The cream of triathlon gathered in Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël all weekend

For the first time, France is hosting a stage of the World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS). To make the event even more special, the T100, a long-distance race organized by the Professional Triathletes Organization (PTO), is stopping at the same time and place. And what better setting than the twin towns of Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël, iconic destinations for triple-effort specialists. "The region lends itself well to this sport," confirms local Léo Bergère, who will be participating in the T100 . "A lot of work was done by politicians to close roads at the end of August during the peak tourist season. It's a testament to the athletes who come. There's a truly great field."

"Mini Olympic Games"

The two disciplines, both close and distant, don't usually share a room. This weekend's unique format is exciting the professionals. "It's quite exciting to have these two events at the same time. It feels like a mini Olympic Games," compares Great Britain's Georgia Taylor-Brown, competing in the T100 Pro this morning. "Everyone stays together. It gives others the opportunity to watch the races. It's a good thing for our sport."

The T100 opens the ball

The long-distance event will start from the beaches of Raphaël this morning with a 2km swim, followed by an 80km bike ride in the Estérel mountains and an 18km run at the Fréjus nature base. "It's incredible to ride on a closed seaside road. There's no place in the world where you can do that. Especially on the Côte d'Azur," smiles New Zealander Kyle Smith. "The organizers have prepared a superb route for us. We don't often see such tough bike sections. This will be an opportunity for the good cyclists to make a difference." The amateurs will race around the former naval airbase.

Double dose for Wilde

Olympic runner-up in Paris last summer, Hayden Wilde suffered a serious cycling accident in Tokyo last May. Since then, the New Zealander made a winning comeback in the T100 in London earlier this month: "I feel fit, even though I still have some numbness around my shoulder."

The man who often comes to Antibes to swim is one of the few to do both events in a row: "Recovery will be super important. We have to not overdo it. Just enough to win, even if I don't have a big lead. We'll have to be smart in the sprint, wait for our moment."

A dream line-up in WTCS

The Olympic distance specialists will compete in a sprint format from Saint-Raphaël to Fréjus (750m swim, 20km bike ride, 5km run). And there will be some heavyweights at the start with the return of Alex Yee (Olympic champion in Paris and winner of a round of the French club championship here in May 2024) and the New Zealander. Dorian Coninx, Pierre Le Corre, Yanis Seguin and Tom Richard – both residents of Saint-Raphaël – will represent France.

Matt Hauser, the fit man

He's twirling his whiskers at every race. Australian Matthew Hauser (27) is flying high this season with two wins and two second places in four races: "Having the WTCS finale at home, in Wollogong, as a carrot, motivates me to keep up this consistency. I've also matured." A winner in Hamburg in July, he should be part of the leading group: "Nothing matters more to me than victory. I'm not satisfied with a second place. I'm looking forward to racing against Alex (Yee) and Hayden (Wilde). I'm expecting a very fast race."

A blue, white and red trio for the women?

On the starting line, the French line up a three-star lineup with Paris Olympic champion Cassandre Beaugrand, Emma Lombardi, ^4th last summer (who competed at the Creps de Boulouris), and Raphaëloise Léonie Périault, victorious in Hamburg in the sprint format in July. So, why not dream? "I think they can do a hat-trick," admits Tokyo Olympic mixed relay champion Georgia Taylor-Brown. "I experienced that with the Great Britain team. When someone succeeds, everyone pulls each other up. That's what we see with Cassandre. Léonie is coming in strong with her victory in Hamburg, and Emma is pushing. Who wouldn't want a French podium here?"