Sarrou is the new French champion: tricolore remains in Team BMC

Following two consecutive national titles for Team BMC pilot Titouan Carod, he has now passed the jersey to his teammate, Jordan Sarrou. Carod himself finished third. 

The former world champion did not travel to Levens with the security of having good legs. "I was sick for three days this week," he said after the finish. "I was doubting whether to actually start after yesterday’s recon. However, this morning I felt much better and I am proud to be the one wearing the national champion's jersey in the following months!” 

All non-French athletes competed in Chur for the first round of the ÖKK Bike Revolution series, with Steffi Häberlin finishing fourth.

After two national titles in a row, Carod lined up in pretty much his backyard, Levens, to make it a triple. However, this time around his teammate, who has had a great start to the 2024 season so far, Sarrou, was stronger. Therefore, both athletes exchanged places compared to last year’s national championships, with Carod handing over the French national jersey to Sarrou. 

Just over halfway into the race, Sarrou, who also holds the top position in the MTB Cross-country World Ranking, attacked out of a leading group of three riders, which included Carod and Thomas Griot from a competitive team. Neither of the two were able to follow Sarrou’s fast pace, resulting in a solo victory, approximately 30 seconds ahead of Griot, and over two minutes ahead of his teammate.

Sarrou: “Quite early in the race, it was Titouan, Griot, and me in a leading group of three. That surprised me but gave Titouan and me an excellent opportunity to play our cards. After I attacked, Titouan also attacked and caught up. We had to continue pushing to keep our competitors at a distance. It is great to be on the podium together, again.”

In Chur, meanwhile, Team BMC pilots Maxime l’Homme and Janis Baumann finished 8th and 9th respectively in the U23 category. Juri Zanotti was ninth among the men's elite riders. The best result came from Häberlin, who finished fourth. 

Next up for Team BMC will be the European Championships, with Carod hunting for a different colored jersey. Also, Juri Zanotti travels to Romania to compete in the elite category. In the U23 category, Maxime l’Homme is going to seek a spot on the podium.