Welsh athletes make Wales proud in Spain
Dr Andy Lane reports on last weekend's ETU Triathlon European Cup in Madrid
Large and noisy crowds, lots of cheering, hot and humid temperatures, eight times up a 2km climb past the Spanish / Welsh corner (flags were out) and names painted on the road made last weekends ETU Cup in Madrid more like the Tour de France than a triathlon. What a fantastic atmosphere!
As per the report on the ETU website, the Madrid continental cup saw a change in guard last weekend. The women’s podium was topped by Jeanne Lehair (FRA) a final year junior athlete, Sara Dossena (ITA) the recent silver medallist at the European Duathlon championships and Sophie Coldwell (GBR), first year senior athlete. Coldwell had a great day in her first Olympic distance race, leading out of the swim, riding solo for two thirds of the race, then running at the front with Lehair until the young French girl attacked with two laps left. Dossena known for her fast running came from the second pack and ran through the field for second place with Codwell collecting a very well deserved bronze medal.
Welsh interest lied with Zoe Thomas, a week after winning the BUCS sprint championships. Whilst Coldwell and Celine Schaerer (SUI) were out in clear water there was a bit of congestion around the buoys during the swim. Zoe battled through the two laps having got caught up a bit around a few buoys and was behind the chase group so she had a bit of work to do on the bike. The 8 laps up the 2km climb in the heat was going to be a great test for all athletes. The fans were certainly going to help as they created a great atmosphere on the climb making a lot of noise. Zoe worked well with a few other Swiss athletes to get into the main group who were still chasing Sophie before half way. Zoe rode near the front of that group to stay in a good position as Sophie decided to sit up as the time gap was dropping to the main field. With two laps to go it was all to play for and everyone had decided to save their legs for the run. A very fast T2 saw Zoe exit transition in first place heading out onto the run. A good example of how excellent skills can put you in the right place which will stand Zoe in good stead for the future. Zoe paced her 10km evenly and showed good progression from Quarteira putting together a decent race and securing 14th place overall. The other British finishers included Lucy Smith in 16th place and Hannah Johnston (29th). A short video of the women’s race can be found here: http://allonsports.com/video-copa-europa-madrid-femenino/
The mens race saw the fans come alive as the Spanish were at the front during the run. Uxio Aubien Ares took the win, narrowly beating Cesar Saracho (MEX) in a sprint finish. Emilio Aguayo (ESP) yo-yo’d a number of times from the front pack during the run but timed his effort very well and took home the bronze medal. Earlier in the race the French pairing of Shaw and Raphael led out of the swim. A long line of athletes then made it into T1 with Welsh athletes Iestyn Harrett and Liam Lloyd in a good position. Almost immediately the main pack formed and Liam and Iestyn rode sensibly towards the front for the majority of the bike. Liam looked very comfortable and strong during the later stages of the bike, unintentionally opening up a small gap at the start of the climb on lap 7. Sensibly Liam looked behind almost immediately and dropped back into the top few riders as this was probably not the right time to attack. Just like the women had done earlier in the day, the men appeared to be saving themselves for the run. The first 5km saw a few different athletes at the front of the race but as it drew to a close Raphael, Bishop, Ares and Saracho had formed a small pack with one and a half laps left. Iestyn was running well in the top half of the field picking athletes off. Liam had found his own rhythm also inside the top half of the field. As the athletes crossed the line Iestyn had continued to run strongly picking off a number of athletes infront of him to secure 17th position and Liam crossed the line in 22nd position. Stuart Hayes was the best of the British demonstrating his World Class ability with 6th position (first ITU race since 2013), David Bishop was 7th, Alastair Rogers 29th, and Luke Penney 46th.
Full results can be found on the ETU website here http://www.triathlon.org/results/event/2015_madrid_etu_triathlon_european_cup
Photos: Carlos Triathlon and Allon Sports
