Hayden Wilde wins the French Riviera T100 six days after conquering the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship
Hayden Wilde has won the EKOÏ French Riviera T100 2026 in 3:06:24, just six days after being crowned IRONMAN 70.3 world champion in Nice, and extends his lead in the T100 circuit.
The New Zealander triumphed again in Saint-Raphaël and Fréjus after a race that remained wide open until the final 18 kilometers. Jelle Geens finished second, 19 seconds behind, and Kyle Smith completed the podium, 24 seconds back.
Wilde was also returning to the stage where he had already won in 2025. This time he did so after achieving his first IRONMAN 70.3 world title in Nice the previous Sunday.
The T100 Triathlon World Tour is the professional 100-kilometer circuit powered by the PTO and recognized by World Triathlon, with races consisting of a 2km swim, an 80km bike ride, and an 18km run.
A swimming race with the favorites very close together
Samuel Dickinson led the 2-kilometer swim in 24:42 , but the gaps were minimal. Wilde exited fifth in 24:48, just six seconds behind, and virtually all the top contenders started the cycling segment together.
Antonio Benito also got a good start, eleventh in 24:51 and only nine seconds behind Dickinson.
Bogen and Smith begin selecting the career
The start of the 80-kilometer cycling leg left a large group together before Kyle Smith and Rico Bogen began to open up gaps at the front.
Wilde managed to catch up with them, and the front line reorganized with Jelle Geens and Samuel Dickinson. Jake Birtwhistle and Antonio Benito also joined them later.
Bogen was one of the most active riders and attacked in the final section to reach the second transition with a few seconds' advantage. The German also recorded the fastest cycling split of the day with 1:41:40.
Antonio Benito completed a great segment on the bike: his 1:42:08 was the fourth best cycling split of the entire race.
Wilde decides the victory in the final kilometers
Bogen's small lead quickly disappeared at the start of the run. Smith and Geens caught the German before the two-kilometer mark, and Wilde soon rejoined the front.
Wilde, Smith, and Geens ran together for several kilometers. The Belgian began to lose contact around kilometer 10, and the victory initially fell to the two New Zealanders.
Wilde broke away from the race around kilometer 12. Smith couldn't respond to the change of pace and the IRONMAN 70.3 world champion opened up enough of a gap to tackle the final part alone.
Wilde completed the 18 kilometers in 58:09 and crossed the finish line in 3:06:24.
Geens closed the gap and overtook Smith in the final stretch. The Belgian finished second in 3:06:43 , and Smith was third in 3:06:48.
French Riviera T100 2026 Ranking
| Pos | Triathlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hayden Wilde | 3:06:24 |
| 2 | Jelle Geens | 3:06:43 |
| 3 | Kyle Smith | 3:06:48 |
| 4 | Jake Birtwhistle | 3:08:22 |
| 5 | Lasse Nygaard Priester | 3:09:29 |
The complete classification of the EKOÏ French Riviera T100 2026 includes the times and splits of all participants.
Antonio Benito finishes ninth
Antonio Benito finished ninth with 3:10:36 after staying in the front fight for much of the cycling.
The Spaniard completed the race with 24:51 in swimming, 1:42:08 on the bike and 1:02:16 in the final 18 kilometers.
Guillem Montiel finished 17th in 3:20:51 , with splits of 25:09 in swimming, 1:50:26 in cycling and 1:03:41 in running.
Wilde extends his lead in the Race To Qatar
The victory takes Hayden Wilde to 96 points in the men's T100 standings . The New Zealander secured his second win of the season after Singapore and had previously finished third in San Francisco.
Jake Birtwhistle remains second with 59 points , while Lasse Nygaard Priester is in third place with 49. Wilde thus has a 37-point lead over his closest rival.
The final ranking is based on each athlete's three best T100 results during the regular season plus the World Championship Final.
The men's schedule will continue with the Saudi Arabia T100 in November before the Qatar Final on December 11.
Wilde thus closes a week in France with two victories over different formats: first the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice and, six days later, the French Riviera T100.
This content has been created with the support of AI tools and reviewed by the Triathlon News editorial team.
