Noémie Loiselle / Photo credit: Sidney Léa Le Bour / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP (Illustration)
For 13 days, 55 mushers (leaders) and 600 sled dogs will compete for the 20th edition of the biggest race in Europe, which returns for a 20th edition. They will travel 400 kilometers in the Alpine massifs. Europe 1 went to Megève for the first stage.
The biggest sled dog race in Europe is back with its 20th edition. This year, 55 mushers and 600 dogs will compete for 13 days. They will have to cross the Alpine massifs of Haute-Savoie, Savoie, and Isère over nearly 400 kilometers and 12,000 meters of altitude difference. Europe 1 went to Megève for the first stage of this race.
A few minutes before the start, the dogs get agitated and tension rises for Elsa Borgey and her team, her two osteopathic veterinarians and her trainer… At 40 years old, this professional musher, who has already twice won 3rd place in this competition , intends to get on the podium again. Before departure, “we prepare the sled, put on all the obligatory equipment, we attach the sides of the sled, we check that the runners are secure, we will harness the dogs,” she explains.
“It’s very beautiful”
On the track, every two minutes, a different team sets off at full speed, under the amazed eyes of the spectators. “We can see that the dogs are very, very excited and that they really want to get to the end of things. It’s really beautiful,” rejoices a spectator. “They are extraordinary, they love the cold, they are great athletes: they simply love the effort,” adds another. “It’s very pretty,” sums up a child.
Everyone in the public will continue to follow the competition closely and hope to see several French people finish on the podium.