X-Pyr 2026: Team Niviuk completes a historic edition

Team Niviuk delivers an outstanding performance

In an edition like this, reading the weather and making the right strategic decisions proved just as important as physical endurance. Despite its difficulty, X-Pyr 2026 also set a new finisher record, with 36 of the 50 athletes reaching Goal — a reflection of the outstanding level of competition this year.

Congratulations to every athlete who took on such a demanding challenge, and especially to the winners of X-Pyr 2026 for their exceptional performances.

The nine Team Niviuk pilots took on the challenge equipped with the Klimber 3 P, the new Rocket P and the Expe Race — an ultralight setup designed to deliver maximum performance with minimum weight, where every decision counts.

Noé Court
5th place: 4 days, 10 hours

Noé delivered a truly outstanding performance. In only his third X-Pyr, he secured an impressive Top 5 finish, confirming his enormous potential in the hike & fly discipline.

He made excellent decisions from the very beginning, followed a solid strategy throughout the race and produced some spectacular flights in the final days, climbing rapidly through the rankings to finish in a well-deserved fifth place.

A result we're incredibly proud of. Congratulations to Noé and his entire team!

Pierre Remy
13th place: 4 days, 14 hours

Pierre started the race in outstanding form, holding third and fourth place during the opening stages.

A storm on the second day led him to make the sensible decision to prioritise safety. Although it cost him valuable positions that proved difficult to recover, he once again demonstrated his experience, his ability to read the mountains and the adventurous spirit that defines him.

The Pyrenees remain his playground, and we're sure he'll be back on the start line in two years' time.

Justin Puthod
30th place: 5 days, 9 hours

This was Justin's first hike & fly race of this kind, and the opening days were far from easy. He had to find the right balance in managing food and hydration, two essential factors in such a demanding event. Rather than letting it affect him, he gradually found his rhythm and reached Goal one day before the official race deadline.

He also achieved one of the most remarkable statistics of the entire edition: he recorded the fastest climbing rate of the race, averaging 960 metres of ascent per hour, well above the median of 700 m/h. His XC flying experience, combined with an excellent understanding of the terrain and weather, allowed him to recover positions and complete a highly promising first X-Pyr.
 

Bruno Caby
33rd place: 5 days, 19 hours

This was Bruno's first experience flying in the Pyrenees, and also his first race of this kind. Reaching Goal was a fantastic way to begin. One of his biggest challenges was learning to understand the complex valley breeze systems, but he also discovered unique flying conditions, with spectacular days that allowed him to climb above 4,000 metres, something that left him completely amazed.

The experience clearly won him over. As he summed it up at the finish: "You make dreams happen." Now there's only one question left: will he be back on the start line in two years' time?

Guillem Monroset
34th place: 5 days, 20 hours

As a local pilot, Guillem knows the Catalan Pyrenees better than almost anyone, but experiencing the X-Pyr from the inside was something completely different. After several days of effort, including stages with more than 80 km on foot, emotional moments and incredible flights, he crossed the finish line surrounded by family, friends and much of the free flying community in one of the most emotional moments of the race.

"It has been a dream, and a huge thank you to the whole team because we've achieved this together." The X-Pyr is a race, but it's also a shared adventure where memories are made for life.

Samuel Inouye
42nd place

Samuel wasn't able to reach Goal within the official race time, but he continued his adventure right until the very end. Amazed by how demanding the race was, he explained that despite finishing each day completely exhausted, he still felt he wasn't making as much progress as many of the other athletes. That's one of the biggest lessons the X-Pyr teaches: every kilometre has to be earned.

His perseverance and determination allowed him to complete an unforgettable experience, proving that the true spirit of adventure in this race goes far beyond the final rankings.

Knowing when to stop is also part of the race

Not every X-Pyr story ends at Goal, and that's also part of what makes this race so unique.


Jean de Biolley was forced to withdraw after a difficult landing on the fourth day, following a race that had already begun with a tree landing and rescue on day one. Thankfully, both Jean and his entire team are doing well. It wasn't his year, but we're convinced he'll come back even stronger.

Antoine Franc was also forced to withdraw on day six, close to TP5, after an incident during a 160 km flight that required him to deploy his reserve parachute. Fortunately, he escaped uninjured and made the right decision to put safety first.


Barış Çelik also had to withdraw due to the extreme heat. That alone says a lot about the exceptional conditions throughout this edition: a pilot accustomed to flying in desert environments considered the temperatures too demanding to continue.

Proud to represent the spirit of X-Pyr

X-Pyr 2026 has once again shown that hike & fly is much more than a discipline. It's strategy, endurance, adaptability, a passion for flying and a strong sense of community.

We're incredibly proud of every Team Niviuk pilot for the commitment, effort and attitude they showed throughout the race. They represented our values brilliantly and gave us an edition that will be remembered for many years to come.