Race Recap

Forissier, Duvoisin win XTERRA European Championship

XTERRA
|
June 11, 2023
Key Points

Felix Forissier (FRA) and Loanne Duvoisin (SUI) won the XTERRA European Championship full-distance off-road triathlon elite titles at the Citadel in Namur, Belgium this afternoon.

It’s the third career XTERRA World Tour win for Forissier (2022 XTERRA France, 2021 XTERRA Portugal), and the second for Duvoisin, who won her first at XTERRA Czech in 2021.

Today’s race was the fourth of 12 races in the XTERRA World Cup. Tomorrow, Sunday, June 11, the series continues with the fifth race in the Cup when the invite-only XTERRA Short Track race unfolds at the fortress. Fans can watch it live on xterraplanet.com starting at 10:30am local time.

In the men’s race, XTERRA newcomer Anthony Pujades (FRA) was first out of the water in 18:08, a full 20 seconds ahead of Jens Roth (GER) and 50 seconds in front of Michele Bonacina (ITA) who led a pack that included Arthur Serrières (FRA), Lukas Kočař (CZE), and Maxim Chane (FRA).

Felix Forissier was 13th out of the water, more than one-minute back with his older brother, Arthur Forissier (FRA), right behind. Seven-time World Champ Ruben Ruzafa (ESP) was 29th out of the water (2:30 back) and current Cup leader, Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen (DEN), was the 38th man out (-2:40).

Things changed quickly on the bike, with the first glimpse of video showing Arthur Forissier, who won the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Championship in Taiwan two months ago, leading a pack up the cobblestone steps of the iconic Citadel on the bike with younger brother in tow and Kočař in the mix.

“That was the plan, to push from the start, I wanted to attack and influence the race,” said Arthur Forissier. “On the second lap, though, Felix was stronger than me and I wasn’t able to follow him. Or if I tried I wouldn’t have been able to run afterwards, so I had to slow down and follow my own pace so I could get to the finish line.”

In a field full of magnificent mountain bikers, Felix Forissier threw down the fastest split of the day, a 1:30:19 that was better than Ruzafa, his brother Arthur, Sloth Nielsen, home country favorite Sébastien Carabin (BEL), and even Olympic gold medalist Jaroslav Kulhavý (CZE).

“I think I’m in the best shape of my life,” said Felix Forissier, who also recently won the World Triathlon Cross Tri Championship title. “I had a quality bike, pushed a lot, and was a little scared I might have gone too hard but I wanted to make a difference.”

If he went too hard, his run didn’t show it. He posted the fastest 10K split (39:32) to widen the gap and crossed the line in 2:31:21, then waited more than three minutes to give his brother Arthur a big hug for finishing second.

“I’m incredibly happy to take the XTERRA European Championship title against such strong competition,” said Felix Forissier, who suffered a flat at the first race in the XTERRA World Cup in Taiwan but with this result is right back on track in the chase for the crown. “I wanted the points for this race and now I look forward to getting some more tomorrow.”

Coming in third was Ruzafa, who had the second best bike split and third best run to finish just 25-seconds behind Arthur Forissier.

“I’m just trying to keep up with these younger guys,” said Ruzafa. “There are so many strong XTERRA athletes racing now, the level of competition is so high. I had good energy today, and was really happy with my performance and the points I earned.”

Sloth Nielsen finished in fourth place, with Chane about 30 seconds back in fifth. Three-time XTERRA European Champion and reigning World Champ Arthur Serrières said he “overcooked” his training, and never truly recovered from XTERRA Oak Mountain, the travel, and a tough race at XTERRA Lake Garda. He finished 12th, and said he’s looking forward to the break before XTERRA Czech in August.

Everyone in the top 10 deserves a special mention, but perhaps none more than 2015 XTERRA World Champion, Josiah Middaugh (USA), who passed 110 people on the bike to finish 10th, or perhaps more remarkably, Carabin, who went from 198th out of the water to 11th at the finish line.

Top 10 Elite Men

Pos - Name, NAT (Time)

1 - Felix Forissier, FRA (2:31:21)

2 - Arthur Forissier, FRA (2:34:33)

3 - Ruben Ruzafa, ESP (2:34:58)

4 - Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen, DEN (2:36:42)

5 - Maxim Chane, FRA (2:37:15)

6 - Anthony Pujades, FRA (2:38:25)

7 - Lukáš Kočař, CZE (2:39:01)

8 - Sebastian Neef, GER (2:39:09)

9 - Michele Bonacina, ITA (2:39:41)

10 - Josiah Middaugh, USA (2:41:11)

Complete Results with Splits

In the women’s race, Daisy Davies led a trio of British speedsters out of the water in 19:17, which was good for an impressive 15th overall in a field that featured more than 50 elite men. Maisie Aubrey was second out of the water in 19:31 and 15-19 division all-star, Isla Hedley, was third just three seconds back.

