WHO IS BENOIT NAVE, XAVIER THEVENARD'S COACH?
Benoît, can you introduce yourself in a few words?
I've been passionate about sport since I was very young. I've competed at a high level - I was preselected for the Olympic Games in cycling - and I've always been passionate about health in general.
The combination of the two has led me to help athletes practice in optimal health conditions, the most important factor of which is nutrition.
Repeated performance can only be achieved through a high level of health.
With osteopathy, I optimize the body's biomechanics and adapt them to the type of effort required.
What exactly is your role at Baouw – how are you involved in product design?
As a nutritionist, I draw up the specifications for future Baouw products. My role is to design the nutritional base of foods that will serve the body during exercise. We need to be able to provide exercisers with the fundamental elements they need to optimize their body's performance during exercise. A few minutes after his arrival , Xavier Thévenard dedicated his UTMB 2018 victory to you, how did you feel at the time?
I was extremely touched.
I've worked with a lot of top athletes, people who've won the biggest titles in the world, Tour de France, etc. But nobody had ever thought of highlighting the role of my work in this way before. But no one had ever before thought of highlighting the role of my work in this way: Xavier did it with so much heart! Xavier Thévenard thanked me, on the spot, with such spontaneity and warmth. It was a great moment in my life as a coach. He's someone I invest a lot of time and energy in, and someone who's extremely endearing in every way, with a great deal of humanity.
WHAT EXACTLY IS YOUR ROLE WITH XAVIER?
My role is to get him to the start of the events he has chosen to compete in the best possible physical condition. It's a job that takes place over the months and days leading up to and on the day of the event, using every possible strategy: biomechanical optimization, nutrition, hydration, pacing, opponent psychology, etc. I provide him with what he needs. I give him what he needs.
Xavier says you “unlocked” him, what does he mean by that?
He had run the UTMB Hard Rock 100 in the USA 6 weeks earlier, which he was winning hands down. But 1h30 from the finish, the organizers stopped him on the pretext that he had refuelled outside the zone, even though he had taken a sip of water while stopping to greet his partner Amélie (hence the little wink sign on the finish line, “just one sip of water”). Instead of a penalty, he was disqualified. Quite simply.
It was a huge frustration, he had to justify himself on social networks and that's not at all his style: Xavier prefers to be in the forest. It cost him a lot.
10 days before the UTMB, on the Monday before the race, he was wondering whether he was going to take the start. Talking to him, he brought up a point that struck a chord with me. He was having back pains, which are very rare for him. He came by the house on Wednesday, and I saw an athlete in an unusually tense state. He could no longer exploit his physical potential. A long session of osteopathy was necessary, and that's what unlocked him. The body was transformed, the machine restarted. He understood from my words and my eyes that this was good.
The preparation was optimal. I was extremely confident. He went for a few kilometers, and the feeling was very good at the end of the session.
How did you support him during the race?
I accompanied him in the warm-up and followed him throughout the race. I saw him a total of 11 times on the course. It's very important for an athlete to feel supported and surrounded, and that was the case for Xavier: his family and friends were there.
You follow many athletes. Is there a “Benoît Nave method” to help them improve their performance, or is it a case-by-case basis?
Whether it's at their level or that of more amateur athletes, it's always tailor-made, but the basis is a holistic approach: that is to say, truly global. Injury prevention plays a vital role! It's the key to regular, uninterrupted progress. A healthy, natural diet to get closer to optimal health is already the basis for repeated performance and overall fitness. Our secret? There isn't one, of course. Common sense and simplicity! •
