One down, four to go. With the French Grand Prix season underway, an early leader has stolen a march in the race for the title. Read on to find out the exact breakdown of points for each team and how they fared at the weekend.
You can read the analysis of the men’s season opener here.
1st) Poissy Triathlon – 20 points
5 stars to Poissy. To be honest there’s nothing else to say about it.
Sandra Dodet won the race in Fréjus while Lea Coninx finished 3rd and Kristelle Congi finished 4th. The only way they could have flexed any harder on the field would have been if they had locked out the podium.
If season follows like this pattern, Poissy will steamroller their way to the title.
2nd) Issy Triathlon – 18 points
Issy had a great start to their season. Celia Merle led the way with a 9th place after a particularly good bike split. Meanwhile Ambre Grasset and Laura Moreau entered the top-20 by finishing 12th and 19th, respectively.
As things stand, they are the closest challengers to Poissy but they will need reinforcements if they are to take on the defending champions. One thing that could stand in their favour is that Bordeaux next up clashes with Huatulco World Cup. As such there is a chance Poissy won’t have Dodet or Coninx. That could be Issy’s chance to strike.
3rd) Triathlon Club Liévin – 16 points
With Petra Kurikova finishing 7th and Gina Sereno taking 10th place, Liévin made the most of its international contributions in Fréjus.
Emma Ducreux slipping to 32nd was the difference between finishing 2nd and 3rd overall, but generally Liévin can be happy with their day’s work. A shot at the overall podium seems to be on the cards.
4th) Brive Limousin Triathlon – 14 points
Brive head up a small cluster of teams that could have changed positions with only minor changes to the race results.
Tilly Anema threw down a huge performance to take 11th. If she can become a regular in the top-10 going forwards, Brive will be able to chase down the likes of Issy and Liévin. Alongside Anema, Celine Senia came home with 22nd place and Raquel Arostegui Gonzalez took 27th.
If Brive can keep that trio together, they will have a good year.
5th) Tri Val de Gray – 13 points
After animating the race to such an extreme extent, it seems harsh that Val de Gray came away with so few points.
Jessica Fullagar lit up the bike course on her way to 5th overall. Lea Marchal also dropped a monster swim split to lead the way but fell away to 41st during the run. The team’s star from 2022, Mathilde Gautier, could only manage 17th after suffering a puncture which hit their hopes.
That saw them finish only 3 points behind Brive and 2 ahead of 6th place.
One another day a few more things would’ve gone their way. Fullagar might have snuck a couple of more places (although that’s asking for a lot for little gain), Gautier might not have had the puncture and therefore been up with the medallists and Marchal might have held on during the run.
All the pieces are there for Val de Gray to rise. They just need a slice of good fortune next time.
6th) Les Sables Vendée Triathlon – 12 points
What a start for the newly promoted outfit! They took 6th in the team classification and even did so without Jeanne Lehair.
Diana Isakova was very impressive on her way to 8th place. Moreover Les Sables Vendée received a big boost from Tiphanie Brun. After enjoying a great season in D2 last year, she stepped up in Fréjus to take 21st. As she finds her feet in the top division, expect her to break into the top-20 on further occasions.
Lona Gandon also finished 26th.
When Les Sables Vendée add Lehair to their lineup at future races, expect them to vie for a spot in the top-5 (or better).
7th) T.C.G. 79 Parthenay – 11 points
Parthenay had a good day at the office.
Madalena Amaral Almeida finished 13th and they received useful contributions from Mathilde Locatelli in 29th and Nicoleta Santonocito in 33rd. The team can have no real complaints about their race and Fréjus will set them up for a tilt at the top-6.
8th) Metz Triathlon – 10 points
Metz tied with Parthenay in terms of finishing positions however Nora Nouri’s 49th place saw the team slip behind.
In general the team performed well. Margot Garabedian came home in 6th and Pauline Landron took 20th place.
However last year Metz finished 3rd overall after running Poissy close. To give up 10 points to Poissy this year almost effectively ends their hopes of winning the title already. They can still get onto the overall podium but it is hard to see a way to the title for them now.
9th) Triathlon Toulouse Métropole – 9 points
Tououse had a similar day to Parthenay and Metz. Celine Kaiser was the top finisher for the team as she came home in 14th. To supplement Kaiser’s result, Gwladys Larzul came 24th and Oceane Le Bris earned 40th place.
Expect Kaiser to carry the team this year and deliver a lot of points. So long as Larzul and Le Bris can also stay consistent, Toulouse should have trouble staying inside the top-10.
10th) Stade Poitevin Triathlon – 8 points
The midfield really tightened up in Fréjus.
Whereas Parthenay and Metz scored 75 points and Toulouse scored 78 points, Stade Poitevin came away with 82 points. On another day, then, it would be easy to see the team make the jump to 7th.
Ellie White led the way with a 15th and behind her the team performed well. Marta Sanchez Hernandez produced a 30th place and Juliette Lucet was close behind in 37th.
In the race for the top-6, every position and point will matter. With a couple of good races, Stade Poitevin could rocket up the rankings.
11th) Lys Calais Triathlon – 7 points
Lys Calais edged to 11th by the narrowest of margins and will be looking over their shoulders going forward.
Lisa Lecompte was their best finisher as she took 23rd but Brooke Gillies was right with her as she finished 25th. Sophie Caron was the third scoring athlete 52nd. Right now the team are a little closer to the relegation battle than the top-10 and so will need to be careful at the next couple of races.
12th) Valence Triathlon – 6 points
It was a tale of extremes for Valence.
Maria Tomé was superb as she finished 2nd; the team really could not have asked for a better performance. If she can maintain her form, Tomé will be essential to Valance’s hopes.
However, Antonia Koch finished 43rd and Lea Van Beek finished 56th. That put Valence 1 point behind Lys Calais.
Going forwards, the race to stave off relegation will be incredibly tight.
13th) Vals du Dauphiné Olympic – 5 points
Similarly, Vals du Dauphiné were only 7 points behind Lys Calais.
Helena Carvalho logged a top-20 finish by taking 18th place while Ines Rico achieved 34th place. Lilly Gibbs was the third scorer with her 55th place.
Although Vals du Dauphiné did not get a singular contribution in the way that Valence did from Tomé, they were pretty solid across the board. They will need more from their third scorer but they can avoid the drop with Lys Calais and Valence.
14th) Les Tritons Meldois – 4 points
Les Tritons Meldois are in the relegation zone. Marit Van Den Berg was their only finisher inside the top-40 and she came 39th. Daniela Zapata and Bianca Bogen were not far behind in 42nd and 45th, respectively.
Bogen, though, is five months pregnant and so opted not to race at full capacity in the interests of her health. With a full-strength Bogen, Les Tritons Meldois could have been more confident. As things stand, they could be in trouble.
15th) Groupe Triathlon Vesoul Haute-Saône – 2 points
Technically Haute-Saône did not finish in Fréjus. However they have reason to be confident.
Hannelore Willen finished 28th and Lola Briol finished 35th which both represented strong finishes. The problem was that they did not have a third scorer, hence the DNF.
If they can add a third athlete, Haute-Saône will be able to trouble teams as high as Lys Calais. The potential exists for them to score more points and avoid relegation, but they need someone to step in fast.
16th) Saint-Avertin Sports Triathlon 37 – 0 points
Saint-Avertin did not start in Fréjus and so received no points.
