400 triathletes will be at the start of the Dynafit X3 Courchevel 2014.

Success will once again be in evidence at this second edition of the Mountain triathlon "Dynafit X3 Courchevel", organised by the association "Courchevel Sports Alpinisme" on Sunday 20 April. It must be said that in Courchevel, for four years now, the resort has been making a noise with these recurring events that fill the sporting calendars and attract more and more fans of endurance and elevation-gain sports. The people of Courchevel have known how to adapt sports to the seasons, and it works! Or rather, shall we say: it runs, it rolls and it glides! From spring to autumn you put on your trainers to take part in the "Dynafit MOONtain Races Courchevel", a trail organised every Tuesday evening of the full moon with a finish in a mountain hut (from 10 June to 9 September). In summer, it is the turn of the bike, with the "Cyclo’Courch" scheduled every Wednesday on the Courchevel climb used several times by the Tour de France (from 2 July to 7 August and on Sunday 17 August). And in winter, you put on your climbing skins for the "Dynafit Ski Touring Courchevel", scheduled every Wednesday of the winter to ski tour from Le Praz to Courchevel 1850 (11 December to 26 March).

To sum up, this is where the idea of the Dynafit X3 Courchevel came from: you take these three means of locomotion at once - the bike, trainers and touring skis - and turn them into a major sporting challenge in a single day, starting from the lowest point of the resort (Le Carrey at 830 m altitude) to climb to the highest point at the summit of the Saulire at 2,710 m altitude, that is 25 km and 2,060 m of elevation gain.

To complete this Mountain triathlon, unique in the Alps, the triathletes will have to link together, from 10 am, alone or in relay teams of three, a cycling leg of 13.9 km (930 m elevation gain) up to Courchevel 1850, where the base camp for changing disciplines will be set up, then continue with a trail leg of 6.3 km (180 m elevation gain/loss) and finish with a ski mountaineering leg of 4.8 km (950 m elevation gain) to the finish, where a Hawaiian atmosphere awaits the runners with the presentation of flower garlands.

For the occasion, the Société des Trois Vallées offers spectators and companions the chance to reach the finish by gondola, to cheer on and welcome the runners, by buying a pass for just 6 euros. It will also be possible to follow the race live on the race website: www.courchevelsportsalpinisme.fr

A fine field of athletes for this second edition with world champions from every discipline at the start

The favourites will undoubtedly be the winners of the first edition of the "Dynafit X3 Courchevel", Nicolas Lebrun of team Organicoach, internationally known for his versatility, who belongs to the world elite in Duathlon, Xterra ("green" triathlon: swimming, mountain biking, trail running) and Snow Triathlon, having stood on the world podium in each of these disciplines. In 2005 he won the Xterra World Championship after finishing on the podium twice (silver medal in 2003 and bronze in 2002). And among the women, Stéphanie Duc, French Trail champion, 3rd at the 2013 Trail World Championships, record holder of the Cyclo’Courch and Dynafit MOONtain Races Courchevel 2013. Both will be hard to dethrone.

Among the teams, the team of world champions will need watching, made up of Laurent Brochard (1997 road world champion), Erik Clavery (2011 Trail World Champion) and Mathéo Jacquemoud (2013 Ski Mountaineering World Champion). These 3 specialists, each patron in their discipline of the three events - Dynafit Ski Touring Courchevel, Dynafit MOONtain Races Courchevel and Cyclo’Courch - will be the strongmen of this mountain triathlon, and there is no doubt they will do everything to take the podium but also the record in their discipline.

Jérémie Gachet of team Organicoach, a ski mountaineering specialist and teammate of Nicolas Lebrun in the 2011 Pierra Menta, in which they managed to take 24th position. Recent winner of the "Run & Skate" in Chamonix (Cross-country skiing and Trail) in February 2014, Jérémie will also be a challenger for the podium.

The team Garmin Adventure will be there with Jean-Christophe Bette, the most decorated rower in French rowing, with an Olympic gold medal from the Sydney Games and five world titles to his name. Not forgetting Caroline Freslon Bette, former international rower, and Tony Sblabi, an emblematic figure in the world of Ski Mountaineering, now coach of the Swiss national team.

The team BV Sport will be represented by a cycling specialist, Nicolas Raybaud, team winner of the 2012 Haute Route.

Cyrille Gardet, member of the French Ski Mountaineering team, bronze medallist in the Sprint event in the Espoir category at the 2013 ski mountaineering world championships, winner of the Val-Cenis and Valloire 2013 trails, and recently 3rd to the French Ski Mountaineering champion, with Yoann Sert, will both be in shape to deliver a fine performance.

Maud Gobert of team Adidas, 2011 Trail World Champion and 2013 winner of the Saintélyon, will take part in a team to express herself in the Ski Mountaineering section of the Dynafit X3 Courchevel.

Corinne Favre of team Lafuma, who collects podiums in skiing as well as in trail and skyrunning, with among others 4 victories at the Grand Raid de la Réunion, multiple podiums at the Pierra Menta and a fine 4th place at the 2011 Skyrunning World Championships, will have no difficulty linking the 3 events of this triathlon.