Sebastien Raichon smashes all records at TOR450 - Tor des Glaciers

Unbelievable. No other words can describe what Sebastien Raichon accomplished just before midnight between Wednesday and Thursday. A solo ride that, day after day, kilometer after kilometer, amazed everyone: “Will he be able to keep this pace for 450 kilometers?”. Well yes, he did it. Indeed, he went faster and faster despite the more than five days marching on the Alte Vie 3 and 4 of the TOR450 - Tor des Glaciers: his total time of 123 hours 57 minutes 18 seconds lowers the record set by Luca Papi in the first edition in 2019 (134h10'01") by over ten hours. Raichon crossed the finish line at 11.57 pm in pouring rain but with an impressive physical and mental freshness and clarity, smiling and still in a funny mood: “I didn't want Courmayeur to go to sleep too late. The second and third day I was not very well and I slowed down a bit, sorry if I let you wait", he joked. The fifty-two-year-old Frenchman finished in tenth place at Tor des Géants® in 2019, but the Tor des Glaciers was another thrill for him: "The course is phenomenal and very technical, it's a great adventure. I was moved by the human warmth I found along the way and in the refuges, we were treated like kings". After winning both previous editions - last year together with Jules-Henry Gabioud - this year Luca Papi had to "settle" for a second place, again as a duo. The Italian-French and South African Tiaan Erwee arrived hand in hand on Thursday morning after 134 hours 23 minutes 35 seconds, a time in line with his previous record. As for the women standing of TOR450 - Tor des Glaciers, Marina Plavan is still on in the lead, passing at 8.54 the Prarayer Refuge (less than 100 kilometers from the finish line) and who at the Perucca Vuillermoz Refuge had an advantage of about two hours on the Belgian Isabelle Ost. Much behind the French Chloé Saint Joly. Completed the podiums of TOR130 - Tot Dret and TOR330 - Tor des Géants® Yesterday night, meanwhile, the women podiums of TOR130 - Tot Dret and TOR330 - Tor des Géants® were completed, with the arrivals, respectively, of Katrin Bieler and Denise Zacco (together after 27h12'24",1h27' behind the winner Alessandra Boifava) and the French Sandrine Beranger with a time of 89h40'04”, behind Sabrina Verjee and Silvia Trigueros Garrote.