Chevalier, Astle win Ironman Mallorca
Leon Chevalier of France combined a 14th best 48:45 swim, a 2nd-fastest 4:16:59 bike split and a 4th-quickest 2:46:55 marathon to finish in 7:57:03 with a 56 seconds margin over Florian Angert of Germany and 6:59 over third place Cameron Wurf of Australia.
Chevalier’s victory added to a stellar 2021 season which includes a win at the Embrun Long Distance classic, a 2nd at the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon and a 3rd at Ironman UK.
Ruth Astle of Great Britain put together a 9th-best 55:01 swim, a women’s-best 4:51:44 bike split and 3rd quickest 3:07:25 marathon to hit the line in 8:59:15 with a 1:24 margin over Justine Mathieux of France and 3:38 over 3rd-place finisher Kristin Liepold of Germany.
Astle’s victory adds to a resume that includes a 7th at 2021 Ironman Tulsa, a 4th at 2020 Ironman Florida with a race record bike split, and stellar age group overall wins at the 2019 Ironman World Championship and 2019 Challenge Roth.
Men’s Race
Angert led the swim with 46:03 split that gave him a 36 seconds lead on Valentin Wernz of Germany, 41 seconds on Peru Alfaro, 45 seconds on Kristian Hogenhaug of Denmark, 48 seconds on Adam Bowden of Great Britain and 2:39 on eventual podium finisher Cameron Wurf of Australia and 2:41 on the ultimate winner, Chevalier.
After a race-best 4:16:41 bike split, Wurf led at T2 by 1 second over Chevalier, 5 seconds on Hogenhaug, 3:55 over Angert and 5:55 on Boris Stein of Germany.
With a 3rd-best 2:46:55 run split, Chevalier kept his lead over Angert (2nd-best 2:43:47 run) and left Wurf (2:53:43 run) in his dust. Boris Stein of Germany advanced to 4th place with a 2:53:16 run split, while Bart Aernouts of Belgium made up a lot of ground with a race-best 2:43:07 marathon that brought him to 5th place.
Women’s Race
Fenella Langridge of Great Britain led the women’s swim with a 49:24 split that gave her a 5 seconds lead on Lisa Norden of Sweden, and 2:33 on Anna-Lena Best-Pohl of Germany and Jocelyn McCauley of the U.S. Eventual 2nd-place finisher Justine Mathieux and winner Astle trailed in 7th and 9th places by margins of 5:32 and 5:36.
Honed by years of pro cycling, Norden charged into the lead with a women’s second-best 4:52:48 cycling split, which gave her a 4:22 lead on Astle (women’s–best 4:51:44 bike split), and 4:23 on Jocelyn McCauley of the U.S. Eventual podium finishers had lots of ground to make up – Mathieux of France (9:44) and Kristin Liepold of Germany (14:55).
Despite her lead at T2, Norden fell back with a disappointing 3:15:02 run split which dropped the Swedish star to 4th place at the finish. Liepold advanced to second place with a women’s-best 3:00:05 marathon, while Mathieux took the final spot on the podium with a second-best 3:03:13 run.
Astle took the win with a women’s 3rd-best 3:07:25 marathon which brought her to the win in 8:59:15 – 1:23 ahead of Mathieux and 3:38 over third place Liepold.
Ironman Mallorca
Mallorca, Spain
October 16, 2021
S 2.4 mi. / B 112 mi. / R 26.2 mi.
Men
1. Leon Chevalier (FRA) S 48:45 T1 2:30 B 4:16:59 T2 1:57 R 2:46:55 TOT 7:57:03
2. Florian Angert (GER) S 46:03 T1 2:41 B 4:23:23 T2 2:07 R 2:43:47 TOT 7:57:59
3. Cameron Wurf (AUS) 48:43 T1 2:48 B 4:16:41 T2 2:11 R 2:53:43 TOT 8:04:03
4. Kristian Hogenhaug (DEN) S 46:48 T1 2:41 B 4:18:49 T2 2:15 R 2:55:31 TOT 8:06:01
5. Boris Stein (GER) S 50:39 T1 2:44 B 4:20:44 T2 2:19 R 2:53:16 TOT 8:09:40
6. Dylan Magnien (FRA) S 48:39 T1 2:41 B 4:34:30 T2 2:18 R 2:42:11 TOT 8:10:17
7. Bart Aernouts (BEL) S 52:29 T1 2:38 B 4:31:44 T2 2:06 R 2:43:07 TOT 8:12:03
8. Samuel Huerzeler (SUI) S 48:49 T1 2:48 B 4:30:57 T2 2:36 R 2:48:17 TOT 8:13:25
9. Miquel Ugarte Ramos (ESP) S 48:43 T1 2:45 B 4:35:18 T2 2:20 R 2:44:35 TOT 8:13:39
10. Michael Weiss (AUT S 52:45 T1 2:52 B 4:26:29 T2 2:31 R 2:51:43 TOT 8:16:18
Women
1. Ruth Astle (GBR) S 2:48 T1 2:48 B 4:51:44 T2 2:18 R 3:07:25 TOT 8:59:15
2. Justine Mathieux (FRA) S 54:57 T1 3:02 B 4:56:56 T2 2:32 R 3:03:13 TOT 9:00:39
3. Kristin Liepold (GER) S 1:02:18 T1 3:11 B 4:54:37 T2 2:44 R 3:00:05 TOT 9:02:53
4. Lisa Norden (SWE) S 49:29 T1 2:54 B 4:52:48 T2 2:46 R 3:15:02 TOT 9:02:57
5. Anna-Lena Best-Pohl (GER) S 54:58 T1 2:53 B 5:08:23 T2 2:53 R 2:42 R 3:09:31 TOT 9:15:25
6. Elena Illeditsch (GER) S 1:00:02 T1 3:3`1 B 4:59:17 T2 2:25 R 3:11:05 TOT 9:16:18
7. Fenella Langridge (GBR) S 49:24 T1 2:44 B 5:01:51 T2 2:24 R 3:20:06 TOT 9:16:27
8. Verena Walter (GER) S 57:38 T1 4:32 B 5:02:58 T2 2:25 R 3:17:25 TOT 9:24:58
9. Katrien Verstuyft (FRA) S 54:54 T1 2:56 B 5:11:39 T2 3:15 R 3:34:42 TOT 9:47:24
10. Margrit Elfers (GER) S 59:42 T1 3:10 B 4:55:53 T2 3:53 R 3:47:47 TOT 9:50:23
