The first WTS triathlon of the season has ended in disappointment for the five Belgian men. It was not due to the performance, but due to the chill and wet conditions at Abu Dhabi. The Marina F1-circuit was exceptionally slippery and the Belgians were not spared in crashes or slidings in front of them.
Van Riel first Belgian
The race at Abu Dhabi was a sprint triathlon. Marten Van Riel exited the water in eighth position. The 750m swim was done withouth wetsuit, even though the chill conditions, the water temperature was still 20°C. Van Riel followed 10 seconds behind leader Henri Schoeman, made transition in the front, but was hindered by a crash by Dorian Coninx. Christophe De Keyser followed thirty seconds later, shortly followed by Jelle Geens and Erwin Vanderplancke. Jonathan Wayaffe lost an additional 40 seconds. At a given moments all Belgians were regrouped in a chasing pack, but several crashed ended the party. Jelle Geens DNF after 16km of racing.
Marten Van Riel ended as best Belgian on 31st, 2'22 after winner Henri Schoeman. Christophe De Keyser came 36th, Erwin Vanderplancke 41st and Jonathan Wayaffe 44th.
Schoeman concludes attack
Henri Schoeman was the locomotive of the four men large lead pack, but after a drift by Fabian and Brownlee, the pack grew larger. In the second lap of the bike leg, which took place on the Marina F1-circuit, Schoeman went solo. The Olympic bronze medalist started his run with a small lead on Brifford and Mislawchuk, World Champion Mario Mola followed 19 seconds later. Marco van der Stel started his run with a 47 second deficit. Mola, Luis and Bergere closed the gap up to 11 seconds after one lap, Marco already found himself in 29th position with a 1'32 gap. Schoeman managed to keep his grip on a handful of seconds and took the first WTS win of the season. Mario Mola came second, Vincent Luis third.
Original article on 3athlon.be by Hans Cleemput on 02/03/2018
Translation by @T0v3