Hayden Wilde revealed the mid-run pact he made with childhood rival and training partner Kyle Smith before powering to a statement victory at T100 French Riviera.

Just six days after being crowned IRONMAN 70.3 world champion in Nice, Wilde successfully defended the title he won here last year with another commanding performance on the Côte d’Azur.

The New Zealander was prominent throughout the swim and bike before moving clear on the run alongside Smith, who was making his first competitive appearance since June.

Wilde then delivered the line of the day when explaining the conversation between the two friends before the racing began in earnest.

“It was really nice to see Kyle up there,” he said. “He’s in great form, and we were having a conversation on the run and working together.

“I said: ‘I’ll pace you until a certain point, and then we’re not friends.’

“And then, yeah, I went off and made my move and was really stoked to take the win here. The body’s caught up really nicely after last week, and I’m super stoked for Kyle and obviously Jelle [Geens] for his second place.”

Riding blind – again

Wilde’s victory was built upon an excellent swim, which ensured he began the bike right at the front of a tightly packed field.

“I think I was fourth out of the swim, which was a really positive start and gives you momentum,” he explained.

“I made a decision not to put the socks on this time in transition. I didn’t want to waste too much time, as I knew it was going to be a little bit congested coming out of T1.

“Then we got to work and there were a lot of guys up front, so it was quite congested through that first sector, and then it started splitting up a bit.”

Smith and Rico Bogen were the first athletes to create meaningful separation, forcing Wilde to produce a significant effort to bridge across.

But for the second successive weekend, the New Zealander had to race a crucial discipline without his usual data.

Wilde accidentally kicked his watch into the marina during T2 at the 70.3 World Championship, leaving him to complete the half marathon by feel and even ask Lasse Nygaard Priester what pace they were running.

This time it was his power meter which failed, forcing him to judge the entire bike leg without any wattage information.

“Kyle and Rico went off the front and I had to put in a big move,” he said. “Unfortunately, my power meter wasn’t working all day, so I was riding blind.

“We finally caught them, but I had to use a couple of poker chips on that one.”

‘I just had to stay composed’

Bogen reached T2 with a small advantage, but Smith and Geens soon moved ahead on the opening run lap.

Wilde resisted the temptation to respond immediately, gradually closing the gap before joining Smith and Geens at the front.

“On the run I just had to stay composed,” he added. “Jelle obviously had a good gap on me at the start, and I just had to run my own pace and finally caught him.”

Wilde and Smith then dropped Geens during the fourth of six laps before Wilde made his decisive move on lap five.

The speed required to get himself into that winning position underlined the level of performance Wilde had produced so soon after his triumph in Nice.

“The first 10km on the run I think I was going at 3:03 per kilometre pace to catch up,” he revealed. “That’s like 64-minute half-marathon pace.”

Friends and rivals

Smith was eventually overhauled by a fast-finishing Geens in the closing stages but held on for an impressive third place on his return.

His performance meant almost as much to Wilde as his own victory, with the pair having raced one another since childhood before becoming training partners.

“Training together gave him the confidence to come back out and race,” Wilde explained. “He’s had a rough few years, and to see him at the front and be confident is fantastic.

“We’ve been trading blows since we were about 10 years old. We’re from the same region in New Zealand, and we used to race each other in cross-country and track races, and then obviously switched to triathlon after the off-road stuff.

“So it’s just really cool to see another Kiwi do well and to back up a hard few years for himself. I’m proud of him.”

Wilde also welcomed the quality of the opposition as the leading T100 athletes continued to push one another to new levels.

“It’s fantastic,” he said. “We’re all pushing each other to push this sport harder and faster.”

Wilde takes control of Race To Qatar

The victory extended Wilde’s lead in the T100 Race To Qatar to 96 points. Jake Birtwhistle is second with 59, while Lasse Nygaard Priester occupies third place on 49.

Athletes will count their best three regular-season results plus the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final towards their season totals.

The men have one regular-season opportunity remaining at the Saudi Arabia T100 Triathlon on November 27 before the world title is decided in Qatar.