New Zealander Dylan McNeice has again made his mark on the international triathlon circuit as he took his second major title in only his second long distance race at Challenge Taiwan.
His second win from two starts proved that his victory at January's Challenge Wanaka was no fluke as oncehe again he led from start to finish. The 27-year-old asserted himself early on, leading a competitive field by over three minutes out of the swim in 47:00 and never relinquishing his lead, taking the title in 8:16:21.
McNeice's closest rival out of the water was Australian Todd Skipworth, an Olympic rower-turned-triathlete and also a rookie in the professional long-course ranks.
Also racing well in the men's race was Kiwi Guy Crawford who, despite a mechanical issue on the bike fought hard to hold on to sixth place.
Christchurch-based McNeice led out of the water and was never headed.
The 27-year-old came through two years of development with Tri NZ's high performance programme before switching to long course racing last year. McNeice will now return to New Zealand to build his training in preparation for Challenge Roth in Germany in July.
``I was running and I was at the front and I thought, `Geez I've been at the front all day again today. This is just what people are going to always expect of me!' It really is a hard way to race. It's a good way to race because you're always in control and it's your own race and your own pace, but today and in Wanaka both I suffered the last 10km. I was stopping and walking, I started cramping and my stomach was a mess.''
The women's race featured an equally dominant champion, with Australian Belinda Granger claiming her 15th title in 47 career long-course finishes.
