Search
shop

T100 San Francisco: With Hayden Wilde out, Van Riel and Long head stellar start list

Last updated -
STRENGTH. ENDURANCE. PERFORMANCE.

T100 Triathlon World Tour action is once again on the horizon as the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon hosts the second race of the 2025 season in San Francisco on May 31.

One name that will be missing from the start list is T100 Singapore race winner Hayden Wilde – he is currently recovering from a bike crash in Japan following a scintillating performance at the ASICS Tokyo Speed Race on Saturday night.

With the New Zealander set to miss at least this race, the likes of defending champion Marten Van Riel and the Big Unit Sam Long will be keen to take this opportunity to secure some vital ranking points in the Race To Qatar.

Advertisement

Keeping it Van Riel

One of the favourites heading into the race will likely be 2024 T100 World Champion Van Riel who finished a creditable third in Singapore – just one week after completing a full-distance IRONMAN in South Africa.

The Belgian won a trio of 100km events during the 2024 season – including a scintillating sprint finish win over New Zealand’s Kyle Smith in San Francisco – and has failed to finish outside the top three in any of his nine middle-distance appearances to date, winning seven of those.

Marten Van Riel high fives finishing straight T100 Ibiza 2024 photo credit PTO
Marten Van Riel takes in the applause [Photo credit: PTO]

The Netherlands Youri Keulen is the only other T100 Singapore top-five finisher set to appear in San Francisco – he was just 32 seconds behind Van Riel and was the second fastest runner behind Wilde over the 18km closing leg.

Antonio Benito Lopez (7th), Long (8th), Mika Noodt (9th) and Rico Bogen (10th) will all be keen to improve in the standings with just two of the top six in Singapore set to attend, offering ample opportunity for a top-five finish.

Long in particular will be keen to see an improvement on his Singapore effort – the US star was outclassed substantially in the swim and was unable to reel in the leaders on the bike and run.

Geens eager to improve

IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Jelle Geens suffered a disastrous DNF in Singapore as he appeared to overheat on the run and admitted to suffering from stomach cramps.

The 32-year-old must not be discounted, however. Geens boasts three wins from his last four middle-distance escapades: T100 Las Vegas and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in 2024 and a 2025 triumph at 70.3 Geelong.

Jelle Geens T100 Singapore run 2025 photo credit PTO
Jelle Geens on the run in Singapore [Photo credit: PTO]

Four competitors making their 2025 T100 bows – Kyle Smith, Jason West, Morgan Pearson and Pieter Heemeryck – will also be ready to make their marks.

Smith, the 2024 runner-up in San Francisco, tallied a quartet of top-five finishes on the T100 Tour last year, but was unable to take the top step of the podium in any of his starts. Yet to appear in 2025 in any format, it will be interesting to see where his performance levels are at.

Pearson was set to debut in Singapore before a bike crash curtailed his involvement. The ‘Hotshot’ has one win from one race over the middle-distance and will be eager to test himself against the high-calibre field on show in California.

Advertisement

T100 Singapore men’s start list

The 14 contracted T100 men racing are listed below:

  • Marten Van Riel (BEL)
  • Youri Keulen (NED)
  • Antonio Benito Lopez (ESP)
  • Sam Long (USA)
  • Mika Noodt (GER)
  • Rico Bogen (GER)
  • Justus Nieschlag (GER)
  • Vincent Luis (FRA)
  • Nicholas Mann (GER)
  • Jelle Geens (BEL)
  • Jason West (USA)
  • Kyle Smith (NZL)
  • Morgan Pearson (USA)
  • Pieter Heemeryck (BEL)
Stuart Dick
Written by
Stuart Dick
Stuart is a graduate of the University of Sunderland with a masters' degree in Sports Journalism. He spends a lot of his time running and cycling around West Yorkshire, England.
Discover more
Dave Ellis / Luke Pollard - World Para Triathlon Championships Pontevedra 2023
Golden opportunity – British Triathlon launches search for LA2028 paratriathlon guides
IRONMAN Lanzarote 2024 - Anne Haug on run course
Best marathon shoes for Ironman – the ‘legal’ super shoes you CAN wear to level up your run split
Challenge Sanremo 2024 - Photo: Jose Luis Hourcade
How to fuel your triathlon training: Expert nutritionist tips to help you nail every session
swim start IRONMAN World Championship Kona 2024 photo credit Tony Svensson IRONMAN
Level up your Ironman swim split – must-read tips from an expert swim coach
Ironman gear guide – everything you need to get to the finish line of a full distance triathlon
latest News
Sam Long Lionel Sanders IRONMAN 703 Gulf Coast 2023 finish line [Photo credit: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images for IRONMAN]
IRONMAN 70.3 St George: Date, start times and how to watch live as stellar pro fields line up
Sam Laidlow T2 IRONMAN Lanzarote 2023 [Photo credit: James Mitchell / Club La Santa IRONMAN Lanzarote]
IRONMAN World Champion Sam Laidlow admits health issues made him question his triathlon future
Alex Yee London Marathon 2025
Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee says London Marathon debut has helped on journey to LA 2028
IRONMAN CEO Scott DeRue Women For Tri 2024
IRONMAN chief admits Kona / Nice World Championship split was “shrinking global triathlon community’
Georgia Taylor Brown Santa Vall gravel race 2025 photo credit Santa Vall and Gravel Earth Series
Olympic triathlon star Georgia Taylor-Brown earns podium finish at Traka 360 gravel bike race in Spain
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...