Cross-country skiing: prestigious victory for Juliette Ducordeau and Victor Lovera at La Transjurassienne
On Sunday morning, the Transjurassienne, the legendary popular cross-country ski race that took place this winter on the slopes around the Les Rousses ski area in the Jura, was run over a course shortened to 34 kilometres . At the start, many of the competitors were hoping to win the famous Obertino bell, a traditional award presented to the winners on their arrival.
The fourth stage in the Marathon Ski Tour calendar, the national long-distance circuit, saw a breathless finale in the men’s race. The day’s favourites stayed in a compact pack for a long time, but picked up the pace in the final 13-kilometre loop.
A group of four athletes even broke away to battle it out for overall victory. And in this game, Victor Lovera was the strongest. Impressive over the last few weeks in the World Cup, where he has managed to break into the top 10 on several occasions, the Chartrous native used his power in the final metres to make the difference.
On the line, the Team Vercors Isère rider finished ahead of Julien Arnaud from the Haut-Alpes, the brilliant winner of La Savoyarde in La Féclaz (Savoie) just a week ago. Just over a year after his success on the Foulée Blanche, the Isère native has added another legendary popular race to his list of honours.
Gérard Agnellet backs it up again on the box
Already third last weekend in Savoie, Gérard Agnellet is no longer outside the top 3, as Le Cluse again finished in this position after a fierce battle for the podium. At the same time, the Haut-Savoyard continues to extend his lead in the overall Marathon Ski Tour rankings.
At the foot of the box, French team member Renaud Jay came within 15 seconds of a fine top 3. The top 10 was completed by Simon Vuillet, winner of the classic the previous day, Mattis Basille, Nicolas Berthet, Arnaud Chautemps, Ugo Zanellato and Aubin Gautier-Pélissier.
In the women’s race, however, there was no contest. Juliette Ducordeau quickly broke away at the front of the race and put an end to any suspense. The Dauphinoise did her job well and was never seen again by her rivals. Crossing the line in first place, the Villardienne rider, who is also a member of the French team, gave Team Vercors Isère a superb double following Victor Lovera’s victory in the men’s race.
At the finish, the 26-year-old cross-country skier was more than 2 minutes and 30 seconds ahead of Haute-Savoie Nordic Team representatives France Pignot and Félicie Chappaz, both of whom had the same time on the line. Mélina Berthet, who had been battling it out with the two Haut-Savoyard women for a long time, failed to make it into the top 3 by just 5 seconds.
Behind the skier from ski-club du Vercors ski de fond were Emilie Bulle, Céline Chopard-Lallier, Maëlle Veyre, Heidi Convard, Maya Desseux and Julie Marciniak, who rounded off the top 10.
Read also
- The 26-kilometre Transju’Classic for Daphné Patois and Baptiste Betend
- Hanna Fine and Simon Vuillet dominate the 40-kilometre Transju’Classic
- What you need to know before La Transju’ 2025
- Maëlle Veyre, Juliette Ducordeau, Victor Lovera, Renaud Jay and Emilien Louvrier: some fine names expected at the start of the Transju’ races
- A loop around La Darbella: the route and programme of La Transju’ 2025
