He might not have enjoyed it at the time but Alex Yee has embraced the “crazy” nature of the WTCS finale on Sunday which saw him add a first world title to his Olympic gold medal.
Yee was distanced by a power-packed five-man front group on the bike which included his two main title rivals, Hayden Wilde and Leo Bergere.
The Brit needed to finish in the top six to make sure of what had hitherto been an elusive title – and at over a minute-and-a-half back it was starting to look in some jeopardy once again.
However he didn’t panic and instead used his run speed to reel in three of the front group to take third place on the day behind Wilde and Bergere which left him top of the overall standings after near misses in each of the previous three years.
‘I started to believe’
And reflecting on the dramatic conclusion when chatting to TRI247, Alex told us: “The Grand Final always seems to throw up very exciting and unique races and this one was no different – I was glad that I was able to keep my cool and race the best I could.
“There was some confusion at the start and concern for Matt Hauser after his crash – all my best to him – and the gap just kept going out. Those boys up front were just so strong, and it was really, really impressive from them if I’m being honest. They really stated their claim.
“They really made the race exciting and took their chance when it happened. It made the race super interesting to have probably three of the strongest riders in the field up the road. And it definitely gave me a bit of concern.
“But then I just had to run my heart out. I probably ran the first five k pretty solid to try and close down as much of that gap as possible to see if it was a possibility to get across to a few of those guys at the front.
“And as I got closer and closer, I started to believe in it more and more and I was able to take third place with about three k to go and was just hanging on for dear life at that point!
“So, yeah, very, very proud to be able to do that and come away from this year as Olympic and World champ.”
Raising the bar
The absorbing finale was watched by huge crowds, many of them Brits shouting for Yee and he added: “There were so many people out supporting us, giving us that extra push. So many of the guys who raced the age-group races and also the junior and under 23 races were out there cheering us on and it was really, really special.
“It’s just really nice to see people excited about our sport and excited about the racing that we’re doing. And I think the Grand Final is the epitome of that because of how unpredictable it is and how much crazy stuff happens. So it was really nice to be part of that.”
Yee’s rivalry with Wilde in particular has been a feature of the last couple of seasons and it’s something he relishes, saying it’s driving both them and others to new heights.
He told us: “To have competition is exciting. If you win everything, you don’t get out of your bed as there’s no motivation. So I think for me to carry on improving is part and parcel of the sport of I love, and those guys are a massive factor in the sport evolving and getting better.
“People are looking at different ways of improving. That’s how the Norwegian Method came about. And things that Hayden or Leo or lots of other people are trying at the moment are helping us to move our sport on. And that’s exciting and keeps me wanting to be better and keep on pushing.”
Time to hit the pause button
Yee kept his cool on Sunday and he’s featured in two of the iconic images of the 2024 season – first the embrace with Wilde on the finish line in Paris and then that ice-cool celebration in their next race at supertri Boston.
And bringing the sport to life is something he hopes to continue in years to come, explaining: “I don’t think it’s a bad thing to see a bit of personality out on the course.
I’d say that Hayden races with a lot of personality and I think that’s a really, really positive thing.
“I like to think that I’m able to do that as well every now and then. People seem excited about the sport through our rivalry and that’s a great thing. If that’s getting more people involved in the sport and getting people more excited about it, then that’s only a good thing.”
Asked how the rest of this year looks for him, it’s the supertri finale in Neom followed by some well-earned downtime, though by the sounds of it, not for too long: “Yeah, Neom and then probably a little bit of decompression and a reset to kind of push on to next year and what’s to come in the future.
“I’ll definitely allow myself to process what’s kind of happened over this year. As athletes, we’re very quick to move on to the next thing and probably not pause at some points to appreciate what we’ve achieved.
“I guess I’ve achieved a year beyond my wildest dreams, if I’m being honest. So I think it will be really nice to be able to stop and appreciate that. But, you know we don’t stop for very long before we get a bit jittery!”
