Cup Series Gets Off to a Blistering Start in Hot and Humid Belle River

June 28, 2016 – Belle River played host to the first stop on Triathlon Ontario’s 2016 Cup Series edition. Nearly 90 athletes took to the starting line on a typical Windsor/Essex County summer day – hot and humid. Stronger swimmers had an advantage with it being a non-wetsuit swim as water temperatures above 20 degrees in Lake St. Clair and Belle River.

Elite/U23
Men
Reigning National Champion, Provincial Team graduate and current High Performance Centre Guelph athlete Taylor Forbes used the first stop as a tune up race as he prepares for the upcoming U23 North American Championships. Forbes looked strong from the start and was leading or in the lead pack for the entire race to take the win in comfortable fashion.

Coming in second was Ontario’s favourite New Brunswick import and fellow HPC Guelph athlete, Reid Burrows. Rounding out the podium was hometown hero and Provincial Team athlete, Garrick Loewen.

Women
On the women’s side, the three podium finishers made the best of a small field to score early important points in the Series. Ottawa’s Abby Miller crossed the line in first with Provincial Team athletes Samantha Klus and Danae Morris coming second and third respectively.

Next up for the Elite/U23 Cup Series is the Toronto Triathlon Festival on July 10th.

Series standings can be found here.

Junior
Men
In the Junior Series, it was a Provincial Team podium sweep as Dylan Pust led the way by putting in a strong all around performance to capture the win while Liam Donnelly used a fast bike/run leg for a come from behind second place finish. Rounding out the podium in third was Aaron De Jong.

Women
It was a dominating performance by Elise Bolger, Provincial Team member and carded athlete. Bolger built a large lead out of the water which then turned into a solo 20km bike leg and 5km run. Provincial Teammate Meagan Adams came in second while first year Junior Cassandra Dalbec got her first Provincial podium finish.

Next up for the Junior Cup Series is the Toronto Triathlon Festival on July 10th.

Series standings can be found here.

Youth
14-15 Boys
Matthew Cottam took the first stop win by 16 seconds over second place Jack Rath. Sasha Menegotto rounded out the podium by taking third place.

14-15 Girls
Isabella Mastroianni won the Series in commanding fashion by nearly a minute. Taking second place was Emma Young and while Emma Lazenby finished third on the day.

12-13 Boys
It was a close battle but Jacob Chant edged out Ian Young by 8 seconds to take the first win in the Series in the 12-13 year old boys category. Alex Lambert claimed the bronze medal.

12-13 Girls
Genevieve Sasseville made a splash by recording the fastest swim split for both male and female racers in the 12-13 category. Sasseville turned the speedy swim into a comfortable win. Taking second place was Sarah Gillis while Zoey Papadakos took third.

Next stop for both age divisions will be the Ottawa Triathlon July 23/24.

Series standings can be found here.

About Triathlon Ontario
Triathlon Ontario is a non-profit organization that is the recognized Provincial Governing Body for Multisport in the province of Ontario. Our mission is to provide leadership and governance for the development of a safe and fair environment for Multisport in Ontario. Triathlon Ontario oversees the sanctioning of races and clubs and undertakes a number of duties and responsibilities on behalf of athletes at every level, coaches, clubs, officials and race directors to ensure the growth and development of the sport in a fun and safe way. Visit Triathlon Ontario.com for the latest triathlon news, events, camps, and clinics.