Team Europe write their names into the history books as the first-ever winners of the Collins Cup. Here’s how all 12 matches played out.
After years of build-up, the Collins Cup lived up to the hype with an exciting new team-based triathlon format featuring 12 match races between Team Europe, US and Internationals. Virtually every aspect of the event took long-course triathlon to another level from the quality broadcast to the team dynamic and the athletes pushing themselves to the limits. In short, the PTO has now established the flagship event it was dreaming of.
If you missed any of the action, you can rewatch the whole event on the Collins Cup website and check out the stats on the PTO website.
Team Europe went into the race as favourites and lived up to that billing, but it wasn’t a complete domination as predicted thanks to some well-balanced matchups. Team US pushed the Europeans hard and despite only taking two wins, were consistent enough across the board to take second. Meanwhile, Team Internationals had four victories along the way, but also finished last in the most races, harming their points tally.
All the athletes seemed to push harder as part of a team while the team captains got really involved in mentoring their athletes to success. Here’s how all the matches went down at this historic first Collins Cup event.
Match #1 – Daniela Ryf vs Taylor Knibb vs Teresa Adam
The Collins Cup got underway in style with Captains’ Pick Taylor Knibb destroying the competition to set the fastest women’s race of the day. Knibb led through the water then decimated the bike course despite riding on a road bike.
While Daniela Ryf was ill so unable to contend to her true potential, Knibb put seven minutes into her on the bike then another seven on the run to start Team US with a full six points win. Ryf managed to rally a little on the run overtaking Teresa Adam to make some bonus points on the Kiwi.
- Taylor Knibb (Team US) 3:30:10
- Daniela Ryf (Team Europe) 3:46:52
- Teresa Adam (Team Internationals) 3:53:07
Match #2 – Lucy Charles-Barclay vs Katie Zaferes vs Paula Findlay
Lucy Charles-Barclay took a clear win for Team Europe in match #2, but it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Brit. Captains’ Pick and double-Olympic medallist Katie Zaferes stuck to Charles-Barclay’s toes in the swim then managed to steal a march through transition to lead the bike.
Once Charles-Barclay made the catch it was game over for the other teams. Despite revealing she’d been unwell following the race, the Team Europe athlete ran hard – even overtaking Adam and Ryf from the previous match – to win. Meanwhile, Zaferes managed to just stay clear of Paula Findlay, who closed the gap to just 37-seconds.
- Lucy Charles-Barclay (Team Europe) 3:33:46
- Katie Zaferes (Team US) 3:38:02
- Paula Findlay (Team Internationals) 3:38:39
Match #3 – Anne Haug vs Jackie Hering vs Jeanni Metzler
Despite her underdog status, Jackie Hering put in a sensational performance to take the matchup’s fastest bike and run splits. Anne Haug had to overcome some mechanical issues and managed to overtake Metzler for second, but couldn’t get within two minutes of Hering meaning the American also grabbed bonus points.
- Jackie Hering (Team US) 3:35:26
- Anne Haug (Team Europe) 3:37:49
- Jeanni Metzler (Team Internationals) 3:38:49
Match #4 – Holly Lawrence vs Skye Moench vs Ellie Salthouse
With no love lost between Holly Lawrence and Ellie Salthouse, match #4 was pitched as one of the most competitive battles at the Collins Cup. Clashing elbows within an inch of each other in the swim, both athletes outpaced Skye Moench. The pair stayed close together on the bike, too, until Lawrence came down hard on rain-soaked roads near T2, losing four minutes.
That put Salthouse in an unassailable position, the Aussie securing Team Internationals’ first win while Moench pushed hard with the trio’s fastest run for second. Meanwhile, Lawrence got back on the bike and ran hard to limit Salthouse’s bonus points.
- Ellie Salthouse (Team Internationals) 3:38:38
- Skye Moench (Team US) 3:40:39
- Holly Lawrence (Team Europe) 3:44:05
Match #5 – Emma Pallant-Browne vs Chelsea Sodaro vs Sarah Crowley
We were expecting Pallant-Browne to take this matchup and the Captains’ Pick from Team Europe did just that. All three women swam together and while Sodaro hung tough on the bike, Pallant made it count on the run. The Team US athlete only finished 1:13 back – impressively close considering Pallant-Browne’s recent for and the fact she’s only just returned from maternity leave. Meanwhile, Sarah Crowley, another Captains’ Pick, finished over eight minutes down.
- Emma Pallant-Browne (Team Europe) 3:34:36
- Chelsea Sodaro (Team US) 3:35:49
- Sarah Crowley (Team Internationals) 3:43:04
Match #6 – Kat Matthews vs Jocelyn McCauley vs Carrie Lester
In this battle of the iron-distance specialists, Kat Matthews showed superior run speed to take the win. After coming out the water two minutes down from Team US athlete Jocelyn McCauley, Matthews matched McCauley on the bike, making up time on Lester but still giving a two-minute lead to the US athlete.
