Rudy Molard inks new four-year deal with Groupama-FDJ
Jun 11 2020 01:03 am CET
Groupama-FDJ logo
Groupama-FDJ and Rudy Molard have agreed to a new deal that extends the stay of the Frenchman for four more years.
The rider -who took a step up to the WorldTour level with the formation in 2017- was surprised by the offer of the new deal. "Yes (I was surprised), and to be honest, I have never been that interested in signing long-term contracts," said Molard.
"Whether I am at the end of my contract or not, I do my job the same way. It wasn’t something I originally considered, but they came up to me with this offer and I decided to take it because it was not necessarily my intention to leave the team. So I told myself, 'Why not four years then?'"
Molard appreciates the confidence the team puts on him with this new contract. "It shows that the team is aware of my potential and that I totally meet their expectations in the role I have, both as a leader and as a teammate," he explained. "Now it’s up to me to thank them, to be up to what they offered me, even if it was not an easy choice. I had to think about it. I always need new goals; I need adrenaline on a daily basis.
"That’s why I was kind of worried with the 4 years in a first place. Having said that, I feel so much serenity in the team, I get along so well with everyone that my choice was to stay anyway. And I think it would have been the same in two years. This is why I accepted four years. Then, it was also by joining the team that I was able to realize my full potential and my real level. Accepting their four-year offer was also a way to thank them for believing in me."
The rider will be 35 when his contract finishes, and he will do everything possible to make the best of it. "Cycling really is my passion, I love my job, I watch all the races on TV," the Frenchman affirmed. "I am aware of how lucky I am to be a pro rider, to have reached this level, to have fun in every race.
"Making sacrifices is really not a constraint. I love my lifestyle and what I do now. The day I will no longer have this passion, I will stop cycling, but I do not imagine it at all for now. I love what I do so much, I’m so happy and fulfilled to be where I am right now that it’s not about to fly away."
SUBSCRIBE TO RSS FEEDS