Canadian pros show class at Ironman 70.3 Texas

The spirit of triathlon shone through with Cody Beals and Antoine Jolicoeur Desroches at Ironman 70.3 Texas yesterday

Claire Duncan April 9, 2018

While Ironman 70.3 Texas wasn’t a particularly great race for most of the Canadian contingent who raced yesterday (save for Heather Wurtele who took 3rd behind Melissa Hauschild and Mirinda Carfrae in the women’s race and Trevor Wurtele who took 6th in a stacked men’s field), a heart-warming moment between two Canadians pros was the highlight of the day.

Cody Beals and Antoine Jolicoeur Desroches both encountered setbacks in their races. Beals had a bike mechanical and Jolicoeur Desroches had a crash — when he got back on his bike and saw Beals up the road dealing with his issue by the side of the road, he didn’t hesitate to stop and help out his friend — both men then finished the race in 22nd (Beals) and 25th (Jolicoeur Desroches):

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This photo captures both how frustrating and awesome our sport can be. When a flat tire took me out of contention at #IM703Texas, my friend and fellow Canadian @antoinejdtri, who was also down on his luck after a crash, stopped to offer me his wheel. What a class act! Despite our struggles, we were proud to still finish out of respect for the race and all the competitors. As I cruised it in, it was cool to experience the race from a different perspective, enjoying the energy and cheering for friends @matthansontri @tc_reid @teamwurtele @ironmoe @balsdorf and many more. Congrats to all who endured the tough conditions!

A post shared by Cody Beals (@cody.beals) on Apr 8, 2018 at 3:41pm PDT

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⚠️PG 13⚠️ may contain some nudity ? A bit disgusted how someone passed me; shoved me and caused me to crash. But the good thing is that my bike is fine, my ? is ok and I’m SO pump to race again!! #ironman #ironmantri #triathlon #triathlete #im703texas #cycling #veganathlete

A post shared by Antoine J Desroches (@antoinejdtri) on Apr 8, 2018 at 1:18pm PDT

We’re proud of the sportsmanship shown by our two Canadians out there yesterday and inspired by their dedication to finishing the race even when prize money and points had long gone out the window.