After yesterday’s30degree high-temperature battle,Today (6May11) the Country Garden"2016Huangshan Taiping Lake Triathlon International Elite Race and National Triathlon Points Race kicked off its second and most thrilling day—the International Elite Race—amidst a fine drizzle on Huangshan. Nearly a hundred athletes from both domestic and international scenes battled for10hours on the toughest course, ultimately conquering Huangshan with unwavering determination to complete the total113kilometer race. The relay team from the Weihai Triathlon Club, consisting of Han Bing, Li Yang, and Xu Hai, were the first to reach the finish line at Huangshan’s North Sea. In the individual category, Zeng Wenbo from the Changsha Clockwise Cycling Team was the first to cross the finish line.
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Today’s International Elite Race featured a mountain-running segment in the cycling-to-running transition for the first time in a domestic triathlon event. Additionally, this race boasted the largest elevation change of any triathlon in China, with the final21kilometers of running requiring a climb of2000meters, presenting enormous challenges to the athletes. Compared to yesterday’s temperatures exceeding30degrees, the light rain in Huangshan this morning brought a mix of joy and concern for the athletes. While the swimming and running segments were cooler, the slippery roads posed significant difficulties for the cycling portion, especially on descents where everyone had to proceed with extreme caution. Nevertheless, several athletes, including top rider Li Pengcheng, took falls.
At7:30, Wang Junhua, Standing Committee Member of Huangshan District Party Committee, Deputy Director of Taiping Lake Scenic Area Management Committee, and Party Secretary of Taiping Lake Town, announced the start of the race.8:00 sharp, athletes plunged into the waters of Taiping Lake to begin the1.9kilometer swim. Han Bing from Weihai Triathlon, who had led the swim segment in yesterday’s points race, once again demonstrated formidable strength, emerging from the water ahead of Beijing’s female swimming star Zhang Jie. Zhang Jie and Li Pengcheng closely followed, entering the first transition area.
During the cycling leg, Li Pengcheng, who successfully advanced toKONAlast year, faced major challenges riding in the rain, taking a fall on a turn and falling behind Li Yang, the top cyclist of the relay team, reaching the second transition zone in second place. Meanwhile, Zeng Wenbo, who had lagged far behind Li Pengcheng in the swim segment, emerged as the race’s biggest dark horse. After transitioning to the run, Zeng Wenbo—who excels particularly in uphill running—surpassed Li Pengcheng on the21kilometer mountainous road with steps, ultimately crossing the finish line at Huangshan’s North Sea first with a time of5hours,14minutes, and58seconds, becoming the first individual to finish. Due to being in a different age group, Li Pengcheng, representing the Taking the Family Along Club, still claimed the championship in the5to21age group with a time of29hours,18-24minutes, and4seconds. In the relay category, the team from Weihai Triathlon composed of Han Bing, Li Yang, and Xu Hai finished with a time of49minutes56seconds to win the championship. In the women's individual category, due to the challenging course, only4athletes registered to compete today. Ultimately, Zhang Jie, competing in her first triathlon, was the first female athlete to complete the113-kilometer race with a time of7hours,15minutes, and33seconds.
After the athletes reached the finish line at Huangshan's North Sea, Liu Yong, Deputy Secretary-General of Huangshan Municipal Government, Fan Qingtang, Deputy Party Committee Secretary of Huangshan Scenic Area Management Committee, Fang Wenhui, District Chief of Huangshan District, Pei Bin, Deputy Director of the Political Department of Huangshan Scenic Area Management Committee, Wang Junhua, Member of the Standing Committee of Huangshan District Party Committee, Deputy Director of Taipinghu Scenic Area Management Committee, and Secretary of Taipinghu Town Party Committee, along with leaders from the Huangshan municipal and district sports bureaus and Huangshan Extreme Culture & Sports Communication Co., Ltd., were on-site at the finish line to present awards to the athletes. After the race, the athletes, seemingly reluctant for it to end, gathered to climb up to Bright Summit for group photos, eager to capture more of Huangshan’s scenery in their cameras and memories. All the participants were deeply moved by the beauty of Huangshan and expressed their desire to return next year.
Cycling Course
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