It is the time of the year when each of the Pro Team Director nominations is going to be published, and a winner is selected for Season XIV. Get to know all the nominees: today, Maxime Grenard, Team Nordic Expérience.

Summit 2 Senja on Sunday, April 2, will end Ski Classics Season XIV. Five Pro Team Directors have been nominated for the award of Best Pro Team Director of the Season. 

The award recognizes Pro Team Directors with extraordinary directorial skills, unwavering dedication, and unconditional love for long-distance skiing, working correctly to develop Ski Classics. 

In Season XIV, five nominees will be presented during the coming week. They are all in the race to win the award. Nominee #1 is Maxime Grenard, the Pro Team Director of Team Nordic Expérience.

Maxime Grenard is a Pro Team Director focused on the long-term development of his Pro Team and Pro Team athletes. He has put France on the Ski Classics map by helping his athletes achieve excellent race results. His dedication to the sport and his Team has significantly influenced their success.

In a recent interview, Maxime shared his thoughts on what motivates him in his role, how he wants to develop the sport and his challenges.

Motivation

Grenard’s most significant motivation for being a Pro Team Director is “the moments and emotions we experience together.” He values the camaraderie and team spirit that comes from working with athletes to achieve their goals.

Sport Development

Regarding developing the sport from a Pro Team perspective, Grenard believes it’s essential to focus on giving athletes the motivation to ski and making their lives easier. This means offering them the opportunity to ski in good conditions and fostering a desire to ski, especially in France, where cross-country skiing is a relatively small sport.

“Sport has played an important role in my education and in the construction of my life until now. So before talking about performances and results, the goal is to give the athlete the motivation to ski and make their life easier and offer them the opportunity to ski in good conditions. The most important thing is to give the athlete the desire to ski, especially in France, where cross-country skiing is a minor sport.” 

Enjoying the Job

While Grenard enjoys the competitive aspect of the job, he also values the moments of conviviality with the Team when they talk, play, and laugh together. He believes that these moments are what make the team experience truly unforgettable.

“We are competitors, so I have to say the races. But I also enjoy a lot all the moments of conviviality with the Team, when we talk, play, and laugh together. This is what makes us live these unforgettable moments in the Team.”

Challenges

However, some challenges come with being a Pro Team Director. With limited financial resources, Grenard must take on various responsibilities, from logistics and training plans to communication and sponsorship. This can make it difficult for him to focus on any one thing at 100%.

“With the small financial resources that we have, we don’t have the opportunity to have several employees, so even if I have volunteers who are helping me, I have to deal with everything: logistics, waxing, training plans, feeding plan… have a look on everything: from communication to sponsorship… Since I have to have a look at everything, I cannot focus on one thing at 100%.” 

Thoughts and Future

Looking ahead to the future of Ski Classics, Grenard believes that the Tour will continue to grow in popularity, attracting more athletes and increasing the level of competition. However, he also acknowledges the sport’s challenges, particularly regarding helping smaller teams develop and sustain themselves financially. 

“I think the Tour is becoming bigger and bigger, and there are always more athletes interested in this circuit, making the level increase, so that’s great. It offers an alternative to traditional XC and helps athletes to find their way to ski and perform. Indeed, one of the benefits of long-distance is that everyone can relate to it since everyone can participate,” and continues:

“The future looks good even if there is the obvious question of snow and even more in the long distance because it’s complicated to have artificial snow on those distances. And I also think we should be careful not to leave anyone out regarding the ‘small nations’ in skiing. We are not all Swedes or Norwegians, and the sport and the Tour are becoming increasingly expensive, so it’s hard to keep up, and there comes a time when you can’t keep up.” 

“It’s one of the biggest points: helping smaller Teams to develop and sustain themselves because it’s hard, and if we want to continue this development, we have to find out how we can offer a salary to the athletes. Keeping the athletes in the Team requires a significant financial input.”

In addition, he mentions that a coherent calendar is important from an ecological and financial perspective.

“Other than that, having a coherent calendar. This is super important both from an ecological and financial point of view.” 

Best Moments Season XIV

When asked about his best moments of the season, Grenard highlights Thomas’s 4th place in Orsa Grönklitt as a special moment. He is also grateful for his Team’s support and the volunteers who have worked alongside him.

“There was a lot, but Thomas’s 4th place in Orsa, really close to the podium, was a special moment. We’ve been through a lot before, so we were super happy and relieved to have this great performance. I also want to thank my Team and especially the volunteers who are there with me. I’m very happy to be nominated, but I can’t do anything alone, so I really wanted to thank Tatol and Clément, who did an amazing job this winter.”

Overall, Grenard’s passion for long-distance skiing shines through in his work as a Pro Team Director. By focusing on the athlete’s motivation and fostering a sense of community within the Team, he is helping to develop the sport and ensure its future success.

Next up is Reistadløpet on April 1 and Summit 2 Senja on April 2. The events mark the 13th and 14th Ski Classics stages and the final weekend of Season XIV.

The Season XIV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consists of 14 events on 10 event weekends in 6 different countries. 

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XIV (2022/2023)

• Event 1: December 10, 2022 – Bad Gastein PTT, Bad Gastein, Austria, 15km
• Event 2: December 11, 2022 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Bad Gastein, Austria, 35km
• Event 3: December 17, 2022 – La Venosta Criterium, Val Venosta, Italy, 36km 
• Event 4: January 14, 2023 – Pustertaler Ski Marathon, Sexten, Italy, 62km
• Event 5: January 15, 2023 – Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge, Niederdorf, Italy, 32km
• Event 6: January 21, 2023 – Engadin La Diagonela, Engadin Valley, Switzerland, 48km 
• Event 7: January 29, 2023 – Marcialonga, Trentino, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 12, 2023 – Jizerská50, Bedřichov, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 18, 2023 – Grönklitt Criterium, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
• Event 10: February 19, 2023 – Grönklitt ITT, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 12km
• Event 11: March 5, 2023 – Vasaloppet, Sälen-Mora, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 18, 2023 – Birkebeinerrennet, Rena-Lillehammer, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 1, 2023 – Reistadløpet, Setermoen-Bardufoss, Norway, 40km
• Event 14: April 2, 2023 – Summit 2 Senja, Bardufoss- Finnsnes, Norway, 67km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour you can find at skiclassics.com.