David Veilleux: Living his boyhood dream

March 23 was a milestone in David Veilleux’s cycling career.

On that day, the 23-year-old from Cap Rouge, Que., outsprinted his breakaway companion to win La Roue Tourangelle, a relatively minor race but his first victory as a member of the Europcar team.

The six-time Canadian U23 champion — who had 30 victories under his belt going into 2011 — is no stranger to victory, but winning while riding for an established powerhouse like Europcar (formerly known as Bbox Boygues Telecom) is that much more satisfying.

Veilleux has plenty of bigger events coming up, including the biggest of all classics, Paris-Roubaix. He took the time this week to answer some questions for Canadian Cycling Magazine.

Q. Congratulations David on your win in La Roue Tourangelle last weekend. How did the race evolve for you, and how important is that victory to you personally?

A. The whole race, the team was racing extremely well. We were represented in every move and we split the field twice while doing an echelon. With 30 km to go, I attacked to keep the pressure on the field and one guy [Anthony Delaplace/Saur-Sojasun] followed me. We rode well together, but our gap only went up to 30 seconds. At one point, I thought it was over because the gap came down to 12 seconds. But knowing that my teammates would be able to do good even if I was caught, I just kept riding without looking back. The gap went back up and with 3 km to go, we still had 28 seconds on the field. We made it to the line and I won the sprint. I think this win gives me confidence in my form for the races that are coming up in the next weeks.

Q. How are you enjoying your new team, Europcar? How did it come about that you signed with the squad? I see Louis Garneau — a company you’ve had a long relationship with — is a sponsor of the team. Did Garneau follow you to the team?

A. I really like the new team. It’s a boyhood dream to be racing on a big team in Europe. The structure is very well established. I’m know a part of the team and the atmosphere on the team is really good. Everyone is
friendly and we all want to do our best to help the team. As for Garneau, it was done at the same time in parallel as I was negotiating to join the team.

Q. Europcar has already enjoyed plenty of success thanks to Thomas Voeckler this year — how is the morale in the team?

A. The morale is great. It takes a bit of pressure off the team knowing that we already achieved success (12 wins so far). We had a good campaign in Belgium earlier this month, so everyone is now motivated for the coming races.

Q. So far, you’ve been racing mostly in smaller events. When do you think you’ll get the chance to do some of the ‘monuments’ of cycling?

A. I might have a chance to ride the Tour of Flandres, but the selection will only come next week. I know I will be racing Paris-Roubaix so it’s really exciting and motivating.

Q. What are your personal goals this season, and when can we expect to see you racing in Canada?

A. My goal this year is to learn and gain as much experience as possible. All the races I will be doing are new, so it’s not possible to target a specific goal. I will try to peak for Nationals, which will probably be my first race in Canada, and be at my best again for the WorldTour races in Montreal and Quebec.