Georgia Taylor-Brown was in dominant form in the second race of the 2022 Super League Triathlon Championship Series in the non-stop Enduro format in Munich on Sunday 11 September.
The defending Super League champion led from the first transition in the triple swim-bike-run contest and never looked troubled as she solo time-trialled to the tape to take the lead in the Overall Leaderboard.
Cheetahs’ Sophie Coldwell outkicked the Rhinos’ Taylor Spivey for second place, with USA star Spivey securing a second successive podium after finishing second in London.
The wet conditions weren’t to everyone’s liking though and despite having the fastest swim and run lap, last week’s victor Cassandre Beaugrand never looked comfortable on the bike and was one of the first to be eliminated.
Taylor-Brown said: “I didn’t feel that in control. My aim was to go really hard in the first tri and that would hopefully split the race up – and it did.
"I know from last year in Jersey if you have a bit more time to go through transitions, less mistakes are made. It felt good, I knew I’d lose time on the swim, but I felt good on the bike today.
"The fact it was wet yesterday and we got to practise meant I knew exactly the lines I wanted to take into the corner and the speeds, so I felt fine."
What happened in the men's race?
In the men’s race, Australian Matt Hauser delivered a stunning performance to shock favourite Hayden Wilde to take the tape and become the overall Super League Triathlon Championship Series leader.
Over a 300m swim, 4km bike and 1.6km run, Hauser fought to stay in the race before a phenomenal turn of speed on the final leg saw off Portugal’s Vasco Vilaca and the Kiwi – who both had the benefit of Short Chutes.
It was the best way to relieve any lingering frustrations for Hauser, who had finished second to Wilde in London last weekend after being mistakenly issued a penalty when a team-mate false started.
Vilaca had a breakthrough performance to clinch the runner-up berth, with Jonny Brownlee in fourth and Kenji Nener finishing fifth. It also meant each Super League team was represented in the top five men's finishers.
Hauser said: “It certainly wasn’t pretty out there. I was battling some demons especially on that second bike. But it was a big last swim and I brought it home for the Eagles.
"On the last run it was all or nothing and I managed to use the downhills with my long legs! There’ll be more pain [next week], but I love Malibu and it’ll be great to be back in the surf and hopefully catching a few body waves.”
Super League Triathlon returns to the USA next weekend for the third race of the Championship Series in Malibu (17 September), before visits to Toulouse (2 October) and Saudi Arabia (29 October).