Daniel Bækkegård backs the PTO despite difficult first race of the season in Miami

Widely regarded as one of the most consistent performers over the 100km distance, Daniel Bækkegård finished eighth at the first race of the T100 Tour in Miami, in what he admitted was a brutal reintroduction to racing.

Chasing a first podium over the distance this season, Bækkegård was quick to focus on the positive aspects of his race in a debrief on YouTube, sharing that he thinks he will be capable of much more as the season progresses.

Also taking the time to applaud the work of the PTO, who faced some criticism over the broadcast in Miami, the World #11 was full of praise for the organization and underlined his excitement for the rest of the year.

“It was a brutal way of getting back into racing”

Recapping his race in Miami, the 27-year-old confirmed that the competition was no regular ‘rust-buster’, with the heat and humidity plus world class competition pushing him to the limit.

“It was a brutal way of getting back into racing, with high temperatures and high humidity making it one of the most brutal season openers I have ever done.

“It’s that kind of race where you have to be sensible, but you can’t be too sensible as you have guys like Alistair [Brownlee] who don’t care and will go out hard no matter what.

“However, the fact that we are in March, two months into training and I can deliver on a level like this, makes me think that I can be quite successful.” 

“I am ready to fight for the podium in Singapore”

Already looking ahead to the next race, which will be held in Singapore in two weeks time, Bækkegård hopes to be in contention for the podium after a training stint in Noosa, Australia.

“We got some good indications of what needs doing to be competitive in Singapore, so now I am going to prepare in Noosa and get ready to fight for the podium in Singapore.

“It’s awesome to race the best in the world and it’s only March. To now get an indication of where you are compared to your competitors is humbling, but the next few months are going to be really exciting and I can’t wait to get stuck into it.”