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After heading out to Saint-Raphaël and Fréjus herself to check out the race courses, TRI247's resident long distance triathlete Jenny Lucas-Hill brings you everything you need to know about the inaugural French Riviera T100 triathlon.
A new addition to the age-group and PRO T100 Triathlon World Tour for 2025, the French Riviera T100 is packed with potential to become a legendary staple on the triathlon race calendar.
Stunning location, steeped in sporting history? Check. Challenging, yet ridiculously fun bike course? Check. Festival atmosphere with the opportunity to see the world’s best pros in action? You got it. And a mighty fine excuse to treat yourself to a late summer jaunt around the south of France? Bien sûr, mes amis!
After checking out the course for myself earlier this year, I can confirm that the French Riviera T100 will be an incredible race to experience. And it’s got the potential to serve up some serious fireworks in the pro racing too – which you’ll get a front row seat for after your own race is done and dusted. Read on to find out everything you need to know about racing this epic 100km triathlon on the iconic Cote d’Azure with the T100.
Location - Glittering coastline and breath-taking scenery - triathlon 'race-cations' don't get better than this
The French Riviera T100 takes place in the resort towns of Saint-Raphaël and Fréjus, situated on the glittering Cote d’Azur in the south of France. Just a short journey away from Nice, Cannes, Antibes and Saint Tropez – sun, sea and stunning scenery are a given. But this is a race location that’s also steeped in sporting history.
Base Nature in Fréjus, where you’ll find the swim start, transition and run course, is home to the famous Roc d’Azur mountain biking festival. And the Corniche d’Or coastal road with it’s sweeping views of the Mediterranean sea and the imposing, yet beautiful, backdrop of the Esterel Massif is an iconic cycling route that should sit firmly at the top of every cyclists ‘ride before you die’ bucket list. Race day will present a rare opportunity to experience it with closed roads, too!
Easy to get to, whether you’re coming from elsewhere in France or travelling from overseas. And perfectly timed with the summer holidays so you can bring the whole family along for the ride. The French Riviera T100 triathlon is the perfect way to make the most of your summer training hours, then kick back with a relaxing seaside vacation.
Why race... French Riviera T100
Here’s why you should already have tapped that ‘enter now’ button on the French Riviera T100 triathlon:
Course - A must-do race course for bike lovers
Insanely beautiful location aside, the thing that’s skyrocketed the new French Riviera T100 triathlon to the top of my bucket list is the race course. A sheltered sea swim in the Mediterranean makes for a great start to race day. And the run course around Base Nature will pretty much guarantee an incredible atmosphere to send you all the way to the finish line. But it’s the bike course that puts the race firmly on the map. A ridiculously fun rollercoaster of rolling climbs and sweeping descents. The one lap, 80km course on closed roads will push your limits. But the reward is some seriously stunning views, and an unforgettable ride.
Of course, you’ve got shorter distance racing options alongside the flagship 100km event too. And with the world’s best pros in town to battle it out for precious points to improve their standings in the elite T100 Triathlon World Tour league table. Whether you choose to race the sprint distance or the full 100km, you’re going to get that ‘big race’ experience with a festival of triathlon atmosphere.
Swim - 2km
Race day starts on the beach at Base Nature in Fréjus. The swim is a single, anti-clockwise loop with a beach start. The triangular swim course is straight forward and super easy to follow - you'll also have plenty of buoys to keep you on track come race day too. Don't let the sea swim put you off if you're not a seasoned ocean swimmer. The water, even when I visited in early May, is mild and crystal clear. And the sheltered coast line means you're unlikely to have any major chop or swell to contend with.
BIke - 80km
The swim will be great - what's not to love about an early morning dip in the Med! But it's the bike course where this triathlon party really gets started. Taking place on closed roads (no need to worry about cars!), you'll head out of Fréjus towards neighbouring Saint-Raphaël. Get into a rhythm and get the nutrition on board here so you've got plenty in the tank to tackle the oncoming climbs - and still take in the incredible scenery. Once you reach Agay, the wow factor really ramps up as you make your way along the stunning Corniche d'Or coastal road. You've got some fun rollers before the first climb of the day, up the Pic de l’Our towards Theoles-sur-Mer. Don't get carried away here because the main climb is still yet to come - the Col du Testanier. Once you reach the summit, the good news is you've got a nice long descent to spin the legs out and get the heart rate down before it's time to head into T2 and take on the run course. There's no hiding from the fact that this is a challenging bike course, with just shy of 900m of climbing over the 80km distance. But from my experience, the climbs are fun and rolling rather than ferocious. And there's plenty of fast sections to bring your average speed up. Nervous descenders might favour a road bike, but as long as you're confident on two wheels I'd say this is still very much a TT-bike friendly course.
Run - 18km
After all those hills on the bike, you'll be pleased to know the run course is fast and flat. The 5 lap course takes place entirely within the beautiful green space back at Base Nature. The terrain is a mixture of tarmac and hard packed trail, but there's nothing technical and super shoes will still be beneficial. Tree-lined sections will provide some welcome shade if the weather is warm, and you'll get a nice breeze off the nearby beach too. The compact laps makes it super spectator friendly, so get ready to soak up the atmosphere and let their cheers carry you all the way to the finish line!
