XTERRA PORTUGAL
Xterra Portugal
 

Xterra Portugal

April 3, 2010 (Figueira da Foz, Portugal) - Reigning XTERRA European Tour Champions Franky Batelier from France and Renata Bucher from Switzerland won the first race of the 2010 Tour at the inaugural XTERRA Portugal Championship this afternoon.
 It's Batelier’s fifth straight win in Europe, having swept the four-race European Tour last season.  On the women’s side Bucher, the "Swiss Miss" of XTERRA, continued her world domination tour by picking up her 21st career championship race victory since 2005.  Her resume now includes six XTERRA Saipan titles, three wins in France, two in Czech, Austria, and Italy, and one each in Japan, Malaysia, Spain..., U.K., U.S., and now Portugal.
“Kahuna Dave” Nicholas, the managing director of the XTERRA World Tour, was at the race and brings us this report...
Franky Batelier simply walked away with the race.  Local triathlon standout Bruno Pais led out of the water, however, Batelier put him away quickly on the bike.
"I wanted to open it up fast so he would not try to catch me - he is a very fast runner," said Batelier, who did not have it easy all day.  A camera moto was going slowly and as Batelier went to pass the driver swerved the wrong way and Batelier hit the ground hard but was o.k.
Nico Lebrun had a typical early season race going at a measured pace and only passing the very surprising Yeray Luxem from Belgium with about 200 meters to go.

PRO MEN RESULTS:


   Name Country Time
1 Franky Batelier     FRA 2:16:35
2 Bruno Pais           POR 2:21:53
3 Nicolas Lebrun    FRA 2:22:52
4 Yeray Luxem         BEL 2:23:05
5 Lino Barruncho    POR 2:25:12
6 Fabien Combaluzier FRA 2:25:52
7 Lieuwe Boonstra    RSA 2:27:18
8 Jim Thijs                  BEL 2:29:11
9 Francisco Villaescusa ESP 2:30:16
10 Borja Gabriel Figueroa ESP 2:31:06