By Gareth James

Helen Jenkins kicked off her campaign for the 2021 season with a top 10 finish in this week’s virtual pro event held on Zwift.

Wales’ two-time world champ competed against twenty of the world’s top female triathletes including 2-time Ironman World Champion runner-up Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), 30+ Ironman and 70.3 Ironman Winner Meredith Kessler (USA) and many more.

In her first race, Jenkins finished eighth overall, completing the run leg in fourth position.

“It was a really exciting new format combining both run and bike into the race,” said the Bridgend-based ace.

“It was tough as the field was world class but was great to get into a competitive race format.

“Overall, it showed me that everything is moving in the right direction, I am still not fully bike fit after my latest round of back operations, but ran strongly which was encouraging.

“The race is full on and non-stop from the get-go, something that I wasn’t fully prepared for. That said, it was hugely beneficial for my training and I can’t wait for the next three races where I hope to climb even further up the leader board.”

Racing on Zwift (www.Zwift.com) the online cycling and running programme, enables users to interact, train and compete in a virtual world. This week, Helen

The race is part of a wider series is made up of three legs, each raced over a bike-run-bike format. Races start with an individual time trial on the bike, followed by a run race on treadmills and then a final criterium style points race on the bike. Points are awarded for finishing positions in each leg.

The next race is on February 10th at 7pm in the UK, with additional races on the 17th and 24th.

Anyone interested in watching the next race live, it can be seen for free here: https://youtu.be/ZGDPTP7JcZo