Ninety competitors took part in the first Mende Run and Bike vetathlon

Les quatre-vingt-dix concurrents se sont élancés pour 11 km de course à pied et 22km de VTT. – R&B

L'épreuve, malgré des conditions difficiles, s'est déroulée début septembre.

The Mende Run and Bike organized the first edition of its vetathlon at the beginning of September. On the program, an 11 km running loop followed by a 22 km mountain bike course, with the possibility of participating solo or in pairs. Despite the unpredictable weather forecast for several days, there were still 90 competitors present on the starting line.

A storm after thirty minutes of racing

Among them, prestigious names such as Blandine L’Hirondel, double world champion of long trail; Axel Roudil-Cortinat, double French mountain bike marathon champion; Till De Clerq, winner of the Trèfle Lozérien, and Martin Bonnet, winner of the Dakar 2024 in the SSV category.

The weather forecasts unfortunately proved accurate. Indeed, after a start given under an overcast sky, a violent storm hit the riders after only thirty minutes of racing.

In the end, and despite these difficult conditions, everyone appreciated the beauty of the courses. This sporting day, which was marked by conviviality, ended with a prize-giving ceremony and a cocktail dinner.

The winners

Men: Gauthier Monteil. Women: Blandine L’Hirondel. Men's pairs: Pierre-Louis Mendes and Anthony Mendes. Women's pairs: Laure Nouet and Cécile Nouet. Mixed pairs: Réjane Julien and Axel Roudil-Cortinat. Youth pairs: Louis Saltel and Pierre Julien.