Heavy formalities
“It’s a horror to deal with. »At the beginning of October, Fabien Bertrand, head of the French freestyle teams, is dubious. The charter of the organization is then not reserved, visas not made and the test protocol gives the athletes and supervisors a headache.
Worse, the Chinese consulate in Lyon being closed, all concerned are obliged to impose a return trip to Marseille in early November between two training courses. “We would have gone well,” plague snowboardcross coach Kevin Strucl.
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Then comes the time for the paperwork. “We had papers to fill out almost every day – often the same ones. It was long, tedious and you had to be precise at the same time, ”points out Manon Petit Lenoir, one of the three snowboarders present on site. Fortunately, the secretary of the Federation has “done a big job” and all is well for a departure from Frankfurt on November 21.
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An endless journey
If the trip cut in two with a night in Germany on Saturday evening allowed the athletes to spare themselves an early start, on Sunday, the struggles continue. The flight went well but on arrival in Beijing, the delegation waited for five to six hours at the airport and then another four hours on the bus without being able to get out while waiting for the results of the PCR tests …
“Communication is pretty complicated,” smiles Merlin Surget. “We did not really understand why,” continues Manon Petit-Lenoir. After three hours of travel “at 70 km / h on a closed road” to connect the station of Secret Garden, the sportsmen finally arrive at the hotel Monday around 10-23 hours. 32 hours of travel later, the suitcases are unpacked and everyone is seated. Phew.
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A route and infrastructures at the rendezvous
Fears were large on a route deemed “too flat” especially at the start according to the echoes retrieved from a distance. Finally, the first feedback is pretty good. “The course is very beautiful and the snow is good, the cannons are running full blast 24 hours a day since only the track is snow-covered,” says Petit-Lenoir.
Surget continues: “A few more km / h would have been welcome at the start but it’s not that slow. It’s technical and long enough to generate speed for the rest. “The only negative point is that we are in a sanitary bubble which allows us only to do hotel-resort, resort-hotel,” regrets Jean-Frédéric Chapuis. Before concluding on a good note: “the rooms are great. »Something to sleep well before shining on the track.
>> Chur, Secret Garden, Silvaplana … the full World Cup program
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