Chasing the double at T100 & WTCS French-Riviera

Two weeks after his T100 London victory, Hayden Wilde set himself another huge challenge: racing both the T100 and the World Triathlon Series French Riviera in the same weekend. Here’s how it unfolded and his plan for the next weeks.

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*Documented, filmed & edited by:*
Mariona Morral
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*Additional race footage by:*
Leon Bessiere
T100 Team & broadcast
Juliette Duquesne

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I felt like I was in some good shape to potentially do the double. And so we run into this way and out this way. [Music] This is my first ever time doing this sort of distance in a race a race on a race. So yeah, for for me it was a first and I think yeah, for a lot of people is the first ever time this was ever happened. So it was super interesting to to do it. Um normally we’re used to doing like mix uh an Olympic distance or a sprint distance with a a mixed team relay like afterwards. So yeah, this was obviously quite a big challenge, but yeah, I thought with the good training and felt like I was in some good shape to potentially do the double and it was cool to kind of prepare for something like this and do some longer efforts for for the T100, but then also like balance and doing some short efforts. So it was quite a interesting process. [Music] I just want to give you. [Music] Yeah, we do so many double threshold days or two hard days in a row as as as athletes anyway. And the training it was kind of I was very like it was a very similar training, but I think we did more say specific work for the T100 than I think we did for the um uh for the for the sprint. All right, let’s go. [Music] You might [Applause] very fast. Um have a talk with the coach, see what um see what cassette we’re going to use. But I think I’m pretty happy with what I’ve got with my setup. And uh it’s hard to know cuz like it’s not you’re not race pace. So when you’re race pace it’s easy to push the power. Uh when you’re a little bit lower it feels like you’re just uh lagging behind the gear. So see what the coach says. I just want to lose control. [Music] had to bite into it. It’s always a little bit tricky with uh being in hotels, especially pre-race, cuz like some places don’t have buffets, some places do, but some places you don’t have uh the right stuff. So, um yeah, when you don’t have cutlery, it’s going to make do. Get some Uberries and uh yeah, make a rice bowl with a protein shaker. [Music] [Music] [Music] The timing is good. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Absolutely. First one here, last one out. [Music] Do we run out this way? So we run into this way and out this way. I guess we coming from London like I was super happy with my my bike and my run. I was a little nervous on the swim side. Uh but yeah, so for me, I really wanted to have a good swim and I knew that F juice will be a non wet suited swim. So this will be a lot harder for me. Winner number three from New Zealand. He was first place in the Singapore T 100, first place in the London T 100. He is your 2024 Olympic silver medalist Hayden Qu. [Music] going there in the lead. There is yellow ro has gone through. There is one as well as he said here from France is right there as well [Music] behind her. is powering his way out the shareh but yeah to to have a super good swim and only be 18 seconds behind the leader was perfect for me. Um I did a tactical move and opted to do a nonsim skin suit. So I was the only one without a swim skin, but it worked super well as uh I came out with the front group coming from the back um just off the front group. I was able to only have to put my take put my helmet on and go where the others had to take the swim skin off which you know is more 10 12 seconds of time. So I could go straight to transition. I was out in about fourth place which was perfect. And our plan was to go uh quite deep um on the on the climb. So, um yeah, we got to the the foot of the climb and decided to go to the front and and make our move. And uh myself and Rico were able to get away from the rest. And yeah, coming into transition after the flat section uh with 45 seconds up uh up my sleeve was was uh super nice. [Applause] [Music] his way for New Zealand with a 45sec lead. Getting on to the run after, you know, I think one of the stronger rides of the season. Uh overall, um yeah, it was super nice to have some good legs on the bike. Uh and then have some good legs on the run and and from there I I our plan was to run, you know, at a good pace to about 12k. Uh it was super important to keep the pace as I had guys like Yella who were, you know, only 40 seconds behind. So you really can’t ease off the gas uh too much or they will catch pretty pretty quick. So to have um yeah to have that gap and to keep that gap until the 12k mark was super nice. But then having the opportunity to ease off for the last uh last 5k 6k uh definitely helped me with the recovery for the next day. [Music] He has done it in glorious fashion. He was first place in Singapore. He was first place at the last event in London T 100. And Hayden Wild from New Zealand is the Brett Riviera T 100 champion of 2025 and the undefeated race win streak stays alive in second place. Now coming to the finish line, he hails from Belgium. He’s ranked number one in the world. He is a multiple T 100 winner. His name is Yellow Beans. So Mike, I tell you what, these two the last week has been like really like strict on how much carbs I can take and and making sure I am eating enough, which is like super important to perform uh on two heavy days. So, uh yeah, uh straight after the race, we had like a recovery protocol where I had some uh some juice and um and to get some extra carbs in, but then also had some tortillas, the rice, and chicken and made sure like I was super I’ve got a like a really strong stomach. So, for me, it’s like quite easy to just eat straight away after a hard session. So, I’m super lucky that I can uh I can do this. And then, yeah, from there, uh, yeah, was able to get the food down and start the recovery, uh, straight into the athlete zone and was able to get on my bike on on the bike trainer and just spin the legs for 20 minutes. And, um, yeah, the T100 was super good about it. And after that, we waited for the woman to finish