A Successful Weekend for the SCOTT Triathlon Team
Beth Gerdes Wins her Second IM Title
In a perfectly timed race, American Beth Gerdes won IM Australia, her second IM title after winning in Zurich last year. Gerdes showed a solid performance during the opening 3.8k swim that kept her in contention for a podium finish. On the bike, the SCOTT athlete chose to keep her own pace which saw her entering T2 with a deficit of over 12 minutes on the leading Michelle Bremer. One of the strongest female runners in the sport, Gerdes proved already at IM Zurich last year that she's able to close gaps of over 15 minutes during the marathon. The American continously gained time on the leading women and at the 37 kilometer mark she passed an exhausted Bremer to take the win.
Annabel Luxford Crushes IM 70.3 Busselton
Only three weeks after her 5th place at IM South Africa, Luxford spent a lonely day at the front of IM 70.3 Busselton. The Australian led out of the swim and did not look back on the bike leg. She entered T2 with over 3 minutes advantage on a group of four. On the closing half-marathon, Luxford remained untouchable for her fellow competitors and took the win safely.
Maurice Clavel Opens his Season with a Second Place at IM 70.3 Aix-en-Provence
Clavel had some doubts after an illness kept him from training properly during his last training camp on the Canary Island. In Aix-en-Provence, yet another surprise awaited the strong swimmer from Germany. Due to the cold temperatures, the swim was cancelled and the half distance race was carried out as a duathlon. Despite the circumstances, Clavel pushed hard on the bike and during the run and was only beaten by local Betrand Billard who made advantage of his descending skills on home roads.