From March 8 to 13, the World Para-Cycling Track Championships took place at the indoor velodrome in Montichiari, Italy. Nice’s Benjamin Landier represented France, finishing 14th in the pursuit and 16th in the kilometer. He shares his thoughts on his performance at these World Championships.
Benjamin, your objectives at these World Championships were to be in the top eight for the pursuit and the top five for the kilometer. You finished 14th and 16th in these two disciplines, respectively. Do you consider this an underperformance?
Yes, and it’s really a shame because I trained well and am in good shape. It’s simply due to a lack of experience. I prepared on the outdoor track in Hyères, which is much slower. For the race, I needed to combine good form with higher gearing; I ended up pedaling too fast. It’s like driving a car and missing the fifth gear on a highway. But I have the whole year to achieve better times and gain experience in “able-bodied” track races with my goal set on London 2012.
What do you take away from this experience at the World Championships?
Positivity. I officially received my handisport classification from the UCI. You might not realize it, but it’s important to feel like part of this family. Only since this year can I pedal without the stump swelling and becoming painful—two years after the amputation. The progress is constant and the pleasure immense. Just feeling that satisfaction would be enough for me. But I’m a competitor at heart, and the victories I achieved last year call for more. This year I’ve received much more support from my circle, whether it be friends, sponsors, my club, or institutions… And this needs to continue because the gap in resources compared to other nations is widening.
Are you saying that France is behind in this sport?
Be careful, France still finished as the second nation in the UCI 2010 ranking. But our federal aid is almost non-existent. No equipment is provided to us; I assure you it’s a bit frustrating to see other nations going to training camps in indoor velodromes equipped with the best equipment, which, incidentally, is French!! Many people hear that French Paralympic athletes bring back a lot of medals, thinking we have at least equivalent resources to the best nations. But there’s no possible comparison. And even less so compared to the able-bodied French teams.
You seem fatalistic…
On the contrary! Instead of demotivating me, it allowed me to adapt by integrating human and logistical skills, seriousness, and my physical capabilities. You know, some people have been involved in this project since I returned to cycling in a paralympic capacity when all this was just distant dreams, while others have joined since. I owe them my rapid results, and I thank them. But that’s not enough. I saw this week where the benchmark is. Now, I know how to reach it and, more importantly, surpass it.
