France’s men are four days into the Bessans camp (Aug. 10–21) at 1,750 m. The women arrive Aug. 17–26 so both groups can race the Biathlon Contest on Aug. 19 — a summer mass start and shooting challenge at the Haute Maurienne stadium. After Blink, this is the first public home start, not a closed roller session.
Why Bessans now
Simon Fourcade has framed the camp as training goals, not altitude. The three-week height block moves to Font-Romeu in October. Eric Perrot is back; Quentin Fillon Maillet is not on this camp. The staff is checking who kept roller speed after Sandnes.
What Aug. 19 actually tests
Public racing in the middle of camp breaks greenhouse rhythm. Watch lap speed versus Blink, prone in the first shooting, and which Excellence 2030 names hit the sheet. The plateau wind already behaves like winter even on rollers. Standing here predicts November snow better than a closed time trial.
After Contest
Sept. 8–18: Corrençon-en-Vercors and La Féclaz. October: Font-Romeu for the men, Ramsau for the women. November: Geilo for the men, Bessans snow farming for the women. Aug. 19 is the first joint A-group cut before that split.
Contest breaks greenhouse shooting. A neighbor’s pulse on the mat is not there in a closed session. Staff want to see who still hits prone when it is loud.
Perrot needs recovery, not another headline. Fillon Maillet’s absence opens relay looks for younger names. Excellence 2030 belongs on that sheet if standing holds on the third bout.
Font-Romeu in October remains the altitude block. Overcooking Aug. 19 would empty the tank before height. Contest is a cut, not a season goal.
FAQ
When is Contest?
Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, Bessans.
Who is in camp?
Men Aug. 10–21, women Aug. 17–26.
Altitude?
The main altitude block is October in Font-Romeu.
Bottom line
Bessans is no longer “camp opened.” It is a runway to Aug. 19, France’s first public August protocol after Blink.
