With heavy rain the day before, many in Moveno woke up with nerves racing about the challenge that lay ahead. The question of weather and tire choice had dominated conversation for days in the build up to the race, but now was the time to make a decision. Yet even as the mist lifted to reveal a blue sky and the sun broke through to dry the trails, nerves would still have continued to race as this was the morning of the XTERRA World Championship - the biggest race in off-road triathlon and the one chance to compete against the best in the world for those who had qualified to be there.
In what is set to be a trilogy of World Championship races beneath the Brenta Dolomites in Trentino, Italy, 2023 served as the second act. But no two races are ever the same and even before the starting gun was fired, there was a feeling that this one would be different.
For starters, there was the field. Split almost down the middle between those with Championship experience on this course and the new blood taking it on for the first time, this was a highly competitive field. The race saw more female athletes than any World Championship before, an additional 16 nationalities represented than the previous year, and 22 of the 28 reigning champions returning to defend their titles.
Then there was the weather. Sunny race day conditions combined with the downpour the day before would mean mostly dry trails and a significantly faster race than 2022, but still plenty of greasy sections waiting to check those heading into the technical parts with far too much confidence for a course like this.
But come rain or shine, XTERRA is about taking on the terrain that lies in front of you on the day. And on 23 September, 750 of the world’s best stepped up to the startline of the 43.5K of water, rock and soil that lay ahead of them.
Swim
At 11:15 the first wave of age division athletes took to the water in a flurry of splashes and elbows, followed closely by the rest of the pack as the race began to take shape in the 18°C waters of Lake Molveno.
Of the 4 AG (age group) athletes who put down a faster swim than the entire elite division, it was Afonso Garcia [M25-29] of Portugal who blitzed it the fastest to exit the water in just 19:36. But even with the fastest overall swim time of the day, Garcia still had no time to let off the gas with Elliot Labourdette [M20-24] of France finishing just 2 seconds back and Marco Barison [M25-29] of Italy just 2 seconds behind him.
It was the young guns who also led the female pack, with Mia Padmanabhan [F20-24] of Great Britain claiming the fastest AG swim (6th overall) for the women with a time of 22:43, enough to create a 9 second lead ahead of Germany's Amelie Chauvet [F15-19] in 2nd and Argentina's Mora Maurizio [F20-24] in 3rd.
Many will point out that it’s not how you start but how you finish, yet both Padmanabhan and Chauvet would beg to differ. After putting down the top 2 female AG swim splits of the day, both athletes held their pace throughout the race to cross the line as the new World Champions of their respective divisions.
Bike
The start of the 2-loop 32K bike course gave athletes a 3K decision to either create a gap or take the opportunity to ride as a pack and catch their breath before heading into a race-defining 7K climb to the top of the mountain. From there, bravery would trump power in a 6K flat-out descent through the lower half of the infamous Bladerunner and into the Goonies trail of the Dolomiti Paganella Bike park.
Those who overcooked the first loop would know immediately as the 7K climb came back around, while those who didn’t began to make their move.
It was on the bike that Olivier Pichou [M40-44] of France made his move into the lead pack, claiming the fastest AG bike split of the day with a time of 1:43:06 and creating enough of a gap to finish the race as the 2023 World Champ of his division and the 3rd overall AG athlete to cross the line.
Another two Frenchman, Arnaud Taurelle [M35-39] and Baptiste Fordoxcel [M20-24] completed the top 3 fastest AG rides of the championship race, with Taurelle also holding on during the run to earn his championship crown and Fordoxcel just missing out with a 2nd place finish in a lightning-fast division.
For the woman, it was again a French athlete to lay claim to the fastest AG bike split as Sabrina Enaux [F45-49] needed just 2:10:21 to complete the 32K ride. Eilish Gilbert [F25-29] of Great Britain was able to break the blue wave on the bike with the second fastest female AG bike split of 2:11:55, yet Romane Cizeron [F30-34] not only revived the blue wave with the 3rd fastest ride but also went on to become the first female AG athlete to cross the line.
Run
Those who came off the bike with championship aspirations would still need to complete the final 10K, a 2-loop run that, much like the bike, started with a 1.5K section of flowy gravel trail along the side of the lake before heading into a technical 3K of rocks and roots and a climb that would prove to be a pivotal point where for many the race was lost and won.
Nicolas Dure [M20-24] of France absolutely dropped the hammer with the quickest AG run split of the day, crossing the line in 2:54:1 as the fastest AG athlete (19th overall) and the 2023 M20-24 XTERRA World Champion.
Baptiste Fordoxcel, also of M20-24 division, finished in 2:56:46 as the second fastest AG athlete in the men’s division, with Olivier Pichou finishing in 3rd with a time of 2:57:02.
While Mia Padmanabhan backed up her fastest swim split with the fastest female AG run split of 57:11, it was Romane Cizeron [F30-34] of France who would go on to cross the line first in 3:39:11 to earn her crown and the title of fastest female AG athlete of the 2023 XTERRA World Championship.
Mia Padmanabhan followed with a time of 3:39:44 to claim her World championship title in the F20-24 division while Barbora Stupkova, also of the F20-24 division, narrowly missed out on hers but walks away as the 3rd fastest female AG athlete with a time of 3:41:29.
