Féclaz Formation Longue Distance (FFLD), established in spring 2020, is a team for youth in France with traditional and long-distance ski projects. 

Partner with the only French team in the Visma Ski Classics circuit: Team Nordic Expérience, FFLD has skiers aged 19-25 years old.

Behind the creation was the director of La Féclaz Ski Club, Marc Desseux; the former Pro Team director of Team Nordic Expérience, Emilien Buisson; and a former youth coach of the ski club La Féclaz, Pierre Belingheri. 

Now the coach of FFLD, Belingheri, says: 

“First lockdown linked to the COVID-19 in April 2020 allowed us to free up time to create the team and put the ideas into action we had had for three years.” 

Féclaz Formation Longue Distance, as the name reveals, is located in French mountain scenery in La Féclaz. The location of the training center was selected based on several criteria, allowing young skiers to pursue their education and have optimal conditions for long-distance training with a dedicated group: 

“Chambéry (located about 20km from La Féclaz) is a central location for studies and offers a privileged setting for Nordic ski training.” 

“In terms of training, the objective is also to help young athletes cross mental boundaries, particularly by discovering long training sessions in terms of volume (100km roller skiing, etc.),” Belingheri states. 

As many teams do, FFLD has training camps about once a month, and additionally, during school holidays, athletes gather for day training sessions in the surroundings of La Féclaz, while during school periods, they practice together five days a week. What comes to the training philosophy, Belingheri emphasizes: 

“My general approach is really focused on the group: I remain convinced that having a strong group allows individuals to progress. Overall, I favor collective interests over individual interests.” 

The ultimate purpose is to introduce the young athletes to long-distance skiing in both trainings through French long-distance competitions and eventually could enable athletes to join a professional Visma Ski Classics Pro Team. After the first season, 20-21, one of their athletes, Jennifer Lambert, joined Team Nordic Expérience.

FFLD has been active in the French long-distance races this season, taking several podiums and the overall win in the national long-distance ranking for both men and women. 

“On the races, our strong point is to have a close-knit group that does not hesitate to work and race together to make the team’s colors shine (just like in road cycling).” 

Two athletes also discovered Marcialonga thanks to the partnership with Team Nordic Expérience. In addition to long-distance focus, some athletes qualified for OPA Cup and U20 World Championships in Norway. 

“The aim is to create a pool for Visma Ski Classics Pro Teams with athletes, who already have good experience of long-distance racing at the national level, and who want to move up to the international level,” Belingheri sums.