Solenne Billouin: A Legacy In the Making

Building off her initial career in cyclocross, Billouin began her foray into off-road triathlon in 2020 but would only find the podium for the first time in 2021 with her debut XTERRA win coming in her home country of France. It was in 2022, however, when she demanded the world’s attention with a shock World Championship win that resonated across the globe. Crossing the line with tears rolling down her mud-covered face, Solenne Billouin had unknowingly just begun a new era in the sport.

“It was my strongest race ever,” she said, though it was just the beginning.

Determined to elevate her performance, Billouin made life-altering decisions in 2023. She left behind the transient lifestyle of living in her van and, with it, her ambitions in cyclocross. This newfound stability allowed her to focus solely on XTERRA, and the results were undeniable. She made it to the podium eight times that year, enduring a season-long battle that saw her biggest rival, Alizée Paties, narrowly edge out the World Cup overall win. However, when it came to the biggest day of them all, Billouin defended her World Championship title by a convincing two-minute margin, making it two for two beneath the Brenta Dolomites.

Reflecting on her victories, Billouin describes the stark differences between the two: “The first World title, I was not expecting it, so it was a lot of emotions. I needed a world title to prove to myself I could be professional.”

Her second victory held more meaning in a different way. “The second one was more repeating the story again, but my family was there, so it was more of a sharing moment.”

A two-year reign at the top of the sport, but more was still to come.

Heading into her third World Championship, Billouin isn’t the same athlete she was a year ago. Race after race this season, she has redefined the level of performance in the women’s field and few have been able to respond.  

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At the season opener in Taiwan, Billouin asserted early dominance on the bike, storming to victory—a feat she repeated in Greece and Quebec. In Oak Mountain, it seemed another win was within reach until a flat tire derailed her race. But in true Billouin fashion, she rode the foam insert of her deflated tire into T2, showcasing the sheer strength she is able to call upon in the tough moments.

However, her biggest rival this season hasn’t always been another athlete—it’s also been her health. Fighting to maintain her World Cup lead, Billouin raced in Belgium despite contracting COVID, where she still finished second. In Czech, weakened by a fever, she managed to fight her way to a 7th place finish.

“In Belgium, I knew I was not going to win, but I did my own race to get the best place possible.”

“You cannot always be strong, but you can always be brave.”

Throughout the season, Billouin battled illness, minor injuries, and a crash that left her with lingering pain for over four months. These physical struggles were compounded by the mental strain of constant travel and the emotional toll that followed. While she dominated on paper, illustrated by her lead in the World Cup rankings, her journey to Molveno has been anything but smooth.

In a season marked by both triumph and adversity, Billouin has remained nearly unbeatable—and she credits this to something simple: hard work. It’s the consistency of her winter training that Billouin points to as the foundation of her success.

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“I had a pretty good winter. I think it's why I'm still on top. A consistent winter is something I really was looking for, for many years,” Billouin reflects. While racing throughout the season leaves little time for focused training, Billouin has learned to stay calm amid the pressure and travel. With experience, she now embraces the ebb and flow of the season, trusting in the work she’s already done.

For Billouin, this trust is key—trust in the process, not in the numbers. This mindset has evolved over the years, stemming from her early career in cycling, where comparison to numbers often dictated success.

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“I had a big issue with comparing myself to numbers, and the result meant that you were going to be good or bad for the year. It put a lot of stress on me,” she admits.

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Now, Billouin no longer relies on data to define her success. “Now, I often go back to just feelings. Sometimes I put tape over my bike computer. I do my 10 x 1, and it’s the coach’s job to analyze. Numbers don’t define your profile and your level and who you are.”

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In a world where metrics can easily dictate performance, Billouin has learned to value something greater—her feelings, her intuition, and the belief that trusting the process is more powerful than any number.

For Billouin, success isn’t solely measured by victories or metrics—it’s about finding balance, both mentally and physically. This philosophy is at the core of her relationship with Danish coach Christian Jerslid, whom she partnered with after last season. Jerslid’s approach focuses on coaching the entire person, not just the athlete.

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“My perspective is to actually look at the human,” Jerslid explains. “If we don’t have the mind with us, we won’t achieve the right numbers.”

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The two stay in constant contact, with weekly calls. Jerslid praises Billouin’s dedication to the process, especially when challenges arise.

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“To be in it when it's not that great, she really can dig deep and do what she needs to do. There is some genetics in it, of course, because she has the engine, but I really think it’s the mental part of it—she’s strong.”

Jerslid believes the secret to Billouin’s rise from good to great is simple: “She knows herself better.”

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When Billouin began XTERRA, she kept a notebook of each race, recording the positives and negatives, always aiming to improve. However, she often found herself distracted during events, her mind wandering to anything but the race.

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“I’d be thinking of the people cheering, my life, my emotions, my next plans—but there is no time for that in XTERRA. Now, I focus on the next section of the trail, the next climb, the next technical part.”

“I’d be thinking of the people cheering, my life, my emotions, my next plans—but there is no time for that in XTERRA.

This shift in awareness led her to embrace visualization as a way to sharpen her focus.

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“With my coach, we do a lot of visualization. We visualize the transitions, the course, so I know exactly what I’m going to do without thinking. If something goes wrong, I’m ready to react faster. If there are tricky parts, I prepare with positive talk instead of fear. It’s all about focusing on what I can handle and what I can do.”

Billouin’s inner strength stems from a source deeper than her training—it’s rooted in the strong women who shaped her life.

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“I come from a family of very strong women, but not in a good way, actually. I've seen my mom, sister, aunt—you had to know, and you had to be strong, and you had to always be better. I feel like they were competitive, not in the sporty way but more in handling tragedy in life.”

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These experiences instilled a resilience in Billouin, one that’s helped her persevere through injuries, learn to swim and run, and fuel her desire to win a third title. Yet, through the challenges of her career, she’s discovered a new facet of strength.

“I realized it very late—I’m still realizing it—that sometimes it’s okay to not be the strongest, to not know something. It’s smarter to accept that you don’t know and ask for help.”

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This newfound wisdom has become just as crucial as her physical endurance, showing that the strength to adapt and learn is just as important as pushing through adversity.

We haven't seen what Solenne can do, for sure,” says Jerslid.

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The Billouin lining up in Molveno is not the same athlete who claimed victories in 2022 or 2023, nor even the athlete from her last race. This Billouin is stronger in ways that numbers can’t measure.

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“There is something I remind myself of often: You cannot always be strong, but you can always be brave.”

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Bravery, for Billouin, means adapting when plans change, facing adversity head-on, and making the choice to keep going. “This year, I had to race when I was not at my best, and I think it’s quite brave to race for yourself, knowing there’s something else happening.”

“Bravery is changing your perspective depending on what happened... and making the choice to keep going.”

Injury, illness, and pressure have all been part of that “something else,” but beneath it all, Billouin’s courage continues to grow, making her harder than ever to beat.

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“You don't have to prove anything to anyone. Only you know what you’ve gone through and how you want to race—so just do your thing.”

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But when you’re Solenne Billouin, that “thing” just might be winning three XTERRA World Championships in a row.

The 2024 XTERRA World Championship returns to the village of Molveno, situated beneath the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Brenta Dolomites in the northern Italian Alps. Get everything you need to know about off-road triathlon’s pinnacle event here, and be sure to tune in live for the fast-format Short Track race on September 26th, the XTERRA World Championship on September 28th, and the live debut of the XTERRA Youth World Championship on September 29th.