2.2 kilometers of swimming, 120 kilometers of cycling (including 3200 altimeters) and 19 kilometers of running (including 420 altimeters): that’s what all athletes who took part in the Triathlon Alpe d’Huez were up to. What is known as one of the toughest triathlons in the world was won by Frenchman Nathan Guerbeur and Frenchwoman Jeanne Collonge.
In their own country, the French athletes were dominant: Guerbeur and Collonge showed that they can race very strong in the high mountains. The highlight of the race is of course the world famous Alpe d’Huez, one of the climbs during the event. Despite the fact that the course is very tough and challenging, the differences were very small, at least in the men’s race. Guerbeur won the race in 5:48:32, but was followed by his compatriot Arnaud Guilloux by just two minutes: Guilloux won the silver in a time of 5:50:52. The also French Clément Grandy was third in 5:52:14.
There was a much bigger difference in the women’s race; Collonge made it clear that she was too strong for her competitors. She finished the tough race in 6:37:40, beating two Swiss competitors, among others. Petra Eggenschiler was second in 6:51:55, while Nina Derron was third in a time of 7:04:41.
