The former Olympic champion came to southern France brimming with confidence on the heels of his April 27 victory at Ironman Texas, where he won by over eight minutes and shattered the course record.
Once again, Blummenfelt made his move into the top five with a powerful bike leg and then unleashed a blistering run to earn the win. Riding a CADEX Tri frameset equipped with the new CADEX Aero 4-Spoke 1K WheelSystem and CADEX Aero Cotton tires, Blummenfelt raced comfortably at the front during the 56-mile bike leg.
Though they were nearly three minutes behind Ruben Zepuntke and Nathan Guerbeur after the second transition, Blummenfelt and Frenchman Simon Viain worked together to chase down the leaders midway through the run. Vlain ultimately lost contact, while Blummenfelt’s training partner and fellow Norwegian Casper Stornes moved his way into second place.
Blummenfelt ultimately crossed the tape with a time of 3:41:08, 31 seconds ahead of Stornes, with Vlain finishing third to round out the podium.
“I felt strong throughout the whole day and felt super comfortable starting the run,” Blummenfelt said. “I was planning to go in the last five or six [kilometers], it was just about waiting for the right moment. I was quite pleased with how my legs felt when I was turning up the pace. It was great fun out there on the course.”
Blummenfelt’s performance propelled him five spots to the top of the Ironman Pro Series leaderboard, just ahead of German Jonas Schomburg.
MULTIPLE CADEX PODIUMS AT WTCS YOKOHAMA
On a rainy day in Yokohama, Japan, two pairs of CADEX athletes reached the World Triathlon Championship Series podium in the men’s and women’s races, respectively.
Portugal’s Vasco Vilaca and Brazilian Miguel Hidalgo finished second and third in the men’s race, while in the women’s race, Beth Potter of Great Britain finished second, with German Lisa Tertsch in third. All four athletes competed on CADEX 50 Ultra WheelSystems.
In the women’s event, reigning Olympic and world champion Cassandre Beaugrand lost control in a wet corner and crashed, putting her out of the race. Luxembourg’s Jeanne Lehair was able to get the win while Potter took silver, just four seconds back. Tertsch finished third, just two seconds behind Potter.
The men’s race also saw a first-time WTCS winner in Australian Matt Hauser, who was one of 23 athletes who rode to a 2:40 gap rolling into T2. On the run, Vilaca battled with Hauser in the final stretch and ended up second at six seconds back. Hidalgo, a member of the CADEX-sponsored BMC Pro Triathlon Team, finished another 15 seconds behind Vilaca to take bronze.
Following Yokohama—the second of seven WTCS events in 2025—Vilaca and Hidalgo sit second and third in the series standings, while Tertsch leads the women’s standings ahead of Lehair, with Potter, the 2023 world champion and double Olympic bronze medalist, sitting seventh.