Whether it was the great performance of Taylor Knibb, who left Daniela Ryf and Teresa Adam far behind, or Lucy Charles who showed no one less than Katie Zaferes and Paula Findlay that Europe was all about earning as many points as possible, or the sometimes nasty crashes like those of Holly Lawrence and Lionel Sanders, or the fact that all those world-class athletes like Jan Frodeno, Sebastian Kienle, Gustav Iden, Anne Haug and Ellie Salthouse started at all: add to that highly variable weather conditions during the race and you immediately know that more than enough happened today during the first edition of the Collins Cup in Samorin, Slovakia, home of CHALLENGEFAMILY THECHAMPIONSHIP. Of course it was the big question which team would win – USA, Europe or International – and in the end, after twelve races, that honour was for Team Europe.
All the races offered exciting racing, even though sometimes it was quite clear which athlete would run away with the win in a specific race. Initially the Collins Cup started with beautiful weather, but after a while there was rain and even a brief thunderstorm, but the delayed men’s start could not prevent the Collins Cup from still being enjoyed to the fullest in Samorin. For example, when Jan Frodeno quickly ran away from a very strong racing Sam Appleton during the half marathon, when Lionel Sanders and Andrew Starykowicz stayed together for a long time and when Gustav Iden also stayed side by side with Collin Chartier for longer than expected.
A total of 12 races over a 2km, 80km bike and 18km of running got underway, with athletes competing one versus one versus one: Europe versus America versus International. Points were earned for each race to eventually arrive at an overall classification, which was ultimately won by Team Europe with 42.5 points. Team USA took second place with 31.5 points and Team Internationals had the honour of taking home the Broken Spokes Trophy for third with 25.5 points.
Quotes of some of the best athletes out there:
Lucy Charles: “I absolutely enjoyed this. You’re racing for a team now, so that really added some excitement.”
Jackie Hering: “It was cool that I could see the other American ladies while biking and I knew they were smashing it. It gave a lot of motivation and no pressure that I was considered an underdog. I knew this distance suited me and I knew I had good form. I knew I could win.”
Ellie Salthouse: “I won my race for our team International and I am very proud of that.”
Holly Lawrence: “I slipped on the roundabout, it was incredibly slippery. Maybe I went through it a little too fast, but that’s part of racing. I have some scratched skin and a scratched ego.”
Emma Pallant: “It was a more tactical race than I thought it would be. It was a beautiful battle and I really enjoyed it.”
Jan Frodeno: “I had a great day, I felt very strong and was very surprised that Sam was still with me in T2. I ran myself to pieces to win an extra half point.”
Race Results:
Race 1:
Taylor Knibb (USA) 3:30:11
Daniela Ryf (EUR) +16:43
Teresa Adam (INT) +22:58
Race 2:
Lucy Charles (EUR) 3:33:47
Katie Zaferes (USA) +4:16
Paula Findlay (INT) +4:53
Race 3:
Jackie Hering (USA) 3:35:27
Anne Haug (EUR) +2:23
Jeanni Metzler (INT) +3:24
Race 4:
Ellie Salthouse (INT) 3:38:39
Skye Moench (USA) +2:01
Holly Lawrence (EUR) +5:29
Race 5:
Emma Pallant (EUR) 3:34:37
Chelsea Sadaro (USA) +1:14
Sarah Crowley (INT) +7:24
Race 6:
Kat Matthews (EUR) 3:35:18
Jocelyn McCauley (USA) +5:41
Carrie Lester (INT) +10:49
Race 7:
Jan Frodeno (EUR) 3:13:09
Sam Appleton (INT) +4:38
Sam Long (USA) +5:09
Race 8:
Gustav Iden (EUR) 3:13:36
Kyle Smith (INT) +7:13
Collin Chartier (USA) +7:16
Race 9:
Lionel Sanders (INT) 3:19:18
Sebastian Kienle (EUR) +1:06
Andrew Starykowicz (USA) +1:52
Race 10:
Daniel Baekkegard (EUR) 3:15:28
Ben Kanute (USA) +0:58
Max Neumann (INT) +10:58
Race 11:
Braden Currie (INT) 3:20:31
Matt Hanson (USA) +5:17
Patrick Lange (EUR) +6:55
Race 12:
Jackson Laundry (INT) 3:18:09
Joe Skipper (EUR) +0:36
Justin Metzler (USA) +3:43
