A number of neo-professionals had beautiful debut seasons in 2013 but few are able to match the level of success that was obtained by Bryan Coquard. With 6 wins in his first professional season, the young Frenchman now plans to ride bigger races and will make his debut in the Tour de France and some major classics in 2014.

With a silver medal in the omnium at the 2012 Olympics and 2nd place at the U23 world championships, Bryan Coquard had already shown that he was a man for the future when he lined up at the Etoile de Besseges to start his professional career with Europcar. However, few would have imagined the kind of success that he obtained during his first year at the highest level.

Already in his first race, Coquard won two stages and when he added another two stage wins at the Tour de Langkawi, people were starting to talk about the birth of the next big sprinter. He failed to continue that impressive winning rate in the months that followed but wins in the Tour de Picardie and the Chateauroux Classic de l'Indre brought his tally up to an impressive 6th. In Picardie, the rider who finished 2nd was none other than Marcel Kittel who went on to win four stages in the Tour de France.

However, it was not only the number of wins that put Coquard in the spotlight. His consistency was even more impressive and proves that he is no one-hit wonder in the professional cycling world.

"I am very happy with my first season in the pro ranks," he told Directvelo when asked to assess his season. "I had some disappointments but the overall picture is very good. I didn't really think that I could reach this level as a neo-pro. I had the ambition and desire to win fairly quickly but on the other hand I didn't know what I was going into... I won two stages in my first race, the Etoile de Besseges and it set me perfectly up for the rest of the season."

Unsurprisingly, he rates one win higher than the others.

"The results in Bessges remain a great memory from my 2013 season," he said. "Another great moment was the stage victory in the Tour de Picardie where I beat Marcel Kittel. That is a strong sign. When I see what he later did in the Tour de France and recall that I beat him, it gives me certain ideas! In any case, this success was the best of my season and a promosing sign for the future.

"The number of wins is not very important," he added. "First of all I want to have fun on the bike and progress from race to race. Even though I won six times, I especially remember that I was 2nd eight times. I have often been close to the win and I still need to work a little more on the difference. Sometimes I probably lacked experience but I was also beaten by great sprinters like Mark Cavendish at the Tour of Denmark and Arnaud Démare and Nacer Bouhanni in the Coupe de France."

Leading the Europe Tour

Coquard's good results allowed him to finish 2nd in the UCI Europe Tour behind Riccardo Zoidl. That will be hard to repeat in 2014 where his Europcar team has applied for a ProTeam license. If the team gets into the top echelon, they will be doing more races at the highest level.

Coquard got a taste of that kind of racing in the Canadian WorldTour races where he was 19th in the GP Cycliste Quebec which is held on a rather hilly course. As well as confirming his potential to ride in the WorldTour, it proved that he is not just a pure sprinter.

"My consistency allowed me to wear the Europe Tour jersey for a month," he said. "It was a pleasure. I would have preferred to wear it longer, even until the end of the season. To win that classification as a neo-pro would have been great but I cannot be disappointed to finish 2nd.

"Next year it will be something else as the team will perhaps move up to the WorldTour," he added. "It will be a step forward. It will require me to stay mentally strong because I may win less in 2013. I'll go up against the best sprinters in the world in the biggest races on the calendar on a regular basis. The idea is to learn how to win these prestigious events in the futute.

"Having participated in both Canadian one-day races in September reassured me of my ability to shine in WorldTour races. I was 19th in the Grand Prix Quebec and I was only dropped from the leading group on the final climb. I'm glad I could prove that I am not just a sprinter but also a rider who can handle a harder course, event at the highest level."

Targeting the classics

Coquard has already finalized a tentative race schedule for the first part of the season and it will indeed give him the opportunity to ride some very big races.

"I am now focused on the 2014 season," he said. "The hardest part begins with the resumption of my training. The first gathering with Europcar will begin on December 12. I don't have my full schedule but I know a draft. I will not do the Etoile de Besseges and the Tour de Langkawi as in 2013. This time I will debut in the Middle East where I will do the Tour of Qatar and the Tour of Oman. The level will be very high and I can test myself already in the month of February.

"Then I will ride the Paris-Nice in March," he added. "This will be one of my major goals. Then I'll continue with the Milan-Sanremo. The profile of this great race should suit me in the future so I want to experience it as soon as possible. Another certainty is that I will do the Gent-Wevelgem, a classic that I really enjoyed in my debut [he was 16th]. I have the abilities to get a result at some point."

Tour debut

Coquard's main goal is, however, of an even higher calibre. He is scheduled to ride his first Tour de France in just his second season.

"In 2014 the priority will be the Tour de France," he said. "It makes me dream! The Europcar managers first proposed the idea to me and I must admit that I didn't have to think long to make a decision. Of course there is always a bit of fear but it is useless to postpone my debut. I feel that I am able to compete in the Tour in my second professional season and the manager have shown me complete confidence.

"I've manager to beat Marcel Kittel so why not do so in the Tour," he added with a smile. "No, I'm not at that level yet and I will go to Leeds with the aim of getting experience. The most important thing is to handle the first half of the season from the Tour of Qatar to the French championships so that I am not already burnt out in the first stages of the Tour."

In 2014 Coquard will lose Sebastien Chavanel who has played an important role in the lead-outs but who will ride in FDJ colours in the future. While he regrets the loss, he is happy to the cooperation with new signing Jimmy Engoulvent who has plenty of lead-out experience from his time at Sojasun.

Whether the duo will be able replicate his 2013 success remains to be seen but based on his first professional season, it is hard to bet against another strong showing by one of the most talented French sprinters.