After finishing 13th in the Vuelta a España, Romain Sicard has proven his ability to take on more responsibility on Team Europcar. The Frenchman will have more leadership roles in the future.

As a member of Pierre Rolland’s team in the Tour of Italy, Romain Sicard made a strong impression. Accompanying his leader on the highest slopes, and braving the snow-capped ridges of Gavia and Stelvio, he demonstrated that he could go even further. At least that was what the sporting directors of Team Europcar had in mind when they made him leader of the team for the first time on a major tour – the Tour of Spain.

Sporting director Andy Flickinger is visibly pleased about Sicard’s performance. “Romain was highly conscientious for those three weeks. It isn’t an easy role, and it required a lot of concentration. He carried it off successfully, which is very promising for the future.”

Changing status within a team requires going through a significant learning phase. “The complexity of the leader’s role lies in taking on the responsibility for the team in the overall ranking. Even from the back of the pack, the leader can’t afford to give up, he has to keep paying attention. Romain had no down time during those three weeks. Unfortunately he had a minor fall at the start of the Vuelta which unsettled him, but he managed to get back on track,” explains Flickinger. Describing the qualities of his rider, he says, “He is the only one of the top-20 riders who managed to take risks, heading into the breakaway packs and trying to win stages of the race. He was performed consistently well.”

The surprise came mainly from his ability in time trials, in which Sicard was most impressive. “He was very comfortable racing against the clock, coming in nicely in 14th place. The uneven ground suits him well, but he has made a lot of progress nonetheless. He is a strong mountain climber, and good against the clock, so it stands to reason that he is where he is today.”

For Team Europcar, Romain Sicard is the latest trump in a team that already has an impressive track record. Together with Pierre Rolland, Team Europcar now has two fine leaders for the grand tours. “He’ll be taking on greater responsibility within the team. The next step for Romain is to regain the level of confidence he had when he was at his peak as a young cyclist. He’s on the road to rebuilding that confidence, and is keen to accomplish big things with Pierre Rolland and the rest of the team. He’ll have the status of leader in some races, and a first-class team member in others alongside Pierre Rolland,” explains Flickinger.

However, Flickinger adds that, “Romain and Pierre basically have the same profile, but the hierarchy within the team is clear. Pierre Rolland is still the leader, while Thomas Voeckler remains our ‘sports chief’ and ‘charismatic leader’. We also have riders in a slightly different register, with Cyril Gautier, Kevin Reza, Bryan Coquard, while other riders who will be revealed next year.”

The end of the season looks set to be an exciting one with several races on the cards starting with a team time-trial on Sunday 21 September at the World Championships in Ponferrada, Spain.