Thomas Boudat, Olympic cyclist and budding winegrower

Hello Thomas, can you tell us about your personal ties with wine?

I come from a family of winegrowers going back several generations who have numerous estates in the Bordeaux wine region (Vignobles Boudat Cigana). Our main estate is Château de Viaut in Mourens, Entre-Deux-Mers.
I grew up in this environment. My grandfather Joseph Cigana ensured the success of the family vineyards and then passed the baton on to my parents. He was also a racing cyclist and sat me on a bike before I even knew how to walk! He passed on his love of cycling and winegrowing to me.
Since I live in Bordeaux, I can make the most of my training to ride the roads of the Bordeaux wine region and visit the family vineyards. I check the plots to see how the grapes are growing. In fact, wine is more than just a passion, it’s my future profession. After the Olympic Games, I will be taking over from my parents, alongside my brother and sister.

There seem to be a lot of links between winegrowing and cycling?

Yes, there are. Many cyclists have turned to winegrowing after their cycle racing careers, such as Clément Chevrier, who is now a wine retailer, or Axel Domont, a winemaker in Savoie. Romain Bardet is also a big fan of wine.
I think cycling is a difficult sport, just like making wine which is a long and demanding process. When cycling or winegrowing, you are constantly outdoors and in tune with nature. That’s probably why many riders in the peloton like wine (laughs).

Let’s talk about cycling: what events will you be taking part in at the Olympic Games and what are your goals?

This summer, I have the honour of representing France for the second time. My first time was in Rio 2016 where I finished fifth in the omnium. After my first Olympic Games, I decided to leave the track and focus on road cycling. I’ve competed in the Tour de France twice now.

I’ve returned to my first love over the last two or three years because the Paris Olympics are the biggest goal of my career. I’ll be taking part in the Team Pursuit and Madison events. An Olympic medal is the only title I’ve yet to achieve and it would be a real dream to win it in France and finish my career on that high. This goal has been the driving force in my life for many months now and I’m making all the sacrifices necessary to be the best on the big day.

If you manage to win an Olympic medal, which Bordeaux Great Growth do you plan to open to celebrate?

That’s a very good question, it’s a tough one (laughs)! I’ll see when the time comes… I’ll let my brother choose, he loves a fine wine. We’re sure to open several (laughs)! What I can tell you are the bottles we opened with my family to celebrate my selection for the French Olympic team... Two quite exceptional wines, a Château Haut-Brion and a Château Margaux.

So you have an affinity with the Bordeaux Great Growths?

With my brother, my sister and our parents, we like to open bottles of fine wine and taste them blind. We know how to enjoy ourselves and that’s one of the good things in life. Christmas is the ideal occasion for opening beautiful bottles of wine. I particularly like Sauternes, an appellation that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves despite the demands and work involved in making it.
I was recently very pleasantly surprised when tasting a Château Clinet. I’ve also rediscovered Château Gruaud Larose. A delicious wine with great finesse, a beautiful aftertaste and incredible power…

Presumably competitive cycling is not entirely compatible with enjoying wine?

During the preparation for the Olympics, I try to limit my consumption as much as possible. Both times I took part in the Tour de France with the Direct Energie team, our general manager Jean-René Bernaudaud used to offer a glass of wine to each of his riders every evening. I must admit, it’s good for morale and also full of antioxidants (smiles).
In fact, it was during the Tour de France that I had the opportunity to taste a very fine wine. The team’s bosses gave us two bottles of Château Cheval Blanc to celebrate the victory of my teammate Lilian Calmejane, who won the Dôle-Les Rousses stage back in 2017. I shall remember it for many years to come…

Before he packs up his bike and sets off to run the family estate, Thomas has just one goal left to achieve... win the most prestigious of medals in Paris this summer!