[ad_1]
There was no doubt on Sunday morning who the first-ever World Cup race in Hong Kong belonged to. Britain’s Sian Rainsley managed to hold off the American duo of Katie Zaferes and Kirsten Kasper for her first win at this level.
The 750m swim in Victoria Harbor was a test, with the swimmers racing around the buoy and managing to evade their pursuers as they raced around the buoy, leaving a group of seven at the front and completing five 20km bike laps. It wasn’t until the bell rang that the first three people finally managed to break free and escape. Rainsley then took over in the lead with just over 2km remaining, creating a decisive move to take the tape ahead of 2019 world champions Zaferes and Kasper. .
“I didn’t race a lot last year and had quite a few injuries, so just being back on the starting line was exciting,” Rainsley said with a big smile. “I thought, let’s blow away the cobwebs, so I feel a little bit better. I’ve been training a lot with my partner Tom, who just got on the podium this morning in Australia with a 70.3, so today was a good day for us. Day! I just got into the front group so I was happy to do that and I just sprinted as hard as I could on the last run lap and it paid off today.”
USA and UK dominate in swimming
It was a common sight to see GB’s Olivia Mathias and Sophie Alden leading the swim through the turn, taking an early lead as Kasper and Zaferes followed. Race number one Summer Rapaport (USA) gained momentum to line up at the front and widened the field towards the pontoon in the closing stages.
Ripples and long ramps made exits difficult, and as they climbed the stairs to the transition, Rapaport appeared to be losing ground. A 40-second run to the bike rack shuffled through the pack, with Emma Jeffcoat (Australia) leading the pack from Spain. Cecilia Santamaria Srocka.
Magnificent Seven Pull Clear
With Rappaport and Canada’s Sophia Howell stuck in last place, the front seven developed into a tight group, but further back Switzerland’s Julie Delon and Austria’s Thérèse Feusinger formed a group led by Ilaria Zöhn (ITA). He was trying to close the gap between the two. Erika Ackerland (USA) was 20 seconds behind the leader.
2018 world champion Vicky Holland (Great Britain) was unable to get behind the wheel of Deron and fell back to the third group along with Tilda Munsson (Sweden) and Yuka Sato (Japan), with the Swiss quickly moving into the main race. He took the lead in the chase. We want to form a group on the second lap and involve the leader.
Bravo to the hunt
The lead reached 30 seconds and held until the final stages of the final lap, when Mathias, Alden and Jeffcoat were fastest through the transition and away at the front, but were not given time to enjoy the moment. It didn’t take long for him to reach 7th place. We’re back together.
Santamaria and Jeffcoat were the first to drop out, and with Zaferes, Kasper, Rainsley and Mathias pushing, Alden was unable to maintain the pace, leaving a total of seven riders, two Americans and two Brits.
Further back, Bravo and Deron geared up, the Dutchman flying around the field as well as Denmark’s Albert Kjær Pedersen, but Mattias suddenly found himself 10 seconds behind the front three and the medal was all but decided. It looked like it.
The last push works
Kirsten Kasper pushed on the short downhill but did not sway her rivals and with 500 meters to go there was nothing between them. But then Rainsley was able to summon the finish he needed, kicking out clear as the blue carpet approached and cutting into the sunlight. The difference in victory was 6 seconds as the players cheered. Zaferes bounced back after a grueling Continental Championship in Miami to win silver, Kasper returned to the podium with bronze, Bravo moved up to fourth place and Zane took fifth.
—
“I didn’t finish the last race and it’s always difficult to get yourself into the right mental space for the next race after a DNF,” Zaferes admitted. “I’m really proud of this race. It wasn’t an easy two seconds, it was a tough battle. I’m really happy that I was able to combine the swim, bike, run, and transition well. The swim felt a little strange, but… I tried my best to relax, stay connected, and take it step by step, so not getting too far ahead of myself was a big focus of this race.”
“I’m really happy to be back on the podium. To be honest, I didn’t decide to participate in this race until two weeks ago, so it’s a great way to come to Hong Kong for the first time and get back on the podium,” he said with satisfaction. Ta. Kasper. “It was a mental battle because I didn’t know where my running fitness was at the beginning of the season. I wanted to get stronger and work to make sure I was on the podium, and maybe fight for the win. The girls worked together to get me there today, and I’m really happy to be a part of the podium. It means everything I’ve done this winter has paid off. And I’m grateful to my team for helping me find my way back to the podium.”
Full results can be viewed here.
[ad_2]
Source link
