The 9th edition of the Dynastar X3 Courchevel described as exceptional!
Fiona Porte pulls off a surprise and a 4th title for Yoann Sert
The 9th edition of the Dynastar X3 Courchevel described as exceptional!
Cancelled in 2020 and adapted in 2021 following health measures, the extraordinary Dynastar X3 Courchevel triathlon was back in its original version on Sunday 17 April 2022 under magnificent sunshine. More than 300 participants set off on this sequence, unique in the world, with 13.9 km (930 m of elevation gain) by bike, 6.3 km (180 m elevation gain/loss) of trail running and 4.8 km (950 m of elevation gain) of ski mountaineering, solo or in a trio team, from Le Carrey (altitude: 830 m) to the summit of the Saulire (altitude: 2,710 m). This competition, very popular with outdoor sports enthusiasts, marks the transition between the end of the winter season and the opening of the summer season in the resort.
4th title for Yoann Sert
Three-time winner of the event (2014, 2015 and 2016), Yoann Sert came with 2 goals: to win for a 4th time and to beat William Bon Mardion's record of 1h56min12s set in 2017. The pressure is high on the start line for the great favourite, but he knows that on this triathlon nothing is decided in advance. As proof, in 2017, when everything seemed to be going his way for victory until the foot of the Saulire cable car, dubbed a wall by marathon fans, all his hopes vanished and he finished exhausted in 16th place.
To win, you must know how to manage the first leg and above all not try to follow the Trio team member of “La Charolaise des Cimes”, Mael Soranzo, who set the best cycling time in 40min05s. On the trail running section, the triathlete Tony Moulai, selected for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, set the fastest time in 26min58s. Yoann Sert managed this section perfectly to set off in the lead in his favourite discipline: ski mountaineering.
At the finish, he won without any trouble in a time of 1h57min42s, missing by only 1min30s William Bon Mardion's record. Without disgracing himself, Thibault Marquet took second place in 2h01min22s at the finish ahead of Jocelyn Verdenal, third in 2h02min17s.
Fiona Porte pulls off a surprise
On paper, the woman to beat was undoubtedly Laura Deplanche. A member of the French ski mountaineering team, two-time defending champion and also crowned with 2 wins in the extraordinary Mag Aviron X3 Courchevel triathlon, this great champion had all the cards in hand to complete the hat trick. But, as mentioned earlier, nothing is decided in advance in this race.
She set off far too fast on the cycling section, beating the climb record in 49min19s. What followed was more difficult for Laura, who was caught by trail runner Fiona Porte on the trail running section, won by Cross Country specialist Axelle Bouvier in 30min25s. On the final ski mountaineering ascent, Fiona, winner of the Ultra Ski Touring Courchevel 2022, left all her rivals behind in a time of 54min51s and took the overall victory in 2h22min48s.
Behind, the agony continued for Laura Deplanche. She had to settle for fourth place, just off the podium, behind Lucie Bidault, second in 2h29min05s, and Gaelle Perrier, third in 2h32min12s.
In the team race, skiers Clara Direz and Marie Lamure make the difference
Winner of the Sestrières 2020 parallel giant slalom World Cup, French team skier Clara Direz, 5th in the mixed team parallel slalom and 19th in the giant slalom at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, had swapped her alpine skis for touring skis to tackle the last leg, ski mountaineering. Supported by 2022 junior alpine combined World Champion Marie Lamure in the cycling leg and by Karla Pires in the trail running leg, Clara Direz took the women’s team victory with a good lead over their pursuers.
Among the men, a big fight for the podium. The team of Charly Allerme (cycling), Julien Bouvier (trail running) and Loïc Bedoy (ski mountaineering) won in 2h08min54s. In the end, across all teams, it was a mixed team made up of Axelle Bouvier (trail running), Lucas Clocher (cycling) and Lucas Dupuy (ski mountaineering) that posted the best performance in 2h01min17s.
The 10th edition of the “Dynastar X3 Courchevel” will take place on Sunday 16 April 2023, but before then, join us on 14 August 2022 for the extraordinary summer triathlon “Mag Aviron X3 Courchevel” combining indoor rowing, cycling and trail running.
