The best triathletes in the world had to cope with some of the worst weather with Kitzbuehel throwing up a crazy mix of sunshine, cool temperatures and at one point a hailstorm as the Austrian town hosted the latest round of the ITU Dextro Energy World Championship Series.
And after being prominent throughout the swim and in particular the bike leg, the Kiwis struggled on the 10km run with Nicky Samuels the best in 10th place, behind eventual winner Paula Findlay (CAN) as the 22 year old once again proved the best in the sport as she won her 5th WCS race and third in succession this season.
Sarah Haskins (USA) broke up the field during the swim as she powered out from the start, with Helen Jenkins (GBR) the only other capable of matching her pace. These two tried to ride clear on the bike, at one stage establishing a lead of 35 seconds over a group of twenty, with Andrea Hewitt, Kate McIlroy, Debbie Tanner and Samuels all in that chase bunch.
The lead didn't last however, with the chasers catching Jenkins and Haskins with three laps of the bike still to ride. It was soon after that the already cool day took a dramatic turn for the worse with a hail storm crashing down on the course and the competitors, making for a treacherous final 10km on the tight and technical bike course.
All survived and it was this group of twenty that entered transition to prepare for the run, with Hewitt prominent amongst the leaders and Samuels, Tanner and McIlroy not far behind.
The cold took effect on Hewitt though, the third ranked triathlete on the world rankings didn't have the run legs today and gradually dropped off the pace set by Findlay, Jenkins and Sarah Groff (USA) with Findlay out sprinting Jenkins and Groff earning her first ever podium finish.
Samuels ran superbly to come through for tenth place, continuing her good season that already includes a World Cup win and victory at Alcatraz a fortnight ago. Hewitt and McIlroy followed close behind in 11th and 12th while Tanner also picked up valuable ranking points in 21st for a strong overall performance by the Kiwis, albeit one without a podium result to hang the hat on.
In the overall World Championship Series, Hewitt maintains her 3rd overall ranking, with McIlroy now into 10th, Samuels 24th and Tanner 31st. The triathletes next head to Hamburg in a month's time. New Zealand and the USA are the only nations with two athletes in the top ten rankings.
ITU Dextro Energy World Championship Series: Kitzbuehel, Austria
Elite Women
1 Paula Findlay CAN 2:05:52
2 Helen Jenkins GBR 2:05:56
3 Sarah Groff USA 2:06:27
4 Emma Moffatt AUS 2:06:31
5 Barbara Riveros Diaz CHI 2:06:41
Plus NZers
10 Nicky Samuels NZL 2:07:11
11 Andrea Hewitt NZL 2:07:13
12 Kate McIlroy NZL 2:07:16
22 Debbie Tanner NZL 2:08:13
53 Rebecca Spence NZL 2:13:19
