http://www.directvelo.com/actualite...ew-arnaud-jouffroy-partie-1.html#.UmKhfBBvknB
http://www.directvelo.com/actualite...is-donne-ma-chance-partie-2.html#.UmKikhBvknB
Directvélo: Telenet-Fidea announced that they won't extend your contract for 2014 but you keep hope. Why?
AJ: The team leaders told me that they didn't wish to keep me but I talked with the boss and we agreed on his giving me a last chance to show what I'm worth. 2013 wasn't an easy year for me but I know I can do a lot better. The team leaders will review the situation with me again late December. If they judge my performances were okay they will propose a new contract. Otherwise I'd have to find a new team
DV: Wether in cyclocross or on the road, at which level would you like to race?
AJ: I am now a rider for a Belgian continental team. I'd like to target a team from the same category. So among the pros. Now I'd rather try not to think about it in order not to put more pressure on myself. I know my situation is delicate. Certainly if you think there won't be room for everybody in the teams. It's even harder than in previous years.
DV: Are you ready to race for an amateur club in France?
AJ: It's a real dilemma. I'd rather not leave the pro ranks because I've got the talent to stay. Besides if I move down it's not guaranteed that I'd someday find a new contract but what should I do? I think placing highly in a cyclocross World Cup event is more valuable than winning a Coupe de France DN1. The problem is that French media would talk more about the Coupe de France than the World Cup event in Belgium.
[...]
DV: Wouldn't your team rather you shine on Belgian races?
AJ: Yes, of course, they would. Every top cross event is televised there. In Belgium the aim is just to appear on tv for sponsors. That's why I've been recruited in the team. They don't give a damn if I perform on the Challenge national but personally I need to reassure myself and to show up in France. I explained that to the managers and they understood it. As long as I also perform in Belgium, it's all right for them. If I'm able to do well on the French races I'd start the Belgian races with more confidence and more chance to gain results.
[...]
DV: Then you were recently able to reassure yourself on several cyclocrosses, notably on September 17 in Yanqing, China?
AJ: I didn't even know there was a cross there. The team told me about it. I thought we were going to race against Chinese but as a matter of fact, not at all (laugh). They were only with the two or three of them. There was a really high standard and a nice route. Despite having lots of problems during the race I was able to gain 2nd place [behind teammate Thijs Al - note from DV]. I recently won in Orange and Château-Arnoux [on September 30 and October 6 - note from DV]. These were not high standard races but it's always good to win. Anyway the French standard is still lower than the Belgian one, with respect. That is also why I think I have my chances on the Challenge national. I'm feeling really well at this moment and I'd be really p*ssed if I am rocket fired.
DV: Are you feeling forgotten by the media and the public today?
AJ: I've been sunk into oblivion in one day. Some people are sometimes even surprised to see me in a race and hence to learn that I was still a cyclist. It hurts. Even French team managers zapped me. Nobody's interested in me anymore. I can't even tell when a French media contacted me for the last time. It was at least a year ago, maybe even two years. I must admit I was quite surprised when you contacted me. I wouldn't have imagined such kind of misfortune after my two World titles, which goes to show that in cycling everything goes fast.
DV: After 4 years in a French team and on the Belgian cyclocross circuit, how can you compare it to the French sport standard?
AJ: The Belgian standard is crazy ! I had to sacrifice a lot there in order to compete with the best. It was morally hard to see that I wasn't able to get results despite the huge workload I imposed on myself in training. I really doubted. As U23 1 I won almost every Sunday and now nothing anymore !
DV: Why have you "tightened the motor", as we say?
AJ: I mostly think I had trouble to handle the number of races. In France I raced 20 cross a season. With Telenet-Fidea I had to race twice as many. Taking cartridges for 40 races is hard to digest. I manage to do well on about one cross a month. It's true I see guys performing on every race every 2 or 3 day. I don't know how they do it, it's impressive. Being as consistent as the Belgians is impossible. They have something more.
