As revealed a few weeks ago, the “youngsters program” is gaining momentum. As an example, the junior riders will compete with the team jersey in more races in 2025. It will happen under the supervision of Jimmy Turgis, who joined the team last autumn as a coach but also as coordinator of the Juniors Program. We took the opportunity to meet the 33-year-old and learn more about where the team and himself want to head towards.
Jimmy, can you introduce yourself in a few words?
Cycling is a family tradition as my maternal grandfather already practiced it at a very high level, in cyclocross in particular. My parents also met through bike races. Both my parents and all my uncles did cycling. Naturally, I also got into cycling and competition from a very young age. I started around 5 or 6 years old and then I went through all the levels and all the categories to reach the pro ranks. I’ve also been sharing this passion with my two brothers, Anthony and Tanguy. I raced for six years at a pro level before I had to stop for health reasons. Alongside my career, I passed my university degrees, with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Science and Technique of Physical and Sports Activities. After my retirement, I quickly switched to my second passion: training. I then worked for three years in other professional teams.
“My experience allows me to be as accurate as possible in my choices”
Did you imagine yourself becoming a coach?
Initially, I hesitated between physiotherapy and coaching, then I opted for the second option. My life plan was to be a cyclist for as long as possible, then to become a coach. This project came faster for the reasons that we know. It happened ten years earlier than I had hoped. Officially, I only started coaching in 2021, but it’s something I was doing a lot in the past, especially with my brothers. I’m the eldest in the family, my role is also “to take care” of them, and that also involved training. I tried to help them as best I could so that they would perform as best as possible. I coached Anthony from the U17s until he reached the pro ranks, and I guided Tanguy in training throughout his career until he was also forced to stop. It is therefore something I was doing on a daily basis. I also tried to help my father as much as possible when young riders from his club wanted to push things further. It followed me throughout my career. I was a pro rider, but I would still try to pass on some training concepts and my passion to younger cyclists.
What have you kept from your six pro years that is useful for you today?
I’ve kept the knowledge of the environment, the rider’s experience, meaning what it requires on a mental level, on a physical level, the personal commitment and the balance between private and sporting life. It really allows me to see the athlete as a whole, having been there myself. I can really put myself in the athlete’s shoes and be aware that even if the priority is to ride and train, you have to take into consideration your social life in order to be as good as possible on the bike. This experience allows me to be as accurate as possible in my choices.
Have you learned the mistakes not to make as a coach?
I see things differently. I’ve kept what I liked throughout my career. I didn’t tell myself “I shouldn’t do that”, but rather “that is really good, that too, that too”. I tried to keep the best of each coach I’ve had. I said to myself that it would be nice to have it all, meaning to be able to have a scientific approach and provide very precise content, but at the same time have a lot of talks with the rider, which helps to have a good relationship.
“There’s something almost mythical about joining this team”
What would be your philosophy as a coach?
I think I am someone who adapts. The rider is certainly a rider, but he is also and above all a human being. I try to establish a trusting relationship with him to be as relevant as possible in my choices by taking into consideration the various areas of his life: the social side, the family side, the school side. I know that when you are a rider, you already have to adapt to a lot of things when you come into a team, so I think it is also the coach’s role to adapt to the rider so that they find together the best way to make this coach-coached relationship work. When I tell them about my way of working, I tell them that there must above all be communication, and that doesn’t only include sports. If an athlete takes exams, I’m interested in knowing whether it went well or not, because it can have an impact on his mental state, and of course on training. I like to stay tuned if the athlete is willing to open up. The goal is to have as many exchanges and communication as possible so that the relationship is as healthy as possible.
Why did you join the Groupama-FDJ cycling team?
