Madeleine Triathlon 2026

Whether from joy or pain, you might end up crying like a Madeleine! 🏅

The Madeleine Triathlon isn’t the kind to offer you a little post-meal stroll ❌. Here, in Maurienne, the mountain is everywhere. It surrounds you, challenges you, rewards you and, sometimes, gently reminds you who’s in charge 😈. Between legendary passes, roads clinging to cliff faces, and never-ending climbs, this race has everything of a full-scale alpine nature 🌱 adventure.

The good news is you don’t need to be an alien at the triple challenge to enjoy it 🤩. Three formats are offered—it's up to you to choose the one that best matches what you’re feeling. Whatever you pick, the story begins in the valley, at the lake of Saint-Rémy-de-Maurienne 📍. Triathletes in the S format set off for 700 meters of swimming, those in the M for 1,400 meters, while L participants swim 1,800 meters before heading off to tackle the mountains 🏊‍♂️. Because let’s be honest: in this race, the swim is mostly an elegant way to get you ready for what comes next 🍽️.

After the swim comes cycling 🚴. If you choose the S-1200 format, you’ll discover a short version—far from easy—of alpine triathlon. After a few kilometers in the valley, you quickly reach Notre-Dame-du-Cruet 😍. This is where things really begin. In front of you stand 12 kilometers of climbing for 1,100 meters of positive elevation gain up to Saint-François-Longchamp 1650 🏔️. Mid-climb, the village of Montgellafrey marks a symbolic milestone. Once you reach the resort, there are still 4 kilometers of running and 100 meters of positive elevation gain left to go grab the finish line 🏁. If you’re looking for a more complete challenge, the M-2200 format might seriously catch your eye. Right from the start of the bike leg, you cross the valley villages before reaching Pontamafrey 🔎. And then comes one of the most iconic sections of the entire race: the famous 18 hairpins of Montvernier 😵‍💫. With their 3.4 kilometers at an 8.2% average, they look like they were drawn directly onto the mountain by someone who hated straight lines 😂. The climb continues through Montvernier and Montpascal up to the top of the Col du Chaussy, perched at 1,533 meters above sea level 😮. Its 13.7 kilometers at a 7.5% average take you through increasingly wild scenery, in the heart of the alpine pastures of the Vanoise massif 🐮. After a long descent back to the valley, you find Notre-Dame-du-Cruet again and... yes, you guessed it: the Montgellafrey climb is waiting for you too 🥵. Another 12 kilometers and 1,100 meters of D+ before reaching the resort. In total, that’s 53 kilometers of cycling for 2,200 mD+. A particularly well-balanced format, perfectly mixing beautiful scenery, athletic challenge, and the pleasure of climbing. Well, pleasure... that depends on your definition of the word 😅. Just 8 km and 200 mD+ on foot (it wears you down, it wears you down) and you’re done! 🏆

And then there’s the L-3400 format, the one that makes the eyes of big alpine-pass lovers shine 🥺. The one that makes you say “this looks awesome” before checking the course profile and immediately adding “oh wow, okay then” 😬. After the Montvernier hairpins, already seriously demanding, the course takes you to one of the monuments of French cycling: the Col de la Croix de Fer 👊. From Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, you head back up the valley via Saint-Jean-d'Arves and Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves before taking on this legendary climb of 28 kilometers at a 5.7% average 👀. At the summit, above 2,000 meters above sea level, the panorama matches the effort you put in 🏞️. The rest continues on the legendary Alpine roads with the passage over the Col du Glandon before a long descent back to the valley. After already several dozen kilometers and several passes, you still have Montgellafrey left to climb. The same 12 kilometers and 1,100 meters of positive elevation gain as the other formats, but this time with legs that are already well spent 🫠. The bike leg then totals 100 kilometers for 3,400 meters of D+. Yes, you read that right 🤓. And because the organizers clearly have a lot of imagination, they then add 16 kilometers of running and 400 meters of positive elevation gain, spread over four 4-kilometer loops 🏃.And if you’re coming with family, know that the adventure begins even before race day. The day before the event, the youngest get their own date with the kids’ Animathlon, held at the Saint-François-Longchamp swimming pool. A great way to share the passion for triathlon across generations 👶.

Once the medal is around your neck, take the time to enjoy Saint-François-Longchamp and the Maurienne valley 🙌. After spending the day looking up at the peaks, you’ll finally be able to take them in calmly 😎. The mountain villages, the legendary roads ridden by the greatest cyclists, and the alpine landscapes that accompanied you throughout the race are well worth lingering over. After all, when you come to challenge the mountain, you might as well take the time to savor it, right? 🫕

Ready for the Madeleine Triathlon ? Fair warning: it’s no piece of cake..🍰