DV: Have you moved to Belgium in order to get closer to their level of performance?
AJ: Exactly but I was fooled. I quickly realized that the best Belgians were not even training in their country at all. They are all going to the sun: Southern France or Spain for training and get back to Belgium only to race. I was feeling really stupid then... Anyway I never managed to become acclimatized to life conditions there. I never felt at home. That is why I decided to get back to the South. I've now settled around Montpellier, since early September and I am already feeling a lot better than when I was living in Belgium.
DV: Besides wishing to emulate the Belgians, have you moved there because of a lack of contract offers in France?
AJ: It was a defaulted choice, I must admit. When I got to Vendée U in 2009 I got the promise I would race for a pro team, Bouygues Telecom but it turned out not to be the case. Late 2009 I unsuccessfully canvassed several teams. I went to Belgium because I was proposed something over there. The media presented things in a different way and people thought I strictly went there because I wanted to. Perhaps I should have been more patient and have raced for one more year in a French amateur team but what's done is done.
DV: In a nutshell you disappeared from radars because you were unable to adapt to the Belgian standard of cyclocross racing?
AJ: Exactly. It was said about me that I didn't get any more results, that I was not good, that I am not valuable anymore while I simply landed on races of a much higher standard than before. When I see some crossers turning pro ... good on them but I didn't get that chance.
DV: Do you regret it?
AJ: Yes I regret not having had the chance to race for a team like e.g. Fdj.fr. Perhaps I could have pierced through like many other young riders of that team. A guy like Thibault Pinot. I raced with him and I was as strong as him in the junior ranks. Seeing where he is now gives me some regrets. I've never been given a chance and it gives me the creeps ! I badly experienced my being held back and the criticism. Today I want to make a strength out of this frustration.
DV: You are talking about Thibault Pinot but what about Peter Sagan that you beat in the Junior Worlds in Treviso in 2008?
AJ: I've often been jokingly noted that I was the only Frenchman to have been able to outsprint Sagan (laugh). I am the first impressed by his performances. He's on another planet. On the other hand I'm saying to myself that had I had the chance to enter a big team, after the Junior ranks, as he was able to do with Liquigas, I would have been much more talked about today. I'm not saying I would have had the same palmares - it would have been a little pretentious - but I would certainly already have had another palmarès. That's for sure.
DV: If you were given the chance, would you like to race more on the road with the pros?
AJ: Why not? I enjoyed a lot racing on road, in previous years and I'd really like to seriously get back to it. I only raced four races last summer, including the elite French nats where I at least could keep up for 200km. It was my first road race of the year and I shouldn't be ashamed of it. I realized that day that without any specific training I was on par with riders of several riders from French continental teams. It's encouraging for me. I'd ideally like to race equally as much on the road as in crosses, combining both seasons and race the classics that might suit me, a bit like Steve Chainel.
DV: Have you learn anything positive from these last two season without any great results?
AJ: Certainly. I'm training more intelligently than before. In the youth categories I didn't always do the job really seriously but I could rely on my big motor but today it's impossible to do because all of the guys against whom I race have that same motor. I'm imposing myself huge training sessions. I'm not saying I'm trying to be the one who is riding the most; it's what I tried to do last year and it lost me. I've never suffered so much in training than now. It's also why I'm stronger in my mind.
DV: What is left of your sort of "star period" as a junior and first years as U23 when you had your fans, your official website, video clips of your races and a nickname that almost looked like a brand name "Arnoyo"?
AJ: When I performed I enjoyed a lot making videos of my victories. I also had that ritual on the lines [I showed up his bike, note from DV]. I didn't really want to make a buzz but I really got into it. I was more and more demanded by the media. Given my current situation I can no longer have fun and make new videos. This being said it's unbelievably enriching to pass from glory to total forgetting. I think it's easy to get to the top but it's in any case harder to get back to it after failure. My stories videos, young phenomenon of cyclocross are far behind me. From now on I want to quietly make my way.
http://www.directvelo.com/actualite...is-donne-ma-chance-partie-2.html#.UmKikhBvknB
Directvélo: Telenet-Fidea announced that they won't extend your contract for 2014 but you keep hope. Why?
