Against the backdrop of a beautiful sunny day, the charming Haute-Savoie resort of Megève celebrated the 20th edition of La Grande Odyssée VVF, this unique race in the world of mushing, with a friendly chorus of barks. The opening day, presented by Royal Canin, was punctuated by numerous festivities in the village before giving way to the competition at Cote 2000 for the prologue. The 7km race gave the mushers in the main event and the Trophée Haute-Savoie a chance to test their harnesses, and the public a chance to discover the energy and desire to race of these 600 furry athletes.
In the cool of the morning, the mushers, handlers and their dogs gradually arrived at the car park of the Megève Palais des Sports, where the veterinary team from La Grande Odyssée VVF was waiting for them to carry out a thorough health inspection of each dog. The day continued in the church square where Annabel Kam, President of La Grande Odyssée VVF and Catherine Julien-Brèches, Mayor of Megève officially launched the 20th edition and presented the teams in front of a large audience.
Family spectators were able to discover the activities on offer in the La Grande Odyssée VVF village, set up on the Pré Saint-Amour for the day. From an introduction to biathlon, snowshoes and mountain biking, to the discovery of mushing with the Great North activity, visitors were offered a wide range of mountain activities. Against a Nordic backdrop and a polar cold, the international mushers met up at 6 p.m. for the start of the traditional prologue, to a standing ovation from an enthusiastic public who appreciated the play of light and shadow on the snow, which gave this first competition an enchanting feel.
The day ended with a special “20th edition” evening at the Megève ice rink. Many of the people who have worked, from near and far, over the last twenty years, to make this unique race a success, were delighted to meet up again and proudly share in the longevity of this extraordinary sporting event. Alongside Nicolas Vanier, co-founder of La Grande Odyssée and present at the evening’s event, they paid a warm tribute to Henry Kam, who created the event in 2005. Together with Dominique Grandjean, a veterinary professor, they turned this crazy dream into a legendary race in the world of mushing.
At the end of the prologue, the leader’s jersey and the Nordic leader’s jersey, both sponsored by Crédit Mutuel, went to Hans LINDAHL (Norway) and Jean COMBAZARD (France) respectively. France’s Cindy Duport and Elsa Borgey finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. The Haute-Savoie Trophy went to Switzerland’s Evelyne Gaze Stauffacher, followed by Gérard Guimet and Italy’s Luca Brioschi.
Join us tomorrow, Sunday 14 January, for the start of the first stage of the race: Stage 1 presented by EBRA at 11am in Megève Côte 2000.