Among the contenders, Sandra Mairhofer (ITA) posted a 21:02, about 1:40 off the front, with World Cup leader Alizée Paties (FRA) and reigning XTERRA World Champion, Solenne Billouin (FRA), another minute behind. Duvoisin was another 1:30 back in 23:41.

Just like in the men’s race, the race was quick to change shape once the mountain bike portion was underway and the cream of the crop rose to the top.

Mairhofer, arguably the best biker of the bunch, took to the front and stayed there much of the race despite suffering a flat in her front tire on the first downhill.

“It made it hard to push on the climbs, and I had to go slower on the downhills, but I was still riding good,” she said.

Paties and Duvoisin were riding good, as well, and although Paties was first to arrive into the bike-to-run transition, Duvoisin was just a few seconds behind and took the lead into the run. She had clocked the best bike split of the day in 1:44:49 to erase her deficit out of the water, then posted the best run of the day (46:05) to take the tape in 2:57:11.

“After the swim I thought, okay we can forget it, I was so bad, but then I felt okay on the bike and had some good legs so pushed as hard as I could,” said Duvoisin, who also won the last race in the World Cup, the Short Track showdown in Oak Mountain.

“This bike course was good for me, not too technical, so I was really comfortable on the downhill and could go hard. I wasn’t sure after the bike if I was going to be able to push on the run, but I felt good and just super happy with the win. Such a great atmosphere here for XTERRA.”

Mairhofer, who passed Paties on the run, finished second about one-minute behind Duvoisin, with Paties in third another 1:30 back.

“I did my best, but was completely dead on the run and that second lap was horrible,” said Paties. “I tried to stay with Loanne coming out of T2 but she was just too fast for me today, and so was Sandra.”

Billouin finished strong in fourth, with Marta Menditto (ITA) rounding out the top five, which are the same top five who sit atop the XTERRA World Rankings.

Top 10 Elite Women

Pos - Name, NAT (Time)

1 - Loanne Duvoisin, SUI

2 - Sandra Mairhofer, ITA

3 - Alizée Paties, FRA

4 - Solenne Billouin, FRA

5 - Marta Menditto, ITA

6 - Charlène Clavel, FRA

7 - Suzie Snyder, USA

8 - Bonnie Van Wilgenburg, GBR

9 - Helena Karásková Erbenová, CZE

10 - Emma Ducreux, FRA

Complete Results with Splits

SLOTH NIELSEN, PATIES REMAIN ATOP XTERRA WORLD CUP STANDINGS

With their strong showings today, both Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen and Alizée Paties retained their top spot in the XTERRA World Cup standings.

For the men, Serrières is second, and Arthur Forissier jumps up to No. 3 with just two scoring races (whereas everyone else in the top five has four). In the women’s chase, Duvoisin takes over the second spot from Menditto, and Mairhofer moves into the top five.  

Both leaderboards will have another shake up tomorrow with the 20 points on offer in the XTERRA Short Track showdown (watch it live here starting at 10:30am local time).

View Current Standings

ABOUT THE XTERRA WORLD CUP

In the chase for the Cup, elites add their best four scores from the first six full-distance races with their best three-of-five Short Track scores, and whatever they get (or don’t get) at the XTERRA World Championship.

The highest points’ scorers at the end of the year will be the first to ever lift the XTERRA World Cup trophy, and will take home the lion's share of the series’ €350.000 in prize money.

Following the first stop in Taiwan in April, and the second round in the U.S. in May, this weekend marks the start of the World Cup's European swing as four of the next five stops are in the EU. XTERRA Czech (August 12-13) and XTERRA Germany (August 18-19) are up next. Round six heads to the Rockies in Avon, Colorado for the XTERRA USA Championship (August 26), and the Cup concludes in Trentino, Italy with the final XTERRA Short Track race on Sept. 21 and then the World Championship on Sept. 23.

Find full coverage at xterraplanet.com.

