Stage 2 – La Chapelle d’Abondance

A very quick stopover at La Chapelle d’Abondance!

As the lights in the sky warmed up at the end of the day, the second stage of La Grande Odyssée VVF and the Trophée Haute-Savoie set off from the Crêt Béni sector to La Chapelle d’Abondance in the Pays d’Evian Vallée d’Abondance. For this 3rd event, Norwegian Hans Lindahl strengthened his Crédit Mutuel-sponsored leader’s jersey by winning the 11 km stage. He edged out France’s Elsa Borgey, covering the distance in 24’29” at an average speed of 26.9 km/h. Cindy Duport (FR), who ran with 6 dogs compared with 8 for the first two, completed the stage podium.

The overall podium remained unchanged, with Spain’s Iker Ozkoidi and France’s Elsa Borgey taking 2nd and 3rd place respectively. In the Nordic category, Phillipe Desmurger won the day’s stage, but Jean Combazard maintained his first place overall.

In the Trophée Haute-Savoie, Frenchman Eric Grobois won the stage in 39’47”, taking the overall victory in 2 h 15’38 ahead of Switzerland’s Evelyne Gaze Stauffacher and Italy’s Luca Brioschi, both driving a Nordic carriage. This final leg saw Ingrid Abraham Collomb, who returned to competition after several years’ absence following an accident, finish the trophy in style, having covered the stage in 45’20”, the 2nd best time. “My dogs were great and the track was very fast despite a steep climb on a blue track”, she declared at the finish. Impressions shared by several mushers who found the route, which mostly took in green trails, very fast.

Spaniard Carlos Calico chose to enter this great adventure gently, to give the dogs time to acclimatize. They even made a stop on the track for a snack, earning him the title of Royal Canin-sponsored Dog Care of the day.

Throughout the day, a large number of visitors came to see the carriages and enjoy the various activities on offer, while several schools in the region organized “Far North” discovery tours. At the beginning of the afternoon, some twenty 4th-graders from Pays de Gavot, Saint-Paul en Chablais, opened the trail as part of the L’Odyssée des enfants program, designed to introduce youngsters to new sports as part of an educational project. At the end of the 2 km loop, Enora Schmitt won the race in 9’56”ahead of Elise Favre in 10’17 and Antoine Martin in 10’21”. Pulled by three dogs and aboard a real pro sled, these apprentice mushers were all delighted with this life-size experience and eager to repeat it.

See you tomorrow, Tuesday January 16, for stage 3 in Bernex, starting on the snow front.