Hendrik De Villiers
Today London sensation Andrea Whitcombe and South African talent Hendrik De Villiers competing against top international elites have beaten arch rivals, including reigning Olympic Gold Medallist Hamish Carter and recent World Cup winner Sam Warriner to win the 2006 Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon.
This year the World’s largest triathlon boasted elite fields containing some of the highest calibre athletes from around the world and Whitcombe and De Villiers stormed to victory in two of the most exciting races that London has ever seen.
The men’s race saw Richard Stannard (GB) and Dylan McNiece (NZ) break away from the rest of the pack in an exceptionally fast race in the swim section of the course. They both fought hard in the water, which was so warm in the Royal Victoria Dock(21°C) it meant that this was a non-wetsuit swim, with Stannard the first to emerge from the Royal Victoria dock – for the tenth year running!
A strong field of triathlon hopefuls soon emerged after and a closely fought contest followed. Reining Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon champion Stuart Hayes (GB) pushed his way through the pack in the bike race, forcing a hugely impressive gap of almost 40 seconds. Stuart Hayes’ pace dipped in the run section following his Herculean bike effort and Hendrick De Villiers kicked with a lap to go, followed closely all the way by two British athletes - Tim Don and Olly Freeman (who was competing at Elite level for the first time). De Villiers crossed the line in 1:45:35 to claim his first ever Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon victory.
While in the women’s race it was also a fiercely contested event. Samantha Herridge (NZ) emerged first from the swim in a pack that contained some of the best and brightest in the field. With only six seconds separating first to sixth to exit in the swim, a battle of wills was clearly on the cards.
The bike race was one of the closest in the history of the competition, with wheels and tyres of the top competitors missing each other by bare millimetres. The fastest of this electric group emerged to be Julie Dibens (GB), who made up a massive plus ten second deficit to head up the group leading into the run.
As with in the men’s race, the first lap was anybody’s, with Andrea Whitcombe, Sam Warriner (NZ), Henrietta Freeman (GB) (Olly Freeman’s sister), Julie Dibens (GB) all battling out for the lead. The second lap proved to be the vital one however, with Andrea Whitcombe kicking hard in the second and final lap of the run to ward off the other combatants. Crossing over the line, Whitcombe was euphoric in her victory time of 1:57:38.
The elite athletes joined over 9,000 other competitors including celebrities from the world of sport and TV battle their way through the swim, bike, run competition over various distances, which took place at ExCeL in London’s Docklands. Over 50% of the competitors were first timers to the sport, which is the fastest growing in the country and throughout the weekend competitors were cheered on by over 35,000 spectators who lined the streets of the capital from ExCeL to Big Ben.
Hendrick DE Villiers, winner of the male elite race commented: “It is always a pleasure to compete in The Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon, not only as the event is the biggest in the world but because it attracts a world class elite field and we all get to compete on a stunning course – it isn’t every day you can cycle along the Thames with no traffic to compete with. It is great to be able to come to the city and compete against some of the best athletes in the world. I am delighted at my win and I look forward to defending my title next year.”
Andrea Whitcombe
Women’s Elite winner, Andrea Whitcombe, said: “The race today was great, I was very pleased with my performance and the competition was stiff. Henrietta Freeman performed particularly well and is definitely one to watch in the future. It is great that Londoners are supporting the event ahead of London 2012. The crowds were brilliant and added to the whole atmosphere of the event.”
Complete results at: TheLondonTriathlon.com.
Information on Michelob ULTRA
Michelob ULTRA is the great-tasting, low-carbohydrate 5% premium lager from Anheuser-Busch. Containing just 3.4 grams of carbohydrates per 330ml bottle, Michelob ULTRA has just half the carbs of other lagers.
In addition to sponsoring the London Triathlon, Michelob ULTRA is the Official Beer of Team GB. Michelob ULTRA also sponsors the Chicago Triathlon, PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and LPGA Tour, including the LPGA Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill.
Michelob ULTRA is available from all leading UK supermarkets and off-license chains and from selected bars. For a full list of stockists visit www.michelobultra.co.uk.
The London triathlon Podium
Information on The Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon
- The Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon took place at ExCeL, Royal Victoria Dock, London on the 5th and 6th August 2005
- Approx 9,000 competitors of all abilities, celebrities and elite triathletes took part in the world’s largest adult triathlon and raised over £1.5 million for charity
- Triathlon is the UK’s fastest growing sport at 10% per annum
- 50% of participants in The Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon are first timers to the sport
- The event also incorporates The Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon Expo - the free exhibition for the sports industry where over 35,000 sports enthusiasts will come to shop, watch and learn
Information on British Triathlon
British Triathlon is the national governing body for the sport of Triathlon in Great Britain. British Triathlon sanctions over 400 events every year, has over 300 affiliated clubs and over 7000 members. It has a vision of being the leading Triathlon nation in the World through the development of a successful World Class Potential scheme ahead of the London Olympic Games in 2012. For more information, please go to: www.britishtriathlon.org.
| 
Know someone else who's interested in running and triathlon?
