World champ DQ’d, record-setting bike split … and lots more drama at Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz!
Antonio Benito Lopez overcomes 13 minute deficit off the bike to take dramatic win

We’ve written more than a few times that when it comes to winning an Ironman you “bike for dough and run for show,” and that axiom proved true once again at Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain’s Basque Country today as Sweden’s Robert Kallin blasted to the fastest bike split ever recorded at a full-distance race (3:54:33), but would end up eighth overall in the race.
That was hardly the only drama in the race, either, as defending Ironman world champion Sam Laidlow was disqualified for failing to report to the penalty tent after being assessed a drafting penalty on the bike.
Varga leads the swim
The man who used to lead the Brownlees out of the water at draft-legal races, Slovakia’s Richard Varga, was first out of the swim with Laidlow right behind. A big group of 11 was out about 70 seconds down including Great Britain’s David McNamee, Spain’s Antonio Benito Lopez and Kalinn. Australia’s Cam Wurf, who doubles as a pro triathlete and member of pro cycling team Ineos Grenadiers, was over five minutes down as he set out on the bike.
It was another former pro cyclist, Germany’s Ruben Zepuntke, who would join up with Kallin and Laidlow at the front of the race. In the end, though, Kallin was all by himself as the leader into T2 after his blazing bike split, which put him 5:35 up on Dane Kristian Hogenhaug and a whopping 13 minutes on a group that included Wurfe, Benito Lopez, South Africa’s Bradley Weiss and McNamee.
Benito Lopez charges to the win
Kallin would hang tough through the first half of the run, but it was clear that he was starting to fade as Hogenhaug was just 79 seconds back at the start of the second half of the marathon. McNamee and Benito Lopez had made up much more time, though, and were just three minutes back at this point. The Spaniard eventually pulled clear of McNamee and by 29 km was in the lead, 16 seconds tip on Hogenhaug and 34 seconds ahead of the Brit.
Benito Lopez would only get stronger over the final 10 km, pulling well clear to take the day after a blazing 2:37:57 marathon and 7:36:38 finishing time. McNamee would end p second in 7:41:20, with Wurf posting an impressive 2:44:41 marathon split to round out the podium in 7:43:16. Weiss would end up fourth (7:43:51), Hogenhaug fifth (7:44:36). Kallin would take eighth in 7:49:05.
Laidlow’s validation?
After committing to the PTO’s T100 Triathlon World Tour, Laidlow was looking to validate his spot for the Ironman World Championship in Kona with his race in Vitoria-Gasteiz. It’s up in the air as to whether or not Ironman will accept his start at the race as enough of a validation. We’ll follow up on that story, for sure!