Post-Race Rewind: Inside The Minds Of Taupo's Top Guns
From chasing shadows in the Olympic circuit to smashing records in Taupo, Belgium's Jelle Geens reveals how patience, a fresh coach, and past failures crafted his perfect world title race.
"I forgot how much it stung," laughed Hayden Wilde, still looking fresh despite running himself into the ground. The hometown hero had the crowd going absolutely mental. Classic Taupo support.
You couldn't help but marvel at Wilde's gutsy move off the bike. But as he admitted post-race with that trademark Kiwi honesty, "I was really struggling to slow down... I was on more of a 64 pace than 65 pace." That last 6km? Pure survival mode.
The new world champ Jelle Geens was fascinating to listen to. Sitting there still in his race kit, he broke down how he nearly got caught in the same trap early - trying to match Wilde's blistering pace. But a rough experience at the European Championships in Telen in August - where he 'started really fast and was almost walking towards the end' - taught him a valuable lesson.
Kyle Smith gave us the real inside line on that lead bike pack. "Probably one of the most fair bunches I've ever ridden... the lights were barely flashing even orange." In a sport where drafting drama can dominate headlines, this was pure class from the front group.
Leo Bergere, still looking like he could go another round despite the podium finish, summed up what everyone in the press room was thinking about Geens' performance: "He was so strong today, even on the bike he surprised me... he just deserved the win."
The surprise guest star at the presser? Gregory Barnaby, fresh off pocketing the biggest payday of his career with the Pro Series title. "I never earned in those 20 years the amount of money I earned today," he grinned, already planning how this might help with his upcoming wedding in May. Not a bad way to start married life.
But the quote that had every journo scribbling furiously came from our new champ. Geens, with that quiet confidence that seems to define Belgian athletes, dropped this gem: "It's only my first World Champ, so I guess it's only the beginning of my journey into Ironman."
Watching the press conference wrap up, you couldn't help but think we'd just witnessed something special. Not just a changing of the guard but maybe the start of a new era in 70.3 racing. One where Olympic speedsters aren't just dipping their toes in the middle-distance waters - they're diving in headfirst and rewriting the record books while they're at it.
If this is just the beginning of Geens' journey? Well, I reckon we better buckle up. This is going to get interesting.
