Jordan Jones and Dan Mackenzie traveled to the Coteau-du-Lac ITU Pan American Cup, just outside of Montreal, Quebec this weekend. The race took place Saturday afternoon and had a hearty men’s field of 73 professional triathletes from throughout North and South America.
Mackenzie emerged from the swim in 30th place, and safely made the chase pack on the draft-legal bike leg, just barely out of the lead pack. Jones was not as fortunate, emerging a minute later in 47th, requiring a strong surge to catch the chase pack. By the end of the first of six laps on the bike, Jones had joined Mackenzie in the chase pack of 15. The lead pack had 22 athletes, until a crash on lap 5 caused 2 riders to DNF and 2 to fall off the pack.
With a lap and a half to go on the bike Jones put in a big surge, riding off the front of the chase pack and catching and passing the athletes that had fallen off the back of the lead pack. Jones started the run about 30 seconds up on the main chase pack and spent the first 5k picking off the athletes ahead of him, while Mackenzie did the same from about 200m behind. With 5k to go, Jones was in 15th position and Mackenzie was around 24th. Jones’ achilles tendon, which has been giving him trouble since a run workout in mid-June began tightening up, forcing him to slow the pace for the last half of the run and lose a few places. With a couple hundred meters to go Jones found himself looking over his shoulder, knowing that Mackenzie was fast approaching. The two athletes crossed the line 7 seconds apart in 19th and 20th, both earning coveted ITU points.
Jones will now give his aching achilles tendon some much needed rest before he takes the line at Boulder Peak on July 11th. Mackenzie will be in action July 10th, at the San Francisco Treasure Island ITU Pan American Cup.
