Georgia Taylor-Brown won her third supertri race in a row as she claimed a dominant victory in Toulouse.

The winner in Chicago and London becomes the first athlete to complete a hat-trick since her partner Vincent Luis.

Taylor-Brown was in the mix throughout, though there was late drama when she nearly mistakenly took a Short Chute on the final run. But she avoided that and crossed the line well clear of Taylor Spivey with last year’s Toulouse winner Kate Waugh in third.

Olympic champion Cassandre Beaugrand flew fast and late for fourth but was disqualified for a bike helmet infringement.

And triathlon legend Kate Zaferes was eliminated via the 90-seconds rule ahead of the last lap of the run in what was her final professional race.

So lots to digest and here’s how it all panned out!

Stage 1

With the water temperature at 15 degrees Celsius there was split opinion on whether or not to wear a wetsuit.

Beaugrand, racing on home soil for the first time since winning Olympic gold in Paris, was one of those who took the wetsuit route and she was first out of the water on what would prove a rollercoaster day.

However she missed out on the first Short Chute, with Beth Potter taking that as she led out the bike in front of Waugh, Spivey, Jess Fullagar and Zaferes.

Beaugrand was 12 seconds adrift early on the bike and that rapidly rose on the tight and twisty technical circuit in front of huge crowds.

At the end of the fifth and final lap it was Fullagar who pipped Waugh for the second Short Chute, with Beaugrand now 34 seconds back.

That would change on the run – as the Olympic champion cut the deficit to 19 seconds – but it was Waugh who moved to the front to claim the final Short Chute for Crown Racing.

Brownlee Racing, who won the first two but could obviously only take one, were the only other team to have an incoming advantage on the final run.

Stage 2

The second swim saw a big move from Spivey as she worked her way to the front and was first out of the water.

And things would really start to split on the bike as Fullagar, Waugh, Taylor-Brown and Spivey pulled well clear of the field – who were led by Potter at 16 seconds back.

Just as there had been at the Olympics there was terrible luck on the bike for Jeanne Lehair as a puncture saw her eliminated via the 90-seconds rule.

So onto the run and it was Taylor-Brown who eased to the front, with her Crown Racing teammate Waugh, Spivey and Fullagar trying to stay in touch.

Fullagar was the one who just ground in the closing stages but a brilliant transition saw her regain contact and get on the feet.

French duo Léonie Périault and Emma Lombardi were in a three-woman chase group with Potter, 15 seconds back, and it looked to be between the front seven – with Beaugrand 41 seconds adrift in eighth.

Stage 3

The Short Chute decisions came in – no surprise to see Fullagar given the Brownlee Racing one but it was a tricky call for Crown Racing between Taylor-Brown and Waugh.

They went with Waugh – who had won it – would that prove decisive later on?

Back to the swim and Spivey had again moved to the head of affairs, just ahead of GTB.

Waugh and Fullagar were right in the mix too though, with that 16 seconds gap to the rest still remaining.

Spivey had a dig off the front but couldn’t make it stick – and remember Waugh and Fullagar had the Short Chute to come.

Lombardi was doing her best to cut the gap to the front four but it was still 11 seconds on the final bike loop.

Meanwhile Zaferes, in her last race, was battling hard to avoid the 90-seconds elimination at +1:18.

So it all came down to the run – which unlike the first two stages was two laps rather than one.

Fullagar was the one who opened up an early gap but Taylor-Brown wasted no time in bridging that.

But there was drama as GTB seemed unaware that the Short Chute had gone to teammate Waugh rather than her. Taken on each loop, Taylor-Brown swerved towards it but thankfully elected to err on the side of caution and stick to the original course.

Had she taken it, she would have been disqualified.

That apart though, she was in complete control as she underlined her class not much more than a week on from her podium at WTCS Weihai.

She was well clear on the second lap and it was Spivey who stayed on superbly into second. Waugh rounded out the podium and a one-three for Crown Racing, with Beaugrand coming from nowhere to pip Fullagar for fourth.

However there would be a twist to that outcome with the Olympic champion disqualified for her bike helmet being unbuckled.

supertri Toulouse results

Sunday 6 October 2024 – Enduro – Elite Women