For many reasons. First of all, there’s the organization itself. Groupama-FDJ is a team that has been established in the cycling landscape for almost thirty years. For me, as a cycling fan, there’s something almost mythical about joining one of the oldest teams, and the biggest French structure. It’s also a team that has always focused on training. Fred Grappe was one of the pioneers in the 2000s. He’s someone I studied in class, so it means something to join a team that is still associated with him. Julien Pinot is also someone I’ve known since my youth because I’m almost the same age as Thibaut. As a coach, it’s nice to know that you’re joining a structure that really puts training at the heart of the sporting project. Then, there’s the project that was presented to me, with young riders, with the possibility of putting my stamp, my way of seeing things and sharing my love for cycling. Our young riders have to deal with the dual school-sports project, they know that I’ve been there, so I think it was a really good fit. Finally, what’s interesting when you accept new projects is also working with new people who pull you up. There are quality coaches in the team, and I also work with Yann Le Boudec who has been working with young riders for a few years.
“It’s always nice to polish a rough diamond”
Did you already have this desire to work with young riders?
I have always liked training young riders, because I think this is the stage of their career where we can shape them for the future. When we have young gems, it is obviously interesting to train them and see them progress. It is always nice to polish a rough diamond. Working with the juniors, I thought there would necessarily be gems to develop, not only in terms of training but also in terms of the necessary commitment to progress. The “youngsters project” has always appealed to me a lot. In this case I was offered the juniors program, which made it even better.
It’s also a new challenge for you since you will be the coordinator of the program.
What is very stimulating is precisely the fact that it’s not just training. For a few years, I was really focused on that. There is now a whole thing that is not about training, but more about group management, sporing project management. There is a whole area which is new for me, and which challenges me. We have eight junior riders, and the goal is to create a real team spirit, which is not easy because they won’t often race together. The challenge is also to build a coherent calendar in relation to our roster and their appointments with their club. We are keen to work hand in hand with the clubs, and we talk a lot so that the club is also happy. I will also be the sports director on the races. We’ll try to make them better through training, but they will also have things to learn during the races. Coordinating the project also means being close to the riders because they have a school course, so we have to adapt our program, training camps or races to it, together with their parents and their clubs. It is all about having a global vision to provide them with the best sporting project.
“We need to build a solid base in order to climb the stages one after the other”
What is your and the team’s vision for the juniors program?
A real strategic choice was made. We focused on eight riders, and we really have a long-term project with them. They were scouted by their results or their performances, and we will try to provide them as much support as possible so that they continue to progress, then join La Conti. We really have this long-term project. Some teams take twenty youngsters and then only keep the best. This is not our plan nor our vision of cycling. We took eight of them, we believe in them, we will do everything so that they develop as best as possible, that they can reach the various milestones and that everyone comes out a winner. This is the idea at the heart of our development program. We are in this process of taking the steps one by one with the riders and supporting them as best we can during these stages. The staff has also been strengthened with this perspective of quality.
What is the main message you want to share with these young riders?
Above all, we want to make them understand that the steps must be taken one by one, that they have to be serious in training, that they will then have to be serious in terms of nutrition, etc. It’s the idea that they have to advance gradually but that they will have to put things in place in order to get to where they want to go. We are here to make them understand that they will have to work with us to first achieve micro-goals in order to achieve their dream. They must understand that a career is like a pyramid. We need to build a solid base and take the time to understand certain things in order to climb the stages one after the other. The more they mature, the more demanding they will be with themselves, and the more it will allow them to reach the top level. We also want to spread the team’s values and make them feel they belong to a big family. On a physiological and psychological level, a lot of things occur at this age, during puberty. There is really a lot of work to be done on this matter.
What would a successful development program be?
A youngster’s development is successful if the rider who enters the Juniors Program improves on the bike and completes his studies. A youngster’s development is successful if the rider has no technical, tactical, or physical obstacles when he comes among the professionals and can then win races or have a proper role at the top level. This is the perfect path and the one we wish for all our youngsters: to reach the pro ranks with all the knowledge, skills, the best possible physical means, and with an education in case things don’t go their way.
