Antonin Schoeffel a tone above

The Ranspachois dominated the regional opening Rémy Grosdidier and Corentin Jacob on the fresh snow of the Tour des Roches in La Bresse.

The Grand-Prix de La Bresse launched the Vosges Crédit Mutuel Cup in winter conditions this Sunday, on the Tour des Roches, in the Chajoux valley. Fresh snow and bitter cold awaited the hundred competitors, three of whom had to be hospitalized after two illnesses and a broken ankle.

At home, the Vosges did not have the pleasure of getting on the podium after the seven laps of a 1.5 kilometer individual skating time trial circuit. In the absence of benchmarks, no one could afford to calculate but in this game, Antonin Schoeffel was without rival this Sunday. At 24, the SC runner Ranspach won with a lead of 40 seconds over his runners-up, starting with another Alsatian, Rémy Grosdidier, brilliant second at 43, and Corentin Jacob, the young biathlete from Gérardmer expatriated to the CS La Féclaz, in Savoie.

“I trained a little but I immediately had good feelings” confided Antonin Schoeffel, eager to “show the young people at the club what we can do, to tickle them. And then, it’s nice to win at La Bresse in front of the Bressauds.” An agriculture student in the Jura, Antonin Schoeffel does not intend to put unnecessary pressure on the skis. “I will compete this season on feeling. I will do the Transjurassienne of course and I will participate in races that can bring points to my club SC Ranspach.”

Rémy Grosdidier, a bit of a philosopher, was already enjoying the pleasure of being able to race the day after a 2024 season reduced to nothing by snow. “For a restart, we were lucky with the elements: the snow stopped falling but I had difficulty getting into the rhythm. That being said, I'm taking the races as they come because there aren't many anymore. You have to be opportunistic and I hope we don't come and shoot here all season.”

Exiled for 4 years in Savoie, Corentin Jacob returned to spend Christmas with his family, he took the opportunity to beat two former friends from Gerome: Noah Carru Vedrenne 4th and Pierre Jan 5th. “I missed my selections for international biathlon competitions, so I have to prove myself again at national level, with one objective: the European Junior Championships in January,” conceded the 21-year-old hopeful.

Behind the young biathlete Marius Thiriat, appear two glorious veterans of SC Ranspach: Dominique Epp, dean of the race at 61 years old, 7th out of 43 classified, 40 years after being crowned Alsatian sportsman of the year in 1985, and Sébastien Isenmann 8th.

Among the women, 8 Alsatians placed in the top 10. But they had to bow to Juliane Jacob (Basse-sur-le-Rupt) who won by 5 seconds 7 ahead of Ranspachoise Léonie Berna. Louna Gillmann 3rd, Capucine Fischer 4th and Caroline Finance 5th also finished under a minute.

David Jeangeorges.

All rankings on this link.

In pictures, the winners, where President Odile Munsch was accompanied by Jérôme Mathieu, first deputy mayor of La Bresse and vice-president of the Vosges departmental council.

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