Angèle Hug: from worlds gold to the Ardèche.

The International Marathon of the Ardèche Gorges is France’s marquee event in the kayaking world, serving as the season finale for seasoned athletes and a festive gathering for everyone else. With more than 20 nations represented, some of the best paddlers on the planet make the trip to take part in a race that draws nearly 2,000 participants.

We were eager to meet up again with Angèle Hug, Caravan athlete and freshly crowned world kayak cross champion – a title she claimed almost unopposed in Australia in October 2025.

“It was pretty special, because the world championships are usually in Europe. This time we were on the other side of the world, no family, no supporters, just the team. It was the first time I dominated a race through all six rounds from start to finish, it was cool. Noémie Fox – who won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics ahead of me – had the pressure of racing at home and she failed to qualify for the quarter finals. I saw her crying after she was eliminated. I didn’t think ‘Yes!’ It made me sad rather than happy to see one of my main rivals knocked out. But still, I’d travelled 16,000 km to go and get that title, so I went and got it — and for the right reasons!” Her teammate Camille Prigent joined her on the podium with a silver medal in Penrith, a moment of pure jubilation for the French team.

Last May, we set off with Angèle and a crew of top French kayakers on a two-day bikepacking-packraft adventure through the Verdon Gorge. It was just one week before the first round of the European Cup. Her coaches and trainers had pointed out that a trip like this wasn’t exactly the best way to prepare for a major competition… She went on to win gold. Until then she had been mostly riding on the road, and without realising it, Angèle had just been bitten by the gravel bug – a discipline rooted deeply in the natural world, an element every kayaker loves beyond measure.

And it was on a gravel bike that we found her again in the Ardèche Gorges, along with her lifelong friend Coline Charel — another gem of French kayaking. “Coco and I have known each other since our first years of primary school, we’ve shared so much together. It’s always nice to come back to Ardèche, this is where I took my first paddle strokes and discovered kayaking. We have so many memories here. We spent hours, days, on the slalom course at Vallon Pont d’Arc. We explored every corner of the forest: our coaches used to take us running along the banks of the Ibie [a small tributary of the Ardèche].” Their ride together was an unalloyed pleasure, an exploration of the places they’ve loved since they were kids: fording the Ibie, visiting mysterious caves… everything was on the menu.

An autumn afternoon, 4:00 pm: the sky is already darkening above the Ardèche River, the sun slipping behind the trees. Angèle’s day is far from over. With her canoe on her shoulder, she walks toward the slalom course she knows so well. She’s about to work on a few gates, catch some stops in the calm of the late afternoon. Her technique and control are a delight, even a newcomer can appreciate it.

Angèle embodies a simplicity and touching kindness. In the big kayaking family, it seems that no champion stands above the rest. A refreshing mindset, in a sport that has kept the business side at arm’s length. Angèle isn’t taking part in the Ardèche Gorges Marathon: “I didn’t register in time and I didn’t have a boat that was suitable for the race,” she says. The thought that she could have asked for an exemption, or that a brand would have been more than happy to lend her a boat, never even crossed her mind. Don’t change, Angèle!

Angèle also had a new priority this year: her “Give me a Hug” clothing line – a playful wink that everyone will get. It consists of environmentally responsible garments that combine style, environmental respect and the protection of rivers, her lifelong playgrounds. A range designed to demanding standards, made from organic or recycled cotton, blending a sport aesthetic and ecological awareness. A portion of the profits goes to organisations dedicated to water preservation: “A soft but powerful cry, a call for boldness, unity and tender disruption,” as the website puts it.

This is something Caravan athletes Alexia Barrier, Pierre Rollet and Guillaume Néry all agree on: in the water or under the water, in a boat or on a bike, we must move forward together and protect what keeps us moving. More than anyone, they know just how fragile the natural balance is – and how increasingly threatened. Thank you, Angèle, for carrying our values and for staying exactly who you are: direct, committed and true.