\u00a0In an exciting early evening showdown in Edmonton\u00a0Mario Mola\u00a0(ESP) surged ahead of\u00a0Kristian Blummenfelt\u00a0(NOR) in the final lap of the run to capture his fourth consecutive WTS podium. Blummenfelt showcased his tremendous power, twice surging ahead of Mola in the bell lap before dropping back for a second place finish.<\/p>\n
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\u201cKristian gave me one of the toughest runs. Every time I go out I try to race my best, and he made me work. Maybe it was harder than it looked,\u201d Mola said. \u201cThis race is another step forward. But until I cross the finish line in the Gold Coast in the next couple weeks, the race towards the World Championships is not over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent Luis (FRA) and\u00a0Jonathan Brownlee\u00a0(GBR) lead out of the water with\u00a0Marten Van Riel\u00a0(BEL),\u00a0Marco van der Stel\u00a0(NED) and\u00a0Tayler Reid\u00a0(NZL) forming a lead pack on the six-lap bike course.\u00a0 Halfway through the bike, the chase pack caught the lead, with Blummenfelt and\u00a0Ryan Fisher\u00a0working hard to bridge the gap and a massive group converged together moving into transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I had a chance on the run. I couldn\u2019t stay behind him (Mola) I had to try and kick up the pace,\u201d said Blummenfelt.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Behind Blummenfelt was a cluster of runners including early leaders Luis and Brownlee.\u00a0Fernando Alarza\u00a0(ESP) and Aussie\u00a0Jacob Birtwhistle\u00a0ran with the group of men until the last 500 metres when Birtwhistle broke ahead to sprint himself into a third-place finish.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Birtwhistle said: \u201cI knew it wasn\u2019t over until I crossed that line. I wasn\u2019t given a big gap at the end, but I had to try to use my kick. I would rather use it to challenge for the win, but today I had to try to use it to my advantage. There is so much that can happen, even in a sprint, it isn\u2019t over until we cross that line.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI wanted to swim and bike to the best of my ability. I am pretty happy with where things are sitting (in the overall standings). I missed a few points early on in Bermuda and Leeds, so I am trying to backend my season to finish off well. I need to perform in the last two events.\u201d<\/p>\n
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There are two races left in the 2018 season: WTS Montreal and WTS Gold Coast which also serves as the Grand Final.<\/p>\n