the essential
His life as a Ligue 1 coach behind him, Elie Baup is still keen to pass it on to young people. For two years, he has become the team manager of the MTB selection of the Occitanie Cycling committee for the U17s and U19s. Meeting with an enthusiast.
After a rich career of 631 matches as a professional coach in Ligue 1, what is occupying your days at the moment?
Since 2021, we have set up, with my friend Jean Adoue and others, a cycling school in Comminges, in Saint-Gaudens, which has just exceeded 100 members. We have just merged with the Saint-Gau road bike club to form “Comminges Bike” and expand into cycling. We are involved in the Knowing how to ride a bike system, which consists of young people, upon returning to college, being independent on public roads by bike. We teach them how to cycle, but also the Highway Code. We are trying to educate young people to travel using soft mobility.
You also take care of the health aspect of cycling, right?
Yes. With doctors from Saint-Gaudens and the surrounding area, we work on sports health. We try to get older people out of isolation, sedentary lifestyle or disability by creating social bonds through toning, balance and cardiovascular activities. Exercising helps you avoid spending crazy amounts of money on healthcare.
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Was the transition between this new life and your past as a football coach easy to manage?
Let's say that I really found my place in this cycling world where everything I do is voluntary. I love passing on these sporting values to young people. When you're a football club coach, it's a very intense, even violent life. You can't put yourself in a corner and become depressed overnight. There, there is continuity, with happiness and the pleasure of practicing this sport myself that I have always loved.
Exactly, what is your relationship with cycling?
I was born in the Pyrenees. The bike and me, with my family, it has always been a beautiful story. As a kid, my farmer parents couldn't afford tickets for us to watch football. The big free sporting spectacle was the Tour de France. It always made me dream. They were passing my house, in the next pass. I remember dreaming of seeing these athletes perform feats before my eyes. In the football clubs I went to, including TFC, I bought bikes so that the players could clean them on bikes. We went out to the banks of the Canal du Midi. It allowed players to eliminate shock, but also to clear their heads by being in contact with nature. I also remember being the first, the day after TFC matches, to take the players to swim at the TOEC to recover. I have always tried to escape from the pressure and stress of football using these new methods.
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What links have you kept with football?
I follow the news closely. I never gave up on football, especially the news from my former clubs like Bordeaux or TFC. I liked seeing them win in Lens in style.
Is a return to the world of football possible?
I don't really know. One thing is certain, football and cycling have always been correlated for me. When I was a coach, I managed so that we didn't have a training session when the Tour finished. (laughs). I wanted to follow the Tour at all costs. Besides, the players knew it. I even remember, when I was in Saint-Étienne, taking my players to a pass to see a stage in the Alps. The guys were really happy.
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You have been a team manager for two years. What does this consist of?
Thanks to Gilles Girardot and Benoît Malaval, I was appointed team manager of the MTB selection of the Occitanie cycling committee for the U17s and U19s. There are nine riders, boys and girls, who aim to be the best in France in mountain biking. I drive a bus to take them to competitions throughout France, I look for sponsors, funding… Compared to my experience as a coach, I try to pass on to them the keys to managing emotions before a deadline, of course. feeding, etc. I try to bring the spirit of team sport into an individual sport.
