Group Stars & & Stripes Vasco Vilaça has today scored triumph in an immediate supertri classic in Toulouse, France. The Portuguese rose to the front on the last run leg of the day to edge his Stars & & Stripes ‘colleague Tim Hellwig to a development win, with Crown Racing's series leader Hayden Wilde ending up 3rd.
The nine-discipline triathlon saw 6 racers– Vilaça, Hellwig, Wilde, Léo Bergere, Kenji Nener and Vincent Luis– fighting at the front of the field for much of the race's period. That 6 would get in the last leg of the day all still in contention for the total success.
After success at the last 2 2024 supertri series races in Chicago and London, Crown Racing's Wilde was strong preferred for another win, however Vilaça and Hellwig would not pull back, breaking the New Zealander with metres to go to tape an extraordinary day for their Stars & & Stripes team.
The 24-year-old Vilaça was happy with his launching supertri success. “I'm so pleased. Ending up beside Tim, who did an incredible run of that last leg, so we might end up side-by-side to bring the points home for Stars & & Stripes, indicates I'm over the moon with this outcome. I truly had a hard time on the very first swim due to the fact that of the cold. From then on, I simply provided it whatever I had to get to the front. I'm delighted to reveal what I've been working for today.”
The race would see Stage 1 and 2 hosting a 300m swim, 4km bike and 1km run, before a last of 300m swim, 4km bike and a 2km last run.
The huge news ahead of the race was Alex Yee's lack due to jury service in the UK, with the Olympic champ not able to include indicate his sixth-placed overall. Into Yee's carbon-soled shoes came fellow Brit Jack Willis for the Brownlee Racing team, with Jonny Brownlee likewise made a return to supertri racing.
PHASE 1
The day's very first 300m swim atPort de la Daurade started in the waters of the Garonne river, with the bulk using wetsuits in a quote to beat the cold and include some neoprene-propelled swim speed (the drawback would be a slower shift speed). Chase McQueen was initially out of the water and very first to cross the installing line after T1 to scoop a Short Chute for destiny and Stripes, directly ahead of Brownlee Racing's Jack Willis and Vincent Luis of Crown Racing.
Onto the twisty 4km bike course and a pack of 10 would form at the front by the midway mark, consisting of series' leader Hayden Wilde of Crown Racing, with Jonny Brownlee 13secs back on his go back to the series. Léo Bergere, initially in Toulouse in 2023, was initially into shift, and onto the run leg to rating Podium Racing a Short Chute.
The 1km run, as has actually ended up being traditional throughout this 2024 season, saw Wilde take control at the front to nab a Short Chute for Crown Racing ahead of Stage 2.
