Olympic and world champion Cassandre Beaugrand emphatically won a drama-packed supertri finale in Neom as Georgia Taylor-Brown just held on for the overall title.
As things turned out, Taylor-Brown needed to finish in the top four to become the first person to win three overall supertri crowns – and she just managed it by crossing the line in fourth place, with only two seconds to spare from Beth Potter in fifth!
Jeanne Lehair would have snatched the overall title had she been able to overhaul Beaugrand for the race win but she was nine seconds behind in second, with the two clear of Léonie Périault in third.
Stage 1 – Shaky start for GTB
Unlike the previous couple of days in Neom, the wind suddenly got up on race day adding to the challenge of the swim and bike especially.
And most of the first stage was dominated by Liv Mathias, who won the first two Short Chutes for Brownlee Racing, though they could obviously only use one of them.
But the big news was the fact that Taylor-Brown – who at the start needed to finish on the podium to guarantee the overall title – lost 11 seconds on the very first swim and was outside the top 10. It all came back on the bike but an unusually slow T2 from GTB saw her again drop back.
And then on the run the focus was on Beaugrand as she first asserted to take the lead and then hesitated when in front, seemingly unsure of the course route.
She regrouped though and then outsprinted Lehair to win the final Short Chute for Crown Racing – how important might that prove?
Stage 2 – Disaster for Spivey
There was real drama on the first lap of the bike when Taylor Spivey, who had powered into the lead to boost her own overall title hopes, hit the deck on a corner which had claimed three casualties on the men’s side during bike familiarisation.
That left Lehair – who along with Spivey was suddenly right in the title mix given Taylor-Brown’s struggles – in front alongside Beaugrand. And by the time they reached the fourth and final lap that duo were 12 seconds to the good – though it was now Taylor-Brown who was leading the chase pack in that all-important third place.
Heading into T2 they still had that cushion but disaster then nearly struck – again this season – for Lehair. She had seen her Olympic hopes dashed by a bike mechanical and then a puncture scuppered her chances in Toulouse last time out and here she ran out of transition with her bike helmet!
That meant she had to carry it all the way round the first lap before belatedly dropping it in the box to avoid a penalty.
Despite all of that she somehow managed to stay with Beaugrand and at the end of the second stage they were still 11 seconds clear, with GTB fifth at +15s.
Stage 3 – Incredible drama at the finish
So starting the all-important final stage, Lehair – despite that earlier drama – was in with every chance of the title. She needed to get the better of Beaugrand up front and hope Taylor-Brown didn’t make the podium.
Olympic and world champion Beaugrand could in theory also add the supertri title, but it needed an unlikely set of circumstances. And there was a big decision to come as Crown Racing manager Michael Gilliam decided to give the Short Chute that Beaugrand won to Taylor-Brown, with his focus on that overall battle.
Meanwhile the one other Short Chute went to Brownlee Racing’s Potter, while eliminations were by now coming thick and fast for athletes who fell more than 90 seconds behind.
Starting the bike and Beaugrand and Lehair had 21 seconds on the rest and surely had the race between them. At this point GTB was in third and likely her biggest rival on the run for that place was Périault. If Lehair were to finish second then GTB had the ‘luxury’ of being able to cross in fourth and still take the crown.
Thankfully there were no more mishaps on the bike so starting the run it was Beaugrand vs Lehair and 23 seconds back to the rest, with Taylor-Brown in what was now a seven-strong chase pack which also featured Spivey after her earlier bike crash.
And it was a case of no Short Chute, no bother for Beaugrand who powered away from Lehair early on the run. Meanwhile GTB did have the advantage of that short cut which helped her move into third. She also had sight of Lehair so knew that fourth would likely be good enough.
And that was now the position she found herself in after Périault overtook her – with Potter closing in fifth.
Up front Beaugrand took the win, Lehair finished second, Périault third and Taylor-Brown just held on for fourth from Potter. What. A. Finish.
And the men’s race would later confirm that Beaugrand and Taylor-Brown’s Crown Racing team had scooped the team prize.
supertri Neom 2024 results
Sunday 3 November 2024 – Enduro – Elite Women
- 1. Cassandre Beaugrand – 53:25
- 2. Jeanne Lehair +8s
- 3. Léonie Périault +19s
- 4. Georgia Taylor-Brown +23s
- 5. Beth Potter +25s
Final standings after Neom (round five of five)
- 1. Georgia Taylor-Brown – 59pts
- 2. Jeanne Lehair – 57pts
- 3. Cassandre Beaugrand – 56pts
- 4. Taylor Spivey – 48pts
- 5. Kate Waugh – 44pts
Final team standings
- 1. Crown Racing – 420pts
- 2. Podium Racing – 391pts
- 3. Stars & Stripes – 338pts
- 4. Brownlee Racing – 312pts
Racing to keep up: Is social media making us train harder?
