Europe Triathlon Cup Quarteira 2023 results: Beaugrand dominates

Cassandre Beaugrand of France led from start-to-finish in the women’s elite race in Quarteira, comfortably winning by close to a minute after controlling the race from the front throughout.

[CLICK HERE for the Elite Men’s report]

Swim – Beaugrand leads into T1

Over the two-lap, 1500m sea swim, French superstar Beaugrand showed her prowess in the water as she efficiently navigated the slightly choppy conditions to come out of the water with a small lead.

Italian Bianca Seregni, well known for her impressive swim leg, was alongside the Frenchwoman for much of the 1500m swim, but Beaugrand was quickest to cover the long run from the beach to transition, opening up a small gap leaving T1.

In the chase pack, reigning World U23 Champion Kate Waugh made the group along with Seregni and roughly ten other women, including Jeanne Lehair of Luxembourg, home favourite Melanie Santos and Spaniard Cecilia Santamaria Surroca.

Bike – Breakaway sticks

Whilst Beaugrand enjoyed a small lead over the opening kilometres, she was quickly reeled in by the chase group, as the lead pack swelled to a group of eleven, with most of the main contenders present.

In that group, aside from Beaugrand, Waugh, Seregni, Lehair, Santos and Santamaria was Japan’s Yuko Takahashi, French duo Mathilde Gautier and Audrey Merle, Italian Luisa Iogna-Prat and Australia’s Jaz Greaves.

Behind, Lotte Miller of Norway, Swiss athlete Alissa Konig and Portugal’s Helena Carvahalo were taking on the lions share of the work for the chase pack. The group, which included Swedish star Tilda Mansson, initially made very little inroads into the front groups lead, with the gap at 1:20 following the first lap.

After a strong ride, the leading group of 11 came into T2 with a comfortable lead, as the medals looked to come from this group. Behind, the chase pack, despite their best efforts, started the run with a deficit of over two minutes to the top-10.

Run – Beaugrand dominates

Out of T2, all eyes were on Beaugrand, who as the best runner in the field by some way, looked capable of winning the race anyway she wanted to as they set out on the 10km run.

The Frenchwoman, who had been at the front of the race since the gun went, quickly built a comfortable lead on the rest of the field and by the 2.5km mark looked unbeatable bar disaster.

Cassandre Beaugrand / WTCS Montreal 2022 — Photo Credit – Ben Lumley

Behind Beaugrand, Lehair of Luxembourg looked to have the freshest legs out of the rest of the front group, as she valiantly chased Beaugrand and in the process put time into the rest of the podium contenders over the first 5km.

Over the closing kilometres, whilst Beaugrand was clear, her compatriot Merle closed the gap to Lehair, and worked hard to secure second place and leave the Luxembourger in her wake.

Beaugrand, controlling the race from start to finish, secured a comfortable win in Quarteira, as Merle made it a French 1-2 on the Algarve and Lehair was rewarded for her doggedness with a great third place finish.