Triathlon Informer

First onto the roads and meadows of the initial 10k run were the women, who had to contend with cold rain and muddy tracks for the duration. Diminutive Corine Raux of France, the defending champion from last year's worlds in Alpharetta, USA, showed fine form in the early-going to forge a 33-second lead into T1. Pitel stayed close in second, accompanied by three others: Fiona Docherty of New Zealand, Lucy Smith of Canada, and Andrey Cleau of France. Nearly three minutes down but still a threat due to her overpowering bike skills was Karin Thürig of Switzerland.

Pitel would say later she knew her bike would be strong, but waited for Thürig to catch up in order to take advantage of the draft. Her plan unfolded magnificently: Thürig was on her wheel by the fourth of five loops and mounted an attack shortly thereafter. Pitel countered and Thürig could not shake her. The two rode together into T2, crafting a two-minute lead on Great Britain's Vicki Pincombe and Cleau in the process.

Thürig could not match Pitel's final 5k, especially with the onset of massive leg cramps over the torturous hills. Pitel's final run was fourth fastest on the day (18:29) but good enough for victory by over a minute (2:13:20). Cleau (2:14:32) and Pincombe (2:15:11) passed Thürig for second and third, respectively, while last year's winner, Raux, shrugged off a frustrating bike to finish seventh.

An hour later the men took to the hills for what promised to be a quick, sloppy affair with the rains continuing. Out like a dart over the first 10k was USA's Derek Kite, a newcomer to duathlon but a former pro runner out of college. He blazed the distance in 29:32 but could not escape from the masses, as no fewer than ten men dipped below 30 minutes. Among them was Vansteelant, champion in 2000 and 2001 and a force this year in Powerman racing with five wins to his credit.

Vansteelant used the same strategy that Pitel had masterminded earlier; he waited for Australian pro Jonathan Hall to fight his way to the front and grabbed a wheel. The two were joined by Mark Bailey of New Zealand and Roger Smeets of the Netherlands, and this potent freight train rumbled a minute clear of a pursuing group of 13.

The run was all Benny, all the time. Hall fought courageously but could muster merely the day's 15th fastest split (16:29) over the ultimate 5k, still good for second. Clawing out of the large chase pack to surge into third with the swiftest run (15:17) was exuberant Alessandro Alessandri of Italy. But the spry Belgian thrilled his supporters with a return to dominance following a nasty crash at Worlds last year, which relegated him to 31st. He plans to race in Zofingen in two weeks for the World Championships of long course and a shot at the mythical double.

In the under-23 elite championships for women, Nicola Spirig of Switzerland dazzled the home crowd with a three-minute win while Arianna Morosin of Italy took second and Monika Brandt of Switzerland brought home third. For the men, Benny's brother, Joeri, took the win in convincing fashion with Brazil's Santiago Alves Ascenco and Andy Sutz of Switzerland taking second and third, respectively. Duathlon is clearly strong in the Vansteelant family.

WOMEN
1. Pitel, Edwige FRA (33:54/1:20:56/18:29) 2:13:20
2. Cleau, Andrey FRA (33:55/1:22:42/17:54) 2:14:32
3. Pincombe, Vicki GBR (36:45/1:19:51/18:34) 2:15:11
4. Thürig, Karin SUI (36:46/1:18:24/20:48) 2:15:59
5. Walter, Tina GER (34:47/1:24:02/18:19) 2:17:08

MEN
1. Vansteelant, Benny BEL (29:37/1:08:58/15:54) 1:54:30
2. Hall, Jonathan AUS (30:13/1:08:22/16:29) 1:55:05
3. Alessandri, Alessandro ITA (29:53/1:10:09/15:17) 1:55:20
4. Lebrun, Nicolas FRA (29:55/1:10:07/15:48) 1:55:51
5. Garcia, Javier ESP (29:55/1:10:02/15:56) 1:55:54