Liv: Hello Christel, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Christel: I’m a former high-level cyclist, Olympian, Franco-Canadian, and mother of 2 children (5 and 9 years old). I’ve transitioned to become a cycling coach. I currently work at the CNCB and I am a pilot ambassador for Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) on both the men's and women's Tour de France. My passion is cycling but also sports in general, which I love to share with all generations and levels.

Liv: How and when did you start cycling and competing? Who introduced you to the sport?

Christel: I started young, practicing various sports like ice skating, climbing, kayaking, and athletics. I got into cycling later, at the age of 16, with my PE teacher and the mountain bike club in my village. I competed in my first races and then met my husband on my cycling team. He coached me, and gradually, with hard work and perseverance, I started to achieve good national results.

Liv: How did you start your career as an athlete? Tell us a bit about your career.

Christel: As I mentioned, I started late because I wanted to prioritize my studies over sports, so I had to learn the basics, which explains my late development. I then turned towards cyclo-cross, where I quickly had good national and international results, with a podium at the European Championships and a top 10 at the World Championships. This led to being noticed by top-level professional road teams, as I was a teammate of World and Olympic Champion Nicole Cooke, and later Emma Johansson, who was on the podium in the same events.

Liv: Through your coaching company, you have the chance to work with young cyclists. What is important to you when working with young people? How do you try to inspire them to discover and embrace the sport?

Christel: The most important thing for me is that young people enjoy riding and maintain this desire to stay active and engage in sports throughout their lives. I want to instill in them the value of effort, hard work, and perseverance, qualities that will serve them well later. If they succeed or win, that's great, but it's not the ultimate goal. What I aim for is the personal growth and balanced development of the athlete, sharing my experience with them.

Liv: You now work for the National Cycling Centre in Bromont, can you tell us about your role and involvement there?

Christel: I've been working at the CNCB for 8 years, since I returned to Canada. I am a coach and coordinator of the Road and Track programs. I manage activities at our new indoor velodrome and a program close to my heart, Cycliste Averti, created by Vélo Québec. We teach in primary schools, to kids aged 10-12, how to ride safely on the road; they learn about signaling and good behavior to have with other road users.