(Quebec) Antoine Cyr has the luxury of practicing a sport in which aging is an advantage. And at 25, he is entering the most defining phase of his young career.
The average age of the top five cross-country skiers in the overall FIS rankings last season was exactly 31. In this long-developing discipline, skiers are at the zenith of their careers in their thirties.
The case of Antoine Cyr is, however, encouraging. In his third full season on the World Cup circuit, his progress has been sparkling. A sixth place and a fourth position in the Tour de Ski. An eighth place in Les Rousses. And an eighth place in Lahti to conclude the season.
Impossible for the Gatineau skier to finish on a better note. At least during the summer he trained with the conviction that he would now belong to the world elite.
And in his second breakthrough in Val di Fiemme, at the Tour de Ski, the Quebecer would undoubtedly have managed to climb onto the podium if the track had been around ten meters longer. His push in the last kilometers was monstrous.
At least the podium will be within his reach in the coming season and he begins the new campaign with full knowledge of the facts.
His first objective for the first race of the season, at Ruka, will be to find the same sensations as in the last part of the calendar. Because this is how he measures his success and his progress. “In cross-country skiing, the technical part is super important. Movement and sensation. You know that your push is good, that you are in good shape, that it is a good race, whatever the result. And if you also have a good result, you know that things are progressing. »
In his diary, the Tour de Ski is still circled in permanent ink. He shone last year and a stage victory, the equivalent of the Tour de France, but in cross-country skiing, would be immense. Especially since it will be a season without World Championships and without Olympic Games. He also talks about the World Cups in Canmore, Alberta and Minneapolis, Minnesota, which they consider “local” competitions.
“That can be another big goal. If I can be in good shape there, it can be important,” he revealed.
Over time, Cyr seemed to specialize in late running. Sometimes far from the radar or in the middle of the peloton for the majority of the distance to be covered, he emerges and stands out from the crowd in the last portion of the race.
“At the end of the race, when it’s a course that suits me well, that’s often where I’m able to stand out from the others. But it also happens with form. If you’re in good shape, you’ll finish well,” he says when the remark is made to him.
In fact, the idea is not to claim that Cyr has shortcomings at the start, quite the contrary. Before exploding, you have to know how to position yourself in the right place and above all be able to follow the herd.
Passionate about road cycling, almost as much as cross-country skiing, he loves comparing the two disciplines and even applying certain cycling strategies while skiing. He talks in particular about Mark Cavendish and praises his strategic side: “He’s a sprinter. At the start of the race, he is in the peloton, he hides and often it is in the last five kilometers, by accelerating and finding space, that he goes from 30th place to victory. »
This kind of strategy comes with experience. And Cyr’s race management has improved over the years. So much so that today he is a contender for the podium on the World Cup circuit.
His friend and former national team member Devon Kershaw gave him two pieces of advice to make his race management easier: be relaxed and focus on technique. “I try to apply that in my races. In a mass start, I tell myself to lower my shoulders, look forward, keep breathing, have good technique. »
By applying these tips, Cyr was able to finish 24th in the world last season. A jump of 31 places from the previous season.
The Gatineau resident is aware of being at the very beginning of the most productive phase of his career. So for him, a few days before returning to competition, “it’s not victory at all costs,” he swears.
Its objectives are more abstract, but no less important: “It is to achieve the maximum of my potential. This is the big quest I have while doing cross-country skiing. It’s about seeing how far I can go. I think that’s more what it is, surpassing oneself. »
