Home favourite Georgia Taylor-Brown held off Olympic champion Cassandre Beaugrand in a thrilling sprint finish to the women’s race at supertri London.
GTB won last time out in Chicago and looked on course for a clear-cut repeat after kicking away on the final run, having been one of three women to benefit from a short chute.
But Beaugrand conjured up an incredible late sprint and so nearly overhauled her Crown Racing teammate for whom the line came just in time – to the delight of the home fans.
There was a fantastic performance too from last year’s London winner Jeanne Lehair after she rounded out the podium in third despite losing a chunk of time due to an early bike crash.
GTB’s fellow Brit Olivia Mathias did more than anyone to animate the race but had to settle for sixth after leading at the start of the ninth and final leg.
Stage 1
The changeable weather switched from rain to sun and it was no surprise to see Vittória Lopes lead out the first swim.
She made no mistake in T1 either, bagging the short chute for Tim Don’s Podium Racing.
Mathias (Brownlee Racing), Kisten Kasper (Stars & Stripes) and Beaugrand (Crown Racing) came next as each team had a representative in the top four. And they were closely followed by Taylor Spivey and Taylor-Brown.
The rain-soaked cobbles provided the next test on the bike and it was Mathias who moved clear of the field as there was some understandable caution in behind.
Hungarian phenom Fanni Szalai, the youngest athlete in the field at 16, was an early casualty though due to a puncture.
And at the other end of the experience spectrum Katie Zaferes was also out after getting tangled up with Lehair coming out of transition.
Lehair was able to continue, but Zaferes’ bike wasn’t rideable.
Mathias strung out the field on the bike and was fully 10 seconds clear coming into T2 to earn the second short chute.
So onto the run and Mathias remained clear early on, with Taylor-Brown and Emma Lombardi emerging as her closest challengers.
So much so in fact that GTB moved into the lead before the end of the run, bagging the third and final short chute for Crown Racing in the process – meaning only Stars & Stripes missed out.
Stage 2
The second swim of the day saw Mathias reclaim the lead from Taylor-Brown but there was just a second between them starting the bike.
Lombardi and Taylor Spivey were both at +3s in third and fourth and it was another three seconds back to Kasper in fifth – and that quintet would all be riding together by the third of the four 1km bike loops.
Up to sixth after the earlier drama was Lehair but the ‘big two’ of Beaugrand (+21s in eighth) and Beth Potter (+30s in ninth) were both struggling to replicate their Olympics form.
Onto the final lap and it was still Taylor-Brown on the front as she showcased her fine bike-handling skills.
Meanwhile the short chutes were being handed out – GTB got the Crown one, with Mathias handed the one she earned for Brownlee Racing.
But with Stars & Stripes not having claimed a short chute, it meant that Lombardi, Spivey and Kasper – all of whom were in the top five – would be at a disadvantage later on the ninth and final leg.
Meanwhile the front five’s lead of 20 seconds between themselves and the rest had been halved by the end of the second run.
In sixth at +10s was Lehair whose rollercoaster day was given a boost when Podium nominated her for their short chute while Beaugrand was at +17s in seventh.
Stage 3
The third and final swim was almost an action replay of the second as Mathias moved back to the front.
In contrast, Taylor-Brown lost a bit of time getting out of the water and through transition alongside the three Stars & Stripes athletes – Lombardi, Spivey and Kasper.
But remarkably the front five had now been joined by both Lehair and Beaugrand!
Mathias, though, had other ideas and put daylight between herself and the other six on the bike, carving open a six-second lead.
It was all going to come down to the run – with Mathias, GTB and Lehair all having the bonus of a short chute to come.
Mathias’ advantage was still six seconds starting the run but it didn’t take long for it to close back together – and the short chutes saw that trio go clear.
But Olympic champion Beaugrand was on a mission and she first of all picked off Mathias – but her Crown teammate GTB had by now kicked clear off the front.
The final 800 metres saw Taylor-Brown put daylight between herself and Lehair but Beaugrand wouldn’t be shaken off and her last-ditch sprint so nearly paid off.
Taylor-Brown’s win saw her move to 44 points in the overall standings, five points ahead of Lehair (39), seven ahead of Spivey (37) and eight ahead of Beaugrand (36).
supertri London results
Sunday 8 September 2024 – Enduro – Elite Women
- 1. Georgia Taylor-Brown – 49:59
- 2. Cassandre Beaugrand +1s
- 3. Jeanne Lehair +8s
- 4. Taylor Spivey +12s
- 5. Emma Lombardi +13s
Updated individual standings
Updated team standings
- 1. Crown Racing – 248pts
- 2. Podium Racing – 240pts
- 3. Stars & Stripes – 183pts
- 4. Brownlee Racing – 175pts
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