a little more prominence. That would be good. We are a generation that gets by, who manages to evolve, who manages to master many areas of activity. But it's true that we are a generation that is capable of doing a lot of things, who is passionate. I hope so, anyway. For the majority. And it's true that these young people, In my opinion, they should be given the chance that was given to me.
That's the thing ! It is to transmit. It’s so important in this job and in sport : pass on a passion. Transmitting the love of sport to adults, to the public, to people who now tend to settle down. And for that, you have to go with the young people. It is the young people who have the codes of information. It is the young people who now know how to talk to other young people. Thanks to Tik Tok, thanks to social networks.
I don't really agree with stigmatizing young people. Like what we are looking for only the buzz or other. It's not true. We're not all like that. After, I also say watch out. Because there are many people of the new generation who, thanks also to these social networks, Sometimes, feel a little grow wings and see themselves a little too beautiful for what they are, at first.
We must not forget that no one is irreplaceable in this profession and that there will always be, A day, someone who will come up with a better idea than yours. And so you always have to know how to question yourself. Don't feel stronger than you are. That, maybe that's just the little advice I could give to the younger generation.
C.T. : You are godmother of the Etienne Fabre Prize. Can you present this award, say what it is, what it means to you ?
M.A. : It is a price that is, I want to make it clear, paused this year. But who rewarded cyclists who did higher education in parallel with their career?. Had 3 categories, women, men and disabled. It's true that it was great because we rewarded beautiful people. We were able to financially support, help find an internship [..] to Loana Lecomte, to Benoît Cosnefroy, to Alexandre Lloveras,… Athletes must be highlighted and reminded, especially to those who are very early pro, in cycling or elsewhere in sport, that a career can end overnight. And that we must already think about the after. Even when we have 19, 20 ans.
The Etienne Fabre Prize was created following the death of Etienne Fabre (who died in a mountain accident) while he had 20 years and that he was promised a good career. […] It was a wish of his family, of his former club and those close to him to create something. To pass on his legacy. It's not easy to think about the aftermath when you have 19, 20 years and that we are sure to turn pro. But it must. […]
3 winners are doing the Tour de France this year. It is still not nothing. And it's nice ! So much the better ! I hope this award will come back. Because it can help cyclists. It can also boost them, tell them "Come on, i can do it. It's doable".
C.T. : How do you see the future of women's cycling ?
M.A. : radiating ! I really hope that the Women's Tour will really help to highlight these warriors on the same level as the men. They deserve no less. They even deserve more sometimes. When we see the working conditions of some. Because we talk about work, more passion. When we do the Tour de France, when you do the Flèche Wallonne, it gets really tough.
I really hope that, step by step, the general public will start to take an interest in it. When we see what is happening in the Netherlands, where audiences for women's races are stronger than those for men's races. It is that there is something to dig.
I also think it takes a star, several stars of women's cycling for it to explode. A Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, an Audrey Cordon-Ragot. They did the job, they always do the job. They really make it possible to offer this media and popular dimension to women's cycling. But after, there are new stars coming. A Juliette Labous, a Victory Berteau, girls with character, who have something to say, who are aggressive and who will shine on the Tour or on the next events. Necessarily, we will talk about it. And I think that, Yes, the impact of the Tour, but also the Olympics next year, in Paris, it can really help.
C.T. : According to you, what could be improved in women's cycling ?
M.A. : The gaze of people already. He confided in the microphone of the Colombian cycling federation, the critics last year when there was the falls stage on the Tour. It was violent… In fact, they don't realize it. It drops so much on the Tour man. It's just a matter of stress, of course. Well, it's not necessarily the girls' fault.. It's just that it's nervous and suddenly : it falls. But it's not because they are girls that it falls more. So that, it annoyed me a bit. The same, when I saw the tour of the Pyrenees pass this year. The thoughts of the organizer in “It’s not stars” mode, who they think they are ?!”. It was so misogynistic ! And nobody wants to say : “but what are you saying ?”. finally hello ! Why in this case are you doing a women's race ? Even if I understand that it was clumsy… It is rather thoughts like that that will have to change. So maybe, view of women's sport, about women in general : stop feminizing at all costs.
Women's sport tries to be made sexy while they're allowed to sweat. They have the right to make funny faces. […]
But little by little, we're going to something better. After, what needs to be changed and what is being done little by little : labor conditions, the introduction of the minimum wage in World Tour. This is a good thing. The introduction of maternity leave. I want to say, Alleluia. But it's little by little.
Now, we will also have to try to apply it to teams at a slightly lower level and try to structure. […]
I think things will change. It will move in the right direction.
[…]
C.T. : How do you envision your future ?
M.A. : Ah, it's a big question ! I imagine my future in sport. After, under what role ? That, That's a very good question. I don't close any doors. Will it still be in the communication ? Will it still be in journalism ? Won't it be in another completely different realm ? I give myself time to see. I think it may be related to the question of earlier on our generation. I really think we are capable of reinventing ourselves, to be able to learn other things. And I'm not afraid to do it. Voilà, I have 27 years. And I still have a few more years to go before the deserved retirement. More, non, I just hope to be happy and to be able to continue to support athletes. I still leave myself the mystery of knowing in which role I will be in a few years.
C.T. : What advice would you give to young people who want to start, like you, in sports journalism or sports photography ?
M.A. : Don't be afraid of not counting your hours ! Don't be afraid to go away every weekend, to leave every night. Mostly, do not be afraid. Go for it ! Believe in yourself ! Don't take yourself for stars or for the best either.. Because there will always be someone better than you. Learn. Learn from the greats, with the most experienced. Moi, on my Instagram account, I always answer people who ask me questions about my job, who ask me for advice on studies. Because I think it's important. There are those who have questions about finances, about outlets… and I think it’s best to be honest. And then, believe in yourself. There is a royal road that exists, in inverted commas, to be a journalist, to make big events. After, it's not the only way, there are some that are more dangerous, which may be longer. But if you believe it, it will happen one day or another. You just have to be patient and work.
C.T. : It's a beautiful message.
M.A. : At least it's honest.
