Cassoulet and Manfredi take Victory at GFNY France-Orcières

This past Sunday, the alpine village of Orcières Merlette hosted GFNY France-Orcières, where riders tackled a grueling 158 km course with a staggering 4,461 meters of elevation gain

In a thrilling sprint finish, Paul Cassoulet claimed the overall victory in 5:03:06, edging out 2023 GFNY La Vaujany runner up champion Alexandre Banegas and legendary GFNY multi-time podium finisher Julien Bérard, who completed the all-French podium.

In the women’s race, Italy’s Mara Manfredi delivered a commanding performance, securing the win in 6:18:17. She finished 16 minutes ahead of Mallorie Mazzilli (France), who recently took third at GFNY La Vaujany 2025, and Marine Crampe, who rounded out the podium.

Orcières-Merlette 1850 is a high-altitude ski resort in the Southern French Alps (Hautes-Alpes), offering over 100 km of ski runs from 1,850 m up to 2,725 m, with a diverse mix of pistes for beginners to advanced levels and Europe’s longest zip line (1,870 m).

In summer, Orcières-Merlette transforms into a vibrant high-altitude playground, with three lifts whisking visitors up to 2,650 m for mountain-bike descents, the “Monde des 6 Lacs” alpine lake hike, paragliding, via-ferrata adventures – and one of the most spectacular GFNY races.

Link to 2025 GFNY France-Orcières Results: https://gfny.cc/results/2025/orcieres

Next up on the GFNY World Series calendar is the 6th annual GFNY Alpes Vaujany Croix de Fer, scheduled for August 24, 2025.