Ivan Blanco, a 31-year-old from Nice and a professional webmaster, has just been recruited to Team Skoda, the first amateur cycling team created by the brand, following a national casting that recorded over 1,000 applications.
On the occasion of the 2016 edition of “l’Étape du Tour,” the car brand Skoda launched its cycling team, Team Skoda. This team will allow 10 amateurs, recruited and trained by professional coaches, to start the race under the same conditions as a professional team.
Ivan Blanco is thus one of the 10 selected who will compete in the “l’Étape du Tour” 2016 on July 10. Passionate about cycling (8,000 km/year), he is very happy to take on this challenge. To him, “it’s a great opportunity to have the chance to be part of a team, to be with other enthusiasts, and to ride together.”
Ivan successfully passed the pre-selection stage that took place in early April. The program included a performance test on a home trainer, an individual time trial, and an elimination race by team. All this under the supervision of the two coaches of Team Skoda, Jérome Pineau and Florian Rousseau. According to the 31-year-old cyclist, “it’s a great source of motivation to receive coaching from these two men.”
After 3 months of training, the 10 riders of Team Skoda will take on the challenge by tackling one of the queen stages of the Tour de France. They will face other competitors on a legendary 146-kilometer course through the heart of the Alps. The cyclists will thus set off to conquer 4 mountain passes culminating at over 1,400 meters in altitude, including one over 1,691 meters, between Megève and Morzine.
By joining Team Skoda, these “enlightened” amateurs will push their limits and experience a unique human and sporting adventure. For Ivan, “it’s a big challenge. It’s a kind of reward for all my personal efforts.” He adds, “it’s also a great opportunity in relation to my young road cycling career. I also want to improve my condition.”
