The final round of the 2023 French Grand Prix is set to take place this weekend. The event will be hosted by Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée Triathlon for third straight year and the home team will look to seal men’s title.
The team lead the men’s standings by 10 points and return their three scorers from the previous round in Quiberon.
Nathan Grayel and Louis Vitiello will look to sign off with a bang after finishing 2nd and 4th last time out, while Mario Mola will look at add a second win of the season. Supporting them will be Max Stapley and Daniel Dixon.
Poissy are aiming to hold onto 2nd place. To that end, they welcome back Dorian Coninx. Alongside Jawad Abdelmoula, that should give Poissy two men capable of breaking into the top-5.
A super trio of Aurelien Raphael, Anthony Pujades and Tom Richard complete the Poissy line-up and they could be a force to be reckoned with.
Les Sables Vendée lost their hold on 3rd place in Quiberon and will be without their talisman, Pierre Le Corre, at the final.
In his absence, Luke Willian and Jeremy Quindos will need to step up. Simon Viain, Theo Texereau and Grigoriy Antipov complete the team, but realistically it will be an uphill battle for them to close in on the podium without Le Corre.
Liévin currently occupy 3rd place overall and Jelle Geens will try to win again to earn their fourth straight individual gold medal. Alongside Geens, Brandon Copeland and Yanis Seguin will look to repeat their impressive performances in Quiberon.
Metz bring in the 2022 World Junior champion Thomas Hansmaennel for the final while Noah Servais and Aurelien Jem will push for top-10 finishes after strong showings in Quiberon.
One interesting addition is that of Ben Dijkstra. A super runner, he could thrive in Saint-Jean-des-Monts seeing as the races this year have more often than not have seen large packs arrive in T2 to set up a running race (races like Metz aside).
Valence have rallied in the past two rounds, claiming 3rd in Metz and then 2nd in Quiberon. Ahead of the final, they have added Csongor Lehmann for additional firepower. They also have plenty of running speed in their ranks with Hugo Milner and Brad Course slated to start. If things click on the day, Valence could make it a third straight podium after a dry spell of over fifty races.
On the women’s side, it is a similar story at the top of the table to the men’s competition.
Poissy have been imperious this year and have an insurmountable lead at the top of the table. Mathematically, they can be caught. However, with a line-up containing Ilona Hadhoum, Kristelle Congi, Lea Coninx, Candice Denizot and Marie Wattiez, the odds for such an upset happening are minute.
Any one of Possiy’s women could make the top-10 and they have unparalleled depth.
Les Sables Vendée remain the closest challengers at the top. Valentina Riasova will go for three straight wins while Diana Isakova will be hunting a third consecutive medal. In addition, Jeanne Lehair comes back into the line-up.
For a team that was promoted last year, their squad looks rather hilariously overpowered.
Throw in Tiphaine Brun, a recent European Junior Cup medallist, and Jess Ewart-McTigue, a Continental Cup medallist this year, and the team looks in fine fettle. Based on the starting line-up, it is fair to expect Les Sables Vendée to win and cap a fairytale season.
Issy Triathlon will be pushing to take 2nd and only have 4 points to close. With Audrey Merle, Celia Merle, Eva Goodisson, Julia Bröcker and Anne Holm starting, they have plenty of talent in their ranks and are packed with potential point scorers.
Still, it will be a challenge to beat Les Sables Vendée, especially by the margin Issy need to claim 2nd overall.
Tri Val de Gray welcome back their spiritual leader Mathilde Gautier. Having celebrated her birthday in the build-up to the event, she will attempt to carry the good vibes into the race. Val de Gray also add Yuko Takahashi after impressive showing at the Valencia World Cup where she finished 8th.
Appoline Foltz, Beatice Mallozzi and Lea Marchal comprise the rest of the Val de Gray squad.
Metz will rely on big displays from Margot Garabedian and Zsanett Bragmayer as they hunt a spot in the top-6 overall. Liévin will probably be similarly dependant on Jaz and Kira Hedgeland turning in top-10 finishes like they did in Quiberon.
As with their men’s team, Valence could be an interesting team to watch. They have added Tabea Huys and Olivia Logan, two Junior athletes. Huys put in a massive performance at the massive at European Junior Cup in Bled and could try to force a similar breakaway in Saint-Jean-des-Months.
Furthermore, Franka Rust will be racing having impressed at Bundesliga Hannover.
Some great racing should be in store, then, even if it is hard to see anyone knocking Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée and Poissy from their respective perches.
