Paris 2024: Alexandre Leaute trains for glory on home soil

Alexandre Leaute’s Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020 could hardly have gone any better. The then 20-year-old French Para cyclist returned from Japan with four medals, including gold in the men’s 3km Individual Pursuit C2 where he broke the world record twice on his way to the top of the podium. 

“It was a very good competition. It went pretty well for me in terms of medals, but I have very few memories of the event,” admits Leaute, who also won a silver medal in the 1km Time Trial C1-3 and two bronze medals, in the Time Trial C2 and Road Race C1-3.  

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One clear memory, however, was winning the gold medal and hearing the French national anthem “La Marseillaise” played at the Izu Velodrome with the iconic Mount Fuji in the backdrop. It was not only the first gold medal for him but also the first for France at Tokyo 2020. 

This year, he hopes to do it again in front of his home crowd at Paris 2024.  

“I’m so excited for my friends and family to finally be able to come and see me compete since it’s not very far from home. It would be the accomplishment of a dream and then I will have to find new ways to motivate myself.” 

Training to win 

A regular training day for the 15-time world champion often starts with a workout session in the morning followed by an intense session on the road. He cycles about six to seven times per week, for a total of between 15 and 20 hours, and works out at the gym twice. 

“Most of the time I train alone, it’s what I like doing to optimise my training to match my specific needs,” Leaute said. 

He is well familiar with the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome – the French Cycling Federation’s flagship where the Paris 2024 track cycling will take place. At the moment, however, he trains at a track with a slightly shorter commute. 

“At the moment I train in Brittany near Loudeac,” Leaute said. “But I also have the chance of having a new velodrome, just next to my home. It is a 200m track in a nice wooden building and it is great for training.” 

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His focus since the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics has been on polishing his habits off the bike, rather than on. 

“The biggest improvement I’m trying to implement has to do with nutrition,” Leaute said. “I’m a big eater and foodie, which makes it very hard to restrict myself on what I eat.” 

The new diet is simple: “a lot of protein, a lot of white meat”. Preparing for a home Games with a whole country wanting him to win gold medals, Leaute also looks into the psychological part of the competitions. 

“The psychological aspect in cycling is very important. Generally, it accounts for 80 percent of an athlete,” he said. 

“If your mind is feeling good, everything will go well but if you’re not feeling quite right, it becomes very hard to perform. Mental preparation is very important, so I have a mental trainer who prepares me to be as focused as possible and to avoid any ’parasite’ thoughts.” 

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Form of his life 

Leaute’s motto is that “to win, you have to accept losing”, but looking at his medal collection, there does not seem to have been a lot of the latter. He was already a five-time world champion when he got his big Paralympic breakthrough in Tokyo.  

Today he has more than 20 gold medals from major championships, saying his passion for cycling motivates him to keep striving for more. 

At the 2023 International Cycling Union (UCI) Para-Cycling Road World Championships in Glasgow, United Kingdom, he won six medals, five of them gold. He then went straight to the European Para Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where he won two golds in two competitions.  

He credits “a lot of work, determination and sacrifices” for becoming one of the best cyclists in the world. 

Leaute had a stroke at birth and lost 95 percent of muscle power on the right side of his body. He had tried playing football before starting with cycling when he was 14 years old, following the wheel tracks of his father who also used to race. Since then, the sport has been more than just the medals. 

“Para cycling and sports mean a lot to me. It’s my career and my passion so it represents a big part of my life.” 

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Inspiring others 

When he is not training and competing, he is often out trying to inspire the next generation of Para athletes in the country. 

“I visit a lot of schools to talk about and raise awareness about Para sports and sport in general. I also visit companies to talk about my experience and career,” he explained. 

But it’s his own family who inspire him the most.  

“My family has also been very present supporting me since the very beginning. They will always be proud of me no matter what the results are so I’m glad to have these people around me, they enable me to perform.” 

Book your tickets for the Paralympic Games by visiting the Paris 2024 ticketing website.