A magnificent 2023 edition for La Transju' Trails

Morez, 8:30 am, the first trailers set off on the 42 km course, and very quickly set the pace on this 2200 m ascent to the Roche du Béchet in the direction of Prémanon, the belvedere of the Dappes, the Darbella before climbing to the top of the Dôle at 1677 m and then descending to the Tuffes Nordic stadium before reaching Les Rousses for the final finish. Despite a sunny start to the morning, the trailers soon had to contend with capricious weather - thunderstorms, rain and sunny spells.

42 km: a podium from the start!

The Jurassien, Dimitri Morel-Jean, led the race from the start. At 10:02, he was the first to pass the Prémanon checkpoint, followed 3 minutes later by Aurélien Patoz and Baptiste Lorier. An hour later, he passed the highest point of La Dôle, widening the gap with his pursuers. Dimitri won the 2023 edition over the 42 km in 03h 40min 45sec. Aurélien Patoz was second at 8min 43sec, Baptiste Loirier third, 11min 32sec behind the winner. A podium in the image of the race.

Dimitri Morel-Jean: "I like to go fast and I prefer positive gradients to negative ones, and as it was uphill all the way to La Dôle, I gave it a go and it worked. I had more trouble on the downhills, I was tense, it stuck, but as the climbs went well, in the end it did and I'm very happy. And then at the top of La Dôle, there's a magnificent view. The Transju'Trails is an organization that I appreciate, and even if I prefer the longer distances, I really enjoyed the 42 km."

On the women's side, it was the same story: Nîmes' Coralie Blanchard took the lead from the start and never relinquished it. At Prémanon, she was already more than 10 minutes ahead of her pursuers, Cora Mariotte and Luce Poirrier, and continued to extend her lead right up to the finish. The podium is confirmed with Coralie on the top step in 04h 52min 53sec, second Cora Mariotte at 18min 15 sec and Luce Poirrier at 26min 16sec.

Coralie Blanchard: "It was a beautiful race, one I didn't know at all, it's the first time I've raced here. It wasn't easy at all, it was slippery, there was mud, I'm not used to that. It was very demanding. I started off relatively fast on the Morez lap and then I went uphill. I told myself I shouldn't get too carried away, but the bumps quickly brought me back to my senses. I knew I was first, but I didn't know where the others were, and as my legs were there, I just kept going. There was a rainstorm that soaked us but it didn't last long. It was a great race, with great organization, a great atmosphere on the course, top-notch volunteers, it was really good."

25 km: same scenario as the 42 km

On the 25 km, whether in the men's or women's category, we find the same scenarios as on the 42 km: a leader who gives nothing away from start to finish with Dylan Ribeiro in the men's category and Lisa Delacroix in the women's category, and a podium that took shape as we passed the Dôle.

Dylan Ribeiro took 01h 56min 23sec, followed by Doryan Boillon at 3min 35sec and Hugo Lonne at 5min 9sec.

Dylan Ribeiro: "I got off to a pretty fast start, my aim was to do the whole race flat out. Doryan and Hugo weren't far behind me until the foot of the Dôle, when I went up a little faster and felt that it was getting longer and longer. In the end, I'm really happy to cross the line first.

Lisa Delacroix won the women's scratch race in 2h 34min, with Thaïs Pibouleau 2nd at 1min 10sec and Laurie-Anne SERRETTE 3rd at 4min 5sec.

Lisa Delacroix: "I started off 4th or 5th and then managed to get on top of things. The last 3 kilometers were tough. I really thought I was going to be caught. I'm exhausted, I can't take it anymore.

Tom Bouillet and Nora Fumey, 10 km winners

The generations mixed on these two courses, with young and old competing in the rain on a slippery, greasy course.

Tom Bouillet, winner of the 5km in 2022, entered this year's 10km race in the 16-17 category. He won the race in 43min 15sec. "The course was good despite the rain, I managed well at the beginning, and then I went off and won."

In the women's category, Nora Fumey (category 16-17) won the 10 km in 50min 53sec. She also took part in La Transju'Trails 2022, where she came 2nd in the women's 5km.

Perhaps in a few years' time, these two names will be on the 42 km list of winners?

Despite the rain, competitors turned out in force to take part in La Transju'Trails, which further confirms its status as the Jura Mountains' trail au naturel. The 2023 edition was a success, with almost 2,000 participants over the weekend, as Pierre-Albert Vandel, President of Trans'Organisation, points out: "We set out on a new dynamic, with a whole program of events for the public and competitors. We've noticed that trailers were out in force, with almost 2000 participants. Our aim is to welcome them and offer them a friendly, sporting event, and we can see that what we put in place after the pandemic is bearing fruit, and we hope to have even more people in 2024!"