Interview with Marion Bunel: “I am very happy on my bike”

Portuguese Cycling Magazine: Marion, last year was your first season in the pros and you finished top 5 in a WT stage race – UAE Tour – and had a really impressive Tour de France. Did you believe you could achieve that level of results in your first year?

Marion Bunel: Maybe I believed, but I didn’t expect to do that. I believe more now, but to do what I did last year is really amazing and I really didn’t expect to have all those great performances. Specially for my first year on the professional peloton, it was above all about learning and discovering, so those results were above my expectations.

PCM: The transition from the youth level to the World Tour in women’s cycling has been historically really hard and most riders need some time to adjust. How was that process for you?

MB: The first year was really fast for me, with my first results coming really soon in the season, but I think I am really on that process now, specially with my new team, Visma | Lease a Bike. It’s like a second start with the pro riders, like I am a neo pro for the second time, and I feel like this year is going to be really decisive with a lot of things I learned since the beginning and also all that I still have to learn. Maybe this season is more important than last year, and I think the next months are going to be hard, but I’m OK with that because I’m really happy on the bike.

PCM: Last year, when you went back to racing in the youth level in Tour de l’Avenir, how different did it feel?

MB: I saw a big difference, specially because I did the race just after Tour de France and that was the biggest race of the year. It was really different and I saw the difference in the atmosphere. You feel that the riders are younger and the tension is not the same. Specially after the Tour de France, where I felt a lot of pressure and a lot of tension all week and after; when I went to the Tour de l’Avenir, it was a bit less. But I also remember that, in 2023, the Tour de l’Avenir was more anxious for me, because I was an amateur. I think that just the experience of doing a bigger race before going to Tour de l’Avenir 2024 made me feel more comfortable.

PCM: So, basically, you rode with more freedom?

MB: Not really with more freedom, but more relaxed. Maybe because I was more confident to fight with women the same age as me. When you race with Demi [Vollering], and other riders like her just the week before, of course you don’t feel the same confidence. With the young peloton, the same age as you, maybe you feel like you have a better place and you can defend it easier.

PCM: In the off-season, you made the jump from a continental team to one of the biggest teams in the world. How did that go? How are you adjusting to a bigger and more ambitious team?

MB: The story began in 2023, also with the Tour de l’Avenir. One of the managers of Visma | Lease a Bike spoke with my manager, after he saw my performance on the mountains, and he followed me the year after [2024]. I did really good races since the beginning and we got in contact in the spring. I was really seduced with what we talked about and the program they could give me for the next three years. I was really happy with that and this team was one of my dream teams, so since the autumn I have discovered a lot of things. Also my English is really improving; just three months ago I almost didn’t speak any words. All the material, all the staff, it’s another level and I feel that it’s the best level. I have everything, and even more than everything, I need to perform. So now I need to adapt myself to all this and try to give my best to get good results.

PCM: How much has your training and the way you prepare yourself changed since you’ve joined Visma | Lease a Bike?

MB: We’re trying to do a slow adaptation, without much change, but of course there’s a lot of change. Last year, and since I started [cycling], I was trained by my dad, and my dad knows me like I know myself so it was really good. We tried to always have natural training, mostly based on feelings. Now it’s the same but with much more, like with altitude training camps. Also, the season is programmed with a period of training and recovery after the races, and I was more used to do training on the week and race on the weekend, like in the amateur season. So now it’s different, but also really interesting to discover. The three-week training camp is pretty long, and the more specific training with numbers and all the analysis is also a big change.

PCM: Are you doing any specific training to improve on one of your weaknesses as a rider or do you try to improve at everything at the same time?

MB: I know and we know from my coach and the staff that I have a talent on the mountains, so I think it’s smarter – and it’s what we want to do to in training – to improve more on this profile. Of course I also want to improve myself on the time trial, because it’s important for the GC, and also on flat stages and echelons, but I have to remember myself that’s not my profile. For example, in this year’s UAE Tour we had a lot of echelons, so it was really hard for me; I was alone on the desert all week. It was a funny story, but I can’t be disappointed with this type of races, because it’s not my profile. I do the best possible, but we want to perform on the mountains where I am better.

