PTO主催の「コリンズカップ」が開催され、ブレーデンカリーのレポートが届いた。
日本時間では28日（土）の19:30~26:30まで7時間に渡って話題のコリンズカップが開催された。簡単に言えばプロの賞金レースとなる。（総額1億6千万円）最も興味深いのは、レースカテゴリーの枠を超えた設定と選手たちだろう。Tokyo2020のメダリストからアイアンマンの覇者まで、PTOのランキングから選出されたドリームレースだった。
コリンズカップはチーム戦で、ヨーロッパ、世界選抜、USAの3チームがそれぞれ男子6名女子6名の12名で構成されている。レースは各チームより1名が選出され、3名1組で12レースが行われる。格闘技のような、まさに一対一の「ガチ」レースとなっているのだ。距離をミドル（S2km/B80km/R18km）という「階級」を合わせて行うショーアップされたレースとなる。
そのバトルは、スイムから魅せてくれていた。各選手それぞれの戦略はあったと思うが、中には、決して後につかず、終始サイドバイサイドの熱戦を展開してる。スイムではLucyがオリンピアンを押さえて男子顔負けのラップを獲るなど、あらためてその強さをアピールしていた。バイクでは、Match1のKnibb（WTCS横浜優勝）は、なんとロードバイクを使用し、後続に大差をつけ、最速ラップで今回最大ポイントとなる6ptをゲット、優勝している。普段から使用しているロードを使ったということだろう。ちなみにZaferes（Tokyo2020銅メダリスト）は、トライアスロンバイクを使用していた。まさに「トライアスロンバイクvsロードバイク」の１シーンでもあった。Match4のSalthouseとLawrenceはバイクに移ってからもサイドバイサイドが続いていた。Lawrenceの落車により、勝負は決まってしまったが、明確にライバルが限定されるレースは面白い。この落車は雨によるものだが、スタート後1時間半経過し、強い雨が降り出している。Sandersも落車している。ランでは、10分前にスタートしている、Ryfを抜く好調なLucyが映し出されていた。Frodenoはランで顔をゆがめ、Skipperはラスト2kmでLaundryに抜かれ、惜しくも2位となった。その他、内容が盛りだくさんのため言い尽くすことができない。
チームは、「ヨーロッパ」が圧勝となった。Match1からスタートし、タイムリーにポイント表示されているのだが、前半女子の頃はUSAが優勢だった。後半男子のポイントが加算され始めると、ヨーロッパがその強さを表してきた。今回、Lange、Ryf、Haugなど振るわなかった選手もいるが、「時のレース」としては、見応えのあるエキサイティングなレースだった。そして、個人タイム1位は、男子Frodeno、女子Knibbだった。
そして、Triathlon GERONIMOとして注目となるのは機材だったが、すでにスクープされていたフェルトの新型トライアスロンバイクも投入され、フェルトサポートの選手が使用していた。「異形」の定義からは外れるが、有機的なデザインが異彩を放っている。また、13年のIAデビュー当時にお蔵入りとなった「フューエルシステム」も盛り込んだことは、SHIV、SPEEDMAXとともに今後のトライアスロンバイクの「新定義」となって行くことだろう。
残念ながらトレックの新型ディスクSpeedconceptの投入はなかったが、今年もなくなってしまったKONAのエキサイティングなイメージが沸々と湧いてきた。
以下、ブレーデンカリーのレポートとなる。Match11で出場、もちろん優勝している。2月のKONAでも大いに期待したい。Congratulations ！
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COLLINS CUP
The Collins CupBy Braden CurriePress Release –30thAugust 2021One week ago, I was in New Zealand. The country had just gone into level four lockdown.
Trying to figure out if I could make it over to Europe to race in the face of a New Zealand lockdown, hearing the announcement that Kona had been cancelled a few days before departure and recovering from a UTI, made it feel like a really tough decision to leave. If I could get there, could I get back? And if I could get back, when would that be? That last part is still unknown.