AJ: The team leaders told me that they didn't wish to keep me but I talked with the boss and we agreed on his giving me a last chance to show what I'm worth. 2013 wasn't an easy year for me but I know I can do a lot better. The team leaders will review the situation with me again late December. If they judge my performances were okay they will propose a new contract. Otherwise I'd have to find a new team
DV: Wether in cyclocross or on the road, at which level would you like to race?
AJ: I am now a rider for a Belgian continental team. I'd like to target a team from the same category. So among the pros. Now I'd rather try not to think about it in order not to put more pressure on myself. I know my situation is delicate. Certainly if you think there won't be room for everybody in the teams. It's even harder than in previous years.
DV: Are you ready to race for an amateur club in France?
AJ: It's a real dilemma. I'd rather not leave the pro ranks because I've got the talent to stay. Besides if I move down it's not guaranteed that I'd someday find a new contract but what should I do? I think placing highly in a cyclocross World Cup event is more valuable than winning a Coupe de France DN1. The problem is that French media would talk more about the Coupe de France than the World Cup event in Belgium.
[...]
DV: Wouldn't your team rather you shine on Belgian races?
AJ: Yes, of course, they would. Every top cross event is televised there. In Belgium the aim is just to appear on tv for sponsors. That's why I've been recruited in the team. They don't give a damn if I perform on the Challenge national but personally I need to reassure myself and to show up in France. I explained that to the managers and they understood it. As long as I also perform in Belgium, it's all right for them. If I'm able to do well on the French races I'd start the Belgian races with more confidence and more chance to gain results.
[...]
DV: Then you were recently able to reassure yourself on several cyclocrosses, notably on September 17 in Yanqing, China?
AJ: I didn't even know there was a cross there. The team told me about it. I thought we were going to race against Chinese but as a matter of fact, not at all (laugh). They were only with the two or three of them. There was a really high standard and a nice route. Despite having lots of problems during the race I was able to gain 2nd place [behind teammate Thijs Al - note from DV]. I recently won in Orange and Château-Arnoux [on September 30 and October 6 - note from DV]. These were not high standard races but it's always good to win. Anyway the French standard is still lower than the Belgian one, with respect. That is also why I think I have my chances on the Challenge national. I'm feeling really well at this moment and I'd be really p*ssed if I am rocket fired.
DV: Are you feeling forgotten by the media and the public today?
AJ: I've been sunk into oblivion in one day. Some people are sometimes even surprised to see me in a race and hence to learn that I was still a cyclist. It hurts. Even French team managers zapped me. Nobody's interested in me anymore. I can't even tell when a French media contacted me for the last time. It was at least a year ago, maybe even two years. I must admit I was quite surprised when you contacted me. I wouldn't have imagined such kind of misfortune after my two World titles, which goes to show that in cycling everything goes fast.
DV: After 4 years in a French team and on the Belgian cyclocross circuit, how can you compare it to the French sport standard?
AJ: The Belgian standard is crazy ! I had to sacrifice a lot there in order to compete with the best. It was morally hard to see that I wasn't able to get results despite the huge workload I imposed on myself in training. I really doubted. As U23 1 I won almost every Sunday and now nothing anymore !
DV: Why have you "tightened the motor", as we say?
AJ: I mostly think I had trouble to handle the number of races. In France I raced 20 cross a season. With Telenet-Fidea I had to race twice as many. Taking cartridges for 40 races is hard to digest. I manage to do well on about one cross a month. It's true I see guys performing on every race every 2 or 3 day. I don't know how they do it, it's impressive. Being as consistent as the Belgians is impossible. They have something more.
DV: Have you moved to Belgium in order to get closer to their level of performance?
