New AR World Champions: French Racers Dethrone Swedish Armed Forces Team

It was pitch dark outside when Adrien Lhermet, Benjamin Fayet, Sandrine Beranger, and Sébastien Raichon crossed the Adventure Race World Championship finish line at 4 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3. The French athletes of 400 Team were muddy. They hadn’t slept in 5 days. But they still had enough energy to celebrate for the cameras, embracing one another and waving France’s flag triumphantly.

They’d not only won the title of Adventure Racing World Champions, but they’d also dethroned the two-time title holders, the Swedish Armed Forces Adventure Team. 400 Team set off from the final transition point 13 minutes in front of the Swedish team for the last 68.4-mile mountain bike ride.

The 400 Team beat the Swedes by 2 hours and 10 minutes, finishing the 348-mile course in 90 hours, 47 minutes, and 15 seconds. According to ARWS, the 400 Team is the first French team to win a world championship since 2013. This was the 400 Team’s 30th ARWS race.

“On my bike, I couldn’t stop crying,” Raichon, the 400 Team captain, said in a press release. “The emotions were overwhelming.”

In third place, Estonian Tactical Foodpack finished in 93 hours, 52 minutes, and 30 seconds. In fourth place, Brazil Multisport finished in 97 hours, 47 minutes, and 30 seconds.

As of this writing, many teams are still racing. You can check out the full results and track those who haven’t finished yet on the ARWS tracking webpage.

‘One of the Most Exciting Finishes in Recent Years’

The ARWS World Championship race started on Saturday. Athletes have had to paddle along rivers, trek through forests and mountains, and mountain bike in different sections using only a paper map and compass to navigate from checkpoint to checkpoint. At one point, there was even a caving and climbing section at the ancient Inca site of Cojitambo.

When GearJunkie covered the race on Dec. 2, the Swedish Armed Forces Adventure Team was in third, and the unexpected Estonian Tactical Foodpack team was holding strong in second place. However, during the night, the Estonian team fell behind, and the Swedish Armed Forces Team pulled ahead.

“The final checkpoints were in the city of Cuenca and both teams were lost in the maze of streets,” An ARWS spokesperson told GearJunkie. They called it one of the most exciting finishes in recent years.

If you’d like to see highlights from the race, check out the ARWS YouTube page for recaps of each day. The race will continue through Saturday, Dec. 7, at which point ARWS will post all of the results on its website.

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