Training camp in France

One months ago I was in France on training camp with part of our national team.

Incidentally, it was first training camp for national team for preparation to WOC since 2008 (Czech’s WOC). You should pay attention and respect to Alexandr Kratov who took 5 place in middle (11 seconds from bronze) last year on WOC with none trainings in Norway before.

In any case this year situation is better.
Camp started with evening training in Monday on Le Grand Roc map, where World Cup race held last autumn.

It was pretty difficult to run for me due to my long trip to France I tired. I start my trip Friday midday from my home town Dnepropetrovsk by a train. Saturday morning I was in L’vov. Then I pass a border with Poland by walk and take again the train to Katowice, where I came Saturday’s evening. Then I take the train to Praha where I came Sunday’s morning. In 11 o’clock a friend of my friend gave me a kyes from a car and I drive to France (960 km to Geneva) with night stop for training and sleep in some french forest. I meet my teammates Alex Kratov, Nadya Volynska, Pavlo Ushkvarok and Alex Starov Monday’s midday in Geneva’s airport where they arrived from Sweden.

Next day we tested our orienteering skills on “Montagne de Bange”.

Wow, I was really impressed. Very difficult terrain. Almost all course bad words were goes out from my mouth. For shame to say but I’m professional sportsman. And I do orienteering. This is my work. And it feels bad when I don’t know how to do my work. There is no apologizes, the work must to be done, no any exceptions. Not typical terrain vision from mapmakers for me, not European.


Tuesday’s second training was on Cret de Benevent. Not so difficult as de Bange. But very dusted forest with a lot of branches and stones underfoot. Some fast legs followed behind Kratov.

Next day we checked again Montagne de Bange.

Evening training was held on Le Revard.

Also a lot of branches and stones underfoot.
In the end of course I was a little bit tired and pushed hard on some stone, but this stone goes down under my foot and I made single impulse and felt some pain under my knee. After few seconds pain gone and I finished (actually not finished all) the distance.

Thursday’s morning we went to run World Cup men’s course.

I didn’t finish the all course due to my time was 1:36:30 already on tv-control. Only Palvo finished with 1:46:xx (around 20 place by autumn results)
After the course I felt big pain under my knee and decided to take a rest for 1.5 days for Sunday’s competitions.

Sunday’s competitions start quite bad for me. With two stupid mistakes half of minute each already to 4 controls I was catched  by Marian Davidik started one minute behind me. I followed him on the way to 6 control and thought “do I do my own orienteering or not?” and take a look at the map. When I take a look from the map and pick my head up the wooden stick came into my head. 

I stopped, walked to the nearest emergency place which I find on map (it was on finish), then I walked to competitions arena and after 1 hour and 40 minutes after I lied on doctors couch in Rumilly 25km from event arena. The doctor took three small pieces of wood from my head and put one seam. It took 20 minutes from him and 50 euro from me. After this with seam in head and injured knee my lucky training camp has finished.

Next day I went with my friends to competitions to feel taste of international event and to take my map.

In Tuesday we say goodbye with my friends and I took direction to Dnepropetrovsk, where I was in Friday’s midday.

Actually, I was not preselected to National Team, so I paid for training camp by myself. It cost 170 euro for 1 week in France (food, accommodation, maps, competitions entry fee), but without a gasoline (federation pays). And +180 euro for trip from Dnepr to Praha and back.

P.S. one more small piece of wood came out from my head three weeks after the doctors work.

Photos from TC.