Chengdu World Cup Semi Final Race Report

Event

05/05/18
11.30am start Elite Women Semi Final 1

Start number

Sprint distance

2 lap 750m lake swim with exit run around, 3 x lap 20km ride with some undulation. 2x 2.5km lap run-flat.

Weather

Overcast & wild, a pleasant surprise for the usually hot & humid China.

Result

1st 😊 Straight through to Sunday World Cup Final

Splits

1:01:04 – 10:06 / 0:48 / 30:07 / 0:29 / 19:34

Chengdu World Cup is very unique in that it is run over 2 consecutive days with Saturdays Semi final qualifier sprint distance event, with athletes aiming to earn themselves a spot in Sunday's main event- the Super Sprint World Cup Final!

Having raced here in Chengdu last year it was nice to start my 2018 Overseas international season with a stop halfway over to Europe in a familiar place, although China is NEVER short of dishing up its fair share of surprises, just try going for a ride on the roads here or a simple stroll down the supermarket!

I was feeling settled & confident leading into Saturday's semi final, for me it was about going through the motions, getting the little things right, & having a solid hit out to lead into Sunday. To my pleasure the race played out exactly to plan.

Aiming to capitalise on my swim/bike strength & work hard here to get away with a smaller group on the bike, establish a lead & move onto the 5km run with time to relax & save energy here!

Starting on the far left side of the pontoon, taking the inside line to the first buoy & leading the swim around, putting the field under a little pressure on lap 2 of the swim to get the gap onto the bike with 4 of us, including Aussie team mate & friend Tamsyn Moana-Veale. The two of us pulling the majority of the work on the bike but we were both on the same page, work hard now, get away early & be able to shut it down on the run, the leg which is most taxing to have to "race" hard,

We extended our lead each lap, rolling through with strong turns to get off the bike with around 1:30 ahead of the chase pack. We were able to do exactly what i had hoped for, shut it donw & cruise home over the next 5km of running. Saving as much energy for tomorrow as possible! This would be the real race, but for now it was great to be able to have a bit of a chat, a laugh & huge grin on my face as Tammy & I cruised on the run & locked down our spots as 1 & 2 into Sunday's Final!

Job done, now it was straight onto recovery refueling, a massage & cool down spin ride and swim. Ready to roll again tomorrow.

Emma Jeffcoat7 May 2018beiheba