Loana Lecomte is a diamond in the rough and a local talent. Or the other way round. A local diamond and a raw talent. For us, it's all the same. The young Annécian radiates. With her performances, her smile and her values. Sharing her native land, her winning culture, her passion for good food and her relationship with nature, we dreamt of accompanying the world's most promising mountain biker in her success, including her Olympic project towards Paris 2024. Well, that dream has come true! Seduced by the originality of our recipes, the naturalness of our bars and the practicality of our compotes, Loana Lecomte is the first athlete from the ‘Dream Casting’ to join the Baouwers family in 2022. Immerse yourself in the kitchen of an epicurean and responsible champion. To write the first page of the fairytale to come.
LAKE ANNECY, REFRESHMENTS & HUMMINGBIRDS
Loana, tell us, how does it feel to be joining the Baouwers?
Loana Lecomte: ‘I'm happy and proud to be joining Team Baouw. It's very symbolic for me to be supported by a partner who was born in the same place as me and shares my playing field. As well as our local roots, we also share the same values. Baouw embodies what I try to put into practice on a daily basis, a lifestyle close to nature and a healthy diet... Finally, I think it's pretty great to join a team made up of athletes from different disciplines! I do mountain biking at a high level, but I love pretty much all sports! ‘It's very symbolic for me to be supported by a partner who was born in the same place as me and shares my playground.’
LOANA'S FAVOURITE BAOUW
Do you remember the first time you tasted a Baouw product? Can you tell us what happened and (very objectively) what you thought of it after that first tasting?
Loana Lecomte: ‘Yes, I remember it very well! The very first time was in September 2018, in Annecy, at one of the Red Bull Elements feed stations, which I'd just taken part in. I'd heard quite a bit about it thanks to some athletes I follow on social networks who were communicating about it. So I was quite curious when I tried it. From the first bite, I loved the taste, the flavours... After the race, I was going back and forth every 5 minutes to get a refill. I remember they were samples of the because I love chocolate (Smile)! ‘The first time I tasted the Cocoa-Hazelnut-Vanilla bar at a feed station, I was running back and forth every 5 minutes to get a refill.
What values do you share with Baouw? What attracted you to this partnership?
Loana Lecomte : "La nutrition et la diététique, ce sont des sujets qui me passionnent ! J’essaye de m’alimenter sainement en même temps que je cherche à me faire plaisir. Car j’aime manger ! L’alimentation, c’est un facteur clé de notre performance, notre carburant… Donc, je tâche d’être curieuse et éveillée sur la qualité et la richesse des produits que j’apporte à mon organisme, aussi bien pendant l’effort qu’à côté. Or, dans les produits énergétiques classiques dédiés à l’effort, on sait rarement ce qu’il y a dedans, on ne connait pas leur composition précise, c’est souvent assez chimique. La transparence de Baouw à ce sujet, la volonté de faire des produits sains, bios, sans sucres ajoutés ou conservateurs, ça me plait ! Étant épicurienne, ça a matché directement car les barres et compotes sont bonnes par le goût et bonnes pour la santé ! "
Is it difficult and paradoxical these days to play top-level sport while at the same time behaving in an environmentally-friendly way?
Loana Lecomte: ‘Yes, it's not easy! That's why I'm discreet on the subject and simply try to do the best I can, in my own small way. Doing my part as a hummingbird in my own corner, without giving lessons. Mountain biking is not a very ‘green’ sport: you travel a lot, you change your equipment a lot... The problem is that you are dependent on the dates and places of the events. On the other hand, we feel that things are moving in the right direction: the circuit is geographically coherent, and they are making sure that the competitions take place in a specific area of the planet. For my part, I'm in contact with my partners to ask them to send me the equipment I need only when I need it, so that I don't accumulate useless equipment in my cupboards. I also don't like to have too many competitions in a season. I try to be selective and focus on specific peaks of fitness. That helps me to travel less!
"I try to do my part as a hummingbird in my own corner, without giving lessons.
MICRONUTRITION, RECIPES & TRAINING CYCLES
You told us about your passion for nutrition and good products: how do you live it out on a daily basis?
Loana Lecomte: “This passion translates into a lot of documentation! As far as cooking is concerned, you only have to look at my social networks: there are more good recipes and more skiing than cycling! I also like to understand how the body works and what it consumes before, during and after exercise. So I read a lot, talk to experts on the subject, other athletes... It's really enriching! On a day-to-day basis, I think I spend around 4 hours a day dedicated to food: time flies between looking for pretty recipes, cooking myself good meals, researching and eating! Maybe that's why I can't find the time to work on my lessons! (Smiles)”
“I like to understand how the body works and what the organism consumes before, during and after exercise.”
Are you followed by an expert whose job it is regarding your diet?
Loana Lecomte : "Depuis cette année, je travaille avec une micro-nutritionniste. Globalement, la macro-nutrition concerne tous les aliments avec un apport nutritionnel de types glucides, lipides ou protéines. La micronutrition, elle, permet d’observer et optimiser tous les apports beaucoup plus subtils en micronutriments : les vitamines, les oligoéléments, les minéraux, les acides gras essentiels…"
How does working with a micro-nutritionist fit in with your performance approach?
Loana Lecomte: “The aim is to match micronutrient intakes with training cycles. Typically, in winter, I'm going to develop my endurance capacities through long aerobic outings, and my strength through weight training. So we're going to make sure we have a diet adapted in terms of micronutrients to this pre-season building phase. It's the same thing in summer: when we focus on intensity in training, I adapt my nutrition! This collaboration also plays a more mental role: it calms me down. Weight is a crucial lever for performance, yet it's a subject that's often taboo in top-level sport, and sometimes leads to certain excesses... Discussing it with her means I ask myself fewer questions, and get my head out of knots! ”
“The aim is to match micronutrient intakes with training cycles.”
RUNNING ROUTINE, GETS & ROAST CHICKEN
What are the specifics of nutrition on a mountain bike race?
Loana Lecomte : "Selon moi, il n’y a pas de spécificité vraiment remarquable. Cela ressemble à toutes les épreuves entre 1h et 1h30 d’effort, peu importe le sport ! La seule singularité, réside dans la dimension pratique. Il faut garder les deux mains sur le guidon pour pouvoir piloter dans les sentiers. Ainsi, on veille à se ravitailler lorsque l’on passe sur la zone technique, à chacune des 5 à 8 boucles qui composent notre parcours !"
Can you tell us about your eating routine on race day?
For example, how did you eat during the Olympic Games or on the various World Cup races you won?
Loana Lecomte: 'I try to stick to this fairly basic routine, but it works pretty well for me! Before the race, I concoct a little porridge that nobody likes, made from rice, eggs, bananas and dried fruit. I mix it all together to make a patty that I finish 3h30 before the start. I hydrate with still water, with the exception of a small coffee, for pleasure, 1 hour before the race. During the warm-up, depending on how I'm feeling, I eat a small bar to keep my energy level up, without it weighing on my stomach, as they're easy to digest. During the race, as far as hydration is concerned, I keep a water bottle one-third full as a spare, but ideally I drink from a water bottle handed to me in the technical zones. As for food, I have a compote after the first third of the race and another after the second! Then, after the race, I don't have a precise protocol or a favorite sin. So I make do with a recovery drink and a few almonds or pistachios! '
“In the run-up to the race, I concoct myself a little porridge that nobody likes based on rice, eggs, bananas and dried fruit.”
And when you're training, do you have a precise eating routine? Loana Lecomte: “Yes, I have three classic meals, topped up with energy bars during training sessions, or between sessions when I'm doing the twice-daily thing. As I'm an epicurean, Baouw bars are just great in this respect, as I like to let myself be surprised at each snack by the tastes and flavors, while knowing that there's no mental burden since I'm sure I'm eating healthy products that are good for my health! ”
“There's no mental burden since I have the certainty of consuming healthy and good-for-you products!”
Do you have a weakness not yet included in our recipes that you'd like to see in one of our products in the future?
Loana Lecomte: “I'm not necessarily greedy. I don't nibble. I just like to eat good, well-cooked food, in beautiful recipes. What I like to eat after a long training session is a squash gratin, a roast chicken or a salad made up of lots of seasonal foods... I also love chocolate, but only the 95%! Otherwise, when it comes to bars and compotes, I'm already extremely well served, as I'm an unconditional fan of dried fruit and oilseeds: hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, pistachios... At Baouw, we're spoilt for choice on that score. '
'New recipes? Being an unconditional fan of dried fruit and oilseeds - hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, pistachios - I'm already extremely well served at Baouw... '
Two final questions: beyond the borders of your kitchen, how do you look back on your exceptional 2021 season, the season of confirmation, with 1st place overall in the World Cup, 4 victories on the same circuit and 6th place in the Olympic Games?
Loana Lecomte: “My 2021 season was a roller-coaster ride. From a sporting point of view, I had a blast. But I had to learn and deal with all the other side effects! I started the year with almost unhoped-for results in the World Cup, so much so that some journalists considered my 6th place at the Olympics a failure. In reality, I was very satisfied! I would have signed up with both hands for a top 10 finish. So it's good to do an interview that talks about something else... Because those comments kind of “destroyed” my good memory of the Games. ”
Finally, what are your goals for the 2022 season?
Loana Lecomte: “Firstly, to grow and progress, to learn to better manage everything that's outside pure performance! Then, the main theme of my season will be the World Cup circuit. I'm not going to go round after round, but rather choose them so as to be as well prepared as possible for each one! I'll be present in Petropolis, for the first stage in Brazil, from April 8 to 10, but I'm aiming for a real first peak of form on the Albstadt, Germany, and Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, rounds at the beginning of May! Finally, the World Championships at home, in Les Gets, at the end of August, are bound to be a big highlight for which I hope to be on form! ”
« Les Championnats du Monde à la maison, aux Gets, fin août, constitueront forcément un grand temps fort pour lequel j’espère être en forme ! »
©Benjamin Becker
