{"id":262644,"date":"2025-11-04T19:38:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T19:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/262644\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T19:38:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T19:38:08","slug":"amandine-fouquenet-shines-in-cx-amid-uncertainty-with-no-2026-contract-in-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/262644\/","title":{"rendered":"Amandine Fouquenet shines in CX amid uncertainty with no 2026 contract in place"},"content":{"rendered":"

French cyclocross champion Amandine Fouquenet has made an impressive start to her 2025-26 season, even as she faces an uncertain future following the collapse of her Ark\u00e9a-B&B Hotels team.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old currently continues to race in her French national champion\u2019s Ark\u00e9a-branded jersey, but the team officially ceased operations at the end of October. Without a contract for 2026, Fouquenet is now competing as an independent rider while she searches for a new squad.<\/p>\n

Despite the off-bike uncertainty, her performances on the course have been stronger than ever. Fouquenet has already finished third at Overijse, fourth at Ruddervoorde, and eighth at the Koppenbergcross in Oudenaarde, marking a clear step forward from her results last winter when she typically hovered around the top ten.<\/p>\n

\"amandine-fouquenet-cyclocross\"<\/p>\n

Speaking to DirectVelo, she acknowledged that it has been a mentally testing period but one that has brought out her best form. \u201cThe results so far have been very positive,\u201d she said. \u201cI haven\u2019t had any big drops in performance and I hope that continues. I\u2019m trying to give myself every chance, which isn\u2019t easy when you don\u2019t have a team. Mentally it\u2019s not simple, but physically I feel ready and I want to show that I\u2019m a fighter.\u201d<\/p>\n

After finishing her final road race in mid-September, Fouquenet undertook her first altitude training camp, an experience she believes has made a real difference. \u201cI\u2019m thankful to Ark\u00e9a for their support until now, and to my partners Legendre and M\u2019Gys for standing by me this season,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I\u2019m still hoping to find a new team for 2026, both for cyclocross and the road. I\u2019ll turn 25 next year and I feel that I\u2019m reaching my peak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Amandine<\/p>\n

She added that a renewed focus on discipline and detail has helped her raise her game. \u201cIn the past I didn\u2019t pay as much attention to recovery and technical work, but this year I\u2019ve changed that completely. I\u2019ve improved my nutrition, my sleep and my handling skills. I told myself I had to go all-in this season.\u201d<\/p>\n

That commitment has translated into her best-ever results on the international scene. Fouquenet says her goal is now to keep herself in the spotlight and prove she deserves a professional contract. \u201cI know I\u2019m not a star on the road, but I\u2019m ambitious in cyclocross,\u201d she explained. \u201cTeams are nearly full and it\u2019s difficult everywhere financially, but I won\u2019t give up. I hope that soon, the phone will ring.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, the French champion continues to wear the Ark\u00e9a colours that defined her breakout years \u2013 a reminder of both what she has achieved and what she still has to fight for as she seeks a new home in the peloton.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"French cyclocross champion Amandine Fouquenet has made an impressive start to her 2025-26 season, even as she faces…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262645,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,124089,154070,85,23293],"class_list":{"0":"post-262644","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-cyclocross","12":"tag-fouquenet","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-womens-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262644\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}