Graham O'Grady wins and other top finishes from Rolf Prima athletes at Rev3 Portland
The inaugural Rev3 Portland could not have had better weather this past weekend. Held at Blue Lake, just outside of Portland, race morning started off with water temperatures measuring at 72 degrees, making it a non-wetsuit day for the pro's. While the water temperature was warm, the morning air was chilly and everyone was ready to start moving to warm up.
It didn’t take long until Graham O’Grady opened a gap on his challengers. Leading from the start, Rolf Prima athlete, Graham O’Grady exited the water first with a time of just 24:31, followed a minute later by two chasers. A few minutes back were fellow Rolf Prima athletes; Jesse Thomas, Chris Bagg and Trevor Wurtele. Transitioning to the bike, O’Grady continued to hold and grow his lead on his chasers as he raced his Rolf Prima TT85’s. Not far behind was Trevor Wurtele, making up time and moving up several places on the bike into sixth position.
Not letting up in the Run, O’Grady pushed it just enough to hold the lead, but held onto reserves to pull from if needed. Crossing the finish line at a comfortable pace, O’Grady took the win for the first Portland Rev3 as second and third sprinted down the chute to the finish. Jesse Thomas, only seconds behind O’Grady took forth and Trevor Wurtele closed in for seventh. Powering through the heat on the run, Chris Bagg took a strong 12th place, rounding out the Rolf Prima men.
In the women’s field Courtenay Brown exited the water near the back of the group but with a quick transition, she began to pick off competitors throughout the bike course. Entering T2 in 10th, Brown continued to push the pace. Staying strong in the run, Brown crossed the finish line with a time of 4:34:55 giving her a solid eighth place finish.
Pre-race interview with Pro Jesse Thomas
Post race recap and interview – Pro Graham O’Grady