Simon Viain was in China this week to race in World Cup Chengdu. This was his final race in preparation for his next WTS start which will take place in Yokohama. The Montpellier resident faired quite well in the hot and humid conditions finishing the race in 10th place. We chatted with him to get a better idea of his race experience. In contrast to WTS races, WC events are unpredictable and have distinctive race dynamics…
Coming out of the water 40 seconds back of the lead, were you panicking a little bit?
I didn’t panic because I could see that we were in a big group. That said, I was frustrated that I was so far back and that I wasn’t able to take my place on the swim.
In the end, everything fell back into place rather quickly…
I put up a big effort right away on the bike and found myself with some pretty strong cyclists. A group formed as early as the 2nd kilometre and the long straight away and hairpins allowed us to keep the lead group in sight. We were able to pull the back pretty quickly.
What’s your take on two athletes being able to brake away during the second half of the bike?
The pace remained pretty high throughout the bike because of hard work being put in by certain athletes and the occasional attack. However, the presence of some of the stronger runners in the lead pack caused certain relapses in the up-tempo pace setting. Two cyclists were able to brake away. At the same time the chase group was able to catch up to us because of the strong work from guys like Jelle Geens.
After the chase group bridged the gap, the race dynamics must have changed…
The pace went back to a high tempo because everyone wanted a good position heading into T2. At times, the group took up the whole road. The last kilometres were quite fast.
How about the start of the run?
I didn’t feel as though it was very fast. That said, I didn’t feel particularly good and I wasn’t able to hold on. In spite of this, I was still only just a few seconds back after the first lap.
Your overall impression of your run?
I was able to hang with the second group for a while before getting dropped once again. I never felt very good on the run. I was able to overtake a few guys who were struggling at the end of the race. It’s hard to give my impression so soon after the race, but I’m obviously disappointed. The race opened up and I wasn’t able to take advantage of this the way I would have wanted. Tag on a sub-par swim and the overall experience isn’t a positive one. That said, I still managed a 10th place and I’ve had much worse races in the past.
Chalk this one up as a learning experience?
Absolutely, and on many levels. Sensations on race day were not very good, but I’m happy with the way I managed the travel having arrived 3 days prior to the race. This is my best result in a WC event and gives me a good idea of my progression. In the end, it was a pretty hard race. Until today, I had never done well in races in Asia, so this weekend’s 10th place finish can be seen as a positive.
Is racing in China an experience on its own?
China is a very particular country. The race site was built specifically for triathlons. The ambiance was different with no one speaking english and all of the athletes staying at the same hotel. We’re pretty much isolated from the outside world, but everything is done to make sure we have a good experience. The Chinese are very attentive to detail and are very enthusiastic. There were lots of spectators at the race which is in itself pretty rare.