Former French cycling champion, Marion Rousse won the national title in 2012 [1]Cycling Archives before she took retirement in 2015. [2]Cycling News Rousse is the cousin of David Lefèvre, Laurent Lefèvre and Olivier Bonnaire, all professional racing cyclists.
Wiki/Biography
Born into a French family on August 17, 1991, in Saint-Saulve, France, [3]Pro Cycling Stats Marion Rousse is a cyclist who represented GSD Gestion (Société de gestion de portefeuilles) in 2010 before becoming famous. Besides being a world-renowned cyclist, Rousse has also been a pundit for Eurosport and France Television. [4]Eurosport In addition to this, she has been deputy director of the Tour de la Provence since 2019. [5]Le Tour Her first position was that of director of the women’s race, Tour de France Women, in 2021.
Physical appearance
- Height: 5 ft 3 in / 160 cm
- Weight: 106 lbs / 48 kg
- Eye Color: Blue
- Hair Color: Blonde
Family and Ethnicity
Parents, Brothers, and Sisters
Marion Rousse is the daughter of Corinne and Didier Rousse. Her cousins are David Lefèvre, Laurent Lefèvre and Olivier Bonnaire, all racing cyclists. [6]Grand Sud Insolites
Relationships/Affairs, Husband, Children
Rousse married fellow cyclist and Tour de France stage winner Tony Gallopin in October 2014. Through an Instagram post, she announced that the couple separated in February 2020. [7]News RND
In an interview with L’Équipe two months later, Julian Alaphilippe announced that he and Rousse were in a relationship. [8]Pure People
In January 2021, Philippe announced via social media that the couple was expecting a child. [9]Archyde Nino, the couple’s son, was born on June 14, 2021. [10]Julian Alaphilippe – Instagram
Career
In addition to her prowess at a young age, she raced professionally between 2010 and 2015. In 2012, she won the French National Championship road title and spent three years wearing the Lotto-Soudal jersey. She chose to compete at a young age when most cyclists have not yet reached competitive maturity.
She retired in 2015 partly because of the uncertainty of career stability within the female peloton, an issue that many young women cyclists have encountered. Most of the world’s athletes aren’t earning their living well enough to focus solely on their careers, meaning they have to juggle two (or more) jobs and sacrifice their passion for the sport. When interviewed by Libération in 2017, she was pretty open about the fact that she was now paid “better than when she was paid the minimum wage while cycling.”
Rousse has also become a familiar voice on French race broadcasts and has taken on the position of deputy director for the 2019 Tour de Provence and 2020 Tour de Savoie Mont-Blanc since she traded in her racing jersey.
It’s no secret that Rousse is one of the most loyal ambassadors of women’s cycling, the woman who puts the Tour de France Women on the map.
After her appointment as Director, Rousse spoke to Cyclingnews about her new role and the impact a long and successful Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift could have on the development of women’s cycling:
“I’m very honoured to be the director, a role that is close to my heart, and one I want to do well. We were lacking a flagship stage race, and now we have it. Our goal is to make it last and put women’s cycling back in people’s hearts.
It was important to tie the first Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift into the myth of the Tour de France – first of all by respecting the 100-year history of the event, and then by taking into account cycling’s current evolution and grounding the route in modernity.
The overall ambition is to create a stable ecosystem that allows us to establish the event in the long term. In addition to the indispensable support of the local authorities hosting the race and the broadcasters showing it, this ambition is only possible with the significant support of private partners, which allows us to establish, right from its creation, the flagship event of the women’s cycling, all while helping it grow in the future.”
Prize/Awards
In 2012, she won the French National Road Race Championship.
Autograph
Controversies
Marion was part of a caricature published by L’Humanité and illustrated by Espé [11]JR Mora of her and her companion Julian Alaphilippe which caused a sexism scandal. [12]Ouest France
The cartoon shows Alaphilippe in bed, under the covers. Rousse sits down next to the microphone, wearing nothing but suspenders, and asks her friend, “Julian, could you answer France TV’s questions?”
The drawing sparked a storm of outrage. Rousse herself took to Twitter and wrote: “I am disillusioned. L’Humanité lives up to its name less and less. You have to have no respect for women, to reduce six years of sports reporting on television to this level.”
Julian Alaphilippe replied: “I saw, I have no reaction, I don’t want to talk about that. That’s something I’ll fix in due time.”
Facts/Trivia
- In 2012, she won the French road race championship.
- In addition to her involvement in racing, Rousse was also a pundit for Eurosport.
- Running was her only sport until October 2015 when she announced her retirement.
- She never stopped exercising during her pregnancy and recalled being active. She did light exercises and stretches.
- She likes to drink coffee. [13]Marion Rousse – Instagram
- She claims to have a sweet tooth. [14]Marion Rousse – Instagram
- She calls herself a “food lover” and loves eating American food. [15]Marion Rousse – Instagram [16]Marion Rousse – Instagram
- Marion Rousse likes to drink occasionally. [17]Marion Rousse – Instagram
References