Romain Combaud

Hailing from Saint-Doulchard in central France, Romain has spent all of his professional career riding for teams from his home nation. Performing well in the French cup, where he has delivered a bundle of consistent results, his standout performance was a great second place in the 2019 GP Cycliste la Marseillaise. Good on the short and hilly parcours, Romain has continued to make his steps since joining Team DSM in 2021 and he enjoys the team’s environment.

“For me, the team is one of the best teams in the world. Everything in the team is well organised and they have a great plan, which suits me as a person a lot.”

Getting into the sport through his family, both his dad and uncle cycled at a very good level for amateurs and with the sport popular in his region too, it made it an easy sport to get into. Initially, he played football alongside cycling but at one point had to make the choice of what he wanted to focus on, deciding to lead a life on two-wheels.

As a fan of cycling Romain loves training on his local roads, regularly taking on several of the challenging climbs around his area, stating there is “no flat” at all. On the competitive aspect, he loves the constant fight within the peloton and now more recently with the team he has also enjoyed taking on a role within the team based on his experience; helping the younger guys – something he relishes.

“I get a lot of motivation working with the young guys. They are all so keen to learn and talented, and I try my best to guide them as much as possible in the races and make it a positive experience for them. For example, at the Arctic Race of Norway we all rode really well as a group, and it was special when Andreas took the win.”

Speaking of special moments, Romain’s favourite day on the bike so far in his career was riding at the Dauphiné when the race went close to his home and lots of friends and family were out cheering on the road, including fellow teammate Romain [Bardet].

When he’s not on the bike, Romain can often be found hiking on his local trails, supporting his very successful rugby team ASM Clermont Auvergne or working on his building and DIY skills around his house where “there is always something to do.”