Author: X-Pyr
X-Pyr 2024 – who’s in the race?
The sixth edition of the Pyrenean H&F competition will feature some old faces and a lot of new blood. We welcome back race veterans Standa Mayer (CZE) and Toma Coconea (ROM). Standa has competed in the most X-Pyr races of all the participants. No doubt we will hear his signature call “Vamos a la playa, chicas!” at the start line in Hondarribia on the 23rd of June.
Five of the 2022 top six have come to try to claim the crown from Chrigel Maurer, who will not be competing this year. Who will win this edition? Favourites must be Maxime Pinot (FRA), Pierre Remy (FRA), who are flying literally in their backyard, and Simon Oberrauner (AUT) with a strong challenge from Pál Takáts (HUN), a rookie. However, in this race fortune favours the brave, so this edition is wide open to any challenger.
This year 18.75% of the participants will be from outside Europe (although many of these do live there). There will be good representation of the Americas and our first African participant.
There will also be a wide age range in the field, from Malo Richard (FRA) at 22 to veteran PPG pilot Christiaan Durrant (AUS) at 54 years old. The mean age of all pilots is 34.7 years old. Sadly, no women applied, so we have an all-male line up.
You can see the full list of teams and their background here: https://x-pyr.com/x_team_cat/team-data
The route will be announced at the end of May. Watch this space.
X-Pyr 2024 – List of Selected athletes
48 teams from 22 countries
A warm welcome to returning and new participants
The athletes have been selected for the 2024 edition of the X-Pyr. The largest field of participants will be on the start line at Hondarribia on the 23rd of June and they represent six continents. This edition we welcome a participant from the African continent for the first time.
South and North America will be well represented with participants from Argentina, Brazil, Canada and the USA. Naturally, the event will be dominated by European teams, the majority of whom this year come from France and Switzerland. Also five Spanish teams will participate.
The organisation are thrilled to see three of the four finishers of the 2022 edition, Maxime Pinot (FRA), Pierre Remy (FRA) and Simon Oberrauner (AUT) and fifth and six-placed Swiss pilots Noe Court and Lars Meerstetter will return for another attempt. Former four-times champion Chrigel Maurer has decided to take a break and has not entered to defend his title, meaning the race will have a new winner – the first since 2012!
Additionally, some old friends of the race will also return. Standa Mayer (CZ), runner-up in 2016 and third-placed in 2018 and legend Toma Coconea (RO) will be joining and bringing with them a wealth of experience of the race and the terrain.
Despite the initially poor weather conditions and the complexity of the route in 2022, many rookies of that race have returned for more. Sadly, no women applied to take part and we hope more will be inspired to participate in the next edition. Below is the full list of the 2024 X-Pyr teams. We look forward to meeting them all in June in Hondarribia!
Full list of athletes
Argentina
Lucas R. Toledo Pastore
Australia
Christiaan Durrant
ShaneTighe
Austria
Andreas Viehböck
Markus Waltl
Simon Oberrauner
Thomas Friedrich
Belgium
Jean de Biolley
Thibault Voglet
Brazil
Gabriel Rabello
Canada
Benoit Brunet-Poirier
Czech Republic
Stanislav Mayer
France
Florian Serra
Louis Cussot
Maël Baguet
Malo Richard
Maxime Pinot
Pascal Valee
Pierre Remy
William Pierré
Germany
Christian Schugg
Friedrich Bloße
Hungary
Pál Takáts
Italy
Davide Sassudelli
Emil Guariento
Netherlands
Sebrand Warren
Norway
Johannes Helleland
Poland
Michal Gierlach
Michal Radzicki
Portugal
João Veiga Rodrigues
Romania
Adrian Pochiu
Toma Coconea
Slovenia
Lenart Oblak
South Africa
Ben Hodgson
Spain
Dario Dandeu
David Ferrer Llanes
Iñigo Ais
Jordi Aymerich
Mattin Iñiguez
Switzerland
Lars Meerstetter
Morane Montavon
Nicola Heiniger
Noé Court
Patrick Harvey-Collard
Sebastian Weber
Turkey
Barış Çelik
USA
Ben Abruzzo
Jared Scheid
A bit of History
The first X-Pyr took place in 2012. It seems like it was a different era!
This 2026 will be the seventh edition of the race, (in 2020, the 5th edition wasn’t possible, due to COVID).
Starting in 2012, then, as always thereafter, the race left Hondarribia for the first time.
Fourteen teams dared to start the race into the madness of crossing the Pyrenees from coast to coast. Until finishing in El Port de la Selva a week later, it was a real sprint between the first two, Iván Colás and Iñigo Gabiria. The final winner was Iñigo, with an incredible difference of less than 30 seconds.
The 2022 edition was intended as a tribute to those 10 years of racing and, of course, to our main sponsor, Munich, the brand with the ‘X’. With an incredible route: longer, more complicated… wonderful participants, and a challenge that is growing edition after edition. And, of course, the dominance of Chrigel Maurer since his first win in 2014.
In 2024, a new winner emerged in the race: Simon Oberrauner. He was the third winner of the race.
For that edition, we created two different routes. The first route was impressive, long, and really amazing. The second route was designed for use in case of terrible weather and allowed us to have a different race. Twenty-one teams reached the goal in 2024, setting a new record.
From the first edition until now, things have changed. The organisation, the participants, the race itself.
But we still keep the original essence: we are a group of hike & fly enthusiasts who want others to be passionate about what we love the most.
If we have aroused your curiosity about the previous editions, take a look at the summary we have prepared.
Applications for 2024 are OPEN!
The moment many of you have been waiting for has arrived.
The pre-registration period for the next edition of X-Pyr in 2024 is open!
The deadline for accepting applications will be the 31st December.
The race will start on June, the 23rd 2024.
On the website you will see the option for pre-registration. Please fill in the form and submit it.
In the meantime, how about remembering what X-Pyr 2022 was, with X-Pyr 2022 – The Movie?
If you have any problems, queries or need assistance, please contact us by sending an email to contact@x-pyr.com
