The Australian Sheedy-Ryan wins the Women's European Cup ahead of Abysova and Vodickova

Today the Banyoles Triathlon Premium European Cup was held, which hosted a high-level event for the first time after the Championship of
Junior Europe in 1993. The event has distributed 25.000 euros in prizes.
The women's event has started at the 9.45h before a thousand spectators who have gathered near the lake. The first to leave the water have been
a group of six triathletes formed by the Italians Peron and Bonin, the English Lang, the Spanish Ana Godoy and Carolina Routier, and the winner of yesterday's elite test Radka Vodickova.

Ana Godoy lagged behind in the cycling segment when she was swallowed up by a large chasing group, while the five triathletes rode together for the next five laps. In the last lap, a single group of 22 athletes has been created who have jointly made the transition from cycling to athletics.

The most agile and fastest in the transition has been the Australian Felicity Sheedy-Ryan, who has started first, with a few meters of advantage that no other triathlete has been able to overcome in the 10km race on foot. She has crossed the finish line solo with a time of 1h58'11”.
After her the fight for the podium positions has been very disputed. The Australian was followed by a group of three athletes formed by Marta Jiménez, the Russian Irina Abysova and the Australian Van Coevorden. Behind was the Czech Radka Vodickova who was climbing positions after a bad bike transition.
Halfway through the running race, Marta Jiménez has lost contact with the group and, as she has commented in statements to the press, "I have been losing strength and positions, because the hardest part has been the running." Finally, the Russian Abysova took second place and Vodickova third, ahead of the Australian, who had to settle for 4th place.

As for the Spanish women, Marta Jiménez finished in 7th position and Carolina Routier from Baño, in 11th, ahead of her compatriot María Ortega with whom she has completed almost the entire race on foot. Routier, has been very happy with the test. "Swimming was relatively easy" and on the cycling section "it was very comfortable without very pronounced or difficult turns". She has also appreciated the collaboration of her partner María Ortega in the foot race.
Sheedy-Ryan, who trains in France during the summer, has declared that at the beginning of the test she felt "very tired, perhaps from having competed last week in Genoa", where she also won. “I had to push hard on the bike, since she was quite behind”. Regarding the test, she said that "she hopes to come next year" because it has been a very nice and well organized tour.