The RACE of the Millenium - Club Med Report

by Correspondent, Brittany, via The Race web site on 14 Sep 2000 Round-the-world racing demands the highest levels of fitness. A report from Brittany
where the crew of the maxi cat Club Med is relentlessly following a strenuous fitness
programme while preparing for the boat’s next voyage.
A quarter to seven in the morning. Dawn has not yet broken at this small local sports
ground when the crew of Club Med begin their running/endurance session under the
supervision of coach Thierry Barot, who used to coach the Andorra rugby team.

Today it’s speed work. A few warm up laps and then down to business. Interval training
based on a series of two-minute runs, with a recovery period after each run. You have to
learn to control your effort in order to increase your pace gradually. The session
continues with shuttle runs over shorter distances.

Drawing on his rugby experience, Thierry Barot is concentrating on preparing the men for
the sudden, fierce bursts of effort that await them during The Race, through a shrewd
mixture of exercises combining running, stretching and weight training.

So every other morning the crew abandons the sports field and descends on a fitness
centre not far from the Multiplast boatyard. Imagine the looks from the regulars when
they see this group of strapping young men arrive, muscles rippling, ready to attack the
heaviest weights with relish.

Muscles are exercised in pairs. In these intense exercises with numerous repetitions,
the men must learn to work at 70% of their maximum power. “You know you are at 70%
when you can no longer speak to your neighbour”, explains Thierry Barot, “it’s a good
way of telling”. The session ends with more localised stretching exercises on the areas
they have been working on during the morning.

Every day, Thierry Barot scrupulously records the performances of his champions using
fitness tracking software. The data provides the input for a data analysis program that
helps to build an optimised training routine for each individual. The types of effort that will
be called for during The Race have also been calculated to ensure that the whole training
programme is properly structured. Thierry Barot would not think of working any other
way: “In terms of the boat, the approach is highly scientific, everything is checked and all
potential hazards analyzed. When dealing with physical fitness, I think we should adopt
the same approach.”

With some satisfaction, the coach is finding that his training methods, derived from the
leading team games but relatively unregarded in the world of sailing, are becoming
increasingly understood and accepted by the Club Med crewmen. What with working on
the boat and the daily training sessions, high living is certainly not on their schedule:
some nights, lights out is at nine thirty! Apart from physical training, the coach also
keeps a close eye on the physical well-being of the crew. At mealtimes, he observes
them and if necessary advises them on their eating habits. This can be difficult because,
at the same time, he must take care not to leave them feeling undernourished in case
they return to bad habits during their rest periods.

Medical supervision is of course essential. In Villamoura in Portugal where the boat will
be based in October, each crew member will undergo a thorough medical examination,
to check that the “machines” are well oiled prior to the final lead-up to the start of The
Race. Even a visit to the dentist has not been forgotten.

All very trying to be sure, but nothing compared to what the team will be facing in the
southern seas.