Olympic champion Alex Yee carried on where he left off in Paris as he saw off great rival Hayden Wilde again in brilliant fashion to win the opening supertri race of the year in Boston.
The Brit powered ahead on the final run and as in France it was a gold / silver for he and Wilde.
Reigning world champion Dorian Coninx was third, with a five-second penalty hurting his chances, in a super high-calibre podium.
Stage 1 – Stapley vs Hauser
On the first swim – and the opening stage of nine – it was a closely-fought battle between Max Stapley of Crown Racing and Matt Hauser of Podium Racing.
Stapley was first out of the water but it was Hauser who nudged ahead when it mattered to earn the first short chute.
Young Brit Connor Bentley (Brownlee Racing) was right in the mix too but it was a big front group on the bike with none other than Olympic champion Yee driving the pace.
The man he beat in incredible fashion in Paris was Wilde but the Kiwi was struggling initially in the second group on the bike.
But by the time we got to the run it was all together and the talent on show was underlined by Yee, Wilde and Coninx all vying for the lead.
Stage 2 – Hellwig into the mix
The second swim saw Super League legend Vincent Luis (Crown Racing) move to the front, with a point to prove after missing out on hosts France’s Olympic selection.
He carried on the good work on the bike, fellow Frenchman Coninx was just behind in second and Wilde in third – with Yee desperately trying to bridge in fourth.
Yee’s fellow gold medal winner Tim Hellwig of Germany was now the next man trying to join the front group and he would soon make it a quintet.
But they’d start to look at each other and five became seven as two chasers – Matt Hauser and Sergio Baxter-Cabrera – joined them.
They were all together starting the run – and that Wilde / Yee rivalry was back on!
Before that settled down the short chutes were handed out to Yee, Hellwig and Coninx. Game on.
Heading to stage three and the front six were together, with Hauser by now having dropped off the pace. The winner would surely come from this group.
Stage 3 – Yee masterclass
So six up front and exiting the swim it was Luis, Coninx and Wilde but there was bad news to come for Coninx as he’d picked up a five-second penalty for his goggles not being in the box.
Yee and Hellwig joined them – as did Baxter-Cabrera but at the back of the field the reigning supertri E champion Chase McQueen was eliminated after falling more than 90 seconds behind.
But it all came down to the run and it got off to the worst possible start for Yee who lost valuable time in transition when he seemed to drop his bike.
The short chutes now kicked in – Yee and Hellwig both had one as did Coninx but, on the flipside for him, he still had to serve a five seconds penalty which took him from first to fifth.
It was now Wilde in front, with Yee chasing him down. Olympic memories anyone? It was the race we all hoped for and a Paris action replay as Yee moved to the front and his arms folded celebration on the line didn’t look to go down too well with his great rival.
Coninx was third despite his penalty, Hellwig fourth and Luis fifth.
Sunday 18 August 2024 – Enduro – Elite Men
- 1. Alex Yee (Brownlee Racing) – 49:02
- 2. Hayden Wilde (Crown Racing) – +1s
- 3. Dorian Coninx (Podium Racing) – +6s
- 4. Tim Hellwig (Stars & Stripes) +8s
- 5. Vincent Luis (Crown Racing) – +12s
