TRIATHLON – BAHRAIN Victorious 13 star Jelle Geens secured his second podium in as many weeks, taking silver at the T100 Triathlon on the French Riviera to back up his Ironman 70.3 World Championship bronze.
Just seven days after a valiant effort in Nice, the Belgian continued his return from the injury that had kept him sidelined for much of the year. He exited the two-kilometre swim in seventh and remained at the front of the race throughout the 80-kilometre bike leg, responding to each surge before entering transition in third.
On the 18km run, Geens remained in podium contention after leading the opening lap, before rallying in the closing stages to secure silver, finishing just 19 seconds behind the winner.
“The swim went well,” Geens explained post-event. “I had a good start and I was quite near the front. It got a bit messy – a lot of bodies in a tight spot – and that pulled me back a bit, but I was quite happy with the swim and tried to save energy there.”
Of the bike leg, he added: “The start of the bike was also very, very messy. At one point, I just decided to go to the front and try and stick there.
“The first lap was just trying to get position and then trying not to get a penalty. The first two laps were really, really hard and then the pace settled as well.
“Then it was basically just riding to the 80km and preparing for the run.”
That set the stage for his impressive finish, where he had to dig deep before coming home in three hours six minutes and 43 seconds.
“Heading into the last lap, I started to accelerate and I could see that Kyle [Smith] became a bit bigger and bigger,” Geens explained. “I also heard time gaps – I think it was 30 and then 20, and then I timed it myself at the U-turn and it was 15.
“My stomach was getting quite upset there, running that quickly. But I just knew I had to catch him and then wait for the sprint, and that was my tactic.”
Geens’ swim-bike-run splits were 24 minutes 49 seconds, 1:42.05, and 58:38. He joined victor Hayden Wilde on the podium as well as his fellow-Kiwi Smith.
The focus now shifts to Pontevedra, Spain, where the World Triathlon Championship Series reaches its finale this coming weekend.
Cassandre Beaugrand and Vasco Vilaça head into the Grand Final leading the women’s and men’s Series standings respectively, with Taylor Knibb and Georgia Taylor-Brown also joining Beaugrand on the start line.