Quiberon saw a return to form for Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée Triathlon as they took their third overall win of the season. As with Poissy in the women’s standings, it now seems a certainty that they will seal the championship at the final race.
Given that the last round will be a home event for Saint-Jean-des-Monts, they will be very confident indeed.
There were precious few shifts in placing overall following Quiberon. Liévin continued their rise through the ranks while Mach 3 and Evreux impressed. No one, however, managed to rise by more than 2 places.
1st) Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée Triathlon – 77 points (no change)
As already mentioned, Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée won their third race of the year and in doing so effectively claimed the title for 2023.
The importance of Nathan Grayel and Louis Vitiello was once again restated as they finished 2nd and 4th. More than anyone, Grayel and Vitiello have probably been the most consistent and important athletes on any team this year. When both have raced, Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée have won. On the one occasion they were absent, Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée suffered their only defeat of the year. That says it all.
Mario Mola did not quite hit the heights of his win at the season opener but his 11th place was still a valuable contribution. Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée only held off Valence by 1 point so Mola’s efforts had a big impact in the wider picture.
2nd) Poissy Triathlon – 67 points (no change)
Poissy continue to hold on but will be getting a little nervous. Liévin are rising and could snatch 2nd place.
In Quiberon, Poissy finished 4th overall. Jawad Abdelmoula showed glimpses of his best form as he finished 5th. Aurelien Raphael followed in 16th place and Antoine Duval took 21st. This season has not quite clicked for Poissy’s men and they will need to be careful at the final round if they are to hang on to 2nd.
3rd) Triathlon Club Liévin – 64 points (up 1 place)
Liévin took their third straight individual win and ended up in 3rd place overall.
Jelle Geens was excellent as he became the team’s third different winner of the year. The plan of having multiple WTCS winners on the books is certainly paying off when it comes to race wins.
Brandon Copeland had a great race on his way to 7th while Yanis Seguin earned 12th place. That put Liévin only 3 finishing positions behind Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée and on another day they might have snuck the round.
As it stands, they will have a challenge on their hands to catch Poissy. Seeing as they can’t stop winning races, maybe Liévin will make it happen.
4th) Les Sables Vendée Triathlon – 61 points (down 1 place)
Les Sables Vendée took a small blow in Quiberon as they only managed 7th overall.
To a degree, they were not helped by Pierre Le Corre’s T2 struggle with his shoelaces. Although he took 10th place, he would have otherwise been a podium contender.
Luke Willian finished 24th in a decent display however Jeremy Quindos finished 34th which is a little off where he has been previously this year. Quindos will rally at the final race of the season and Les Sables Vendée can still catch Liévin. Yet with Liévin also looking to close in on Poissy, the gap may be tricky to overcome.
5th) Metz Triathlon – 55 points (no change)
Metz were strong across the board in Quiberon and ended up in 5th place. All three of their scorers finished between 10th and 20th.
Noah Servias was the first of the team home in 13th with Aurelien Jem close behind in 15th. Boris Pierre completed the scoring in 18th place.
In general, Metz will be happy with their result. The only concern, though, will be the possible rise of Valence below.
6th) Valence Triathlon – 52 points (no change)
In Metz last time out, Valence finished 3rd overall to claim their first team podium in over 50 races. Inspired by Alex Yee’s silver medal, it was a huge day for the team.
In Quiberon, Valence were even better.
They finished 2nd with a tremendous team performance. Jacob Birtwhistle ripped a stellar 5km to take 3rd place while Ricardo Batista followed in 6th. Batista was also the top U23 finisher of the field.
Callum McClusky then nudged inside the top-10 with an impressive 9th place.
In the end, they were beaten by Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée by 1 finishing position. After their best race in forever (well, at least since Metz), can Valence earn a third straight podium finish in the final?
7th) Mach 3 Vienne Condrieu Agglomération – 41 points (up 2 places)
Mach 3 were one of the success stories of Quiberon. They finished 6th and as a result jumped 2 places in the standings.
All three of their scorers had good races. Thomas Rivet was the top performer in 14th in what was a big performance. Basile Fouchard followed in 22nd place and Quentin Criado took 28th.
