La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc: “There are a lot of things to master” to succeed in this race

At major international competitions, there are the athletes who put on a show, but there are also those who work behind the scenes to ensure that everything runs smoothly. On La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc, there is a link in the organization that is essential, the sports director who also happens to be the chief ski patroller. Meeting with Thibaut Branquart who explains his job and his essential role in competition.

What are your missions on the Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc?

Thibaut Branquart: I am first of all the sports director, that is to say that I intervene, throughout the year, on everything related to the athlete: I discuss with the mushers, I represent the race in front of the French and international Federation, I work on the courses with Camille Génieux, the director of operations, I participate in the evolution of the race, its format, its rules.

Then, I am chief tracker during the race. There with my team of three trackers, we check that the routes defined upstream are adapted on D-Day to the practice of sledding in competition. The weather changes very quickly in the mountains and the trail conditions can change. My experience as a musher helps me make the right choices and take the right decisions. If necessary, we make changes, we secure the course and of course, we mark it.

How to properly prepare for the Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc?

TB: You have to master all the factors that make a race successful. The choice of dogs, nutrition, the care given to the dogs, the training plan, piloting experience on alpine tracks, the choice of equipment. There are a lot of things to master. But that’s also what makes this sport so fascinating.

Is the Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc accessible to everyone? Amateur mushers as well as experienced mushers?

TB: The Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc is an atypical race. It is the longest stage race in the world, it lasts 11 days. It is also a race in which the teams will have to face a very significant drop. You have to like sharing the effort with the dogs. Its duration is also a real difficulty. To manage to maintain a team at the top for 11 days, you have to show real mastery. It is therefore a race that requires experience. This is why we ask inexperienced mushers to go through a Trophy before attempting the race in its entirety. It allows them to discover the race serenely and to prepare as well as possible for the future.

What are the tips for the Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc to go well for the mushers and for the dogs?

TB: You have to build a real team. The musher needs handlers to help him care for and prepare the dogs and so that he too can rest as much as possible. The dogs must be prepared so that they are ready to face the challenges that the race will have to offer them every day. And then of course, and this is the heart of our sport, you have to give your dogs love and make sure they have as much fun on this adventure as you do. So, they will give it back to you a hundredfold and offer you wonderful moments in this fabulous competition.