Stimpson, Riederer Win ITU World Cup Alicante

Jodie Stimpson (GBR) and Sven Riederer (SUI) both scored gold at the Alicante World Cup, which debuted on ITU’s calendar for the first time on Sunday. The win was the second World Cup victory for Stimpson, while it was the first for Riederer despite having secured multiple World Triathlon Series medals and a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Women’s Race
Just two weeks after claiming the overall 2013 ITU World Triathlon Series silver medal, Jodie Stimpson (GBR) won the World Cup in the coastal Spanish city. Stimpson’s victory was decided on the 10 km running segment, while Alice Betto (ITA) reached second position at the finish line and Rachel Klamer (NED) was third.

In the first running lap, Stimpson escaped the pack and never looked back, sailing to the win in 2:02:39.  Behind her, Betto, who was 10th in the overall 2013 World Triathlon Series, European Champion Klamer and Hall jockeyed for two remaining medal spots.

In the third lap, Hall could not follow Klamer, leaving remaining pre-race favorites Betto and Klamer to claim the podium. Ainhoa Murua, who posted the fasted running split of 35:16 finished fourth and Anastasia Abrosimova was fifth.

Men’s Race
Sven Riederer (SUI) won bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and has podiumed in several World Triathlon Series, but he had never won a World Cup race until Sunday. Following a top 10 World Triathlon Series overall finish two weeks ago, the Swiss finally claimed the allusive World Cup win in Alicante in a tight finish against Spain’s own Vicente Hernandez and Great Britain’s Grant Sheldon.

Although most of the cycling segment had a huge pack at the front, with more than 50 athletes riding together, Conor Murphy (IRL), Pieter Heemeryck (BEL) and Wikus Weber (RSA) reached the second transition with a 30-second gap over the rest. But when the remaining athletes hit the pavement, the trio were quickly left behind.

Eleven men started to run together after two kilometers, but just six were left midway through the 10km run, including Riederer, Sheldon, Hernandez, Dmitry Polyanskiy (RUS), Miguel Arraiolos (POR) and Steffen Justus (GER).

While the elder of the Polyanskiy brothers was the only one in the group who had ever won a World Cup race before Sunday, it was Riederer who sprinted ahead. The remaining followed suit, but the Swiss was too great to overtake, scoring his first World Cup win in 1:53:44. Hernandez hung tight for silver two seconds later, while Sheldon crossed over another two seconds after him for bronze. Polyanskiy edged out Arraiolos for fourth in 1:54:07.

Complete results at Triathlon.org.