Post
Race News Release
Summer
weather and big waves welcomed the triathletes to
Estoril, Portugal.
For
a second year in a row the Atlantic city of Estoril
held an ITU International Event. Almost 125 triathletes
(25 % of them women) were looking at the sea on Saturday
evening wondering if the huge waves will still be
there for the SundayTriathlon.
Contrary
to the forecast, the waves were smaller and the did
not present serious difficulties to the triathletes.
Wetsuits
were allowed to protect the triathletes fromthe cold
water of the Atlantic Ocean (16º race morning).
30
women began the swim against the broken waves of70
meters, once they passed this "white water"
the swim was easy. Pilar Hidalgo (ESP) and Caroline
Kearney (IRL) lead the race during this segment and
finally Vanessa Fernandes (POR) touched the sand in
first place less than 19 minutes later. A fast transition,
as usual, and a lead group formed at the very beginning
of the cycling segment. At the first turning point
nine triathletes worked together to ensure that most
of the points up for grabs remained between them.
In this pack two French athletes (Py and Daumas) two
Spanish (Burgos and Murua) and Kathleen Smet (BEL),
ranked 12 on the ITU Ranking list. The second group
with Nadia Cortassa (ITA) and Evelyn Williamson (NZL)
tried to close the gap without success: the difference
grew from one to three minutes.
In
front of the famous "Casino de Estoril"
was the second transition, the run course passed five
times in front of its gardens. The fight between Katleen
Smet and Ana Burgos was hard and emotional. Both of
them knew each other. Finally, Ana Burgos gained an
enough advantage after the second lap through the
garden and crossed the finish line in her first-ever
victory in an International Triathlon. Kathleen Smet
earned enough points to keep her in 12th position.
The young French girl, Delphine Py obtained the third
place. The 9th place of Vanessa Fernandes put her,
for the first time, in the ranking list.
The
men's start list included 90 triathletes with Simon
Lessing (GBR), former world champion. The start was
half an hour after the women's. The figure of Lessing
led the others out of the water, ahead of a long line
of triathletes through transition.
On
the bike, the British champion continued controlling
the situation, and no attacks were registered. The
second group joined the first and at km 18, a big
pack of 30-35 triathletes led the race, with all the
favourites. In the third lap Gael Mainard (FRA) escaped
without loss, because his speed was fast and he led
with one minute at the second transition área.
The group of 35 began to run to solve the question:
Who will be the top 10 today? 25 of the leading group
will return home without any points in the race. Simon
Lessing took the lead at the end of the first lap:
this was the end of Mainard's adventure, later he
abandoned the race. Another Frenchman, Cedric Fleureton
doesn't leave. The Italian Ferraro, Merchan (ESP)
and Berlier (FRA) push Feureton. The differences are
not big at kilometre 5 and the fight and the hot pace
produce some losses in the top classified (Cabellos,
Van Lierde or Liptak) Lessing crosses the finish line
first. He was in the lead group from the beginning,
but his victory was not so easy that it seemed.
The
Mayor of Estoril, together with ITU Executive Board
member Marisol Casado of Spain and the Portuguese
Triathlon Federation President, Jose Luis Ferreira
gave the medals, and the flowers in front of a crowd
who were very excited viewing the races along the
roads joining Estoril and Cascais. All in all, a wonderful
ITU International Triathlon in the beautiful resort
town of Estoril, Portugal.
