France's A group open Corrençon camp, Jacquelin just visits

France's A-group biathletes gather in Corrençon-en-Vercors (Isère) this Tuesday, 8 September, for a new training camp. Fabien Claude, Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Oscar Lombardot, Gaëtan Paturel and Emilien Claude have been called up. According to Nordic Magazine, it is the very first time in this preparation period that all six will be at a camp together.

The camp starts more than two weeks after the end of the Bessans (Savoie) gathering. Before that, the team trained in Prémanon (Jura) and Ceillac (Hautes-Alpes) in May, June and July.

Absences over the summer

Fabien Claude went on a trip to the other side of the world, while Eric Perrot spent part of the summer in a van in Norway. Both missed several camps. Fillon-Maillet, who recently became a father, was not at the August camp in Bessans.

Simon Fourcade, the coach of the French team, told Nordic Magazine that everyone was broadly in a good rhythm, although he admitted the preparation with the senior athletes had been disjointed. Fillon-Maillet will be joined at Corrençon-en-Vercors by his daughter Léana and his partner Lydie Marguin.

Fourcade on the track and group size

Fourcade called the venue an interesting training site that, in his view, very likely has the best track in France. He said it is the longest and offers the most varied profile. The team is staying at Zecamp, right next to the trails. Fourcade explained that the cars are parked at the start and not used again until the end, which helps streamline the whole camp, particularly when it comes to recovery.

Unlike the routine since the end of spring, the B group is not taking part this time. Fourcade does not expect big changes, but said the structure of the sessions will inevitably be a little different: going from a group of 13 biathletes to six makes it slightly less dense.

The women's group will be on site from Thursday, 10 September. The aim is to bring the men's and women's squads together a few months before the World Cup gets under way. According to Fourcade, one goal is for the coaches to exchange ideas on how to build the rest of the season.

Jacquelin sticks with cycling

Nordic Magazine reports that Emilien Jacquelin will visit his teammates while staying focused on cycling. Fondoitalia quotes Fourcade as saying Jacquelin will certainly come by on Tuesday or Wednesday to say hello, describing it as a courtesy visit without a rifle.

The Italian outlet adds that Fourcade confirmed Jacquelin intends to carry on in cycling and is looking at biathlon more with a view to the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. Fondoitalia writes that the question of his return remains open, but the answer appears closer to no.