Biathlon: the French are in Font-Romeu
On Tuesday, the men’s A and B groups of the French biathlon team began their altitude training camp in Font-Romeu (Pyrénées-Orientales), scheduled to last until 17 October.
The gathering followed a week in which the Blues were asked to go to altitude to form a three-week block. Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Oscar Lombardot and Eric Perrot went to sunny Tenerife (Spain), Fabien Claude travelled between Tignes (Savoie) and Bessans (Savoie) andEmilien Jacquelin stayed in his personal hypoxia chamber in the Vercors.
I have the impression that the guys are in a good mood and have a good dynamic,” Simon Fourcade, coach of Les Bleus, told Nordic Magazine. He is still without Emilien Claude, who underwent surgery on a herniated disc a month ago. This pre-training session is always good for them as they look ahead to the next one. Font-Romeu is a slightly less common course, but one that they all enjoy. We’re hoping the weather will be kind so we can fill up on vitamin D before the darker days in Scandinavia at the start of winter!
“Athletes need to feel strong from the start of the season”.
With the biathletes from the B team in attendance, the Catalan coach is hoping for a “high level of emulation” during the sessions.
Throughout the summer, we came to work at altitude on a regular basis, but not too hard so as not to have too much time to acclimatise for this October course,” explains Simon Fourcade. The aim is to build up as much confidence as possible for the start of the season, so that we can be as effective as possible. The athletes need to feel strong right from the start of the season and get results quickly so that they can look forward to the rest of the winter with confidence.
No cross-country skiing from October, here’s why
While the women are currently retouching the snow in Ramsau (Austria), the choice was different for the men. It’s a decision that the 2009 world champion in the mixed relay has taken on board.
I don’t think it’s necessarily essential,” says Simon Fourcade. In our sport, we don’t do classics and we’re lucky that skating is very similar to what we’re looking for on skis in winter. In the two weeks leading up to the season, I think we have plenty of time to get the details right. Cyril’s [Burdet] strategy, which I respect, is different, but I know that I have a group that needs to be mentally fresh. I find that the constraints are heavy to manage and that we’re better off taking advantage of the last opportunities to train in good weather.
All the more so as it allows Simon Fourcade to run a course almost at home, in the very place where he learned to ski. I can say goodnight to my mum every night in 10 minutes,” he laughs. It’s quite nice to know the place well, as it makes it much easier to offer even more relevant sessions.
This training camp will conclude next weekend with a series of races, with the stars heading to Munich (Germany) to compete in the Loop One Festival and the others to La Féclaz (Savoie) for the second leg of the Summer Tour.
- The men gather at Font-Romeu, the women head to Ramsau to get back in the snow: the French team kicks off its penultimate training camp of the preparation period
- “Going for high altitude”: why Eric Perrot is taking part in a training camp on the Spanish island of Tenerife with Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Oscar Lombardot
- Simon Fourcade on Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Eric Perrot and Oscar Lombardot’s decision to train in Tenerife: “I have no problem with them exploring a new place”.
