WORCESTER Tri Club’s Michelle Parsons continued her successful start to the 2011 World Powerman Long Distance Duathlon Series with another superb performance in Valmadrera, Italy.
After winning her opening race in Alabama last month, Parsons finished third in a time of four hours, six minutes 54 seconds.
She is now fifth in the world rankings, her highest rank since before an Achilles injury in late 2009, ahead of the next race of the series in Germany on Sunday, May 22.
However, Parsons will miss that because she is competing in the Edinburgh Marathon.
The Italian event comprised a 10 kilometre run, 75km cycle and a second 11km run.
The female field was drawn entirely from Europe with current World Series leader Camilla Lindholm from Sweden and Liechtenstein’s Nicole Klinger among the favourites to win alongside Parsons.
The fast pace on the first 10km run soon spread the field and it was Klinger and Lindholm who were the early leaders.
Both kept stride for stride with each other until reaching the transition in just over 36 minutes.
Parsons was in fourth, behind Austrian Jessica Jarz, just over two minutes adrift of the leaders.
On the 75 km bike section, it was Lindholm and Klinger who were riding hard towards the foot of the major climb at Nesso mid-way through the course.
Jarz remained third, while Parsons battled her way through a lot of the male competitors causing congestion on the first stretch.
Reaching the start of the 13km accent, Lindholm pulled over with a mechanical problem and had to retire.
Klinger still led at the top of the climb but Parsons was not too far behind and she managed to retake third position on the long descent.
Klinger, though, had consolidated her lead and returned to the transition with the fastest bike split.
The final 11km run was played out in 30-degree heat with little shade.
Parsons and second-placed Jarz played cat and mouse for three laps but, after closing the gap to almost a minute, the former eased back.
She finished third behind Jarz in 4.04.23 and winner Klinger in 3.59.17.
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