Amandine Fouquenet will line up for the World Cup round in Flamanville this Sunday with the French champion’s jersey on her shoulders, strong early-season results in her pocket, and one sizeable uncertainty still hanging over her winter – she has no road contract for 2026. The 25-year-old spoke to Ouest-France ahead of the race and described a winter unlike any she has experienced before.
Her win at the French Cup round in Quelneuc earlier this month, coupled with a top-10 in Tábor after a difficult opening lap, has underlined her form. Yet with Arkéa-B&B Hotels closing at the end of the year, Fouquenet is one of the last riders still searching for a place in the pro peloton. She admits that balancing strong performances with the strain of uncertainty has proved complex.
A strange winter shaped by uncertainty
Fouquenet says she is focusing on the elements she can control – training, recovery and consistency – but acknowledges that her future weighs heavily. “It’s difficult,” she told Ouest-France, even as she tries to maintain a steady routine and hold onto her early-season momentum. Her seventh place in Tábor, after fighting back from around 30th on the opening lap, offered a reminder of what she can deliver in the mud.
She explained that hesitancy off the line has been an issue in recent seasons, and although she made a leap forward last winter, there remains a lingering fear of starting too hard and fading. In the Czech round, she channelled that pressure well, salvaging a strong result from a compromised position.
Resetting after Tour de France disappointment
Missing the Tour de France Femmes this summer hit hard. Fouquenet took the rare opportunity to completely disconnect, taking a full month away from the bike for the first time in years. She said the break allowed her to reset physically and mentally, step away from the usual restrictions around weight, and return with “far less frustration”.
That reset led into a three-week altitude camp in La Plagne, where she reconnected with her nutritionist, introduced mental-skills work for the first time, and focused heavily on cyclo-cross training. She says she has matured enough to understand precisely what she needs to perform – and where she must invest energy.
Navigating the season without a team
With the Arkéa-B&B Hotels structure folding, Fouquenet now relies on borrowed bikes until the end of the cyclo-cross season. “I hope no one takes them before then,” she joked. Travel and logistics are now largely on her shoulders, with support from Legendre and M’Gys helping keep her winter programme afloat. Trips to Belgium, she notes, are expensive – and must be weighed carefully.
A podium in the opening Superprestige round shifted her ambitions for the series and forced some tough travel decisions. A long transfer from Merksplas to Quelneuc led to a late arrival the night before the race, but the chance to win close to home was worth the effort – and she delivered.
Pressure and the risk of trying to impress
The uncertainty around her future is ever-present. Fouquenet admits that despite her best efforts to ignore it, the pressure creeps in. Her partner also worked for Arkéa, and he too is without a contract. “The risk,” she said, “is trying too hard to impress and ending up doing things wrong.”
She wants to remain optimistic, even if she is fully aware that late November is a difficult time to secure a ride for the following season. If nothing emerges for 2026, she says she will look again the following year – but stepping back to amateur level is something she hopes to avoid. “After five years in the professional ranks, I don’t want to go back down,” she said.
A wider issue for French cyclo-cross
Clément Venturini’s similar situation has prompted broader questions about the place of cyclo-cross within French teams. Fouquenet is pragmatic. Venturini has a stronger road résumé, she said, while she has spent the season largely in support roles on the road. But she also pointed to the structural reality – French outfits do not have the budgets to support dedicated cyclo-cross riders, “even less so for women”.
Eyes on Flamanville and the festive block
Fouquenet has enjoyed both highs and lows at Flamanville in the past, but she knows the course suits her. She stood on the podium there in 2023 when it hosted a round of the French Cup. This weekend she hopes to make the most of her form, relishing the chance to race in the tricolore jersey.
With strong early-season performances and the festive cyclo-cross block approaching, Fouquenet is determined to keep pushing. She wants results that resonate with the teams still shaping their rosters for next year. Even if the situation remains unresolved, she insists on staying hopeful.
“I want to remain optimistic,” she told Ouest-France. For now, that outlook accompanies her into one of the most important weekends of her winter.
