MARIGOT--Fans in St. Martin of the now Paris-based racer Wilson Sanon will be pleased to know he is as motivated as ever and continuing his successful cycling career in the higher echelons of the sport in France.
He has made it into the D1 division, the first step to becoming a professional rider. His current team is Paris Cycliste Olympique (PCO), a club that he joined at the beginning of 2024. It’s an elite team and he is currently riding in the Open division 2 for his age group. “Depending on my victories, I will progress to the elite division,” Sanon explained by phone from Paris. “And if I continue to do well, that opens the door to becoming a pro.” St. Martiner Sanon (19) is due to race this coming Sunday in the Grand Prix de L’ Agglomeration du Pays de Fontainebleu and on Sunday, March 3, he raced in the Grand Prix d’ Ouverture Satory-Versailles, the opening race of the season. In the March 3 race in Sartory, Wilson finished in the second group but was uncertain of his result. “I haven’t received the “classement”, as it wasn’t sent to us yet. One of my team mates finished third. We were also the first best team in that race.” Cycling at this level in France is a whole new ball game and a far cry from St. Martin where he honed his skills. The peloton’s are far larger in France and highly competitive, something that Wilson has got used to and taking it in his stride. Riding with the PCO comes with a whole new support structure of coaches and technical people, and a personal coach, but he is still in touch with his original coach in St. Martin, Edmond Cocks, who has guided his career to date. Also there are no more issues with his racing bikes. Last year a new bike he was due to use at the 2023 UCI world championships in Glasgow, Scotland, was held up in customs and he could not get it released in time and had to resort to using another bike. At the championship he was riding in the U23 category for his Haitian Club and St. Martin. Wilson and Nicole Erato were the only two athletes competing in the cycling categories from St. Maarten/St. Martin. “I just want to keep on getting better and better. This is my life,” Wilson says of his move to Paris. This year he hopes to visit St. Martin for a holiday and see his family.
