Finding your place as a female cycling coach with Claire Lafforgue
In this episode of the podcast, I welcome Claire Lafforgue, coach and sports director at Vélo club La Pomme in Marseille, who shares with us her background, her daily life as a road cycling coach and her training philosophy.
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Summary
At just 26, Claire Lafforgue is already coach and sports director of Vélo Club La Pomme Marseille.
A native of the Jura region and former member of the French mountain bike trials team, in this interview she shares her background, her day-to-day job and her views on the place of women in a still very male-dominated field.
From Jura to Marseille, a career built on a passion for sport
Claire started out in gymnastics, before discovering mountain biking at secondary school through the UNSS. She quickly took to the sport, joining a local club and then the French trials team during her high school years.
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After her baccalaureate, she enrolled at the STAPS school in Lyon, initially focusing on adapted physical activity before branching out intosports training.
“I did my training at the Pôle France Handisport, then another at Lyon Sprint Evolution. That’s where it all really started.”
Today, she wears the hats of coach and sports director, two roles she clearly defines: one focused on physical and technical preparation, the other on race tactics and team management.
A job that combines planning, fieldwork and logistics
No routine for Claire, but a typical, well-paced week. Mondays are devoted to weekend debriefs and planning. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are dedicated to training: cycling, weight training and technique.
Fridays are spent preparing for the races, then come the weekends, divided between travelling, coaching and sometimes a little rest.
His role goes far beyond simple physical preparation: “There’s a lot of logistics involved: travel, equipment, coordination with the other centers.
The qualities of a good trainer
For Claire, the key to the job lies above all in the human relationship:“It’s a trainer-trainee relationship. You have to be a good listener, know how to exchange ideas and build trust.
She also insists on ongoing training and the importance of being open to other approaches: “There’s never just one way to coach. Exchanges between coaches are essential.
But she also points out the difficulties of the job: the workload, the long hours and the need to manage her own resources.
Being young in a competitive environment hasn’t always been easy: “You have to make your mark, maintain your network and prove your skills.”
His training philosophy
Claire puts the person before the athlete.
“A good cyclist must first be a balanced human: sleep well, eat well, be mentally stable. Only then can we build the athlete.”
Her method is based on a solid foundation, followed by a step-by-step progression adapted to each profile. She also advocates a participatory approach, where the athlete understands and takes ownership of his or her project.
Coaching young people: training athletes and people
Working with juniors, she attaches great importance to their double life between studies and sport. “The baccalaureate remains the priority. It’s important that things run as smoothly at school as they do on the bike.”
She also talks about the particular role of the coach with this age group: authority figure, but also trusted interlocutor.
Topics such as nutrition, recovery and autonomy are an integral part of training at the Marseille center.
A woman in a still masculine environment
As the first female sports director of a junior team in France, Claire recognizes that her profile attracts a lot of attention:
“Young and female, that’s double the story. But people trusted me. And when you show that you know how to do your job, prejudices fall away.”
While women’s teams are developing and the presence of women on staff is increasing, she reminds us that equality has yet to be achieved: “I’ve often been told, “You’re a woman, you’re going to coach women.” But I can coach men too.”
The future: building a project in your own way
Today, Claire is working on rebuilding the training center at La Pomme Marseille.
“We’re starting from scratch to get back to the 2022 level. We’re preparing the 2026 project, and I’ve been given carte blanche to build it.”
It’s a challenge that particularly motivates her, between human management, sports development and training innovation.
A message for women who want to start their own business
“You have to dare. Know your strengths and weaknesses, work on them, and above all know yourself well before trying to understand others.”
For Claire, coaching is above all a human adventure, demanding but exciting: a profession where competence, rigor and trust count far more than gender.