Text by André Santos

The French-Suisse team is having its first training camp in Alsace, a region at the east of France, close to the border with Switzerland. This will be the first of three training camps organized during the summer, where the team is focusing on volume training to get ready for Visma Ski Classics Season XII.

Alsace may not be a traditional cross country ski location, but Team Décathlon Expérience chose this picturesque region in the east of France, where the Nordic Area of Champ du Feu is located, to have its first summer training camp.

“This week we are doing a lot of volume training on roller-skis and also some intensity training running on the track. We will also do a Vasapass workout” says Maxime Grenard, Team Décathlon Expérience coach.

According to Maxime, this is the first training camp that the team will have during the summer, where they will start a training block with the aim of increasing volume. Then, the team will race at Blink Ski Festival, the famous roller-skiing competition in Norway, where they will test their shape against some other Visma Ski Classics pro teams.

The other two training camps will be held in Bessans, where Team Decathlon will have some altitude training. Then, the last training camp during the summer will be in the Jura mountains, and they will focus on training long hours on roller-skis.

The main goal is to have some athletes fighting for the bibs and Top 20 positions in the Visma Ski Classics Pro Tour

Roxane Lacroix and Alexis Jeannerod decided to end their skiing careers, but the team is positive about the next season. “The team spirit is pretty good despite Roxane and Alexis absence. We have some new members, and they are a good fit for the team spirit and atmosphere”.

“Certain members of the team have to take the leading role in order to help and inspire the younger athletes. We have the goal to perform well in the Pro Team Tempo and we are hoping that some members of the team can fight for the bibs and for some top 20 positions”.