In the end, it was close. After winning three of the first four races of the season, though, Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée Triathlon had enough of a buffer to hold on to claim the men’s French Grand Prix crown.
As with the women’s series, extra points were on offer for the final. The winner would earn 31.5 points instead of the usual 21 and the points available decreased by 1.5 thereafter. However, even with the bumper points available, the top-7 actually came out of the weekend completely unchanged.
Read on, then, to view the final standings of the men’s French Grand Prix and assess which teams were happier than others.
1st) Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée Triathlon – 102.5 points (no change)
While it was not their best performance of the year, Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée will have been more than happy to come away with 3rd place.
Once again, Louis Vitiello and Nathan Grayel finished inside the top-10 (taking 8th and 9th, respectively). Daniel Dixon then chipped in with an invaluable 12th place. Vitiello and Grayel have been pivotal this year and they have been a huge part in Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée’s rise from 4th place last year.
The team have hardly put a foot wrong all season and are worthy champions.
2nd) Poissy Triathlon – 98.5 points (no change)
Poissy saved their best for the final round. However, it was not enough to overhaul Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée.
With Dorian Coninx winning the race, Poissy finished 1st. Antoine Duval had a wonderful race as he took 5th place and Tom Richard was similarly impressive on his way to 7th.
Although it was not enough to take the win, Poissy were nonetheless able to offer a perfect send-off to their stalwart Anthony Pujades. Pujades was making his final appearance in the Grand Prix having delivered plenty of high finishes and memories to the team over the years. A win was therefore a fitting end to the chapter.
3rd) Triathlon Club Liévin – 92.5 points (no change)
For the first time since the season opener, Liévin did not win the individual race. To make up for it, they claimed 2nd place overall.
Yanis Seguin turned in an inspired showing to earn 3rd place. His teammate, Brandon Copeland, was then right behind him in 4th place. Rounding out the scoring was Harry Leleu in 14th as Liévin held onto their spot on the overall podium.
Having finished 2nd last year, they have slipped back a bit. However, that was more due to Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée’s exceptional season than anything to do with Liévin’s efforts.
4th) Les Sables Vendée Triathlon – 79 points (no change)
Without their talisman, Pierre Le Corre, Les Sables Vendée ended up in 7th place in Saint-Jean-des-Monts. That was enough to see them retain 4th place overall.
Luke Willian was a near-constant presence at the front of the race throughout and came away with 11th place for his efforts. Jeremy Quindos was the next man home in 17th place. French Junior Gaspard Tharreau then added 39th place.
Like Liévin, they dropped a place but that was a consequence mostly of Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée climbing from 4th to 1st.
5th) Metz Triathlon – 77.5 points (no change)
In a similar vein to their female counterparts, Metz had a very good race in Saint-Jean-des-Monts. A 6th place from Noah Servais went a long way in helping the team to 4th and they very nearly caught Les Sables Vendée in the overall standings.
In addition to Servais, Thomas Hansmaennel finished 18th (a super result for a Junior) and Boris Pierre was right behind in 19th.
Metz thus had a great end to their season. Having matched their 5th place from 2022, they will be hunting a place on the podium in 2024.
6th) Valence Triathlon – 73 points (no change)
Valence were one of the big success stories in 2023.
Not only did they claim their first race podiums in forever, they managed to rise from 10th overall in 2022 to 6th. A 5th place at the final round of the year locked in their top-6 status and will give them plenty to celebrate.
Csongor Lehmann led the way in 2nd place and was only denied the win by a massive late surge from Dorian Coninx. Hugo Milner contributed a useful 15th place and the Australian Junior Brad Course added 40th place.
Overall, Valence have had an excellent season and will look ahead to 2024 with a spring in their collective step.
7th) Mach 3 Vienne Condrieu Agglomération – 60.5 points (no change)
If it had not been for Les Sables Vendée in the women’s series, Mach 3 would have been the fairytale story of the season. They were by far and away the best performers of the promoted teams in the men’s Grand Prix.
A 6th place in Saint-Jean-des-Monts saw them secure 7th place and they finished the season safely inside the top half. Basile Fouchard produced a 16th place finish to get the ball rolling while Luca Luberti and Alexis Lherieau brought the team home in 25th and 26th, respectively.
After a super first year in the top division, the challenge for Mach 3 will be to repeat it in 2024.
8th) Triathlon Toulouse Métropole – 54.5 points (up 1 place)
An 8th place in the last round bumped Toulouse into 8th overall. While that represents a slight drop on their 7th place in 2022, the team will nonetheless be satisfied with the outcome.
