Rhodsey leads from start to finish

August 21, 2005 - Sherborne, England - New Zealander Bryan Rhodes added another Ironman victory to his growing list of accolades by winning the inaugural Ironman U.K. in Sherborne, England yesterday. Rhodes is now a three-time Ironman Champion and is the only Kiwi to claim three international Ironman victories.

As soon as the two-hour, fog-delayed swim start was under way, Rhodes set out on a tempo that would see him clock the fastest swim of the day in a blistering time of 47:17. Rhodes was followed out of the water by Stephen Sheldrake, with Ironman Brazil winner Francois Chabaud just one minute back. “I was so comfortable with the pace that I was setting for the group – I knew once out of the water that I was going to have fresh legs and really be able to get out and hammer”, said Rhodes.

And hammer is exactly what Rhodes did. Rhodes, Sheldrake and Chabaud left T1 within minutes of each other, but it was Rhodes who continued to set a fierce pace on the scenic, two-loop course through Somerset and the Dorset Hills. “I just started riding my new Cervelo P3 Carbon a few weeks ago and I knew there was nothing out there that was faster than what I was riding – it was just up to me to continue to push the pace and see how much of a cushion I could build on Stephen and Francois before the run”, commented Rhodes. By the time Rhodes was finished with the 112-mile course, his lead had grown to an impressive 18 minute advantage. Rhodes bike split of 4:59 was the fastest of the day on the challenging course and was the only sub 5-hour ride of the day.

Entering T2, Rhodes knew that he could not let his guard down. He quickly exited transition and set out on the 26.2 –mile, relatively flat run course. At the half way point of the marathon, Rhodes had clocked an impressive 1:24 split and was continuing to maintain his healthy advantage over Sheldrake and Chabaud. “My run is getting better and better – I’ve worked incredibly hard on my run and I am stoked with the results”, commented Rhodes.

Reminiscent of his third-place finish at Ironman New Zealand earlier in the year, Rhodes brought the crowd to their feet with an infectious display of energy and enthusiasm as he broke the tape in an overall time of 8:42:14.

In 2005, Rhodes has proven himself to be one of the sports most dangerous threats at virtually any distance. He has the unique ability to switch from short-course racing to Ironman, while posting victories or podium finishes within each discipline. So far in 2005, Rhodes has finished:
1st place Half Ironman Auckland
3rd place Ironman New Zealand
1st place Mountaineer Half Ironman
3rd place Black Water/Eagleman
1st place Ironman U.K.

Rhodes will now take some time for a much deserved rest and will decide if he will focus on the Ironman World Championships in October or potentially Ironman Western Australia.

About Bryan Rhodes:
New Zealander Bryan Rhodes came onto the international triathlon scene competing as a junior in the 1990 New Zealand Commonwealth Games Triathlon Team. Coming from a water sports background Bryan has competed at a national level in both swimming and surf life saving. You will always see Bryan at the head of the field in the water.
His first major success was finishing 5th in the 1992 World Junior Triathlon Champs in Canada - teamed with Paul Amey and Cameron Brown, they took out the World Junior Team Championship Title.
In 1993 Bryan saw a stint on the European triathlon circuit basing himself in France. Following this, Bryan raced on the American circuit using Boulder Colorado as a base. 1996 was a turning point for Bryan when he competed in his first Ironman - Ironman New Zealand in Auckland.
Bryan has gone onto compete in numerous half and full Ironmans on the US and Canadian Circuit with numerous wins and solid results in major races. Bryan has also been able to pass on his knowledge of the sport mixing competing with stints as a swim coach in New Zealand and Penticton Canada.