Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Fernandes in English ...


does not spell cold-weather friendly. She was one of the last to rack her bike and kept bundled up the entire time. She put vasoline, or something like it, on the inside of her shoes. Not once during the race did she look like she was enjoying her visit to the Wet Coast. No doubt Beijing will bring a different result.

T1 to T2









Third


As the run began, the focus shifted to who would come in third - Warriner, Norden, Densham or Moffatt. Warriner got the edge in a photo finish with Densham, with Moffatt trailing.

Not so sweet


Tough day at the office for Kirsten who injured a foot a few days ahead of the race and had it frozen even before entering the water.

The cold hit the performances of many of the top women including Laura Bennett. The weather though didn't slow her teammate Haskins nor the UK's Tucker who broke away on the bike and raced together all the way to the finishing chute.

Tucker Reigns


Unheralded, Helen Tucker won her first world cup race, a victory that moved her to fifth overall in the ITU's rankings. British women now hold the ITU world and the WTC Ironman crowns.

Elite Men



Reed - the American one - had two handlers helping with his pre-race prep. He was one of the last to head down the start line. Not because he was slow, he was simply taking his time.

Swim to Bike


The elite men had the best weather during the entire week - no rain, little wind. Whifield led out of the water and the crowd was enthused. He was hardly alone though as T1 got crowded very fast.

Bennett with two T's





Bennett had one of the unheralded performances, given that he ended outside the top 10 after breaking away first on the bike and later during the run. He had to go for broke to help secure a third spot for Australia for its men's team in Beijing. It didn't work.

Transitions


The lead group of men had 48 athletes. As a result both T1 and T2 were chaotic to say the least.

Sixth for Simon


Heading into the race, clearly one that he wanted to win, Whitfield said he had been training with a photo of his key rival - Gomez - at home. He may need to have it enlarged. Gomez dropped the hammer half way through the run and was gone.

Tichelaar

He needed a top eight finish to secure a spot for Beijing. He said it was the most important race of his life. He finished 9th - and will be making his Olympic debut after getting the nod from the selection committee.

The new world champ