Extreme hardness in the first QH Triathlon
The first edition of the ChainReactionCycles.com Quebrantahuesos Triathlon has celebrated its debut despite the difficulties that the beautiful Pyrenean environment has wanted to bring.
The test, which aims to become a world reference and one of the toughest of its specialties in Spain, today received its baptism, proving that it will indeed be remembered as one of the most extreme competitions and one of the most beautiful as it is located in the Alto Gallego region.
The appointment, which arose from the successful Quebrantahuesos cycling event, has started today with some delay in Sallent de Gállego due to the adverse weather conditions, materialized in an intense electrical storm, which shook the area at dawn and left the roads flooded and even with a blanket of hail.
The problems caused by inclement weather have been successfully resolved by the organization, forcing them to modify the initial approach of the test.
In this way, the swimming sector (scheduled in the Lanuza reservoir) has been canceled for security reasons but, nevertheless, far from suspending a long-awaited test, the sports jury has decided to turn the competition into a duathlon, following the specifications of the regulation of the Spanish Triathlon Federation.
Thus, the more than 140 registered people who have gathered in this inaugural test (only eight dozen have dared to start), have covered a lap of the race on foot; 72 kilometers of cycling (the 82 kilometers initially planned have been cut due to the state of the road -eliminating the double ascent to Hoz de Jaca-); and 18 kilometers of race on foot.
Finally, Mikel Otaegui has been the winner of this first edition; with a total time of 3 hours, 45 minutes and 26 seconds, he has confessed himself "very happy, of course" with the victory; and he has assured that it has been "a hard, very hard race". In his case, he has benefited from the elimination of the swimming sector, in which he usually "loses time"; although "taking the bike after running has been very hard muscularly".
For his part, the second classified, Andoni Illarramendi, has described the event upon arrival at the finish line as "very well organized", and sportingly as a "very tough" competition. “Thank goodness that Hoz de Jaca has been removed because it will surely be accused a lot.
Putting Jaca's sickle twice can be deadly. " "It's much harder than others I've participated in," he said.
After them, third was Miguel López Allue; Aitor Tejería and Ignacio Cabal; while the first woman has been Jane Hansom, at number 42.
Of the 140 registered triathletes, finally only 89 dared to take the start and 79 of them finished the competition, which was completed thanks to the fact that the weather respected the test, leaving a sensational taste in the mouth of the participants who already think, like than the organization, in the second edition.
The next appointment of the Quebrantahuesos trinomial, the QH MTB, will premiere on September 23 in Sabiñánigo; being the Spanish BTT Marathon Championship in its first edition.
Results: www.quebrantahuesos.com/triatlon/results