All-time XTERRA European Championship Race Winners    

Year     Location - Men/Women

2006     Villacidro, Italy - Nicolas Lebrun/Renata Bucher

2007     Sardinia, Italy - Olivier Marceau/Eszter Erdelyi

2008     Sardinia, Italy - Olivier Marceau/Sibylle Matter

2009     Klopeinersee, Austria - Franky Batelier/Renata Bucher

2010     Sardinia, Italy - Franky Batelier/Melanie McQuaid

2011     Zittau, Germany - Olivier Marceau/Marion Lorblanchet

2015     Cranleigh, England - Ruben Ruzafa/Lesley Paterson

2016     Zittau, Germany - Ruben Ruzafa/Michelle Flipo

2017     Mons Klint, Denmark - Bradley Weiss/Brigitta Poor

2018     Zittau, Germany - Bradley Weiss/Brigitta Poor

2019     Prachatice, Czech Republic - Arthur Serrières/Morgane Riou

2021     Zittau, Germany - Arthur Serrières/Sandra Mairhofer

2022     Prachatice, Czech Republic - Arthur Serrières/Sandra Mairhofer

2023     Namur, Belgium - Felix Forissier/Loanne Duvoisin

All-time XTERRA Belgium Elite Champions

2016 – Kris Coddens/Helena Karásková Erbenová

2017 – Ruben Ruzafa/Helena Karásková Erbenová

2018 – Francois Carloni/Morgane Riou

2019 – Yeray Luxem/Morgane Riou

2021 – Arthur Serrières/Solenne Billouin

2022 – Arthur Serrières/Marta Menditto

2023 – Felix Forissier/Loanne Duvoisin 

2023 XTERRA ELITE SERIES RESULTS & UPCOMING RACES
Dates
Event
Location/Winners
Prize Purse
Feb 25
XTERRA Wellington Festival
XTERRA Wellington Festival
Wellington
,
New Zealand
S. Osborne/M. Kennedy
$10,000NZL
Mar 11
XTERRA Rotorua Festival
XTERRA Rotorua Festival
Rotorua
,
New Zealand
J. Moody/M. Kennedy
$10,000NZL
Mar 16-18
XTERRA Oman
XTERRA Oman
Musandam
,
Oman
M. Chane/M. Menditto
$16,000USD
Apr 1-2
XTERRA Australia
XTERRA Australia
Dunsborough
,
Australia
S. Osborne/S. Kingsford
$7,500USD
Apr 15-16
XTERRA Asia-Pacific Championship
XTERRA Asia-Pacific Championship
Kenting National Park
,
Taiwan
A. Forissier/A. Paties
$25,000USD
Apr 15-16
XTERRA Puerto Rico
XTERRA Puerto Rico
Fajardo, PR
,
Puerto Rico
A. Plouffe/B. Swicegood
$7,500USD
Apr 22-23
XTERRA Greece Vouliagmeni
XTERRA Greece Vouliagmeni
Vouliagmeni
,
Greece
P. Soukap/E. Ducreux
€7,500
May 13
XTERRA Weston Park
XTERRA Weston Park
Staffordshire
,
United Kingdom
A. Brownlee/E. Orchard
€7,500
May 18-21
XTERRA Oak Mountain
XTERRA Oak Mountain
Pelham, AL
,
United States
A. Serrieres/A. Paties (A. Serrieres/L. Duvoisin)
$15,000 + $5,000 (Short Track)
May 20-21
XTERRA Portugal
XTERRA Portugal
Golegã
,
Portugal
F. Vie/B. Ferreira
€7,500
May 27-28
XTERRA Lake Garda
XTERRA Lake Garda
Toscolano-Maderno
,
Italy
A. Serrières/H. Karásková
€7,500
Jun 10-11
XTERRA European Championship
XTERRA European Championship
Namur
,
Belgium
F. Forissier/L. Duvoisin (A. Forissier/S. Mairhofer)
€25,000 + €5,000 (Short Track)
Jun 17-18
XTERRA Switzerland
XTERRA Switzerland
Vallée de la Brévine
,
Switzerland
A. Forissier/L. Duvoisin
€7,500
Jul 1-2
XTERRA France
XTERRA France
Xonrupt, Vosges
,
France
A. Forissier/S. Mairhofer
€15,000
Jul 8-9
XTERRA Victoria
XTERRA Victoria
Victoria
,
Canada
K. McPherson/C. Drever
$3,000CDN
Jul 14-16
XTERRA Quebec
XTERRA Quebec
Manoir du Lac Delage
,
Canada
K. McPherson/S. Kingsford
$7,500USD
Jul 22-23
XTERRA Lake Scanno
XTERRA Lake Scanno
Lake Scanno
,
Italy
M. Bonacina/C. Wasle
€7,500
Aug 11-13
XTERRA Czech
XTERRA Czech
Prachatice
,
Czech Republic
A. Serrières/S. Billouin (A. Serrières/S. Billouin)
€15,000 + €5,000 (Short Track)
Aug 18-19
XTERRA Germany
XTERRA Germany
Zittau
,
Germany
A. Serrières/A. Paties (A. Serrières/A. Paties)
€15,000 + €5,000 (Short Track)
Aug 25-26
XTERRA USA Championship
XTERRA USA Championship
Avon, CO
,
United States
S. Middaugh/L. Paterson
$25,000USD
Aug 25-26
XTERRA Nouvelle Aquitaine
XTERRA Nouvelle Aquitaine
Moliets-et-Villemartin
,
France
J. Dumas/S. Marnoni
€7,500
Sep 16-17
XTERRA Whistler
XTERRA Whistler
Whistler
,
Canada
N. Killiam/C. Drever
$3,000CAD
Sep 21-24
XTERRA World Championship
XTERRA World Championship
Trentino
,
Italy
A. Serrières/S. Billouin
€100,000 + €5,000 (Short Track)
Oct 21-22
XTERRA Tahiti
XTERRA Tahiti
Tahiti
,
French Polynesia
R. Ruzafa/S. Billouin
$7,500USD

JOIN THE XTERRA COMMUNITY

For news, event updates, stories and more.

Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later..