It was Richard Murray’s first French Grand Prix win at the sprint triathlon in Les Sables d’Olonne, France, this past weekend.
Spain’s Javier Gomez finished second followed by Aurélien Lebrun.
The conditions were a bit challenging due to the rain and newly painted lines.
“I’m really glad I didn’t crash. I did feel my rear tire slip out on more than one occasion,” said Murray. “The swim was very cold and the bike leg very slippery. It was a contest of the skilled and those who survived.”
Coming out of the swim leg Murray dropped his swimming cap and goggles on entry to transition and he had to turn around to avoid a time penalty.
“I was just 28 seconds behind Javier out the water but with the wet conditions we only caught the lead group in the second transition heading out for the run. The run suited me perfectly.
“Half of it was off-road which I loved. The race reminded me a bit of Hamburg last year – Javi and me running 5km at our max speeds.
“We maxed out, but the pain was worth it. I pushed really hard to get away from Javi.”
Murray is heading to Barcelona where he will be based for the upcoming few weeks. His next race is an ITU World Triathlon Series event on July 6 in Kitzbuhl.
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