2013 Skating Marathon of Dijon: A sunny 13th edition
According to whether you are a pessimistic or optimistic superstitious skater, number 13 may bring good or bad luck. It seems that the lucky skaters won that 13th edition of the skating Marathon of Dijon, which finally enjoyed spring conditions despite all the weather forecasts! Back on the races...
Par alfathor
The Veteran European Championship of Skating Marathon
It’s good to see that the weather forecast was wrong! We were anxiously waiting for rain and storms on the Skating Marathon of Dijon, but not at all! Instead, the sun progressively appeared and the day ended with summer temperatures. Morning: Let’s make room for the European Master Championship of Marathon.
30-40 category
In the Women’s, Dorthe Olsen (VRK Club, Denmark) wins after a long-distance breakaway. She ends up far in front of Barbara Bakosva (Slovakia) and two German skaters: Silke Röhr and Michaela Geppert. French Céline Cognard of Générations Roller finishes in their stream. Caroline Jean (PUC Roller) finishes alone, almost 6 minutes after the winner.
In the Men’s, suspense didn’t last long. French Vincent Esnault breaks away solo for more than 15 laps. He skates alone at a good pace and the pack has difficulty in getting organized to counter him. Vincent Esnault even manages to get a one-lap lead on his followers! The business is done and yet some skaters get in his stream to break away from the pack when he overtakes them, wreaking havoc. Dario Rivaroli (Italy) crosses the finish line second, in front of another French skater, Grégoire Leclerc (RS Dijon).
40-50 category
The women’s race witnesses the win of Dutch Karen Teuling (KNSB Nederland), more than one minute ahead of her opponents. French Karine Malle-Urvoy (LOU Roller), the recent winner of the previous week’s Rollathlon, gets the second place. The podium is completed by Gabriela Schwartz (Skate Team Luebeck, GER).
Note: Karen Teulin went on with the World Cup Marathon in the afternoon!
In the Men’s race: after having made a great performance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Roller 2013 and at the Rollathlon, skater of the Reunion Frédéric Techer (Roller skate Dionysien, FRA) came to win the continental title in Dijon. The least to say is that he didn’t make the trip for nothing! He finishes at the sprint in front of another French, Benoit Thiébault (CPB Belleville, FRA). Giant Sutton Atkins (Sk8skool.dk, GBR) gets the bronze.
50-60 category
In the Women’s category, Italian Desiana Caniatti (Patinadori Bononia) also skates her race solo. She finishes her marathon more than 10 minutes ahead of French Claudie Duval (CS Brétigny). The third skater is Brenda Paw (Netherlands).
The men’s category sees the victory of Spanish Andres de Regil (Spain) in front of regular long-distance skater French Pascal Fernandez (France) and in front of a former European figurehead of quad skating races, Nordine Saidou (France). The two French fought for the honor places at the sprint on the finish line.
60-70 categories
Three female skaters take the start for the +60 race. They finish with only a few minutes difference from each other. Polish Halina Iglowska (KKSW-Krak Rollerblade, POL) outdistances Monika Wohlgemuth (ASV Duisburg, GER) and Christiane Buquant (CS Brétigny, FRA).
The Men’s pack of the +60 is better supplied with almost 30 skaters in the running. Kees Missaar (Jan Groot Keukens, NED) wins at the sprint in front of Elhadi Beddiaf (Team France, FRA) and Jacques Houssais (Team France, FRA). The French skated a team race. Elhadi Beddiaf was seized by cramps 20 meters before the finish line and missed the first place by a whisker.
Over 70 category
Only the men have a +70 category. They are 4 to take the start: a Dutch and three German. Harrie Vehof (KNSB Nederland, NED) is a cut above the rest. He finishes his race with a 20-minute lead over the 3 German skaters.
The World Cup and the French Cup Marathon
The Men’s race: Bart Swings cuts short on the line
Living up to its reputation the Marathon of Dijon will have offered us a festival of breakaways. 89 skaters take the start of that stage of the World Cup. We are waiting for a clash of titans between the Powerslide and EOSkates battalions, with the Swiss Skate Team as a mediator and RPM Poli as a scarecrow.
Yann Guyader (EOSkates, FRA), had his mind set on breaking with the Dijon curse, where he is the eternal runner-up behind Bart Swings (Powerslide Matter World, BEL). With the absence of team mates such as Paxti Peula Cabello (EOSkates, ESP) or Julien Levrard (EOSkates, FRA), he will have to redouble his efforts to get the victory missing on his title list.
The attacks start soon in the race with the Swiss Skate Team, then with the World Champion of the discipline himself, Belgian Bart Swings. But it is his young brother Maarten Swings (Powerslide, BEL) who is going to escape in a long solo breakaway 12 laps before the end (out of 19).
Michael Beddiaf (RIL Lamballe, FRA) strikes back. He wakes the pack up. Niclas Iten (Swiss Skate Team, SUI) lays it on thick, then It is Yann Guyader’s turn. Contact is made with the breakaway.
Ewen Fernandez (Powerslide, FRA) sparks things off but Iten keeps vigil and counter attacks. He breaks away alone before being caught up by his team mate Severin Widmer (SUI). The motorcar’s speedometer shows more than 55 kph on the downhill false flat. Ewen Fernandez chases with Yann Guyader in his stream. They catch up the breakaways.
