Retired cyclist Christabel Gresle rewards companions |29 January 2018
Retired cyclist Christabel Gresle has rewarded members of his St Francis team, coaches and other people who played a role to make him the successful cyclist he was on the roads and becoming the man he is today.
This was during a short ceremony on Friday afternoon at the National Sports Council’s conference room at Stad Linite.
Probably the first Seychellois sportsman to recognise people who have played a role in their career, Gresle took his own time and effort to organise this reward ceremony to show appreciation to all the people who helped him enjoy success, especially in the year 1996 when he became the first Seychellois to win the Tour des Seychelles.
It was Mauritian Dominique Lebon who led the general classification until the sixth stage – the 19km individual time trial – which Gresle won to complete the Tour in a cumulative time of 10 hours 22 minutes 24 seconds (10h22:24) – 8 seconds faster than Lebon’s total time of 10h22:32. Third was Yannick Germain of Reunion with 10h26:06.
On top of winning the winner’s yellow jersey, Gresle won the polka dot jersey for being the king of the mountains and the pink jersey for the best regional rider.
A well-known athlete across the islands, Gresle also took part in many international competitions. He also raced for the South African team Wadeville Steel in 1997 and French side UC Gambais in 2000.
Gresle was voted best cyclist in 1997 after a successful season during which he was the third best young rider and king of the mountain during the Tour de Maurice. That same year, he also took part in the Tour de Madagascar and was placed third in the individual time trial.
On Friday, Gresle, who started racing at the age of 13, called his former St Francis teammates up one by one to reward them. They are Alen Mathurin, Andrew Boniface, Jim Melanie, Gilbert Figaro and Andy Rose. Figaro and Rose were the National Championship winners in 1995 and 2002 respectively.
He also thanked all the people, especially his team members and manager Paul Hermitte, who helped take him and his team to great victories.
During the ceremony, Gresle announced that he has published his own book in which he shows almost all the races he has taken part in and all the awards he has received. A copy of the book was given to each of the individuals present. The audience consisted of many names, among them the chief executive (CEO) of the National Sports Council (NSC) Giovanna Rousseau, former NSC managing director Hughes Adam who is now the managing director of Land Marine, Seychelles NATION’s own Gerard Govinden, Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation’s Patrick Hoareau, Roger Perrine, Elvis Adrienne and Lucas George.
Gresle handpicked all those who attended as he wanted to show how he benefited from all the support he was given to make him a better cyclist.
“To realise this book today is like a dream come true for me. Even though I’m retired, it doesn’t mean I’ve stopped riding bikes. I still do, but more for participation. Today, I want to show appreciation to my team, coaches, officials and all the people who helped me and my team to victory. It’s hard to think that such success may happen again, but if I could be granted a wish, I would want the young cyclists to advance from my time and may be win another Tour des Seychelles,” said Gresle.
Gresle presented all the people who helped him with a medal, certificate and a copy of his book. Each person was given one of his prized gold medals as he won many over the course of his career. Teammates Andrew Boniface and Jim Melanie were a part of a cycling team who competed in France in 2000 along with Gresle.
He explained that the relationship between teammates, referee Maxime Monthy, mechanic Lucas George and manager Philip Jean-Baptiste was the main reason why competitions internationally became a success.
Gresle has set a real example with his commitment and achievements to the sport, and will definitely be regarded as one of the best Seychellois cyclists.
Rodney Rose