Saturday, in XCO mountain biking, a victory for Timéo ARMAND.
The young mountain bikers from the Union Cycliste du Puy en Velay were present in a new round of the “AURA XCO Cup”. In U17, Sacha OLLIER, in poor form and missing his start, finished 10th out of 60. Among the girls, Louanne PONTVIANNE had to abandon with a puncture despite an excellent start to the race. Finally, in U19, Timéo ARMAND ran the perfect race. After a very good start he followed the leading group before “dropping off” everyone and finishing solo with more than a minute in advance. In seniors, Dorian GOUY and Sasha BERT finished their high-level race.
For his part, Fabian GALLE crossed the border with Switzerland to take part in an “International Marathon” (UCI Class 1), on an XCO mountain bike. After 71 km and 2,830 meters of elevation gain, he crossed the line in 40th position and thus entered the French Top 10. An auspicious performance a month and a half before major national and international deadlines. We will meet him again in two weeks for another international marathon but this time in France in Aveyron (Laissac).
It was on the road that Mathis TALLARON participated in the “Critérium de Corbas” (69), on a slightly hilly circuit of 3.7 km for a total distance of around 60 km. No breakaway managed to form and it was a bunch sprint that victory was decided, Mathis taking 11th place out of around sixty participants. A good rider in the making, this performance allows him to perfect his learning.
Furthermore, but on the track this time, Celian ROLLAND was selected by the departmental cycling committee to defend the team’s chances during the second round of the “U17 French Departments Cup”. On the Motz track (73), for his first points race of his young career, Celian took 3rd place. The team was thus qualified for the final of this “Coupe de France” which will take place in September.
New victory and championship title for Célian Rolland
In Allègre, the race organized by the Vélo Club du Velay supported the Haute-Loire championship for the U13, U15 and U17 categories. In the U13 category, Hugo Maurin would climb onto the podium of winners of the departmental championship. In the U17 race, Celian ROLLAND distinguished himself by winning another victory as well as his first departmental title. On a very demanding 17 km circuit, entirely to his liking, he was able to demonstrate mastery in controlling the multiple attacks of his opponents intended to make him let go, which none of them managed to do. He won in the sprint, on the hill, and thus became departmental champion.
In the races reserved for seniors, in “Open”, Romain FAYOLLE, closely watched by his breakaway companions, took 5th place. In “Access”, Joan GENTES also took 5th place, helped by her club friends Mathis TALLARON and Dorian ANDRE who ranked 17th and 29th respectively.
Furthermore, the youngest mountain bikers were entered in the “Young Mountain Biker Trophy” in Job near Ambert (63). The sun was out all day, with trails alternating between wooded areas and meadows of the “Parc des Mélèzes”. Evan and Loris CHABRILLAT were lined up in the U15 and U11 categories. Participants had to compete in a Cross-Country (XCO) event in the morning then Cross-Country Elimination (XCE) rounds in the afternoon. Among the U11s, Loris had a good race despite being positioned on the 3rd starting line. His determination allowed him to move up one place in the general classification to finish 5th. In U15, on a course with a steep slope, Evan was returning from injury, and for his first competition of the year he finished 6th.
