Sam Laidlow was unable to back up his ‘smack talk’ ahead of the Collins Cup in Šamorín.
And he admitted afterwards that he ‘got what he asked for’ when Lionel Sanders and Sam Long blitzed past him towards the end of the 80km bike leg after his fiery pre race comments.
Match #8 was the most exciting of them all, but the Frenchman crossed the line nearly half an hour later than his rivals.
No excuses
Laidlow, the youngest competitor in the field and a Captains’ Pick for Team Europe, was reduced to walking, holding his stomach with cramp before recovering to cross the line as Long and Sanders looked on during their post-race interview.
“I was well and truly beaten. I got what I asked for, I guess.
“I don’t want to make any excuses. They beat me fair and square, it’s just fuel to the fire, I guess.”
Happy to put the spat behind them, Long was gracious at the finish, although very pointed in his post-race comments.
“They were great”, said Laidlow about Long and Sanders. “I think Sam said, ‘remember you’re still one of the best guys in the world.’ I’ll be back.
“You learn from every race, even more so from the lows. I’ve had a really good season so far, up until now so all eyes on Dallas [for the PTO US Open], and then Kona for me.
“It’s one-all now between Sam and me. I’ll be back and I’ll just go back to the drawing board and work even harder.”
Collins Cup Match 8 Results:
- Lionel Sanders (Team International) – 3:12:25
- Sam Long (Team USA) – 3:12:27
- Sam Laidlow (Team Europe) – 3:41:36
