Takeaways From Round 1 of the 2024 French Grand Prix

The 2024 French Grand Prix got off to a flying start with two dramatic races in Fréjus. Jessica Fullagar capitalised on a breakaway in the women’s event while Alex Yee was too swift for his rivals in the men’s race. Read on to find out out someone of the main takeaways from the event and the latest standings in the two competitions.  

Poissy do Poissy things

The defending women’s champions won the round in fairly comprehensive style. Candice Denizot was the top performer as she was pipped to the win by Fullagar while Sandra Dodet was the fastest runner in the field en route to 5th place. Lea Coninx then rounded out the scoring in a very competitive 11th place.

Only a few places behind Coninx was Ilona Hadhoum, the World Junior champion and a medallist at the Grand Prix in Bordeaux last year. Moreover, Kristelle Congi, who was arguably Poissy’s most important athlete last season, was likewise out of the scoring. Congi and Hadhoum’s presence nonetheless shows that Poisys possess remarkable depth across the board and when one athlete falters another will be ready to step up.

Looking ahead to the next round in Metz, the team will be tough to beat.

Issy show up

Issy Triathlon came away with 2nd place in the women’s competition after putting three women in the initial breakaway of five. As was the norm in 2023, Lea Marchal the top swimmer and offered a clear point of strength in the team.

Anne Holm and Celie Merle were able to follow Marchal and ended the day with finishes of 4th and 7th, respectively. With Maria Casals Mojica in 15th, Issy had a near-perfect day. The importance of Mojica should not be understated as Issy held off a Tri Val de Gray squad that earned same total points (26) on the basis of their better third scorer.

The question for Issy going forwards will be whether they will look upwards at taking on Poissy or downwards to focus on fighting off Val de Gray and more.

Liévin set up title tilt

Last year, Liévin came away with three individual wins in the men’s competition. Hayden Wilde, Jelle Geens and Matthew Hauser all stepped up at varying points to deliver. However, individual brilliance was not enough to bring home the title. In addition, Liévin were hampered by a slow start at last year’s season opener where they lacked some of their stars.

In Fréjus, things were different.

Triathlon’s answer to the Galactico strategy was still at play as WTCS winners Wilde and Tim Hellwig raced and made the podium. The difference was that this time Liévin had the requisite depth. Yanis Seguin’s 4th place (behind Wilde’s silver medal and Hellwig’s bronze) made for as good a weekend as Liévin could for asked for. Unlike 2023, they are off to a rapid start and already lead the standings and, unlike 2023, their depth looks that little bit more solid.

We know they have the stars on their roster but they will need to maintain their standard across the season. If they do, the title should be theirs.

Rivals waiting to pounce

Last season, Valence Triathlon were one of the surprise packages as they made the team podium at a race for the first time in a few years and generally delivered a string of encouraging results.

Alex Yee was at the heart of that and he led Valence to 2nd overall at the weekend with his win. He was ably assisted by Lasse Lührs in 7th and Jack Willis in 8th, giving the team 16 points. That is actually lower than Poissy’s total in the women’s race and normally would be enough for a win. It just so happened that Valence were up against an inspired Liévin team.

Liévin have more depth than Valence so the latter may struggle to maintain a title charge. Given the way they have improved over the past 12 months, though, a spot on the final podium in September is not beyond them.

Meanwhile, the defending champions Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée Triathlon finished 4th despite missing Leo Bergere and Mario Mola. Furthermore, Nathan Grayel, one of their key men, missed the main group. The team was largely saved by Louis Vitiello who delivered once again in 6th place.

While they trail Liévin by 6 points, it is not hard to see Saint-Jean-des-Monts pushing back into top-3 at future races.

Les Sables Vendée 

Another challenger for the men’s title will be Les Sables Vendée Triathlon, the 3rd place finishers overall in Fréjus. Perhaps the most surprising thing about their performance, though, was that their talisman Pierre Le Corre did not score.

Le Corre had the third fastest run so his form is clearly progressing well. However, he missed the front pack on the bike and so was not in his standard medal fight.

The team, though, were not hit too hard. Noah Servais impressed on his way to 10th place while Gaspard Tharreau, the winner of the 2023 French Junior tests, claimed 13th place. Jeremy Quindos completed a strong weekend for the men’s team in 15th. When Le Corre inevitably fires once more, look for Les Sables Vendée to stake a claim for an even higher finish, that is unless the trio of Servais, Tharreau and Quindos continue to shut him out.

On the other hand, Les Sables Vendée did not have the best day in the women’s race as they missed their 2023 stars Jeanne Lehair, Diana Isakova and Valentina Riasova absent (with the latter being out indefinitely). The team ended up in 11th which is respectable for a team that was only promoted at the end of 2022.

However, their sensational 2023 raised expectations and they will need Lehair and Isakova to give them a boost in the coming rounds.

First blood to Yee

As much as the French Grand Prix is a team competition, it is still by made up by individual performances and in that respect we cannot ignore the big talking point of the weekend. Olympic silver medallist Alex Yee beat Olympic bronze medallist Hayden Wilde in their opening salvo of the season.

The victory, though, was not quite as clear-cut as it looks on paper. Wilde was hit by a late puncture and had to carry his bike into T2, losing 20 seconds. He would then edge Yee’s run split by a few seconds. Yet Yee had already won the race and so had no need to empty the tank. As a result, the race only really gave a hint at what could have been and the shadow boxing will continue.

While first blood in 2024 went to the Brit, it will be fascinating to see how their rivalry unfolds throughout the season.

Women’s standings after round 1

Men’s standings after round 1