3 for 3 and the Queen is back at the T100 French Riviera

Hopefully some of the Forum users can appreciate that title as not a total “Spoiler” .

But as they sometimes say in life: If you know, you know.

It was a clear morning on location at the T100 race today, with the swim starting just 70 km south of the upcoming IRONMANM World Championship in Nice.

Both the mens and women’s field lined the sandy beach just in front of the Mercure Saint Raphael Centre Plage hotel. A two-loop swim course with an Aussie exit would start the day. The water temp of 24.9 C made the swim a bath compared to the 17.0 C air temp.

The bike would be a single loop course with 2,800 feet of climbing, mostly in the middle part of the course.

And the run course would be four flat laps, with a little bit of sand mixed in – just to make sure the ankles are still activating with all the super shoes..

Let’s start with the women’s race.

WOMENS RACE

SWIM

The T100 French Riviera women’s race began in classic fashion with the entire field starting before the gun went off 🙂 After none of them got DQ’d :), it was Jess Learmonth setting the pace from the opening meters of the swim. Known for her dominance in the water, she knew her shot and she took it quickly, surging to the front, forcing the rest of the field to chase. Georgia Taylor-Brown, who came in as a wild card, emerged from the water around 25 seconds back, while India Lee, Ellie Salthouse and Hannah Berry formed the next chase group over a minute behind. Ashley Gentle and Paula Findlay were further back, with Findlay surprisingly nearly three minutes down after the swim. Learmonth would finish the swim in 26:38, but would later DNF, so Taylor-Brown would end of up with the best “official” swim time of 27:03

BIKE

On the bike, Learmonth initially maintained control, but the dynamic shifted as Taylor-Brown and Alanis Siffert (another wild card) took turns pushing the pace at the front. Siffert would end up putting her stamp on the race, coming into T2 with a sizable lead and the fastest bike split of 2:03:24.

Meanwhile, athletes like Hannah Berry, Findlay and Laura Madsen steadily moved up on the bike, setting themselves up coming into T2. The field remained tightly packed, with the top ten separated by just over three minutes as they entered the run, setting the stage for one of the most competitive women’s T100 battles to date. (At least that’s what the announcers kept saying over and over again.)

One of the things I have to say is that while Findlay has struggled with these types of courses in the past, she clearly as improved with regards to her confidence on her TT bike when it comes to cornering and staying in the aero bar position. She would end up with the second fastest bike split of the day – 2:04:38.

RUN

On the run, ultimately Gentle’s trademark run speed came in handy as she surged past Taylor-Brown to reclaim the lead and never looked back. Findlay capitalized on her improved positioning off the bike, powering into second place, while Lee produced another strong finish to secure her third T100 podium. Taylor-Brown faded late under the pressure of the chase, but the day belonged to Gentle, who returned to winning ways after a challenging season. The final podium of Gentle, Findlay and Lee underlined the depth of the women’s field and reshaped the “Race to Qatar” standings, with Gentle climbing into fourth overall and reasserting herself as a major contender heading into the final stretch of the season.

The results of the top 10 would end up being some of the tightest times in the women’s field with only a 7 min gap separating first through tenth.

Mens Race

SWIM

The men’s race started on time and with a fierce battle in the water – Germany’s Rico Bogen and New Zealand’s Kyle Smith set the early pace, with Great Britain’s Sam Dickinson close behind. Hayden Wilde, who had lost significant time in the swim in London, showed marked improvement in the water by staying with the lead pack this time around. This guy’s comeback story just gets better and better. American Sam Long looked like he might have a good swim during the first part, but ended up dead last once again, 4:20 down. In the end it was Morgan Pearson (a “Hot Shot” participant) who would lead out of the water thanks to his 24:47 split.

Once on the bike, the race dynamics shifted quickly. Bogen and Dickinson pressed the pace at the front, with the wild card Brit showing why he had been given a start.

A mistake by Smith, who suffered a loose seat bolt, cost him valuable time as he ended up finally getting what he needed from on course support.

While Bogen was making risky passes, Wilde seemed calm and in control. In the end it would be Bogen with the day’s fastest bike split (1:47:17), with Wilde entering with him thanks to his 1:47:18.

Leo Bergere had the save of the day after almost going over the concrete guard rails. (It would have been devastating to watch.)

RUN

On the run, Wilde quickly stamped his control of the race, claiming his third straight T100 victory of the season. Behind him, Belgium’s Jelle Geens fought hard to catch Wilde, but with his one-minute deficit coming into T2, even the second-fastest run split of the day (57:57) would only secure him second place. Dickinson capped a breakthrough debut with a hard-earned third, confirming his wild card status was more than justified. Margirier finished fourth in front of the home fans, while Bogen rounded out the top five after running the 14th fastest run split.

Overall Wilde’s dominance reinforced his standing as the man to beat, while Geens climbed to the top of the “Race to Qatar” standings, with Wilde close behind in second.

While the men would come into T2 a little more spread out, in the end the gap between first and 10th would end up being very similar to the women’s race.

Tags: