Interview with Patrice Afflatet, Team Manager of the VVR Academy

Hello, Patrice Afflatet to begin with, can you introduce yourself for our readers and your team?

The team has existed for 14 years now, initially created by G. Gravoulet. For my part, I have been managing the team for a long time and I continue to ride downhill bikes, including in competition! We first had great success for an amateur team before becoming more professional in the structure I manage in parallel (SCOTT DH Factory), since the VVRacing Academy has been transformed into an entity supporting young hopefuls….

How was the preparation for the downhill season team?

In a fairly classic way, the athletes prepare physically on their side with their respective coach. The team organized half a dozen courses this winter, from December to March. In the region, in particular on the sites of La Grand Combe and Brioude but also a big week in Portugal to finalize the preparation and participate in the first races.

Can you introduce us to the team in detail?

The team is made up of athletes who compete on the world circuit and others are associates on regional/national training and circuits. Our squad is made up of young people (Junior and U21): Johan GARCIN (French Hope, 47^th in the 2021 Cup), Yannick BAECHLER (Swiss Champion, 50^th in the 21st World Cup), Vicky CLAVEL (Junior Dame selected for the France team for the 2012 worlds), Elliot VALLON, Louis GAILLET and Marc CABIROU

Then we have Vincent JOUVENAL (Cadet), Lucas MURACCIOLE (Junior), Thomas DENIZOT and Romain GOULESQUE complete the picture.

Did the first competitions go well for the team? (results, podiums …)

For the moment things are going rather well, we unfortunately have injuries to deplore but our reserve of runners is important and we were able to prepare well.
To date Yannick Baechler and Johan Garcin our two main elites have been able to stand out with qualifications for the World Cup and a few podiums in local races.

How is the rest of the coming season going, what are your main objectives for this year?

The next important step is the World Cup in Léogang (Austria) where we will have the return to competition of our junior Vicky Clavel and or Yannick and Johan will be keen to do even better than at FortWilliam (Scotland). The first French Cup in Les Deux Alpes then followed the summer season with two World Cups in Europe, two in North America and finally in Italy; all punctuated by four French Cups!

Can we follow the news of the team as well as its results somewhere?

The best way to follow us is our Instagram page or our Facebook page. We also have our website!

Interview conducted in May 2022

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