Bahrain Victorious enjoyed a dominant weekend in Europe, collecting victories and podium finishes across long- and short-course racing in Denmark and France.
At Ironman 70.3 Elsinore in Denmark, Marten Van Riel and Kat Matthews delivered a commanding double victory.
Van Riel extended his unbeaten streak over the 70.3 distance, securing his sixth consecutive victory and punching his ticket to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. The Belgian positioned himself in the lead group during the swim before smashing the standing bike record to build an unassailable advantage. He then controlled the run to win by 1 minute and 14 seconds as well as set a new course record of 3:36:03.
Matthews used the race as a final tune-up ahead of Challenge Roth in two weeks’ time, but still produced a trademark display on the run. More than three minutes down after the swim and bike, the reigning Ironman Pro Series champion erased the deficit within the opening three kilometres before charging to victory with a blistering 1:16 half marathon, crossing the line 35 seconds clear of her nearest rival.
A day earlier in France, Bahrain Victorious athletes Cassandre Beaugrand, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Vasco Vilaça took on the sprint distance at WTCS Quiberon.
Beaugrand continued her superb form, leading out of the swim and helping dictate the pace on the bike before holding off a fierce late challenge on the run to claim victory.
“I thought I was already having a good pace on the way back, so I was ready to make the last kick if I did have to, but at the end I was just controlling and trying to see where she was,” said Beaugrand. “I understood that I got the gap when people started to show that to me.”
Taylor-Brown was active throughout the bike leg alongside her teammate and fought hard to secure seventh place as the pace intensified in the closing stages.
In the men’s race, Vilaça came agonisingly close to another WTCS victory. The Portuguese star was among the protagonists all day and entered the final kilometre in the lead before a slip making the final 180-degree turn into the finish proved costly. He recovered to finish second and maintain his position at the top of the series standings.
“I haven’t done a sprint-distance race this year, so it was fun. It’s another gear you have to find on the run,” said Vilaça. “I tried to stay on the front and push the pace. It was a really hard run and I attacked the last U-turn and went into the ditch a little. I lost one or two seconds and you can’t do that to him.”
Vilaça lined up to anchor Portugal in the Mixed Relay season opener the following day, putting in a valiant effort to take his nation into fifth.
Bahrain Victorious leaves the weekend with plenty of momentum as the season moves into a crucial phase, with world championship and series ambitions continuing to take shape.
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