Kevin Maurel: Nice objective with the Shaka!

June 06, 2023

Each sport has its legendary events. Nice is one of the monuments of Triathlon. At the beginning of the 1980s, triathlon, a young discipline from the United States, was considered an extreme sport. Hawaii is the benchmark event for long distance, in 1982, Nice will become the European capital. From now on, the race belongs to the heritage of the city which will host the long distance world championships in 2023. In a triathlete's career, Nice is an essential race, a holy grail to conquer.

Only one goal in sight

Kevin Maurel is making Nice his goal of the year, beyond this exceptional race, he doesn't really have any other sporting projects in 2023. We had an appointment with him at 6:30 a.m. on this first day of Spring. Discovering Nice, the city of the event with a local and sharing a part of your cycling training with them is an attractive program. Kevin lives near Cannes, a few kilometers from here. Nice, its hills, its near and more distant hinterland is an environment that he knows like the back of his hand having explored it from top to bottom and having climbed all the passes on numerous occasions.

An expected meeting

There aren't many people in front of the Negresco at such an early hour of the day. Kevin, “Ironman” bag on his back, pushes a gleaming Girs Shaka with one hand to win the Promenade de Anglais, the “Prom” as we more commonly say near Nice. Here, in a few months, thousands of athletes will put in the triple effort, some at the highest level, others will fight more with themselves than with the rankings, Kevin belongs to the first of these categories of athletes.

A job that pays

Perhaps because he saw his triathlete father training and running races at a very young age, surely because he had good physical skills, he chose very young to devote himself to triple effort and a high-level career would follow. A professional triathlete for 7 years, Kevin ran with the French long distance team in 2018, finished 4th at the world championship in Denmark, won the Ironman in Marrakech and took 3rd place in an Ironman in Wales in 2022.

Nice as the ultimate objective in 2023. The ironman at the end of June firstly to obtain qualification for the world championships which will take place… in Nice in September. Nice with a double objective therefore, on a course which suits him perfectly, which he knows precisely and on which he will have plenty of time to train in the weeks and months to come.

Shaka will accompany Kevin MAUREL

Girs has been Kevin's partner since the start of this season. “Dream sponsor for a triathlete, capable of meeting all my needs. On the bike side, the Girs Shaka is a hyper-versatile bike, one of the best I've had so far,” he explains with a broad smile.

Leaving the Promenade des Anglais, Kevin invites us to follow him to the hills of Nice so that we can get a little idea of ​​his training ground. Few roads are really flat here and you have to quickly get up on the pedals. On the heights of Mont Boron, the breathtaking view of a sun-drenched Riviera coast is an ode to spring taking hold. We'll leave Kevin here after a few photos. He will continue further, much higher, towards the peaks still whitened by the snow. That's the whole objective of the year, to climb, and climb again, to the highest step of the podiums.