Supertri Grand Final Toulouse: Lehmann Leads Stars and Stripes to a One-Two Finish
Perfect team execution powers Lehmann to a title and Rider to the podium.
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The men’s finale unfolded like a tactical chess match on wheels. Coming into Toulouse, three men had realistic shots at the title: Csongor Lehmann, Vasco Vilaca, and John Reed, and all were in the mix early.
Marcus Dey of Brownlee Racing charged through the opening 300 metre swim to claim the first short chute, but it was the Stars and Stripes team who quickly seized control.
Lehmann, supported by teammate Seth Rider, moved to the front through the first bike leg, building a 10 second gap over the chasers, which included Vilaca and Ricardo Batista.
Lehmann, methodical and composed, took the lead into the first run and never relinquished command. His teammate Rider, enjoying the best race of his career, helped maintain the tempo on the bike, even signaling fellow American Reese Vannerson to hold back the chase pack, a true display of team tactics.
By the final run, Lehmann and Rider had turned the race into a Stars and Stripes showcase. Vilaca, last year’s Toulouse winner, chased hard but could not close the 15 second gap. Rider crossed the line grinning, celebrating his first Supertri podium, while Lehmann raised both arms in triumph. With back-to-back race wins, he claimed the 2025 Supertri men’s championship.
“I’m almost speechless, it was just crazy,” Lehmann said at the finish line. “From the beginning to the end, we were working perfectly…it was just a dream team…. This is like a dream coming true.”
As Manager Parker Spencer said: “Seth told me right before this that he was going to have a good day, that he needed to have redemption on this course. He helped Csongor win the whole series…I’m over the moon with that.”