Léo Bergère on why his rivals fear him, ‘crazy emotions’ from Paris 2024 and wedding plans

Ask any male pro racing today, over any distance, which athletes they fear the most and Léo Bergère’s name is bound to crop up. 

Why? Well as the Paris bronze medallist himself explains: “I have no weak points. I make very few mistakes during a race. So if I’m in good shape, it’s very hard for me to get dropped.” 

Read in print that bold statement might come across as a touch arrogant, but that would be doing the supremely talented Frenchman a disservice. 

Because hearing Léo say those words is as matter-of-fact as listening to him read out the weather forecast. 

Aside from making few race-day mistakes, the 28-year-old is also incredibly consistent and has, touch wood, remained mostly injury-free. 

A recent Achilles niggle over winter was his biggest setback to date, but he still recovered in time to toe the line at his first T100 in Singapore in April. 

While he had no answer for Hayden Wilde’s winning performance, a 3:20:45 was more than enough for a superb second place. 

We’ll have to wait until 9 July to see Bergere race 100k again, when he rocks up in London for the fourth round, as he’ll be spending his 2025 season switching between T100 and WTCS racing – and hoping to retain his crown from 2022 in the latter. 

June of this year will also see him tie the knot with longterm girlfriend and Italian pro, Angelica Olmo. 

For now, though, we find him at home in Saint-Raphaël on the French Riviera, reflecting on Singapore, telling us why he can’t think about Paris until his career is finished, and revealing what fills up his battery! 

220: Fantastic T100 debut in Singapore, so much so that you looked remarkably fresh at the finish line. Talk us through the race. 

Léo Bergère: I came into the race with very low expectations because I didn’t have the best winter with an Achilles injury. And I caught the flu two weeks before the race and couldn’t train for a couple of days. 

So I decided to focus on what I could master – the heat and humidity, my pacing strategy and my nutrition. 

I decided to take the swim very easy, stay on the feet, stay as cool as possible. 

On to the bike I saw that many guys were really excited in the first few kilometers so I decided to take it easy, stay out of trouble. 

Then halfway through I made a move to close the gap on the lead, but I really slowed down on the last lap and they accelerated in front, so they pulled out a massive gap – that’s where I have regrets. 

But at least I finished the bike quite fresh. I then wanted to have a safe tempo for the first 8km on the run and drink as much as possible. 

I went to close the gap on Rico Bogan for second place, and then once I was safe – Hayden [Wilde] was way out of reach in front – I had a 40-second gap on Martin [Van Riel] as well. 

So that’s why I was quite fresh at the finish line even if I was quite tired. I was expecting my best performance would be top five, and in the end I’m on the podium, so very happy.

220: What did you focus on in training during the off-season for this race? How much was heat prep a factor? 

LB: So yeah, I decided to focus on heat prep two weeks before flying to Singapore. And I flew to Singapore six days before the race. I think it was the most important factor to prepare for this race. But part of my training meant doing a build run on the treadmill at 34°C and 75% humidity. That was pretty tough – my core temperature was pretty high! 

220: Talk us through your training. Base set-up – where, when and with who? Why does it work for you? 

LB: So I’m based in Saint-Raphaël, on the French Riviera, so I’m 1km from the Med. And it’s beautiful, it’s such a natural area. I can start my run from my place and in two minutes I’m in the forest and then it’s trails forever. And then on the bike I have some flat roads, some climbs. There are eight of us in the group, the Turbo Tri Tribe Squad, all French, at different levels, from European Cup to WTCS. So we have good vibes, it’s very cool. My coach, Fabio Rastelli, is based in Milan, and he comes over one week every month to see us and check if everything is going in the right direction. 

220: Has the enormity of your Paris experience sunk in at all yet? How do you even begin to process such a momentous time in your life? 

LB: Oh yeah, definitely, Paris was some crazy emotions – it’s hard to sink in because I’ve never experienced that much emotion in my life before. I don’t think I will completely understand how powerful it was until after my career when I will look back and realise it was something very unique. That’s why I tried to really enjoy every second of it because I knew it was a very rare moment. 

220: And how does that result feed into your own performances? How much of an edge does it give you knowing that you’re a medallist? 

LB: I didn’t think I would be able to get a medal at the Olympics, and now that I have I feel very confident because whatever happens next is a bonus. I’ve been world champion and an Olympic medalist, so now I can take a little bit more risk in the next Olympics to try to win it. And that’s a good pressure to have! 

220: I’ve interviewed a few of your colleagues recently – including Matt Hauser and Marten Van Riel – and they’ve all mentioned you as a threat, whether that’s on the WTCS circuit or on T100. What makes you such a powerful athlete across the distances, do you think? 

LB: I think I’m very versatile – I can race over supertri, half Ironman or T100 and I have no weak points. However, my run needs to improve a lot, and I’m very motivated to improve and to learn, especially over longer distances where I’m more of a beginner. But yeah, my strength is that I make very few mistakes during a race. So if I’m in good shape, it’s very hard for me to get dropped. 

220: You mentioned your Achilles issue earlier, is that all settled now?

LB: It’s still a little bit fragile, so I still have to be careful with the training load on the run. But hopefully I will get rid of the inflammation and have a strong season.

220: You’ve mentioned how the last lap of the bike is your weakness – how do you improve this area for future races? 

LB: Yeah, so my last lap in Singapore and also the last 10K on the bike in Taupo [the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Champs, where Léo still finished third] was where I lost a lot of time to the front guys. So maybe I still need to be stronger on the bike, but also I need to be able to prepare for the run without slowing down too much on the bike. Maybe it’s more that way. 

220: What’s the race plan for this season? And what’s your ultimate goal? 

LB: I would love to win a T100, especially the one in Saint-Raphaël [30-31 August]! And to be on the podium overall in the T100 series. And then yeah, to be world champ in the WTCS again. I will do anything I can to make this happen! 

220: What’s the one bit of kit you couldn’t live without?

LB: I would say my massage gun – I like to be able to take care of my body everywhere I go. And if I’m traveling, if I’m going to a training camp where I don’t have a physio available, I like to have my foam roller and my massage gun. 

220: What do you enjoy doing in your down time? 

LB: When I’m training hard, I really appreciate spending time with my girlfriend and my two dogs at home. It’s really something that fills up my energy, my battery! 

220: Ahem, I think you mean your fiancée! Congratulations on your engagement.

LB: Of course! Angelica will soon be my wife, and we’re getting married on 8 June this year in Italy. So we will have good wine, good food and a good party with friends and family! 

220: If you could steal any other triathlete’s skills, whose and what would they be and why? 

LB: If I could steal the swim start of Matt Hauser and the sprint finish of Alex Yee that would be great!

A day in the life of Léo Bergère 

What does an average 24hrs look like for an Olympic medallist? 

“I usually wake up between 7:30 and 8am. After a small breakfast, I go straight for an hour’s run with my dogs on the trails. 

“After that I’d have a big breakfast with protein, fruit and a lot of good coffee. Then I head to the pool for a swim session. 

“So we have a strong swim session on Tuesdays and Fridays – between 5-5.5km each session. 

“Then I come back home around 12:30pm, have a nice lunch – Angelica has some skills in cooking, so she usually prepares some very nice meals for us. 

“Then it’s nap time for 15-30 minutes. After that, I usually do some emails and then head onto the bike around 4pm for anything between 1.5-4hrs – it really depends on the training we have. 

“I usually have a small appetiser while I’m preparing the dinner. Very often we have friends over for a pizza night and have a good laugh together. And then I head to bed between 10:30 and 11pm. And that’s pretty much my day!”