AJ: Exactly but I was fooled. I quickly realized that the best Belgians were not even training in their country at all. They are all going to the sun: Southern France or Spain for training and get back to Belgium only to race. I was feeling really stupid then... Anyway I never managed to become acclimatized to life conditions there. I never felt at home. That is why I decided to get back to the South. I've now settled around Montpellier, since early September and I am already feeling a lot better than when I was living in Belgium.
DV: Besides wishing to emulate the Belgians, have you moved there because of a lack of contract offers in France?
AJ: It was a defaulted choice, I must admit. When I got to Vendée U in 2009 I got the promise I would race for a pro team, Bouygues Telecom but it turned out not to be the case. Late 2009 I unsuccessfully canvassed several teams. I went to Belgium because I was proposed something over there. The media presented things in a different way and people thought I strictly went there because I wanted to. Perhaps I should have been more patient and have raced for one more year in a French amateur team but what's done is done.
DV: In a nutshell you disappeared from radars because you were unable to adapt to the Belgian standard of cyclocross racing?
AJ: Exactly. It was said about me that I didn't get any more results, that I was not good, that I am not valuable anymore while I simply landed on races of a much higher standard than before. When I see some crossers turning pro ... good on them but I didn't get that chance.
DV: Do you regret it?
AJ: Yes I regret not having had the chance to race for a team like e.g. Fdj.fr. Perhaps I could have pierced through like many other young riders of that team. A guy like Thibault Pinot. I raced with him and I was as strong as him in the junior ranks. Seeing where he is now gives me some regrets. I've never been given a chance and it gives me the creeps ! I badly experienced my being held back and the criticism. Today I want to make a strength out of this frustration.
DV: You are talking about Thibault Pinot but what about Peter Sagan that you beat in the Junior Worlds in Treviso in 2008?
AJ: I've often been jokingly noted that I was the only Frenchman to have been able to outsprint Sagan (laugh). I am the first impressed by his performances. He's on another planet. On the other hand I'm saying to myself that had I had the chance to enter a big team, after the Junior ranks, as he was able to do with Liquigas, I would have been much more talked about today. I'm not saying I would have had the same palmares - it would have been a little pretentious - but I would certainly already have had another palmarès. That's for sure.
DV: If you were given the chance, would you like to race more on the road with the pros?
AJ: Why not? I enjoyed a lot racing on road, in previous years and I'd really like to seriously get back to it. I only raced four races last summer, including the elite French nats where I at least could keep up for 200km. It was my first road race of the year and I shouldn't be ashamed of it. I realized that day that without any specific training I was on par with riders of several riders from French continental teams. It's encouraging for me. I'd ideally like to race equally as much on the road as in crosses, combining both seasons and race the classics that might suit me, a bit like Steve Chainel.
DV: Have you learn anything positive from these last two season without any great results?
AJ: Certainly. I'm training more intelligently than before. In the youth categories I didn't always do the job really seriously but I could rely on my big motor but today it's impossible to do because all of the guys against whom I race have that same motor. I'm imposing myself huge training sessions. I'm not saying I'm trying to be the one who is riding the most; it's what I tried to do last year and it lost me. I've never suffered so much in training than now. It's also why I'm stronger in my mind.
DV: What is left of your sort of "star period" as a junior and first years as U23 when you had your fans, your official website, video clips of your races and a nickname that almost looked like a brand name "Arnoyo"?
AJ: When I performed I enjoyed a lot making videos of my victories. I also had that ritual on the lines [I showed up his bike, note from DV]. I didn't really want to make a buzz but I really got into it. I was more and more demanded by the media. Given my current situation I can no longer have fun and make new videos. This being said it's unbelievably enriching to pass from glory to total forgetting. I think it's easy to get to the top but it's in any case harder to get back to it after failure. My stories videos, young phenomenon of cyclocross are far behind me. From now on I want to quietly make my way.
(), even though there was a CN article on this: 
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