Then comes the turn of RPM Poli with Elton de Souza. The orange-and-whites had remained discreet until then. Inexhaustible, Nicolas Iten strikes again. The two men don’t skate long together, Nolan Beddiaf (EOSkates, FRA) is already back with Maarten Swings and Guillaume de Mallevoue (Windress, FRA). At the bell, the group is almost caught up by the pack. The final sprint is ineluctable.
Bart Swings lets his top speed do the talking and wins in front of our eternal second of Dijon, Yann Guyader. Nolan Beddiaf takes the 3rd place in front of Ewen Fernandez.
Women’s: Clémence Halbout by a whisker
There are only 19 women on the starting line of the World Cup Marathon of Dijon. The EOSkates formation has come in numbers with 5 skaters: Jana Gegner (GER), Juliette Pouydebat (FRA), Justine Halbout (FRA), Jessica Gaudesaboos (BEL) and Seohee Kim (KOR). Facing this armada, there are lonely but talented skaters such as Aleksandra Goss (POL), Clémence Halbout (Windress, FRA), but also Charlotte Laurent (Boissey RS, FRA).
Aleksandra Goss takes the lead of the pack at the start of the race, followed by Anna Muzyka (UKR) who drives the whole EOSkate formation in her stream. Jessica Gaudesaboos will be the first one to try to break away… without success. Then it is her team mate’s turn, German Jan Gegner (EOSkates), to launch a sheer attack in answer to a counter-attack. She breaks away for several laps while the rest of her team controls the pack. Alexandra Goss and Clémence Halbout decide to launch the chase. They progressively reduce the distance with the breakaway and finally catch them up. In turn, Clémence Halbout speeds up. EOSkate tries to escape again with Justine Halbout and Juliette Pouydebat but they are quickly caught up.
At the final sprint, EOSkates take the whole width of the track, one may think that this is an assured victory, but it would be without taking into account Clémence Halbout who slides through a bolt hole. She seizes the victory to Jana Gegner thanks to a formidable hawk finish in the last meters. The third place goes to French Juliette Pouydebat.
Conclusion
Once again we have witnessed a great edition of the Marathon of Dijon. The French Cup-European Championships-World Cup combination enables to rally European skaters while a European Cup takes place at the same time. It is the kind of competition we need to make speed skating durable. Yet, let’s note the demobilization of lots of French skaters who are exasperated to be stopped before the end of the regulation race time. Some of them came to us telling that they had been brought up short after 1 hour 20 min of race instead of 1 hour 30 min as stipulated in the ruleset. Be careful not to sacrifice the mass to the elite at the risk thinning the packs even more…
Main results
Men’s Marathon
| Pos. | Name | Surname | Country | Club | Team | |
| 1) | Bart | SWINGS |  |
BEL | Powerslide Matter World | Team WIC |
| 2) | Yann | GUYADER |  |
FRA | EOSkates World Team | Team WIC |
| 3) | Nolan | BEDDIAF | |
FRA | EOSkates World Team | Team WIC |
| 4) | Ewen | FERNANDEZ | |
FRA | Powerslide Matter World | Team WIC |
| 5) | Severin | WIDMER |  |
SUI | Swiss-Skate-Team | Team WIC |
| 6) | Alexander-Jose | BASTIDAS |  |
VEN | UUS MAA/ RULLIBAAS TEAM | Team WIC |
| 7) | AURELIEN | ROUMAGNAC | |
FRA | RPM | RPM |
| 8) | BRIAN | LEPINE | |
FRA | WINDRESS | WINDRESS |
| 9) | QUENTIN | GIRAUDEAU | |
FRA | RPM | RPM |
| 10) | Canella | NICOLA |  |
ESP | VITAMINE& CO POWERSLIDE | – |
Women’s Marathon
| Pos. | Name | Surname | Country | Club | Team | |
| 1) | Clémence | HALBOUT | |
FRA | 2APN Avon | Windress |
| 2) | Jana | GEGNER |  |
GER | EOSkates World Team | Team WIC |
| 3) | Juliette | POUYDEBAT | |
FRA | EOSkates World Team | Team WIC |
| 4) | Justine | HALBOUT | |
FRA | EOSkates World Team | Team WIC |
| 5) | Aleksandra | GOSS |  |
POL | WIC Single Athlete | Team WIC |
| 6) | Charlotte | LAURENT | |
FRA | Boissey Roller Skating | – |
| 7) | Marion | KAY | |
FRA | Pibrac Roller Skating | – |
| 8) | Muzyka | ANNA |  |
UKR | Sam Racing Team | – |
| 9) | Jessica | GAUDESABOOS | |
BEL | EOSkates World Team | Team WIC |
| 10) | Seohee | KIM |  |
KOR | WIC Single Athlete | Team WIC |
European Master Championship of Marathon
O30 Women’s
O40 Women’s
O50 Women’s
O60 Women’s
|
O30 Men’s
O40 Men’s
O50 Men’s
O60 Men’s
O70 Men’s
|
Complete results in PDF and Useful Links
Euro Master Results O40-O60-O70
Results of the WIC International Marathon
Photos : Alfathor
Translation: Chloé Seyres