PCM: Last year in the Tour you lost a lot of time in the time trial and in hilly stages at the beginning of the race, but in the mountains you were top 10…

MB: For sure we are not going to make me a time trial specialist, but the goal is to improve as well, to not lose as much time on the GC. We know that it’s something to work on, but the main goal is the mountains, where I am more comfortable. The work for the time trials is also with better material than last year and some more aero tests; I did an aero test three weeks ago, so it’s also on that that we’re working. Not only with the training and the power, but also with some details we can adjust on the bike.

PCM: The team is overall really young, but it also has two of the biggest names in the history of the sport – Marianne Vos and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. How important is their presence for young riders like you?

MB: It’s something that I didn’t expect in my life. 10 years ago I saw Pauline and I asked her for an autograph and a picture, because I was really a fan of her. Now to ride on her side, it’s really crazy. I’m really proud and I want to enjoy every moment with them. They are such good talents on the bike. Marianne is really smart and she really knows more than anyone how to win races. It’s a big opportunity to learn, to improve on her side, so I’m really focused on all that I can learn with her. We are young and they made the story of our sport until now. I have the dream to do the same, to win the same races and to be a World Champion like Pauline.

PCM: In the beginning of the year, the team said that 2025 would be a year of growth and building for the future. What are your goals for this season?

MB: Maybe I’m too hard on myself and I want too much in my first year with the team, but that’s also because I really love this team, since my first contact. To wear this jersey is like a dream and I feel that every time I get on the bike. So I want to perform, but that’s not the main goal for the first year, it’s to learn, to build for the coming years. It’s not a secret that we want to win a Grand Tour, but in my case, I have time. If we want to do bigger things, that starts with good build-up. I’m really confident in all the people I have around me, so this first year is really to try to see in what can I improve and build for the future.

PCM: Will you be doing any Grand Tours this year?

MB: Normally I’m going to do the Vuelta and after that… it’s too early to say, we don’t know the line-ups. It’s possible that I also do the Tour de France or the Giro d’Italia.

PCM: In the World Championships, you can still fight for the under 23 title this year.

MB: That’s right. It might too punchy for me, but I really want to go to these World Championships. The goal is not really to become a World Champion this year, but to take part in this race, because for me it’s one of the most important of the season and I will be really proud to represent my country there.

PCM: You’re coming up in a booming period for women’s cycling, arguably the best ever. Is there any aspect of cycling that you think still needs to improve a lot?

MB: I talked about that with Marianne a few days ago, she really saw and took part in all the developments in women’s cycling. I think we can still improve with the races, because we don’t have a Paris-Nice or Criterium du Dauphiné yet. I think it’s going to improve. This year, for the first time, we have Milano-Sanremo, so I hope we just have to wait a bit because all that can’t happen in such a short period of time. I’m sure people like Marion Rousse work a lot for that and I feel really lucky to have a person working hard for the cycling world we all dream of.

PCM: Milano-Sanremo is really exciting, but maybe the parcours should be longer…

MB: I agree, because for the men, Sanremo is the longest race of the season. When I saw the [women’s] parcours, I was a bit disappointed with the kilometers. There’s a limit on the UCI regulations, but we could be closer to 200 kilometers for this race. It’s a special race.

PCM: Finally, you’re still studying and finishing your degree. How hard is it for you to conciliate being a high level athlete with your school work? And how much did that change now that you’re at Visma?

MB: To be honest, now I don’t have any time to study. Until now, the last year with Saint Michel it was still possible, because even if I didn’t go to the school, I had some time at home to do that. But now, with all the training outside of my home, the bike takes all my time. It’s also the opportunity to be 100% focused on the bike now, I want to live the moment at the present and to not have regrets because I am everywhere but not really focused on one thing. Cycling is my dream, so now I think I need to take this opportunity. But with it being on standby, I can still resume the studies later.

We thank Marion Bunel and Team Visma | Lease a Bike for granting us this interview.