Serrieres, Flipo win Full Distance and Short Track races at XTERRA Nouvelle-Aquitaine

August 30, 2021

Arthur Serrieres from France and Michelle Flipo from Mexico won the XTERRA Nouvelle-Aquitaine off-road triathlon full distance and Short Track races in Moliets-et-Villemartin, France on August 28-29, 2021.

Arthur Serrieres from France and Michelle Flipo from Mexico won the XTERRA Nouvelle-Aquitaine off-road triathlon full distance and Short Track races in Moliets-et-Villemartin, France on August 28-29, 2021.

It’s the 13th XTERRA World Tour full distance win for Serrieres, his sixth this season, and second in as many weeks after defending his XTERRA European Championship title in Germany on August 21. It’s the fifth XTERRA major for Flipo, who won the 2016 XTERRA European Championship race and was the runner-up at XTERRA Worlds in 2018.

Saturday’s race combined a 1.5K swim in the warm waters of Lac de la Cadie with a 30K mountain bike course and 10K trail run course through the region’s vineyards.

In the men’s race, seven-time off-road triathlon world champion Ruben Ruzafa from Spain posted the fastest bike split and took a 30-second lead into the run.  It wasn’t enough to hold off Serrieres, arguably the fastest runner in XTERRA, who caught up halfway through the 10K and pulled away in the second half.

“This race was harder than the XTERRA European Championship in Germany last week,” said Serrieres after the race.  “I struggled with the heat, alongside balancing the effects of recent altitude training. Ruben was strong on the bike and took a lot of my energy, and he was good on the run too.”

Top 10 Men

*Amateur Athletes
Full results

In the women’s elite race the talented Michelle Flipo led from wire-to-wire, marking a successful return to XTERRA after three years off.

After crossing the line with a winning time of 3:15:41, Flipo said, “I have not been spending much time on the mountain bike, so I don’t always regulate my efforts well and I am not so fast on the technical parts. But I avoided any big mistakes and tried to push hard on the uphill sections. I paid for it on the run though as my legs were suffering. I am very tired but really happy with my win today.”

Top 10 Women

*Amateur Athletes
Full results

Relive race coverage on Instagram.com/xterraeurope
Photos and videos are available at Facebook.com/xterraeurope

On Sunday, an innovative new format was unveiled at XTERRA Short Track Pujols France, the fourth and final stop on the made-for-TV off-road triathlon racing circuit.  The race featured two stages, the first paired a 400-meter swim in Lac de Cadie with an all-out 1.5km run to seed elites for the second stage, a 7km mountain bike and 1.8km run.

Serrieres and Flipo, just hours removed from their full-distance wins on Saturday afternoon, put their speed and skill on display once again in an awe-inspiring Sunday spectacle to take the top spots for the second straight day.

Watch Replay here.

Viewing time code notes:
First Stage : Women, 1min-20min // Men, 25min-40min
Final Stage : Women, 45min-1:40 // Men, 1:45-2:35

Relive race coverage at Facebook.com/xterraeurope and Instagram.com/xterraeurope and find full reports on both events at https://www.xterraplanet.com/news-main.

About XTERRA

XTERRA® is a global lifestyle brand and off-road race series. What started in 1996 as the world’s first off-road triathlon in Maui, Hawaii, is now an endurance sports lifestyle with a racing presence in over 30 countries worldwide and expanding. XTERRA® cultivates a passionate and dedicated community, celebrated by intrepid triathletes, trail runners and outdoor adventurists around the globe.  Learn more at www.xterraplanet.com.