Romain Feillu gets his priorities in order

Frenchman Romain Feillu, who will turn 28 on the 16th of April, had a successful 2011 season with stage wins at  the Tour Méditerranéen, Tour of Luxembourg and several other prestigious races.

Feillu has three wishes for 2012, but his sights are set
firmly on cycling's greatest event
(image credit: Thomas Ducroquet CC BY-SA 3.0) 

For 2012, Feillu says that his ultimate goal is success at the World Championships, the Olympics and the Tour, but he admits that such a course could prove to be "a bit too heavy." Thus, his main goal is the race he judges to be cycling's ultimate event - and as is the case with all cyclists worthy of the name, that means that the Olympics and the Worlds may have to be put on a back burner if he needs to give his all in the quest for a Tour stage win.

He came tantalisingly close in 2011 - 2nd in Stage 3 and two 4th places for Stages 6 and 7 proved he has the potential and Hhe says that he is "getting something stronger. In terms of strength, but also mentally."

Romain, contracted to Vacansoleil until 2013, realises that his goal will not be easy and that he's up against some very stiff competition. "Mark Cavendish is definitely the fastest man in the peloton. He is the boss and gets so much respect and space in the peloton. But sometimes he goes to a defeat," he says.