ROUND 2 - DYNAFIT SKI TOURING COURCHEVEL - 19 December 2012

New provisional record for Mathéo Jacquemoud and win for Stéphanie Duc among the girls.

The Dynafit Ski Touring Courchevel season is starting to find its cruising speed, with 60 competitors present for the second touring climb of the season. Among the runners were a few regulars such as Philippe Mugnier , deputy mayor of the commune, who did this 3.2 km time-trial climb with 500 m of elevation gain linking Le Praz to Courchevel 1850 in a time of 46min08, just ahead of Jean-Marc Sullice , also of Courchevel, who finished just behind in 48min49s and improved on last week’s time along the way.

If, like Philippe and Jean-Marc, most skiers come to set their own records and try to beat them as the Wednesdays go by, others aim for the season record and to prepare for the Vertical Race event of the French Ski Mountaineering Championships, which will take place on 2 February in Courchevel on the same course. The proof is 3 members of the French team on the highest steps of the podium for this second climb of the season. Mathéo Jacquemoud of Team Ecrin Hautes Alpes, who after winning last week finished once again on the highest step, lowering the record again to 23min03s. Next came Alexis Sevennec of CAF Haut Chablais Morzine in 23min13s and Léo Viret of Team Isère Montagne in 24min57s. Sébastien Fayolle of the “Dynafit Courchevel” team took fourth place in 25min29s.

Among the women, it was reigning French trail champion Stéphanie Duc of the “Dynafit Courchevel” Team who took first place in 31min26s ahead of Manon Fouque of the Chamonix club in 32min38s and Blandine Du Crest , also of the “Dynafit Courchevel” Team, in 33min06s.

At the finish, all the runners had the surprise of being greeted by the famous sports journalist Nelson Monfort , who presented the prizes as usual, with a magnificent interview of Mathéo as a bonus that he will remember for a long time. Next week, Nelson Monfort will put on touring skis to take part in the 3rd climb with his friend Fernand Mugnier , deputy mayor of the commune.