and then we, yeah, did the podium. in first place and winner of the gold trophy and representing New Zealand, Hayden Wild. [Music] I think it’s more the adrenaline that kind of like Yeah, like you just won the race and everything went super well and and yeah, the body the sensations felt good. I went for another ride that afternoon to to spin the legs again. And yeah, everything felt like uh really good. There was no niggles or or anything. And from there, it was just now like preparing for the next day. And so going back to the the finish line um to have another race briefing and then straight back to the hotel for a for a massage. So yeah, it was uh it was super good. more. Yeah, legs actually feel really good. So hopefully uh yeah, well just jogging at the moment, but uh normally a pretty good sign if I’m not feeling super fatigued. So hopefully uh yeah, come race day or race time, I should uh yeah, hopefully be able to get into a good gear um to pick up a good result. So yeah, felt pretty good. Just got to uh do 10 to 15 minutes and then chill out to go down to race venue. So should be good. Looking forward to it. All right. [Music] It’s a headwind. Sit on the sit on second foot. Wait for the last 20 m and rip around. [Music] Yeah. [Music] Obviously the World Series, it was going to be like a challenge. You to win these races, you need to be, you know, at your top game and if you’re 1% behind, like you struggle a lot. So, I knew what I was in for. And I was a little I think my confidence in the swim just isn’t there yet. So, I was a little bit uh nervous in in the water because I know these I know these guys are they’re the best in the world. And uh to win one of these races, you have to be within the group. It’s it’s not a time trial, you know. Uh you can’t just go through the the bike group. It’s it’s a lot harder, you know. Um [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] start of the race. I felt like I had a really good start and was was actually within the group uh for most of the swim, but I think the Yeah, I think yesterday’s fatigue came in, but also just in reality like I just don’t think I was I was ready for that sort of swim speed like the World Series guys are just another level and to yeah coming out of the water it was uh it was tough to see like I I heard that uh by the you know by the time I I was uh getting into transition there was Only a few bites left. So, [Applause] [Applause] And then on the bike like actually felt really really good. pushed some really good power and um but the other guys also like they worked together super well and uh the the front back really wanted to get away and you know I was pushing some of my best power and was still not able to to bring back any time um until probably the last lap. I decided that was where I was going to make my move and and by the time I got to transition 4K later, I I made the connection with the chase group which was then again another I think um I think 50 seconds uh behind the leaders. Uh yeah, got the shoes on and the first K was pretty rough as I was pushing pretty hard on the bike. Um and then from there uh yeah from there it actually the legs actually turned up and was able to go through the field like I think I was 40th most of the race and um I was able to claw back and finish in like 11th place um to have you know one of the one of the fastest runs and one of the one of the fastest bikes pretty much solo. Like I’m super happy with with how the race went. Like of course I wanted to win, but that you know um I just I knew that the it was going to be a gamble like uh if I had a good swim it was going to be a good day. If I had a bad swim it was going to be a a tough day and it was a tough day but like I still pushed hard and was able to was able to still finish in a very good position and yeah to take away nearly a top 10. I’m pretty happy with that especially backing up um a big day yesterday. So, like all in all, I feel like it was quite a successful weekend, but also looking back um now we know what we need to work on. We need to work on a little bit more speed and power. Uh we need to work on activating the arm a little bit more. We found with my swim stroke at the moment, I’ve got no connection with my my lats. So, I’m losing a lot of power in my left. So by hopefully we can um start really like working this and and getting my power back into the swing which will then help me with my starts and then help me uh throughout the race. So yeah, it was it was a lot of uh positive things to take away from the World Series today. I think I actually I think I took more out of the World Series than I took away from the the T100 uh which is super positive and um yeah two weeks now is in Calvari another World Series Olympic distance and uh hopefully I can um tweak a few things with the team and uh and come back uh stronger um heading into this race. And I think the positive thing to take away from this as well is I was, you know, racing against the best shortc course guys in the world and I was, you know, yeah, other than the swim, I was super competitive after a hard day the day before. So for me, it’s like super um motivating and I know that if uh when I’m fresh um yeah, hopefully I can be a bit more competitive um up the front. So now looking forward to in two weeks time and yeah it’s an Olympic distance so a little bit different but I hope I can you know grab uh grab some points and uh we can see what happens. So now um yeah we’re driving um I do like driving at night for some reason. It’s uh makes life a lot easier, less traffic and we’re heading to uh Tuloose. We’ll stay the night in Tulus and we’ll catch a flight early in the morning. We head to Belgium and then have celebrate my birthday there with uh with Hana and the family. And then from there we head to Germany. We do a little bit of um bike fitting in Germany. And then from Germany, I catch a train to uh Salsburg where I’ll go back to uh Fushaw and go back to the APC center and see the physios again and the doctors and uh do some more strength. So yeah, that was for me it’s a super important period to have two weeks of a really good strength with the team to yeah try and wake up the the arm a little bit more and to get it more connected and work on some technique in the swim and yeah from there it’s only a 3-hour drive to the next race. So it works really well. So yeah, should be a nice few weeks.