World U23 silver medallist Gergely Kiss enjoyed an ideal preparation ahead of the upcoming World U23 Championships as he finished 13th. Thomas Teofili then followed in 27th place and Sebastian Pascal finished 31st.
9th) Triathl’Aix – 54 points (down 1 place)
Triathl’Aix followed a similar patten to Toulouse at the final round. They finished 9th to end up in 9th overall. That they finished 0.5 points behind Toulouse will leave a bitter taste. Even more unfortunate is the fact that they have dropped from 6th in 2022.
However, Triathl’Aix have had a good season and have plenty of positives to take away.
Quentin Barreau finished 20th and was a top performer throughout the year. The form of French Junior Pablo Isotton was also a major boon. Isotton finished 23rd in Saint-Jean-des-Monts. Esteban Bringer then rounded out the scoring in 38th place.
Although their season was not as good as 2022, Triathl’Aix can be fairly happy all things considered.
10th) Sainte-Geneviève Triathlon – 48 points (down 2 places)
Sainte-Geneviève finished 11th in Saint-Jean-des-Monts and were led by a big performance from Igor Dupuis. Dupuis finished 10th and had a classy race.
To go with Dupuis’ display, Tom Lerno crossed the line in 36th and Jules Rethoret took 55th place.
Having finished 12th in 2022, Sainte-Geneviève have improved this year. They will therefore look to continue their upward trajectory next season.
11th) M.S.A. Triathlon – 43 points (no change)
M.S.A. ended up in 13th in Saint-Jean-des-Monts. Niels Van Lannen was their top performer in 28th place after Maxime Bonvalet was not able to match his Quiberon result and finished 34th. Hugo Linot then completed the team’s scoring in 57th.
That left M.S.A. in 11th place overall, matching their final position in 2022.
12th) Evreux A.C. Triathlon – 41.5 points (up 1 place)
Evreux had a good end to the season and took 10th in the last round. Lilian Pierre took 24th place and Martin Laurent finished 32nd. Thomas Laurent then came home in 42nd place.
After taking 13th in 2022, 12th overall represented a slight improvement.
13th) Tri Val de Gray – 38.5 points (down 1 place)
Val de Gray lost ground at the final race as they finished 16th. Paul Lebois was solid in 33rd and Michele Bortolamedi finished 47th. However, they were hurt by Thibault Catalot’s 78th place being their third best score.
However, Val de Gray finished 15th overall in 2022 so their performances this year have marked a step in the right direction. With continued improvement, and maybe the recruitment of a few more international athletes, they may eventually match the high levels of their women’s team.
14th) Vitrolles Triathlon – 35.5 points (up 1 place)
Vitrolles secured 14th overall to match their 2022 performance after a good final round. They finished 12th in Saint-Jean-des-Monts and the entire team raced well.
Adrien Deharre was the first man home in 30th place. Carlos Oliver Vives and Joris Bassle then followed in 43rd and 46th, respectively.
15th) Montluçon Triathlon – 34.5 points (down 1 place)
The season started well for Montluçon and they were towards the top of the standings after round 1. That came after they finished 8th overall in 2022 and so a promising season seemed to be on the cards.
In the end, 2023 has been a bad year. The team fell to 15th following a succession of bad races. Saint-Jean-des-Monts was another sub-optimal day as the team took 14th place.
Miguel Tiago Silva was the best performer in 29th place. Peter Denteneer finished 44th. The third man home was Felix Duchampt in 56th place.
Montluçon will no doubt hope for a better year in 2024.
16th) La Rochelle Triathlon – 23 points (no change)
Unlike Mach 3, La Rochelle were not able to avoid the drop after being promoted.
They finished 15th in the last round to seal their fate. Gergo Dobi finished 35th in a decent showing while Valentin Rouvier was next over the line in 51st place. Remi Delagarde rounded out the scoring in 59th.
Although La Rochelle will be back in the second division next year, their performances have shown that they could be back in the top division very soon and that they could establish themselves as a competitive outfit.
17th) Montpellier Triathlon – 12 points (no change)
Montpellier signed off their season by finishing 17th in Saint-Jean-des-Monts. Baptiste Massot finished 41st, Teo Katgely finished 63rd and Cenzino Lebot took 66th place.
Last year they ended the season in 9th place, so their drop will hurt. The loss of both Yanis Seguin and Jeremy Quindos proved a big problem in the end and Montpellier will have to figure out what their next steps will be.
You can view the breakdowns of each previous round here.
