At 26, Baptiste Chassagne appears to be the Team veteran when he presents his identity card.
However, he clearly does not claim this role of dean when it comes to testifying to a high-level past. Indeed, our athlete who has the most candles on his birthday cake is also the one who would have the smallest share if the experience was a pie. A native of Lyon, a graduate of Sciences Po Paris, one would almost wonder where this city dweller has grown his appetite for the great outdoors.
In 2019, greedy in bibs, voracious in kilometers and sometimes gluttonous in training, he cut himself a nice slice of learning. First with 6 months on a dry diet in terms of results, then a much tastier end of the season, once the inherent requirement of the performance approach has been assimilated. By way of sweets: a bronze medal at the French Long Trail Championships, a 6th place at the OCC, chocolate medal at SaintéLyon (4th) and an area of work identified for 2020 after several poorly mastered cooking on the subject: the final sprint.
Meeting with the “Parisian” of the Team.
An ultra-positive assessment,
in the sense that it was a very instructive year on which I was able to build a huge base of learning. I took great pleasure in experiencing myself physically and mentally in this late discovery of high-level requirements. I liked to force myself, challenge myself, get out of my comfort zone and follow the same approach (I speak well of approach and not level) as these athletes whom I have always admired for their rigor on a daily basis, their ability to focus on a goal and build their lifestyle according to their dreams.
I come out of this first year growing up, where I had a series of disappointments at first, but where I was able to back up before seeing the efforts paid off afterwards. I know I am in need, but I claim it as a pride. This perseverance, I owe a lot to this incredible ecosystem that constitutes the Team, which has always maintained my confidence.
There are two. That I will try to describe quickly despite my weak dispositions in terms of athletic speed.
The first is my bronze medal at the French Championships.
Me, at the base, I am more spectator than actor in the sport. My father bought me the “L’Equipe” newspaper every day since I learned to read… “La Marseillaise” I used to sing it when a French athlete gives me happiness through TV… There, I was on the podium when it’s time to hum.
The second is kilometer 70 of SaintéLyon, in the mythical rise of the Aqueducts.
It’s 5 a.m. on December 1, it’s raining and it’s cold. And there I have one of my best friends and two friends from the Team, Lucille Germain and Simon Paccard, who come out of nowhere, at the foot of the bump, to encourage me. Based on wild cries and noisy bells. I was moved to see that they had moved to give me strength. After that, I was boosted. Determined to return to the podium, on the edge of which I finally fail for 3 seconds.
A fundamental role. And you can take all the synonyms for “fundamental” in the dictionary, it will work …
When I evoke Team MATRYX, I really have this image of the iron fist and the velvet glove.
The iron fist for the demanding and rigorous structure. Thomas Janichon and Simon Gosselin taught me how to get out of my comfort zone, to understand its usefulness and to some extent to take pleasure in it. They are honest and pragmatic, very transparent on the means to implement for one day to reach my ambitions. And the velvet glove is for the incredible warmth that radiates from the Team. The friendship between the athletes, the attention and trust given to each of us, the very rich and super strong human relationships …
My obsession would be to stop progressing. I reassure myself, however, by telling myself that my discovery of the high level is recent enough to have still many areas where to progress before reaching the full extent of my potential. My aspirations and my qualities lead me to long efforts, but before that, I would like to confirm on the formats around 5h.
It is in this logic that I return to the events where I ran in 2019: to do better!
With hopefully more speed, a more mountainous foot and a greater experience of race management … I will also allow myself a discovery of this longer format which attracts me, around 10 hours of effort.
Strictly speaking, there was no click but rather a performance, a result, during the French Championships in August, which finally materialized the progression that I observed in training.
My body first took 6 months to assimilate this new approach. He didn’t really like being shaken like this at first. Despite the first disappointments, Simon and Thomas told me that the planets would line up at some point and that at that moment it would be even tastier. By winning this bronze medal, I experienced a great inner joy because I proved myself two things: that I may have the potential of my dreams but especially that I had known how to deploy this perseverance once in my life that I admire so much, this resilience which is much easier to admire in others than to apply yourself.
La déception, ça a un sale goût. Mais qui se termine en fond par une pointe de reviens-y…
Bah oui frérot, la SaintéLyon, c’est comme un Paris-Brest, ça se savoure et ça se mérite ! Si tu veux décrocher la couronne, faut envoyer la pâte à choux et prendre des risques, quitte à payer les amandes au prix fort.