Race training & prep
A quick look at the course maps and it’s clear this is a race where getting some hill training in on the bike is going to be critical. In the build up, I’d recommend planning hilly routes for your long endurance rides so you can get used to the cumulative fatigue. In your peak training weeks, practice adding in a short run straight after these hilly rides. This will help you to understand how hard you can push on the hills without totally destroying your legs for the run.
For your shorter bike workouts, I’d suggest doing some under-over intervals so you can train your body to get used to putting in an effort and then recovering quickly and clearing lactate without having to lose too much speed. Take the time to practice your bike handling and descending skills, too. You don’t necessarily have to head off on a mountain training camp to do that (though if you’re looking for an excuse, I’m happy to be an enabler). You can find a hill near home and do hill repeats with turns in the road at the top and bottom (just be careful with oncoming traffic) which will tick three boxes: developing your climbing legs, getting used to carrying speed down the hill, and handling your bike around a tight 180 U-turn twice per rep.
Bike training aside, if you can get a few sea swims in ahead of race day it’ll only be an advantage. The beach is sheltered, so it’s unlikely you’re going to have any particularly wild conditions to deal with. But even on a calm day, a sea swim will feel different to a lake or a pool so being familiar will help to calm your nerves.
Travel & accommodation
Who knew paradise could be so easy to get to? Whether you’re travelling within France, or coming from overseas – getting to the French Riviera T100 is simple and stress free. Nice is your closest airport, just a short drive or train ride away from Saint-Raphaël and Fréjus. A major international airport, there are flights to and from destinations all over the globe including the rest of Europe, North America and the Middle East. Plus domestic flights for those already based in France – though with Paris only around a 5hr train ride away and Lyon a similar journey time, you’ll have no problems taking the train.
I flew into Nice from London Stanstead and it actually took me longer to get from where I live on the Suffolk coast to the airport in the UK, than the actual flight over to Nice lasted! On arrival, there’s a tram service right outside the airport. Use this to get to the Nice-Saint Augustine train station, and from there it’s easy enough to hop on a train to Saint-Raphaël or Fréjus,. If I can negotiate the local trains without incident (I have a famously terrible sense of direction and my over 1100 day streak on Duolingo has done nothing to actual improve my French speaking skills) then pretty much anyone can do it! You can use the SNCF Connect website to plan your journey in advance.
Saint-Raphaël and Fréjus, are neighbouring towns, and both equally as charming as the other. It only took me around 10 minutes rolling super easy on a bike to get from Saint-Raphaël to Fréjus (it’s around a 2-3km trip), so you can take your pick. The age-group racing all starts and finishes in Fréjus, so if you want to make things really easy for yourself on race morning you might favour staying there. But if you stay in Saint-Raphaël, you’ll have a front row seat for the PRO action.
As popular seaside resort towns, you’ve got a wide range of hotels to pick from to suit all tastes and budgets.
Spectators - Non-stop triathlon action
Spectators at the French Riviera T100 are in for just as much fun as the athletes! Soak up the atmosphere at the swim start, and cheer your athlete on as they head out of T1 onto the bike course. While they enjoy the climbs, kick back and enjoy the beach vibes – you’ll need plenty of energy for the run course party.
Once your athlete gets off the bike, you’ll be able to cheer them on multiple times throughout the 18km run thanks to the compact, multi-lap route around Base Nature. Once the age-group racing is over, make sure to stick around to watch the PROs – this is a race course that’s likely to set things up for an epic showdown. And don’t forget, alongside the T100 racing there’s also short course WTCS racing happening over the same weekend. That means you’ll have a good chance of bumping into all your favourite PROs – from Olympians to long distance champions.
Spectating can feel like an endurance sport, but this is truly a race weekend that will be just as exciting for fans as it is for those racing!
Race-cation - Relax and recover
Even without the promise of a bucket-list worthy triathlon race experience. Late August in the south of France pretty much sells itself! With an entire coast line of golden sandy beaches to choose from, you won’t be short of a place to kick back and relax by the sea. Saint-Raphaël and Fréjus both offer quintessential seaside charm, with historic architecture and quaint colourful houses. It’s well worth taking a ride on the Ferris Wheel in Saint-Raphaël – if you time it with sunset you’ll get spectacular golden hour views of the Rocher du Roquebrune. Get a feel for the history of Fréjus with a walk around the remains of the Roman ampitheater. Or simply take a stroll around the harbour, where you’ll find plenty of bars and restaurants for your post-race celebrations.
Once you’ve recovered from your race effort, hop on the train and take the opportunity to explore nearby Cannes, Antibes, Saint Tropez and Nice. The Cote d’Azur is a truly stunning part of France, and it’s the perfect opportunity to tick these iconic French Riviera cities off your ‘to visit’ list.
Stunning scenery, a festival atmosphere and quite possibly the most epic middle distance triathlon bike course on the circuit. Come for the race, stay for the vacation. The French Riviera T100 promises an unforgettable weekend of swim-bike-run action.
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