TEAM SCOTT ODLO LED LENSER interview with Pascal Giguet
France and trail running go hand-in-hand. As a leading brand in the trail running community, SCOTT understood the strength and importance of this community, so decided to give back and support one of the key French train running teams, SCOTT ODLO LED LENSER.
A team of highly committed athletes, we have seen the names of Celine Lafaye, Alexis Sevennec-Verdier and so many more adorn podiums throughout France.
Recently, the two-man team of Pascal Giguet and David Pasquio raced the Gore-Tex Transalpine race, a tough and challenging 8-day race starting in Ruhpolding and concluding in Sexten. Covering 293km’s and 13,730m of ascent, this is no easy task. However, Giguet and Pasquio not only won the masters category but also placed 3rd overall.
I caught up with Pascal Giguet and discussed his career in sport and how he achieved this great result with David Pasquio.
Born in Annecy in 1969, Giguet ironically only took up sport in the late 80’s. He
jokingly says until his transformation, he worked hard with pastry, chocolate and candy! ‘My only connection with sport was watching on TV, a friend asked to go on a 1-week cycle tour with panniers and I loved it. From that moment I became hooked.’
It’s no coincidence living in Annecy, arguably a sport junkie’s ideal place to live, that Giguet should become a cyclist. ‘Annecy is a huge playground for sport,’ Giguet recounts, ‘Importantly, I always had someone to walk, ski or cycle with. It was important for me.’
Cycling became a way of like and working his way through the ranks Giguet became a reserve rider for the Festina Team (1995-1998). He says in retrospect, ‘I always considered it a game and not competition. I wanted to have fun and I did… I maybe did not understand the high values of the sport but I was happy.’
Watching the Embrun Triathlon, a seed was planted to participate in Triathlon. Like many cyclists, the transition to three sports was relatively easy, however, swimming was always going to be difficult. ‘I made a bet with my friend that I would return the following year to participate in the Embrun race. I learnt to swim (just) and I participated repeatedly, constantly improving; 12th, 9th and then 6th place. I loved this new game!’
Jokingly we laugh about swimming, ‘I was always around 500th out of the water. Thankfully I could cycle!’
Triathlon introduced Giguet to running and in 2005 he moved to trail running as his primary sport. The growth of trail running in France was booming and with it the arrival of new and beautiful events. The transition was relatively easy, ‘Cycling is extremely competitive and the quality is very high. In trail, all abilities are mixed together and this is one of the attractions. It’s a sport for all. I like that.’
A natural athlete, Giguet is complimentary of the genes passed down to him from his parents. He acknowledges that Mother Nature has played a huge part in his progress in multiple sports. Today he swims very little but cycling is still a key part of his training, ‘Cycling is a great sport that works well with other sports, particularly running. However, I don’t swim regularly unless I decide to compete in a triathlon, maybe Embrunman once again in 2015?’ Giguet says with a smile.
The trails of France have provided a great playground for the man from Annecy. Marathon Mont-Blanc, Les Templiers, SainteLyon and La 6000D acknowledge a passion for competition and desire to participate and test oneself.
‘I don’t have a favourite race as I believe that I still have so many races to discover,’ Giguet says when I ask about a favourite. By contrast, when I ask about races for the future, his face illuminates, ‘The Gore-Tex Transalpine that I participated in this year was awesome.’
Representing SCOTT-ODLO-LED-LENSER, a team he joined in 2011, Giguet teamed up with David Pasquio to undertake this multiple day challenge of nearly 300 kilometres.
‘I have known David since 2009; we were both on a previous team. Always motivated and good fun, he was the perfect partner for this journey.’
The Transalpine has an iconic status as a tough event and many of the top trail runners in the world have returned, year after year to test themselves. As Giguet jokingly says, ‘I am used to racing day after day like this but usually on a bike! This was the first time I have ever run for so long and on so many consecutive days.’
Years of activity in sport no doubt provided the dynamic duo with a great grounding and base to undertake such a demanding event. Using smaller races earlier in the year as preparation they formulated three key objectives before toeing the line:
1. Good physical condition and high spirits
2. Test all the equipment and be prepared for the worst
3. Do the work before the race and nothing is impossible
Pasquio lives in Brittany so they were unable to train together pre race, not unusual for the Transalpine. A simple strategy of ‘be the best that we can be and have no regrets’ seemed a perfect mantra for which to undertake the challenge.
‘David was better than me at times and I had to bite the bullet and commit myself. We are good friends and this is important in a race like this. We recovered well after each day and we smiled.’
Racing over multiple days requires a level head, a good mind, great fitness and an ability to adapt. Giguet and Pasquio managed this to perfection with very few low or high points. The duo had no strengths and no weakness; they were ready. Embracing each day a new they enjoyed familiar faces, new trails, new mountains and different weather. ‘We had moments of euphoria and moments of agony. We welcomed the new aches and pains and of course, we welcomed new jerseys!
Managing energy levels, sleep, nutrition and hydration over an event like this can be a very difficult balancing act. When I asked how they managed this scenario, Giguet was very matter of fact, ‘David and I did nothing new and nothing revolutionary… we ate pasta every night. After each day we made sure we hydrated and we tried to eliminate any bad toxins from our system. I personally don’t need too much sleep; 6-hours is good. We didn’t party…!’’
Accumulating 10-12 hours training a week, Giguet mixed things up with cycling, running and walking and in winter he replaced the bike with skis. For example, he combined a family holiday with training by trekking in Corsica.
‘I’ve been very fortunate to experience many sports and I have also been very lucky to have such great sponsors. I am a real fan of the Kinabalu and Grip3 shoes by SCOTT and our apparel by ODLO has been exceptional.’ Needless to say, one has a great opportunity to test everything to the extreme at an event like Transalpine.
Giguet and Pasquio crossed the finish line in 27-hours 49-minutes and 35-seconds placing 3rd overall and winning the master male category. ‘We wanted to get a good result overall and we achieved that with a category win, however, we are extremely proud and excited about our 3rd place overall behind Salomon and La Sportiva.’
Looking to the future, trail continues to grow as a sport. It’s a tough sport, demanding and very extreme. It’s not trivial and for many it’s a passion that is close to the heart.
This closeness is reflected in Giguet’s parting remarks, ‘Never trivialize the distance and the difficulty. Many new people are tempted by trail because it is becoming fashionable. But it is tough, you need experience and the mountains can be dangerous.’
A season nearly over, Giguet looks to the end of the year and two favourite races, iconic on the French calendar; Les Templiers and then SainteLyon. When I ask what will come next, he quite simply says, ‘Rest!’
Notes
SCOTT-ODLO-LED-LENSER Athletes:
• Pascal Giguet
• David Pasquio
• Celine Lafaye
• Alexis Traub
• Adrien Michaud
• Mathieu Martinez
• Alain Gillet
• Remi Berchet
• Arnaud Bonin
• Alexis Sevennec-Verdier
Gore-Tex Transalpine Route 2014
Stats
• 8-days
• 9-stages across the alps
• 3-countries
• 293km
• 13,730m+
STAGE 1: RUHPOLDING - ST. JOHANN48.7km
STAGE 2: ST. JOHANN - NEUKIRCHEN
STAGE 3: NEUKIRCHEN - PRETTAU
STAGE 4: PRETTAU - SAND IN TAUFERS
STAGE 5: UPHILL SPRINT TO SPEIKBODEN
STAGE 6: SAND IN TAUFERS - ST. VIGIL
STAGE 7: ST. VIGIL – NIEDERDORF
STAGE 8: NIEDERDORF – SEXTEN