Now, I am in Samorin, Slovakia, two days post-Collins Cup and realise more than ever that no matter what, I had to be here. Especially for this event, the first of its kind, racing in a team against the best in the world and knowing the world is watching -it is pretty amazing!I am lucky to be in this era of the sport. For decades, people had to read race results in the newspaper -but now we have social media, live streaming and organisations like the Professional Triathlete Org (PTO) willing to use these platforms to bring triathlon to the world. I knew my family and friends, many kiwis and tens of thousands of tri fans around the world were watching -I wanted to give everyone something to cheer for and race to win.
TheCollins Cup means a lot to this sport moving forward. The impact it is having is incredible.
I am 100% stoked to be here and have had the opportunity to race some of the best athletes in the world as part of Team International. The Collins Cup consists of 36 athletes in total. It is a 12 match contest with three athletes in each (18 women, 18 men). The top six athletes, globally, were chosen to represent each team (Europe, USA, International).
Imatched with Patrick Lange and Matt Hanson. Patrick is a two times Kona world champion and I’ve battled with him before (on the run) in my second year at Kona, where I placed fifth. This year, Kona cancelled -so I knew that this race would probably be the closest experience to what couldhave been in Kona. Having the best race in Kona is what I hadbeen training for -it was time to put that to the test.
I went into the swim and fought side by side with Patrick. Mentally, I knew I could get out in front of him and, that is what I did.I hadn’t swum for two weeks before the race because I had a ‘Urinary Tract Infection’ plus, the pool had been closed due to the lockdown so I knew I wouldn’t have the top end power to drop him but, I wanted to come out of the water first.
As it turns out, I had the fastest swim ofthe day!Even against Jan Frodeno -JR’s (John Rogers -my swim coach in Noosa) golden boy (haha). Jan has swum with JR for a good part of his career and, I think Jan would say that JR has made him the swimmer he is today. I couldn’t be more stoked with my swim performance and do JR proud after all the effort and time he has given to meover the last few years.
Onto the bike, I got into my position and rode consistently. I rode away from both Patrick and Matt and came off the bike first. If I’m honest this is something I never thought I could do at that distance but I’d been working a lot on my ride. Even only a year ago, on an 80km flat time trial, I knew I was never going to be strong in this scenario. I like hills and I like to getout of my seat -that’s how I have learnt to generatepower on the bike in my mountain biking days. But since covid hit the opportunity to focus on my biking, especiallyaerodynamics and producing sustained power in the TTposition has been front of focus.
I have had the opportunity to work with Justin Ralph from Cycling New Zealand and refine my position with two rounds of testing indoors and outdoors over the last 9 months. On paper, the changes we have made in my training, combined with a custom bar set up from Dan Barry (First Wheel NZ) has given me the chance to bring my ride up to where it needs to be.
Setting off into the run, I didn’t know how much of a gap I had on the others so I went out with my usual 3:05’s out of the gate. Later in the run, I realised I had 4 plusminutes on themand 5 plusminutes by the end of the race.
The race was about the team and earning as many points as possible and having as much time on those guys as I could. Team International had a few incredible triumphs: Lionel Sanders and Ellie Salthouse won, Jackson Laundry beat Joe Skippers in the last one or two kilometres. Our triumphs were big but our consistency across the board wasn’t quite there. We took home the broken spokes andTeam Europe took home the Collins Cup for 2021.
It was cool to race for a team, represent and be part of it. I’m now looking forward to taking a few more days at the X-Bionic Sphere in Samorin -probably the best facility I’ve been to -with ice baths, massage, great food, outdoor pool with great riding and running tracks.
I will head to Roth by train on Thursday to race Challenge Roth -stoked to have had a good warm-up for that. The Collins Cup reminded my body of what it’s supposed to do in life. I’m looking forward to racing again, which will happen on Sunday (NZT).
Braden Currie.
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ON THE UPSWING | COLLINS CUP
MINI DOCUMENTARY
This is my story. As real and raw as it comes. From where I began to where I find myself now, told by the people closest to me.