Valence are too far ahead in 6th, realistically, so Mach 3’s challenge will be to hold off the teams below. Given how well they did in Quiberon, they will be confident of doing so.
8th) Triathl’Aix – 39 points (down 1 place)
Triathl’Aix slipped to 12th overall in Quiberon. They were led by the French Junior Pablo Isotton in 30th place. Quentin Barreau was right behind in 33rd and Esteban Bringer finished 51st.
With a cluster of teams right behind them, they will have to be careful in the final or else they could lose their spot in the top-10.
9th) Triathlon Toulouse Métropole – 38 points (up 1 place)
The double whammy of Nathan Lessmann (19th) and Sebastian Pascal (20th) helped Toulouse to 8th in Quiberon.
Thomas Teofili also managed 31st place to help the team vault ahead of Sainte-Geneviève. Triathl’Aix are now within their sights and another good race in Saint-Jean-des-Monts could put Toulouse in the top-8.
10th) Sainte-Geneviève Triathlon – 36 points (down 2 places)
Sainte-Geneviève finished 13th and lost 2 places in the overall standings.
Tom Lerno and Igor Dupuis were solid in 23rd and 26th. However, Guillaume Hay did not have his best day and languished in 74th place.
When is said and done at the end of the year, Sainte-Geneviève could end up in 8th or they could end up in 12th. Their season is delicately poised and it will be fascinating to see how they respond in Saint-Jean-des-Monts.
11th) M.S.A. Triathlon – 34 points (no change)
M.S.A. were carried to 11th place by a magnificent performance from Maxime Bonvalet. In finishing 8th, Bonvalet really carried the team.
Hugo Linot was the next best finisher for the team in 47th while Niels Van Lannen took 58th place. They remain very much in the race for a top-10 slot, but someone will need to help Bonvalet out in the final.
12th) Tri Val de Gray – 34 points (up 1 place)
Val de Gray gained a place in Quiberon after finishing 9th and could sneak ahead of M.S.A. in the final.
Baptiste Passemard enjoyed a solid hit-out ahead of the World U23 Championships as he took 17th place. The Italian duo of Delian Stateff and Michele Bortolamedi then rounded out the scoring in 29th and 43rd, respectively.
13th) Evreux A.C. Triathlon – 28 points (up 2 places)
Evreux were one of the big climbers in Quiberon after finishing 10th.
Martin Laurent popped a 27th place to get the ball rolling while Lilian Pierre finished 35th. Thomas Laurent then managed 40th place.
With more of the same in the final, they will be able to sign off their season on a high note.
14th) Montluçon Triathlon – 27 points (down 2 places)
It was last place for Montluçon in Quiberon. Miguel Tiago Silva took 50th place while Matteo Bringer and Theophile Canet finished 61st and 63rd, respectively.
The early promise after the season opener has faded and they will look to plot a different course in 2024.
15th) Vitrolles Triathlon – 25 points (down 1 place)
Vitrolles took 14th place as Joris Bassle finished 38th, Adrien Deharre finished 46th and Jorre Van De Weyer finished 60th.
With relegation unlikely to be a problem, they can relax and see what they can take from the final race of the season.
16th) La Rochelle Triathlon – 17 points (no change)
A 15th place in Quiberon will likely ensure that La Rochelle are relegated at the end of the season.
Valentin Rouvier finished 39th, Miguel Guzman Tafalla finished 45th and Nel Provost ended up in 62nd place.
La Rochelle were the second promoted team after Mach 3 but have not enjoyed the same success as their counterparts. They will be back in future seasons and will have a lot to take away from their campaign.
17th) Montpellier Triathlon – 9 points (no change)
Montpellier finished 16th in Quiberon and in doing so sealed their relegation. It is mathematically possible for them to escape the drop, however it is simply not realistic.
Adam Ben Ayed was the top finisher in 55th with Jules Dumas next in 56th. Teo Katgely then finished 64th.
After finishing 9th in 2022, it has been a bumpy 2023 for Montpellier.
