Cross-country skiing : “everyone playing together”, says Marc Desseux
With just a few weeks to go before the start of the season in Bessans (Savoie), the i3 Ski Team is wrapping up preparations that are both classic in their structure and unprecedented in their organisation, with individualised training.
“We’ve kept the same structure as in previous years, with the same number of training sessions,” explains Marc Desseux, i3 Ski Team‘s Sports Director. Since the spring, the group has had a series of training camps: Drôme, Le Chambon-sur-Lignon (Haute-Loire), La Tour d’Auvergne (Puy-de-Dôme), Prémanon (Jura), Font-Romeu (Pyrénées-Orientales), and now Livigno (Italy).
This is our sixth course,” sums up the technician. In Livigno [from 1 to 11 November], we’ve got excellent snow conditions, a 3 to 4 kilometre piste, sunshine and a harder profile than in previous years. We feel that everything is in place to work well.
An ideal backdrop to conclude the preparations. While the planning remains classic, the way things are done has changed: “We reorganised in the spring with a new way of working. Each athlete now has individual coaching. I’m responsible for the logistics and coordination of the training courses, to preserve the team spirit and collective emulation.
This structural change is the main development of the i3 Ski Team. Five coaches support the ten athletes, with a clear division between a collective framework and personalisation. “On the wheel-ski courses, I imposed around 80% of the programme, with the remaining 20% left to each coach to individualise. And since we’ve switched back to snow, we’ve reversed the approach, with the athletes building their own programmes to a greater extent,” explains Marc Desseux.
” We’re more involved in our own personal projects, but we’re still able to enjoy strong collective moments”.Noa Genest at Nordic Magazine
It’s a development that appeals to the cross-country skiers. Noa Genest sees it as an opportunity: “Before, we had to follow the group. Now, we can adapt according to our needs and our periods of fatigue. We’re more involved in our own personal project, while still enjoying the strong moments of the group.
The sporting director also finds a new balance: “I feel more in my role as sporting director. Less individually responsible for performance, but more responsible for the overall coherence and well-being of the team.
Despite the increased personalisation, the team spirit remains intact, if not strengthened: “That was a fear at the start,” admits the sporting director. But on the contrary, everyone plays as a team. We’ve even improved our accommodation to maintain the quality of life on the course, and that’s reflected in the atmosphere.
Noa Genest confirms: “The atmosphere is even better. We have more time to ourselves between courses and when we get together it’s always a pleasure.
In sporting terms, the i3 Ski Team – which has left the Ski Classics circuit behind – is ambitious: “The main objective is still the European Cup, with some of them aiming for the World Cup,” explains Marc Desseux. We’re also keeping a strong focus on French marathons and a few international events like the Engadine Marathon,” concludes the technician.
After the course in Italy, the members of the i3 Ski Team will be in Bessans (Savoie) from 17 to 27 November for their final get-together, culminating in their participation in the first stage of the French Cup (26 and 27 November), their first opportunity to measure themselves against the competition.
Read also
