Hayden Wilde bounced back from his dramatic Olympics defeat to Alex Yee at Paris 2024 – and an action replay last week in Boston – as he won the second supertri race of the season in emphatic style in Chicago on Sunday.
The Kiwi was to the fore throughout and he put things to bed on the final run for a well-deserved win over France’s Léo Bergere, with Portugal’s Vasco Vilaca rounding out the podium in third.
Yee struggled from the outset after losing ground on the swim and he never really recovered as he came home in eighth, 44 seconds in arrears, as Wilde took over at the top of the overall standings heading into race three in London.
Stage 1
It was hot for the women’s race, and even more so for the men as the action got off to a dramatic start. For coming out of the water at the end of the first of nine legs there was nothing between Matt Hauser and Chase McQueen.
There was also nothing between their elbows as they sprinted to transition, but looking for his bike cost the latter and it was Podium Racing’s Hauser who bagged the first short chute.
On the bike the group swelled, with Hauser’s team-mates Dorian Coninx, the reigning world champion, and Bergere driving the pace. But the big news was the 11 at the front didn’t include Olympic champion and last week’s Boston winner Yee.
It did though feature Wilde, the man he beat in Paris and last week, and the Kiwi tried to hammer home the advantage.
The second short chute went to Vilaca (Stars & Stripes), who was quicker than Vincent Luis in transition but Yee, despite Bownlee Racing teammates Sergio Baxter Cabrera and Connor Bentley supporting him, had lost further ground.
Seven seconds became 11 and then 16 – and the gaps remained on the run as Wilde took the third and final short chute for Crown Racing.
Stage 2
The swim didn’t change things and the status quo remained on the bike. Paris showed you wouldn’t put anything past Yee, but he was now 22 seconds back and it was surely game over this weekend.
Up front though Podium Racing still had strength in numbers – with Hauser, Coninx, Bergere and Kenji Nener all in the front pack of 11 and the race was surely between them.
The gap though did come down a little to Yee and the Brownlee team – 17 seconds after the bike. Their tactics appeared to change on the run as they chased points for that discipline and suddenly they were within 10 seconds – but at what cost?
Who would the short chutes go to? Wilde earned it for Crown and was handed the benefits, ditto for Hauser and Podium as well as Vilaca and Stars & Stripes.
Stage 3
Starting the third and final stage it was Podium Racing who had all four of their athletes in the front group of eight. And it was the less-heralded Nener who was first out of transition with his three team-mates now second, third and fourth!
Crown Racing were fifth and sixth via Wilde and Luis, followed by Vilaca and Seth Rider of Stars & Stripes, with Brownlee Racing having a shocker and still distanced.
Nener maintained his lead, with Hauser, Coninx and Bergere content to sit in (a penny for Wilde’s thoughts), though this week it looked an even more obvious tactic.
Wilde moved to the front of the pack and the news then came through that Hauser and Coninx had picked up penalties for swim caps outside the box to add a further twist.
It was now back together at the front and Podium manager Tim Don was fuming – not at the penalties for his duo but at what he perceived as disallowed outside help by a couple of the other teams.
When things shook out at the start of the run we suddenly had Wilde and Vilaca out on their own after taking advantage of their short chutes, while Hauser had to stew in the penalty box.
The front duo were never going to be caught, despite Bergere’s best efforts in third, and Wilde was much the stronger as he powered to a statement victory.
Earlier in the day in the women’s race it was Georgia Taylor-Brown who came out on top as she got the better of Olympic champion Cassandre Beaugrand – click here to read all about that.
supertri Chicago results
Sunday 25 August 2024 – Enduro – Elite Men
- 1. Hayden Wilde 52:44
- 2. Léo Bergere +2s
- 3. Vasco Vilaca +3s
- 4. Matt Hauser +16s
- 5. Tim Hellwig +22s
Updated team standings
- 1. Podium Racing – 165pts
- 2. Crown Racing – 160pts
- 3. Brownlee Racing – 130pts
- 4. Stars & Stripes – 109pts
Updated individual standings
