Jérémy Tarroux wins and moves up in the overall rankings
For the second day of the Trèfle Lozérien AMV 2023, a 221 km course punctuated by 5 special stages (4 with banners and 1 cross test) awaited the drivers. The Gévaudan and Aubrac circuit proved to be the perfect setting for Jérémy Tarroux, who won the day ahead of Loic Larrieu and Till Declercq.
With six drivers in 20 seconds, the Trèfle Lozérien AMV 2023 is more open than ever!
The weather was much more clement than yesterday, with blue skies kicking off the second day. As the riders know, the special stages are highly diversified, with changing ground textures, and in terms of riding, there’s plenty of gradient and technique. This morning, in the first “line” SP1, in the middle of the fir trees, Jérémy Tarroux’s KTM Elite Moto took its first victory of the weekend. The times were extremely tight, with 4 riders in the same second: Zach’ Pichon (Sherco Factory Racing Team), Julien Gauthier (Gotgot Academy) and Till Declercq (Dafy Enduro Team). A perfect start to the day! His time at La Vabre confirms his performance throughout the day. Thanks to this, he clawed back 15 seconds on the provisional leader: a great deal! And the new overall leader is none other than Till Declercq. The Dafy Enduro Team rider got off to a great start this morning, even taking the lead in SP3, before experiencing a more mixed end to the day, only 18th in the cross test and 12th on the Vabre, which is obviously getting deeper and deeper as we find it every day. On the reserve yesterday, Loic Larrieu changed his rhythm! He finished second of the day, taking 10 seconds off the leader and 5th overall. Local rider Killian Lunier, leader of the first stage, was less successful: 9th on the day, he not only relinquished the lead, but also lost precious seconds after making a number of mistakes. Let’s talk about the Sherco riders, 4th and 5th respectively on Saturday. Zach Pichon, well placed all day, finished 4th and came within a whisker of winning his first special stage in the Lozère region. Julien Roussaly, as experienced in MX as Zach, rounded off his Saturday perfectly with a second-place finish on the heights of Mende, just a tenth short of victory. Julien Gauthier, 8th of the day and 4th overall, was a constant presence, as were Emmanuel Albepart in SP1 and Mathys Boisramé in SP5. On the entertainment front, the Place du Foirail was bustling with activity – a great success for a first. With rider interviews, autograph sessions and BMX freestyle shows, everyone was out in force!
The Gorges du Tarn for the finale
Sublime landscapes and 186 km are on the agenda for the final day for all participants. The start will be in reverse number order, which can make all the difference. The special stages will no longer be untouched, but will be highly marked for the leaders after 600 passages! With 4 “ex” MX specialists in the top 5 in just 20 seconds, anything is possible for the podium in this 37th edition: will Till Declercq follow up his second consecutive podium in Mende? Will Killian Lunier be up to the task on the dug-out stages? Can Jérémy Tarroux win his 3rd classic in a row? Will Julien Gauthier prove his experience and maturity? Will Loic Larrieu claim a second victory after 2018? Will Zach Pichon with his Mondial pace make up 20 seconds in 5 stages? All the answers by mid-afternoon tomorrow to find out who will win the 2023 event.
Classement de la journée :
- TARROUX Jeremy 17:55.04
- LARRIEU Loic à 5.228 3
- DECLERCQ Till à 8.676
- PICHON Zachary à 10.935
- ROUSSALY Julien à 15.782
- DEBAUD Valerian à 16.389
- BEAUD Alexis à 19.013
- GAUTHIER Julien à 19.445
- LUNIER Killian à 23.587
- ALBEPART Emmanuel à 23.959
Classement Général après 2 jours :
- DECLERCQ Till 5 24:24.16 18:03.72 42:27.88
- LUNIER Killian à 7.702
- TARROUX Jeremy à 9.231
- GAUTHIER Julien à 17.812
- LARRIEU Loic à 19.771
- PICHON Zachary à 20.370
- DEBAUD Valerian à 25.931
- ROUSSALY Julien à 31.138
- BEAUD Alexis à 42.787
- ALBEPART Emmanuel à 44.642
Nicolas Provost pour le Trèfle Lozérien AMV
Crédits Photos : Damien Astruc Photographie & Julian Suau