Byram and Derron on podium at Challenge Beijing
Lucy Byram crossed the finish line in 2nd place, just 20 seconds shy of the win, at the inaugural non-drafting Olympic Distance Challenge Beijing. The triathlete on BMC completed the 1.5k swim, 45k bike, and 10k run in 1:56:56. Paula Findlay (CAN; 1:56:36) broke the tape, with BMC-athlete Julie Derron (SUI; 1:59:57) securing the final podium spot.
Incredible bike performance
Lucy Byram began the race with a decent swim, exiting the water 30 seconds behind the leader. On the bike, Lucy pushed hard to close the gap, and together with Findlay, she opened up a lead over the rest of the field. Halfway through the bike leg, they had built a lead of just under a minute. Byram maintained a high pace and reached T2, still accompanied by Findlay, with a 1’36” advantage over Salthouse, who was in third place.
During the first kilometers of the run, Lucy managed to match Findlay's pace. However, ever so slightly, the BMC athlete had to settle into her own rhythm. She passed the halfway mark just six seconds behind Findlay. Byram gave everything she had in the final stages of the run but ultimately had to settle for silver, finishing only 20 seconds behind the winner, Findlay.
Afterward, Lucy Byram admitted she had pushed hard on the bike to gain an advantage for the run. “I am really happy to get on the podium with such a strong field of girls. I had to ride really hard on the bike to make sure I had a good gap on the run against the fast runners. I am glad it all worked out today.”
Bendix Madsen runs his way to 5th place at Challenge Samarkand
Thor Bendix Madsen secured 5th place after a perfectly paced run at Challenge Samarkand, finishing with a time of 3:39:28. The podium was dominated by three Ironman 70.3 World Champions, with Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR; 3:31:42) taking the victory ahead of Gustav Iden (NOR; 3:34:26) and Rico Bogen (GER; 3:35:35).
Only seven days after competing in Ironman 70.3 Zell Am See, Thor Bendix Madsen lined up in Uzbekistan for the strong field at Challenge Samarkand. Exiting the water in 7th place, Thor was trailing the leading quintet by 1’30”.
On the bike, Bendix Madsen quickly moved up to 6th place, pursuing the athletes ahead. Unfortunately, the five competitors in front worked well together, extending their lead. Thor maintained his own pace, riding solo for nearly the entire bike leg, reaching T2 five minutes behind the top five. Just as on the bike, the BMC athlete continued to chase those ahead of him during the run. By the halfway point, he had closed the gap to 5th place to 1’20”. Moving up a position remained a possibility, and Thor gave everything he had toward the finish line. He ultimately crossed the line in 3:39:28, securing 5th place.
Reflecting on the race, Thor Bendix Madsen expressed confidence heading into Kona: “I actually felt really good on the bike and run today. I posted good numbers, so I’m happy with that. Unfortunately, it was difficult to make up time on the bike as the leaders were accompanied by a lot of motorcycles. Nevertheless, my race was a confidence boost going into the final training block for Kona.”
