“It was nice to have another battle with Vasco!” Matt Hauser sprints to the win in WTCS London men’s race
An action-packed return to London for the WTCS saw plenty to keep spectators on the edge of their seats, including another sprint to the finish between Matt Hauser and Vasco Vilaca. It was a tricky day for GB hope Alex Yee though, who was over 30 seconds down coming out of the swim then found himself caught up in a crash on the bike.
The last time London hosted a men’s WTCS race, Alistair Brownlee was the victor – a year before he claimed his second Olympic title.
It was a star-studded line-up for the return, including Hauser, the top three in the WTCS in Vilaca, Hildago and Batista, along with a strong GB contingent headlined by Yee and under-23 world champion Conway.
What happened in the swim?
The swim consisted of one lap in Royal Victoria Dock before athletes headed back up the steps into the cavernous Excel London exposition centre. where the elite transition area was located.
The warm waters after the extended heat wave in the UK, meant it was always going to be a non-wetsuit swim.
Hungary’s Mark Davey led the way along with reigning world champion Hauser and France’s Jules Rethoret in close contention.
The dependable Max Stapley was the best of the Brits in fourth, with Vilaca also out in the top 10.
Further back Connor Bentley, Michael Gar and Conway were still in with the main pack, but Yee emerged in 50th place, 36sec back with work to do.
What happened on the bike?
The all-important transition helped a lead group of 14 make an early breakaway, driven by Hauser, with Stapley the only Brit involved.
As the seven-lap bike leg progressed, the break started to look decisive, and by the penultimate lap it had grown to more than 40sec – too much even for a runner of Yee’s calibre to close over 5km.
The woes of the chase group were compounded when a crash involving multiple athletes on the final lap, with Yee and Conway both mixed up in it, pushed them even further back to more than 1min.
As the front group came into transition it was set up for a tantalising run with Pearson and Hidalgo. in particular known for their foot speed.
What happened in the run?
The 5km run was an attritional battle in and around the Excel, with three loops taking the athletes up and down a ramp, into the sunshine and the chill of the air conditioning.
Pearson hit the lead on the first lap, with Spain’s Gonzalez Garcia – who had picked up a 10sec penalty – also pushing the pace at the front.
On to lap two and Hauser, Vilaca and Lehmann were also in a front five that looked likely to determine the podium. By the end of the third and final lap though it was Hauser v Vilaca again, with Hauser surging in the final metres to take the win.
WTCS London men’s race results
- Matt Hauser (AUS)
- Vasco Vilaca (ESP)
- Csongor Lehmann (HUN)
Tim Heming
Freelance triathlon journalist