Luxembourg’s Jeanne Lehair today took a storming victory in the opening stage of the 2024 Supertri League, breaking away from Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown and Kate Waugh on the final running stage of the day in Boston, USA.
Supertri’s debut race in the famous American city saw a strong field of the world’s best athletes take to the waters of DCR Carson Beach. Olympic gold medalist Cassandre Beaugrand rode for Crown Racing and bronze medalist Beth Potter led the Brownlee Racing team.
Today’s supertriathlon race format, formerly known as enduro, required athletes to complete 300m swims, 4km bike rides and 1.6km runs three times in a row without rest. Lehair had just come off a major Olympic disappointment when the 28-year-old did not compete in Paris, but the French-born athlete, who will compete for Luxembourg in 2023, began her multisport rehabilitation on the final running leg of the day. After making use of her Short Chute card, Lehair joined Taylor-Brown at the front before pulling away with 800m to go. Frenchwoman Beaugrand finished eighth.
“I’m relieved and happy. I know the girls would attack on the bike because that’s not my strength, but I went full throttle on the run and it worked,” said the 28-year-old at the finish. “I’m even happier that I was able to win after falling behind on the bike (at the front). I still had the form I had in Paris and couldn’t use it because of a mechanical problem on the bike.”
Lehair’s win was the first for Tim Don’s new Podium Racing team of the 2024 season, while Taylor-Brown and Waugh scored points for Chris McCormack’s Crown Racing team. Lehair’s win was tough on Taylor-Brown, who had largely dominated the race from the start.
“The first Supertri race is always a shock, especially after being knocked out of the Olympics, but I’m looking forward to these races and I’m getting fitter. I knew I had to go hard, but Jeanne came back and I didn’t have enough strength to keep up with her.” Revenge could come for the Briton at the next Supertri League event, which takes place in Chicago on August 25.
STAGE SETUP
LEVEL 1
Into the waters of DCR Carson Beach for the first 300m swim of the 2024 Supertri League and Podium Racing’s Vittória Lopes made the fastest start to the first turn buoy, with the Brazilian leaving a trail of top triathletes in her slipstream. The Short Chute award went to the Brazilian Podium Racing squad, with Jeanne Lehair and Kate Waugh right behind her in transition and on the bike course.
The first bike stage was four laps and 4km, described by Crown Racing manager Chris McCormack as a “technical hotdog” course due to the two dead corners at each end, and a lead group of 10 riders was soon led by Crown Racing’s Georgia Taylor-Brown. The Brit’s pace soon dropped riders from the field, with five remaining by the second transition, with Brownlee Racing’s Olivia Mathias taking the Short Chute by leaving T2 in the lead.
1.6km Run The first of three 1.6km runs saw Crown Racing’s Taylor-Brown and Waugh again in the lead, followed by Luxembourg’s Lehair. Taylor-Brown, who took the lead after what she described as a disappointing sixth-place finish at the Paris Olympics, went into Stage 2 with a 2-second lead, about 10 seconds ahead of Olympic gold medalist and Crown Racing teammate Cassandre Beaugrand.
LEVEL 2
A leg-crushing sand run at DCR Carson Beach opened Leg 2 before the athletes returned to Boston’s Old Harbor for the second swim leg. Taylor-Brown continued to control the pace and exited the water with Waugh just ahead of Lehair. Beaugrand was 8 seconds back, British Olympic bronze medalist Beth Potter 29 seconds and Katie Zafares of the USA almost a minute behind.
The five-man lead group – Taylor-Brown, Waugh, Lehair, Brownlee Racing’s Jess Fullagar and the Stars & Stripes’ Taylor Spivey – continued to dominate position on the second 4k bike leg of the day. The relentless pace saw an out-of-form Zafares drop out in T2, 90 seconds behind, and Potter also in danger of seeing the red flag.
After another smooth transition, Waugh was first on the run leg and soon had more distance between herself and Taylor-Brown and Lehair. Waugh was first in transition before the final swim, 4 seconds ahead of the chasers. The Short Chutes of the day would go to Fullagar, Beaugrand and Lehair, which would have a big impact on the final leg of the day.
LEVEL 3
The highlight of the final swim of the day saw Spivey close an 11-second gap on the leaders and battle it out for the podium spots alongside Taylor-Brown, Lehair and Waugh.
The final bike leg of the day began with Lehair running her bike well over the mountain line, but she recovered and was able to catch up with her rivals by the end of the first lap. By the end of the third lap, the gap was 26 seconds (Beaugrand was 41 seconds behind). With Lehair the only one with a short chute left in her kit, Taylor-Brown and Waugh attacked to try and gain some ground before the decisive run.
After a smooth transition, Spivey was first on the final run, closely followed by Taylor-Brown and Waugh. Lehair played her short chute to join the trio at the front and then charged forward, leaving Spivey and Waugh behind and seeing Taylor-Brown wedged in her shadow. As at the 2023 Supertri London, Lehair’s running power was too strong, so she built a 2-second lead at the bell and doubled that lead to win by 4 seconds over Taylor-Brown. Waugh finished third, Spivey fourth and Léonie Périault took fifth for Podium Racing. Beaugrand finished eighth overall.
