Europe Triathlon

The second day of racing here in Tartu, at the ETU Tartu Triathlon European Championships made sure that the city would go down in history. Not only is it the first location to host both the winter and now summer European Triathlon Championships, it also delivered one of the best and most exciting days of racing we have seen for ages.

The downtown course has a swim with the river current to start off with taking the athletes along before they turned for a battle against the current. A final turn saw them swept down to the swim exit.

Out onto the bike course and the LOC had designed a testing, hilly and technical course that offered every opportunity to the strong cyclist to break away. The final run was equally testing; taking the athletes up hills, to sharp turns, downhills to make the thighs ache and dead turns before the final, flat and spectator-lined run to the blue carpet and the finish.

With live-streaming for all four races, the crowds were able to follow their favourite athletes with ease. Comments from the athletes themselves showed that they were delighted to have such media exposure and they all felt that it was great for the sport, great for them but every so great for Tartu.

It was the junior women who started the day. With them all knowing that today was extra special and that today they could really collect valuable points for their national federation and possibly change the ETU Nation Standings, the atmosphere was quite electric in the pre-race setup.

The swim out, with its long run to T1, saw Anja Weber, SUI, Dorka Putnóczki, HUN, Gabriela Ribeiro, POR and gold medal winner in Lausanne last year, Jessica Fullagar, FRA.

Weber and Fullagar soon made sure that they were in command and delivered a masterclass in chain-gang riding; each taking their turn at the front.

The chase group could do nothing.

The French / Swiss duo worked hard around the laps.

Denmark’s Sif Bendix Madsen did try to urge the pack along.

In the pack were some fast runners and if she could drag the pack closer to the leaders then the race would be on.

As the leading two set off on the run, the chase pack had worked well to make up some of the gap. Behind them the field had been completely broken up by the fast-paced leaders.

Out on the run and Fullagar began to feel the lactic build up in her legs. Coming back from an injury, she had raced well but she would have to work incredibly hard to keep the chasing athletes away. Weber dropped back and soon it was another French athlete, Pauline Landron. A gold earlier in the year at Quarteira, where she had shown immense pace on the run, showed us that she can battle to the front from the chase group and soon she had passed her teammate.

With gold and silver seemingly in the hands of the French, there was suddenly consternation in the French camp as Austria’s Magdalena Früh, who won gold in Zagreb last year, worked her way up to the leaders.

Fullagar had run herself to the limit and was passed by the Austrian but nothing she could do would take her anywhere near to Landron.

Crossing the finish line, Landron had time to look back but she was unable to help Fullagar, who saw the silver medal disappear into the hands to the stunned Früh.

The French women celebrated.

Austria celebrated.

The race was truly exciting and the crowds, lining the course, were ready for the Junior Men.

As Paul Georgenthum, wearing the French uniform led them out of the water, we all began to wonder if it could be at all possible that Les Bleus could manage the double.

A small but powerful pack formed at the front as the stronger cyclists joined him and behind, there were fragments of the rest of the start. We heard from the athletes how much they liked the bike course, with its climbs, twists, turns and chances for breakaways. There was no massive peloton, such as we see at some events and the power these young men were generating as they fought for position was quite breath-taking.

Suddenly there was that breakaway we had all been waiting for. It was Vetle Bergsvik Thorn NOR and Tim Hellwig GER, who powered away and created, in pretty short time, a lead. We had seen the race ability of Thorn in Quarteira earlier this year when he won gold and then again in Holten, when he got silver but Hellwig, although winning gold in Tabor in 2016, had been rather off the radar.

As they worked together, they were giving the crowds a show and for those in the grandstands near to Transition, they were able to count down the seconds before the chase group appeared and work out just how much of a lead had been made.

Maxime Fleuri, SUI, did his best to urge on the pack.

Coming into T2, it was still the Norwegian / German duo but Hellwig sped through and out before Thorn, who had to now put on the turbo-charger to catch up.

Csongor Lehman, HUN, winner of the Olsztyn race earlier this year, had shown some real power on the run and as he came into T2, he had a clear run to his position on the rack, a text-book transition from bike to run and was soon easing his way past those in front, using his powerful running to try and bridge the gap to the leaders.

Thorn and Hellwig battled at the front but it was the Norwegian who finally had the edge and onto the blue carpet, nothing could stop him.

Hellwig settled for silver and behind them, Lehman just ran out of run course; closing down fast but not quite managing to catch the leader.

Thanks to Yossi Rubanenko and Thierry Deketelaere for the additoinal photos.