Yesterday, Bart Aernouts (BEL) of the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team won the Citytriathlon of Bruges (olympic distance) on home soil in style with the strongest bike split and a fast run leg, followed by Hannes Vandermoere (BEL), while Tom Mets (BEL) finished third.
A few hours earlier, his teammate Sofie Goos (BEL: 4:24:46) started off at Ironman 70.3 Luxembourg. The 2013 winner came 3rd in this edition behind the strong winner Gulia Gajer (GER: 4:17:25) - who led the race from start to finish - and Natascha Schmitt (GER:4:24:46).
It ended up being another successful weekend for the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team with 1 title and a 3rd place. This brings our 2015 total already to 10 wins and 21 podium finishes for the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team.
Bart Aernouts wins in the Citytriathlon of Brugge (olympic distance)
Strong comeback on the bike
Bart Aernouts left the water around the 15th position 1’30” behind the leader Willem Brems. During the bike leg, Bart Aernouts made a remarkable comeback. Together with the leaders Willem Brems and Michael Van Cleven, he entered T2. On the run, Bart Aernouts pushed hard and won the race before Hannes Vandermoere and Tom Mets.
Always happy to win on home soil
Bart Aernouts, who won this race 4 times before, knew the course and was obviously happy to win again: “It is fun to race again on home soil. The Citytriathlon of Bruges is one of my favorite local races. It was my last test before starting my preparation for Kona. I started off good on the swim, but I struggled a bit in the second part of the swim. On the bike, I managed to get in front of the race. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get away alone. On the run, I noticed that my two companions got a penalty on the bike. Nevertheless, without going deep I could increase my lead and I could really enjoy the run. My next race will be Challenge Poland. Tomorrow, I leave on a altitude training camp in Font Romeu.”
Sofie Goos finishes 3rd at Ironman 70.3 Luxembourg
Fast transition
Sofie Goos had a decent swim (1,9km swim: 26:45). She left the water in 6th position, but due to a strong transition, she moved up to the 3rd position leaving T1. At that moment the top 3 for the race was known. No further changes on the bike or the run. Julia Gajer increased her lead with the strongest splits in the 3 disciplines. Sofie Goos had a solid bike leg, with the 2nd fastest bike split (90km: 2:28:41). Although Sofie Goos had a decent run, she didn’t come closer to the 2 German athletes (21,1km: 1:26:33).
Satisfied with my 3rd place
Sofie Goos, who won the race before, was satisfied with today’s result: “I am always happy to race here, I like the course and it is close to home, so I have a lot of friends and family supporting me. The swim was not that good for me. I was happy that there were three girls in front of me, so I could swim in a little pack. I didn’t feel well in the water. I came out the water in 6th position, after the transition I was 3rd already. On the bike, I felt okay, but I couldn’t catch the first 2 girls. The splits didn’t change a lot on the bike. So, I had to do it on the run, but the last couple of weeks I wasn’t really confident about the run. The run legs felt good, but it wasn’t enough to catch the 2 other girls who both had a strong race. I am satisfied with my race, with a third place I have to be happy, 2 girls were just too strong for me today. The next race for me will be Ironman 70.3 Norway in 2 weeks. I look forward to that race, because the course really looks nice. After that, I go for 3 weeks on altitude camp in August in Font Romeu. From there, I go straight to Ironman Copenhagen. ”
Race results:
Ironman 70.3 Luxembourg:
