THE HUBSIDE JUMPING PLAYS HOST TO 7 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLISTS INCLUDING IDOL ERIC LAMAZE, FOR THE FIRST EUROPEAN CSI 5* OF THE OUTDOOR SEASON

This weekend an Olympic atmosphere will prevail at the HUBSIDE SPRING TOUR in Grimaud. A few weeks before the launch of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the first European CSI 5* of the outdoor season will bring together not less than seven Olympic past and current gold medallists, including the idol from Beijing/ Hong Kong in 2008, Canada’s Eric Lamaze, who is coming to Sadri Fegaier’s Haras des Grillons for the first time. They will compete on the courses designed by France’s Grégory Bodo, who will also be going to Japan this summer. Professional competition behind closed doors.

After a week to warm-up and last weekend’s CSI 4*, the world’s best riders will come face to face again on the French Riviera, on Thursday 6 May, for the first CSI 5* outdoor organised in Europe this year. The HUBSIDE JUMPING already kicked-off the 2020 season of 5* shows, to which it greatly contributed: four of the six post-lockdown CSI 5* shows organised in the world took place in Grimaud. All the champions will be present: 60% of the World top 30 is expected, including seven Olympic gold medallists, no less!

Eric Lamaze at the HUBSIDE JUMPING for the first time

Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, the 2012 Olympic individual gold medallist, a regular at the French Riviera show, will also be competing. In 2020, the Swiss rider won the first 5* Grand Prix in Grimaud, with Victorio des Frotards. The current World number 1 will face some tough competition as the current Olympic team gold medallists, France’s Roger-Yves Bost, Kevin Staut and Pénélope Leprévost, who was particularly convincing in the 4* Grand Prix last weekend, will also be present. America’s Laura Kraut, the team gold medallist at the Beijing /Hong Kong Olympics, is just as impressive and will also try to win the HUBSIDE SPRING TOUR’s 5* Grand Prix. But Scotland’s Scott Brash, who won the team gold medal for Great Britain on home soil in London in 2012, has not had his last word: the winner of three of the 4* Grands Prix in Grimaud, has yet to add his name to the list of winners of the HUBSIDE 5* Grand Prix! But all eyes (behind the screens) will be on the 2008 Olympic individual gold medallist, Canada’s Eric Lamaze, whose appearances are rare and treasured. After an American winter which was slightly interrupted by a participation in the Longines Global Champions Tour leg in Doha, in which the rider from Quebec finished third, he is back on this side of the Atlantic and has chosen the HUBSIDE SPRING TOUR for his first show in Europe. Fans hadn’t seen him at a European show since...last September!

Olympic gold medallists...

but also A good number of former HUBSIDE Grand Prix winners are back in Grimaud this week and will face these seven Olympic gold medallists, such as Germany’s Daniel Deusser, World number 2, Belgium’s Niels Bruynseels, World number 11, Brazil’s Marlon Modolo Zanotelli, World number 15, Ireland’s Denis Lynch, and Spain’s Eduardo Alvarez Aznar, the winner of last Sunday’s 4* Grand Prix. As for the French riders, in addition to the Olympic gold medallists, Julien Epaillard, World number 14 and Simon Delestre, World number 25 will also be present. Mathieu Billot and Nicolas Delmotte, who were superb last week, are also expected. They will all ride the courses built by Grégory Bodo, the French course designer, who in his own way, will contribute to the Olympic atmosphere that will prevail on the French Riviera this weekend: indeed this summer he will be the “assistant” of Santiago Varela, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics course designer, of whom he is above all the friend and with whom he shares many values. This week the HUBSIDE SPRING TOUR will boast prize money of more than 500,000 euros, of which 430,000 euros will be for the CSI 5* (200,000 euros in Sunday’s Grand Prix).

The first rounds will take place on Thursday morning.

All of the classes will be broadcast live on: https://grandprix.tv/fr

The masterlists can be dowloaded here.

Press Release