ACT 3 - EIFFAGE COL DE LA LOZE TIME TRIAL - Sunday 28 July 2019

Eiffage Col de la Loze Time Trial 2019: the verdict is in!

Despite a very complicated season in terms of weather conditions, the 3 rounds of this 1st season of the Eiffage Col de la Loze Time Trial were held as planned, but each of them had its own particular character. The 1st stage on 12 May took place in freezing temperatures (-7° at the summit) among walls of snow. The second, on 30 June, was run under a glorious sun but in scorching conditions (25° at the summit, more than 30° lower down). The final round on 28 July turned out similar to the previous day’s Tour de France stage between Albertville and Val Thorens, with the start time pushed back to early afternoon to avoid the morning rain. Patches of mist and a markedly falling temperature made for ideal conditions to set good times on the 2 courses on offer (Eiffage Trophy: 22.6 km / 1,510 m of elevation gain and Felt Trophy: 8.6 km / 580 m of elevation gain) to reach the summit of the Col de la Loze, which peaks at 2,304 m altitude and whose last 5.8 kilometres are dedicated exclusively to cyclists.

For this 3rd stage, you still had to be motivated to get on your bike after the torrential rain that fell on the resort of Courchevel until the end of the morning. 56 cyclists turned up, with a very high-quality and very international field at the start, thanks to competitors from Germany, England and Switzerland. The cream of the French ski mountaineering team had come to fine-tune their preparation: Laura Deplanche, Axelle Gachet Mollaret, Pierre-François and Xavier Gachet. The versatile Yoann Sert, a loyal fixture at our competitions, came to defend his 1st place. Edwige Pitel, a former member of the French cycling team and winner of the women’s stage of the Tour between Albertville and Val Thorens last week, honoured us with her participation.

Eiffage Trophy for Yoann Sert and Edwige Pitel.

Suspense at the finish for both men and women. Holder of the reference time, Yoann Sert had to smash his record with 1h05min59s to resist the attacks of Xavier Gachet (1h06min09s), who lost by 10 seconds, allowing Sert to keep his polka-dot jersey. 3rd in the stage in 1h09min05s, Swann Juillaguet finishes 5th overall behind Vincent Arnaud 3rd in 1h08min02s and Florian Hudry 4th in 1h08min21s.

Among the women, only 3 seconds separate Edwige Pitel, who had to push hard in 1h17min57s (new record) to win ahead of Axelle Gachet Mollaret second in 1h18min. Camille Udny finishes in third place (stage and overall) with a final time of 1h28min53s.

Felt Trophy for Pierre-François Gachet and Laura Deplanche.

Record holders Laura Deplanche and Pierre François Gachet were not troubled in keeping their polka-dot jerseys in this final round of the season. Laura Deplanche wins and breaks the 30-minute barrier in a time of 29min 46s. Sam McGree, a member of Courchevel Sports Outdoor, does the double: 2nd in the stage and overall in 38min18s. Bethany Damms completes the podium in 40min13s but could not dislodge Alice Niemaz in the overall standings, 3rd in 39min42s.

Among the men, Pierre François Gachet, winner in 26min08s, was unable to improve by 4 seconds on his 30 June time of 26min04s, the season’s record. Félix Perrillat-Boiteux (27min56s) and Richard Sumpter (28min32s), 2nd and 3rd in this last round, did not manage to get ahead of Eric David (26min34s) and Josed Termens Nadal (26min49s) in the overall standings.

With 181 starters and 150 cyclists classified, the 2019 results are very encouraging for the coming editions, given the vagaries of the weather. Jean-Luc Chedal, president of the organising club Courchevel Sports Outdoor Cyclisme, and his whole team adapted well to make this new competition a success. A superb organisation appreciated by all the participants, and a new col that has not finished delighting and attracting cyclists from all over the world.

2019 overall standings podiums:

- Eiffage Trophy:

1 - Yoann Sert : 1h05min59s
2 - Xavier Gachet : 1h06min09s
3 - Vincent Arnaud : 1h08min02s

1 - Edwige Pitel : 1h17min57s
2 - Axelle Gachet Mollaret : 18h18min00s
3 - Camille Udny : 1h28min53s

- Felt Trophy:

1 - Pierre François Gachet : 26min04s
2 - Eric David : 26min34s
3 - Josed Termens Nadal : 26min49s

1 - Laura Deplanche : 29minutes 46s
2 - Sam McGree : 38min18s
3 - Alice Niemaz : 39min42s

Next cycling competition in Courchevel on 26 August with the finish of the Haute Route Alpes. Come in numbers to cheer on Jean-Luc Chedal and Stéphane Jacquin of the club Courchevel Sports Outdoor, who will be in the peloton.