Björka X3 Courchevel 2024: 300 athletes at the start

Dazzling success for the Bjorka X3 Courchevel: 300 athletes conquer the summits!

The Bjorka X3 Courchevel delivered on its promise this Sunday 21 July, bringing together 300 athletes who came to take on these unique and demanding courses. This extraordinary triathlon, combining 6,000 metres of indoor rowing, 12.2 km of cycling with 750 metres of elevation gain and 9.6 km of trail running with 550 metres of elevation gain, put on a breathtaking show for the spectators gathered at the Olympic ski jumps and on the heights of Courchevel, with a start in 3 waves spaced 50 minutes apart.

Changing weather conditions leading to an adapted format

Despite difficult weather conditions that delayed the start of the race by an hour and a half, the athletes showed great determination and a will of steel. The trail running section was also modified for safety reasons, going from 9.6 km to 5 km with 300 metres of elevation gain. “The storms forecast for the middle of the afternoon moved to the morning. For the safety and smooth running of the race, this collective decision by the Organising Committee delighted all the participants, who were able to compete in the dry and enjoy the return of the sun at the finish,” said Fleury Roux, president of the organising club Courchevel Sports Outdoor Triathlon.

Talented winners and remarkable performances

Among the men, triathlete Thomas Lemaître, a member of the Saint-Raphaël Triathlon club and winner of the event in 2022, once again won at the top of the Courchevel altiport in 1h27min16s. “I’m more of a long-format specialist, but here it’s very intense from start to finish. In triathlon you generally start with the swim, where your arms get tired, but with the rowing machine your legs are shot from the very beginning. The bike makes things worse and the trail run is the grand finale. I was dreading the return of Yoann Sert on the trail running section after we came in wheel to wheel on the cycling leg. I managed to hold him off and it’s a source of pride to win ahead of an athlete of that calibre.”

“I set off far too fast on the rowing leg and then I cracked on the bike. I would certainly have preferred the trail running section not to be shortened because I was catching up with Thomas,” explained Yoann Sert, second in 1h28min07s after finishing 3rd in 2020. Third place was settled in a sprint between Thomas Berthoud and Nicolas Raybaud, second in 2023. By 6 seconds, the oarsman from the Lyon Caluire club, Thomas Bertoud French rowing vice-champion in 2022 and bronze medallist in 2021 and 2023, completed the podium in 1h29min40s.

In the women’s race, the same scenario unfolded, but for 1st place between Trail World and European champion Clémentine Geoffray and sky runner Perrine Abadie , who came in neck and neck after the cycling leg. An intense head-to-head between these two trail running specialists ended in victory for Clémentine in 1h44min12s thanks to her performances in cycling and trail running. “Perrine made me sweat right to the end, it was psychologically wearing. In the first leg I saw that I was 2min30 or even 3 behind the rowing specialists. I didn’t panic too much, telling myself they were weaker on the bike. I know Perrine a little and we had the same times in rowing. After that, the pace was frenetic. At the end, on the 2 trail running loops, the encouragement from the crowd gave me a real boost,” explained the winner.

Perrine Abadie held on to second place in 1h44min58s ahead of another running specialist, Caroline Delors, 2024 Rhône Cross champion in the Master category and winner of the 22 km of the Millet XTrail Courchevel in 2021, credited with a time of 1h53min28s.

In the team categories, Etienne Juillet, Mathieu Merland and Charly Leclaire won the men’s trio in 1h25min37s. In the women’s trio, Britain’s Megan Pleva, Manon Carpenter and Enya Woodcock in 1h57min04s took the top step. In the mixed teams, the Franco-Polish team made up of Patrick Aubert, Sébastian Druskiewicz who set the best cycling performance, and Margarita Lokciewicz won in 1h30min18s.

Remarkable performances were also achieved by Hector Guimet , who has several French rowing champion titles to his name, setting the best time in the rowing leg in 21min14s, and Claire Bahain, a member of the French rowing team in 2014, who set the fastest time in 25min22s. In the trail running leg, the honours go to Corentin Salle with a performance of 23min18s.

X3 Courchevel Challenge 2024: Yoann Sert and Francoise Molliet Ribet crowned X3 Man and X3 Woman 2024

This Sunday 21 July saw the end of the X3 Courchevel Challenge 2024. To win this coveted title, competitors had to take on 2 formidable events:

. The Dynastar X3 Courchevel, on 14 April, with 13.9 km of cycling (930 m of elevation gain), 6.3 km of trail running (180 m of elevation gain/loss) and 4.8 km of ski mountaineering (950 m of elevation gain).
. The Björka X3 Courchevel, this Sunday 21 July

The standings of this challenge, which is growing in scale year after year, are based on the combined times of these 2 demanding races. This year, the X3 Courchevel Challenge crowned Yoann Sert in 3h29min28s and Françoise Molliet Ribet in 5h19min09s.

In the team categories, the X3 Mixed 2024 title went to Olivier Cruce, Marine Pallard and Mathieu Cruce and the X3 Men 2024 title to Yohan Bara-Butez, Jean Le Levreur and Marchal Louis.

Praised organisation and a date set for next year

The Bjorka X3 Courchevel 2024 was a resounding success, praised by all the participants and organisers. The beauty of the courses, the difficulty of the events and the friendly atmosphere all helped make this race an unforgettable event.

The 2025 edition of the Bjorka X3 Courchevel is already on everyone’s minds. The organisers are inviting athletes from around the world to a new, even tougher challenge.