Léa Curinier

Hailing from a cycling family, Léa’s father and grandfather both raced their bikes while her mum rode more recreationally. Alongside biking from a young age, she also competed in triathlon and running too but eventually focused on all things two wheels.

Coming off the back of her first campaign with the team in 2022 which saw Léa perform strongly as a support rider, helping the team to numerous wins throughout the year, she hopes to continue that upwards trajectory in 2023.

It was also a year of exploration for Léa who moved out of her comfort zone from her previous French team and joined a more international roster at Team DSM, which she said had its benefits both on and off the bike.

“With the staff, coaches, medical and performance groups it was a big step for me, but it really helped, and everything is super organised.”

“It was also nice with the girls to learn more about them and find out who they are, also people from different countries too – which was good for my English!”

Looking a bit more intrinsically, Léa thinks she has also gained a lot of confidence in who she is as an athlete and as a person over the last year; really coming out of her shell more, and she wants to take that into the future. Speaking of which, in 2023 she wants to be even stronger and help deeper into the toughest of races and with a goal of growing as a rider to potentially win some races at some point which “would be nice.”

With a big smile which radiates from ear to ear, it comes as no surprise that “happy” is one of the words Léa refers to herself as, alongside “energetic” and “curious. A bubbly individual who is always keen to ask questions and find out the reason why she is doing something, it is that curiosity which has also seen Léa take on a physiotherapy course alongside cycling. She also thinks that happy and positive nature is really helpful within the team to bring a good energy for everyone.

“To stay motivated I think it is important to think positively. Even if you have a bad day everything is not finished, you can always turn it around and try your best the next time.”

Away from the bike, Léa very much likes spending time with her close-knit group of friends, going out for dinner with them or checking out the latest fashion on the high street. If not, she also enjoys going on walks in the countryside, while equally a day spent at home cooking and relaxing with a good film in the evening is also a nice past time; although the action movies she enjoys might not be so relaxing themselves!