The Brit then stormed through the 18km course putting in a split seven minutes faster than McCauley and nine minutes faster than Carrie Lester. Her 1:05:15 with the fourth-fastest run time of all the women – impressive considering her status as an Ironman rather than middle-distance athlete.
- Kat Matthews(Team Europe) 3:35:17
- Jocelyn McCauley (Team US) 3:40:59
- Carrie Lester (Team Internationals) 3:45:59
Match #7 – Jan Frodeno vs Sam Long vs Sam Appleton
Every time Jan Frodeno lines up to race, there’s a huge amount of pressure for the German to perform – after all he’s not lost a race since the beginning of 2018. At the Collins Cup, Sam Long was four-minutes out the back on the swim, putting him out of contention. However, Team Internationals’ Sam Appleton really pushed the German by swimming and riding with him.
It wasn’t until the run where Frodeno put on the afterburners and pulled away from the Aussie, running over four minutes into him to pick up an extra bonus point. While Frodeno’s 58:51 run split was second to Gustav Iden’s 58:24, the 40-year-old had the fastest time overall – proving he still has what it takes.
- Jan Frodeno (Team Europe) 3:13:08
- Sam Appleton (Team Internationals) 3:17:46
- Sam Long (Team US) 3:18:18
Match #8 – Gustav Iden vs Collin Chartier vs Kyle Smith
A match of the young guns, Gustav Iden only lost 15 seconds in the swim to Kyle Smith and from there, his win seemed a virtual certainty. Smith, a Captains’ Pick for Team Internationals crashed early on the bike meaning he had to ride with just one aerobar extension and was stuck in a gargantuan gear.
Late call-up, Colin Chartier, who replaced an injured Rudy Von Berg, acquitted himself admirably to take second but both athletes were completely outclassed by Iden’s 58:24 run – the fastest of the entire Collins Cup.
- Gustav Iden (Team Europe) 3:13:28
- Collin Chartier (Team US) 3:20:48
- Kyle Smith (Team Internationals) 3:20:50
Match #9 – Sebastian Kienle vs Andrew Starykowicz vs Lionel Sanders
This battle of the bikers was seemingly down to two after the swim with Lionel Sanders managing to hold onto Andrew Starykowicz while Sebastian Kienle lost over a minute. Despite coming off the bike on a slippery corner, Sanders was able to match Starykowicz on the bike before taking control on the run.
The Canadian pushed hard a week after his Ironman Copenhagen race to take the win while Kienle’s strong run put Team Europe into second just ahead of Starky.
- Lionel Sanders (Team Internationals) 3:19:17
- Sebastian Kienle (Team Europe) 3:20:23
- Andrew Starykowicz (Team US) 3:21:09
Match #10 – Daniel Baekkegard vs Ben Kanute vs Max Neumann
As the Collins Cup neared its conclusion, we were treated to a fantastic battle between Daniel Baekkegard and Ben Kanute who both outclassed Max Neumann on the bike. Kanute was first onto the run after stealing a march in transition but Team Europe’s young star stormed past him to take the win.
With Baekkegard’s win, the inaugural Collins Cup was secured by Team Europe.
- Daniel Baekkegard (Team Europe) 3:15:27
- Ben Kanute (Team US) 3:16:49
- Max Neumann (Team Internationals) 3:26:24
Match #11 – Patrick Lange vs Matt Hanson vs Braden Currie
Team Internationals’ Braden Currie was the dominant performer in match #11, taking the top splits in each discipline. Things might’ve been different had Patrick Lange not taken an unfortunate detour towards the end of the bike but as it was, Braden Currie was well up the road by the time his competitors hit transition.
The Kiwi took Team Internationals’ third win with Matt Hanson taking second and Lange third.
- Braden Currie (Team Internationals) 3:20:30
- Matt Hanson (Team US) 3:25:46
- Patrick Lange (Team Europe) 3:27:14
Match #12 – Joe Skipper vs Justin Metzler vs Jackson Laundry
This was the matchup that generated the most smack talk at the pre-race press conference with Justin Metzler and Jackson Laundry calling Joe Skipper Team Europe’s ‘leftover’ athlete. With that tension bubbling in the background, match #12 provided a fittingly exciting finale to the Collins Cup.
Laundry led out the water alongside Metzler but it was Skipper who was the boss on the bike, riding time into both athletes to enter T2 alone. From there the Brit ran out hard and fast, which prompted a thrilling chase from Laundry. The Canadian finally closed down the gap in the last few kilometres, to take a moral victory for Team Internationals who would go home with the losers’ Broken Spoke trophy.
- Jackson Laundry (Team Internationals) 3:18:08
- Joe Skipper (Team Europe) 3:18:46
- Justin Metzler (Team USA) 3:21:53
