Beuningse wins for the sixth time in Holten
The Triathlon Holten had its desired winner with Rachel Klamer. The triathlete from Beuningen was noted in her home race as the top favorite and played that role with flair. Klamer crossed the finish line with a wide lead. It marked her sixth victory in Holten.
From the start, Klamer was in the lead group in Holten. With nine triathletes, the favorite for the overall victory took the lead after swimming in the Domelaar. Besides Klamer, the group included the Dutch Maya Kingma and Rani Škrabanja. The lead group remained intact until the bike/run transition. Upon leaving the transition zone, Klamer, along with the French Margot Garabedian, managed to leave the competition behind. Garabedian was initially able to keep up but halfway through the first lap through the center of Holten, she couldn’t prevent Klamer from creating a gap. The competition couldn’t catch up with the Twente triathlete, allowing Klamer to solo to her sixth victory in Holten.
‘The swimming was tough but the biking eventually frustrated me the most,’ Klamer says about her winning race. ‘I hoped to break away with Maya Kingma, but the competition didn’t allow it. During the run, the French was the only one who could follow. I don’t know her, so I had no idea how fast she could run. And she was constantly on my heels. I thought: it’s fine if you want to join but don’t be on my heels all the time. Fortunately, I was suddenly away after about 2.5 kilometers.’
Despite her busy schedule, Klamer wanted to appear at the start in Holten. Next year she hopes to be back again to defend her title. Klamer: ‘I was also asked to participate in a race in Düsseldorf on Sunday, but that doesn’t work out because I want to compete in Holten. The organization somewhat resented me for not starting there, but Holten takes priority. It has been that way since the beginning of my triathlon career. This is my home race after all. I could sleep in my own bed last night and drive to the race today. That’s nice sometimes.’
Results (subject to change) ETU Sprint Triathlon Premium European Cup women
1. Rachel Klamer – Netherlands – 01:01:42
2. Kelly-Ann Perkins – Australia – 01:01:55
3. Margot Garabedian – France – 01:02:15
