With 428 competitors registered for all the events, almost 11% of the total, Belgium is the largest foreign delegation at the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon 2023. This is a major premiere for this nation, where triathlon has been growing rapidly in recent years! After the Avenir Triathlon Club Charleroi in 2021, another Belgian club from the same town wins the TEAM CONTEST INVERSE: the Triathlon Tenacity Team (3T) with 36 athletes on the startlist. Each 3T member will receive a customised INVERSE sweatshirt and a giant replica of the club’s jersey will be hung in one of the 21 legendary bends. Logan Brun, vice-president of 3T, talks about a tiny club that has become big.
Photos : copyright 3Tenacity
What is the story behind Triathlon Tenacity Team?
“It’s a very young team, created just four years ago in the Charleroi region. We were a group of three triathlete friends, not affiliated to a club, and we wanted to create a friendly structure. Little by little, thanks to word of mouth, the number of members grew. Today, we have over 110 members!”
Who are your members?
“We attract a lot of athletes from other disciplines: former cyclists, former swimmers and former runners who want to diversify their activities or remedy injuries. Our members are fairly young, mostly aged between 25 and 40. We wanted to create a triathlon club that was accessible to everyone, offering low membership fees and open to beginners and experts alike. Our aim is to introduce triathlon to a very wide audience, but also to take our members to training spots close to home: a dam ideal for open-water swimming, woods perfect for running in nature… We’re exploring our heritage.”
What is the structure of the team?
“We have a well-established staff including two swimming coaches, a multi-skills coach, a running coach and a cycling coach. Programmes are drawn up every week for all three disciplines, with several versions adapted to the different levels of our members. We want to offer both a collective dimension to benefit from group emulation and break down the individual dimension, and structure the practice so that everyone has a coherent framework. Each year, we define target races that are common to all and we travel in groups. The training schedule is then defined according to these races.”
This, you choose the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon as team objective. Why?
“Around ten of us from the team took part in the 2021 edition of this triathlon and we really appreciated the quality of the organisation, the scenery and the affordable prices. As we have a lot of new members, we decided to take them to what we consider to be one of the finest events on the French triathlon calendar. We were motivated by the diversity of the formats: everyone can find an event that suits them. The duathlon is very well adapted to our affiliates who don’t swim much, while the Olympic format meets the expectations of our top-level competitors. We have two athletes who could well stand out from the crowd: Lucas Dal, a former international swimmer who wins a lot of triathlons in Belgium, and Jeanne Dupont, a young girl who already shone at l’Alpe d’Huez last year and who is aiming for the top 5 this year.”
What are your plans for this journey?
“We’ll be coming to Alpe d’Huez for a week to enjoy the athletes’ village, soak up the atmosphere of the resort and get our bearings on the 21-corner climb. The majority of our affiliates will be taking part in the Olympic distance, while around ten are registered for the duathlon and another ten for the L distance. Several athletes will be doing the duathlon on Wednesday and the Olympic distance on Friday. One family will also be coming and a child will be taking part in the kids’ event. Unfortunately, we don’t yet have a youth school at the club, but it’s a project we’re keeping in mind for the future.”
So the cheers with a lovely Belgian accent will be ringing out on the courses this July!
“Yes, we have a strong team spirit. We’ll be cheering each other on in every event. There’s a very strong bond between us. There’ll be a lot of conviviality. It’ll be a competition, but also a little holiday camp in the mountains!”