Sam Dickinson produces dominant performance to take top step at IM70.3 Italy Emilia-Romagna
Sam Dickinson claimed his first long-distance victory at IM70.3 Italy. The BMC athlete led the race from start to finish, breaking the tape with a time of 3:40:17. He was joined on the podium by Rostyslav Pevtsov (AZE; 3:41:42) and Seth Rider (USA; 3:43:06).
Dickinson toed the line in Italy with fire in his belly. That motivation was evident from the start of the race, as he led the pack out of the water. A large group of eight other athletes followed closely in his footsteps.
On the bike, Dickinson immediately took control of the race. He pushed the pace right away and began to break away. After 20 km, he opened up a gap of 40 seconds over the first chasers. By the halfway mark, that advantage had grown to one minute.
The BMC athlete continued extending his lead, adding another 47 seconds as he flew into the final 20 km. Dickinson didn’t let up in the final stages of the bike and kept pushing hard, eventually reaching T2 with a commanding lead of 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Just like on the bike, Dickinson surged out onto the run course, further extending his gap.
After completing the first four kilometers in just over 13 minutes, he was 4 minutes and 14 seconds ahead of Hellwig in second place. From that point on, the Brit began to manage his lead as he started the second half of the run, still nearly three minutes ahead. Dickinson maintained his solid pace and crossed the finish line victorious in a time of 3:40:17. He secured his first long-distance victory with a convincing performance, including the fastest swim and bike splits of the day.
"Felt really strong all day"
Afterward, Dickinson reflected on his first long-distance victory: “I managed to take the win today. It was a beach start, which was really good. I managed to exit the water in front and led a group of four out of transition. I rode solidly early on and opened up about a one-minute gap in the first 20 km, so I pressed on individually. I came off the bike with a lead of almost four minutes over the other favorites and managed the gap from there. On the three-lap run course, I was able to maintain a healthy advantage in the first and second laps and enjoy the final lap a bit more. I'm really pleased with my victory. The bike leg was definitely the key today. Huge thanks to my team, and I’m really looking forward to the next one.”
