In-form Alanis Siffert has followed up her surprise win at Challenge Roth by completing an incredible hat-trick of titles as the fastest woman at the Triathlon de l’Alpe d’Huez.
The Swiss athlete, who took the tape in Germany last month ahead of superstar Brits Lucy Charles-Barclay and Kat Matthews, once again showed that she is a threat ahead of the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships with a stunning start-to-finish demolition of her rivals, which also set a new course record.
Having taken the lead during the 2.2km swim in Lac du Verney, she then extended her advantage on the 118km bike leg, which sees competitors climb 3,200m, before pulling even further away on the 19.2km run to take the tape in 6:13:00.
‘A race that is close to my heart’
The closest anyone got to challenging her for the win was France’s Jeanne Collonge, but she was more than nine minutes back in second place (6:22:30), while fellow Swiss Nina Derron finished in third with a time of 6:32:12.
Siffert completed the swim in a time of 28:02, which was 16th best in the mixed field, and never looked like relinquishing her lead; Collonge recovered well to finish second after coming out of the water in 125th place and more than five minutes behind the leaders.
Siffert said: “It is just incredible. Two years ago, it was my first professional victory here, so it is a race that’s really close to my heart.
“It’s magnificent, but it’s really tough too. I have to say congratulations to all of the athletes who have finished this race; it is so hard, even for us. So it’s just magnificent to be able to do an event like this again and win again.
“There were so many people here to cheer me on, and that really gives you energy when things get tough. You see their smiles; you see them along the roadside, and it is truly fantastic.”
Steger battles back on the bike
Austrian Thomas Steger was the first man to cross the finish line as he followed up on last year’s bronze-medal finish to rule supreme this time around.
His win, however, was not quite so straightforward, as he exited the water back in 19th overall – behind Siffert (16th) and Lola Bachet of France (18th) – and with almost three minutes to catch up on Frenchman Pierre Dupuy, who set the standard with a time of 25:26.
It was on the bike, however, where Steger made his move, powering his way through the field to join the French trio of Dupuy, Louis Richard and Émile Blondel-Hermant at the front of the race.
Steger entered T2 in first place, having completed the ride in 3:48:52, with Blondel-Hermant second (3:51:57), Dupuy third (3:57:03) and Richard – who had been almost 11 minutes behind after the swim – starting the run in fourth, having recorded the day’s best ride of 3:47:46.
Dupuy fades as Richard recovers
The run may only be 19.2km, but at an altitude of roughly 1,800m, the thin mountain air makes it seem much longer for the athletes, and Dupuy was unable to stay with the leaders as he eventually slipped back to finish in fifth.
Instead, it was Richard who completed his impressive comeback from the swim by forcing his way onto the podium in third place, running a second-best time of the day at 1:11:38 and finishing overall at 5:38:48.
Second place went to Blondel-Hermant, who did his best to break Steger with a run of 1:12:15, but his overall time of 5:36:07 was no match for the Austrian, who did what was required with a 1:13:22 run and a winning overall time of 5:33:41.
For Blondel-Hermant, it was a case of double celebration, having already won Monday’s Alpe d’Huez duathlon for the sixth time.
Women’s results
(2.2km swim – 118km bike – 9.2km run)
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Swim | Bike | Run | Total time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alanis Siffert | SUI | 28:02 | 4:22:55 | 1:18:41 | 6:13:00 |
| 2 | Jeanne Collonge | FRA | 33:21 | 4:26:26 | 1:18:46 | 6:22:30 |
| 3 | Nina Derron | SUI | 30:02 | 4:30:32 | 1:28:25 | 6:32:12 |
| 4 | Giorgia Priarone | ITA | 33:15 | 4:38:50 | 1:22:57 | 6:38:30 |
| 5 | Merle Brunnée | GER | 35:14 | 4:36:15 | 1:25:11 | 6:40:32 |
Men’s results
(2.2km swim – 118km bike – 9.2km run)
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Swim | Bike | Run | Total time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Steger | AUT | 28:10 | 3:48:52 | 1:13:22 | 5:33:41 |
| 2 | Émile Blondel-Hermant | FRA | 28:37 | 3:51:57 | 1:12:15 | 5:36:07 |
| 3 | Louis Richard | FRA | 36:02 | 3:47:46 | 1:11:38 | 5:38:48 |
| 4 | Clément Grandy | FRA | 32:54 | 3:53:28 | 1:13:57 | 5:43:27 |
| 5 | Pierre Dupuy | FRA | 25:26 | 3:57:03 | 1:18:39 | 5:44:14 |
