Hayden Wilde completes a demanding double challenge at the New Zealand Cycling Nationals
Hayden Wilde completed the New Zealand Road Cycling Championships after a 188-kilometer race, two days after finishing fourth in the national time trial, in another test against the elite peloton.
A weekend of cycling events
The current one T100 world champion y Olympic triathlon runner-up He put on a race number again this Saturday in the New Zealand Road Cycling Championships, contested over a demanding course of 188 kilometers around Cambridge, south of Auckland.
His participation in the road race came just two days after his outstanding performance in the elite time trial, where he finished four seconds off the podium.
A long and uncompromising race
The online race brought together several of the country's best cyclists, with a high pace from the very beginning.
Wilde opted for an offensive attitude in the early hours, collaborating in chases and responding to movements, in a scenario very different from that of the triathlon and marked by the management of long-term effort.
As the kilometers passed, the wear and tear began to take its toll. Wilde himself later explained that around kilometer 160 Their strength began to wane, facing the last two laps with barely enough reserves, but with the clear objective of finish the race.
Respect for professional cycling
In their social mediaThe New Zealand triathlete described the experience as a personal test rather than a pursuit of results. He acknowledged that attacking and covering for attacks in the early hours "isn't the smartest thing to do," but that he wanted to test himself and see how his body would respond in a purely cycling context.
Wilde crossed the finish line in last position, more than 10 minutes from the winner, George Bennett, runner of the Israel–Premier Tech, a circumstance that does not diminish the value of the effort or the context of the test.
Continuity after the time trial
Participation in the online race continued a weekend in which Wilde faced top-level cycling twice.
On Thursday he had secured a remarkable fourth place in the New Zealand Championship time trial, finishing just four seconds off the podium against professional cyclists, a performance that reinforced his prestige in the cycling segment and which we already analyzed in detail in Triathlon News..
His presence in both events is part of a training block in New Zealand, which Wilde himself expressed satisfaction with, stating that he is "very happy with his fitness" just a month after starting this preparation phase.
The experience reinforces Hayden Wilde's profile as one of the most complete triathletes on the international scene, capable of competing and finishing demanding races outside his main discipline, accumulating kilometers and high-level sensations.
