Maier triumphs against the odds
Coast to Coast women’s champion Simone Maier thought her race was over after colliding with a van on her bike on a one-way bridge.
The German-born Kiwi overcame a ton of adversity to capture her first longest day title at her third attempt in the 243km multisport race on Saturday.
Wanaka-based Maier crossed the finish line at Christchurch’s New Brighton Beach in 12hours, 56min, 36 sec, but it could have easily been very different.
Maier endured a horror stretch after completing the 30.5km mountain run, where she was hit with a two-minute penalty at the bike transition at Klondyke Corner, near Arthur’s Pass.
One of her support crew removed her bike from the rack, which only competitors are permitted to do.
She didn’t know about the punishment at the time but worse was yet to come. Maier crashed into a van on the first one-way bridge out of Klondyke Corner shortly after.
A strong tail wind pushed her into the path of the vehicle and Maier, who was leading by 10 minutes, lost about three minutes while trying to check for damage and steady herself.
‘‘I was like, ‘s..., my race is over and then the brakes locked up. It was a bit of hard work,’’ she said.
‘‘I don’t know what happened but they released again, so I could just carry on slowly.’’
Maier got partner Marcel Hagener, a successful adventure racer, to check her bike, which she needed again for the final 69.5km cycle into Christchurch, while she was tackling the 70km kayak on the Waimakariri River.
She was worried about damage to her brakes and back wheel but was able to finish the race fine. Gordon Walker’s sage prediction nine years ago finally rang true at Christchurch’s New Brighton Beach late on Saturday afternoon.
Walker, a three-time Coast to Coast men’s longest day champion and the coach of twotime canoeing Olympic gold medallist Lisa Carrington, was pivotal in Dougal Allan’s droughtbreaking triumph.
Wanaka’s Allan finally tasted glory in the 243km endurance race after three previous second place finishes and another third place effort.
Competing in the event for the first time since 2013, Allan, 33, who has concentrated on ironman, prevailed over Christchurch’s Sam Manson and top seed, Australian Alex Hunt, in 11hr 15min.
In Walker’s last attempt at the longest day in 2010, he held off Allan to win, and prophesied the runner-up would be a future champion.
After so many near misses, Allan enlisted Walker to be his coach and repaid his mentor with an overdue longest day title.
‘‘In his last race at the finish
Men’s longest day:
‘‘I thought, ‘oh my God’. I’m not going anywhere, then [the brakes] started squeaking and I was like ‘oh shit’, I’m not a bike mechanic. The brakes kind of locked up. I don’t know what I did but it unlocked itself.’’
Maier found out about her two-minute transition penalty after the kayak and initially believed it was for ‘‘being bitchy’’ to a group of male bunch riders on the first bike leg of the day.
The 38-year-old, who has lived in New Zealand for 12 years, finished 10min 34secs ahead of Nelson’s Elina Ussher, who was gunning for a fifth women’s longest day title, which would have equalled Kathy Lynch’s record. ❚ 1. Dougal Allan (Wanaka) 11hr 15min 0 secs
❚ 2. Sam Manson (Christchurch) 11hr 30min 04secs
❚ 3. Alex Hunt (Australia) 11hr 39min 34 secs
She saluted her support crew, who included three-time longest day champion Emily Miazga, and was elated to have won the race for the first time.
Maier’s victory completed a Wanaka double with Dougal Allan victorious in the men’s longest day race for the first time too.
Women’s longest day:
❚ 1. Simone Maier (Wanaka) 12hr, 56mins, 36 secs
❚ 2. Elina Ussher (Nelson) 13hr, 7mins, 10 secs
❚ 3. Fiona Dowling (Alexandra) 13hr, 9 mins, 17 secs