A deep field of 50 pro women came to Canada to contest the fourth round of the 2023 WTCS. It started with a 750-meter swim, where Vittoria Lopes of Brazil led the field out of the water. American Taylor Knibb was hot on her heels, with the lead contenders, including Potter, close behind.
Knibb and fellow American Summer Rappaport were able to break away early on the 20km bike leg, carrying a small lead into the second transition.
Potter, riding with her CADEX 50 Ultra WheelSystem, was in the chasing group, perfectly positioned to make a move on the run.
Jeanne Lehair of Luxembourg led the chase on the 5km run, but she faded after the two leaders were caught, leaving the trio of Potter, Rappaport and Periault at the front.
Those three ran shoulder-to-shoulder until the closing meters, where Potter, a former Olympic runner, made a strong kick for the finish. The Brit was able to surge ahead and score her second career WTCS win and her second this year following a victory at the season opener in Abu Dhabi.
“I didn’t have a great swim today, but I just made sure I stayed cool and calm and worked hard on the first two laps of the bike and got back on,” Potter said. “I wasn’t actually sure where [Taylor Knibb] was and I was thinking if she’s in front of me, I am in trouble. She was in front of me, and I still managed to get there so that’s a big confidence boost.”
Potter now sits fifth overall in the elite women’s WTCS rankings, currently led by American Taylor Spivey. Up next is round five, scheduled for July 13-16 in Hamburg, Germany.
Men's Race: Top-5 for Blummenfelt
The men’s race was stacked with talent as the field of 55 lined up for the swim at the Old Port of Montreal. Australian Matthew Houser was fastest in the 750m swim, with CADEX athletes Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden coming out of the water about 40 seconds back.
Riding with his CADEX 50 Ultra WheelSystem, Blummenfelt drove the chase on the 20km bike leg, eventually bridging up and taking the lead on the fourth of six laps. A huge lead group hit the 5km run with Blummenfelt and Iden in the mix.
The final podium spots came down to a battle in the final kilometer. Hauser was able to outkick the others, with Blummenfelt crossing the line fifth. That result put Blummenfelt 10th overall in the rankings heading into the next round in Hamburg.