Lehair shines for Podium Racing at Supertri League Jersey
Podium Racing superstar Jeanne Lehair has today taken control of the 2025 Supertri League with a dominant victory in Jersey. The Luxembourg athlete would execute a perfect game plan of swim, bike, run and transition prowess, making the decisive move in T2 on the final stage of the day to break Georgia Taylor-Brown’s resolve.
It would be a day to remember for Podium Racing and their bid for 2025 team honours, with Léonie Périault taking silver 8secs ahead of Taylor Brown of Crown Racing. With the title decider set for Toulouse on 5 October, the overall series is now Lehair’s to lose.
Torrential rain gave way to bright sunshine for the athletes in Jersey in what was the Channel Island’s record fifth Supertri League race since its debut in 2017. The streets of St. Helier delivered one of the most technical routes in the series, with a deep-water and chilly harbour swim followed by technical bike and run legs full of tight turns and sections subject to sharp coastal winds.
Not that Lehair looked in trouble as she extended her lead at the top of the series leaderboard following victory in Chicago in August, winning by a margin of eight seconds over Périault. “First and second is good [for Podium Racing] but personally I was worried about Leonie gaining the Short Chute and beating me on the run,” said Lehair at the finish.
Lehair was disqualified for a helmet infringement in Toulouse in 2024, but she’ll start the series decider with a two-point advantage over Périault, and three over Taylor-Brown and Brownlee Racing’s Jolien Vermeylen, in the French city on 5 October. “It’s never finished before it’s finished, especially with my background in Toulouse, but I know I’ve done the maximum I could do before Toulouse, so fingers crossed,” added Lehair.
Brownlee Racing would round out the top five in Jersey, with Belgian star Jolien Vermeylen and Britain’s Bethany Cook, in a breakout performance, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
STAGE BREAKDOWN
STAGE 1
The day’s inaugural 300m swim in the deep, chilly waters of St. Helier harbour in Jersey played out in front of huge crowds under sunny skies, with Stars and Stripes straight to the fore in the battle to find the inside line to the first buoy. First onto the pontoon would be Anna Godoy of Stars & Stripes followed by Tilly Anema of Brownlee Racing, with Godoy first to exit to scoop a Short Chute for her Stars & Stripes squad. Surprisingly, Georgia Taylor-Brown would be one of the last to exit T1 on her bike, while her Crown Racing teammate Emma Jeffcoat would receive a five-second penalty for not doing her helmet up.
Onto the debut 4km bike of the day and Godoy was in control of the tempo at the front of the pack on the tight and technical course in St. Helier town. By the end of the first lap, reigning Supertri champ Taylor-Brown of Britain had surged into the lead, with arguably the strongest cyclist in the field using the technique-challenging course to her advantage, with her Crown Racing teammate, Miriam Casillas, in her slipstream. Current 2025 series leader Jeanne Lehair of Podium Racing had quietly moved up into the lead pack, and managed to sneak the second Short Chute of the day after a slower transition from Crown Racing.
The 1.6km run began with Lehair, Taylor-Brown and Godoy breaking free of the chasers, with clear daylight emerging within the first lap. Taylor-Brown, in the hunt for the final Short Chute, pushed the pace to take the lead. Podium Racing’s Léonie Périault had bridged the gap to make it a gang of four by the end of the first 1.6km run, with further good news coming for the team coming with Lehair keeping the final Short Chute away from the hands of Crown Racing.
STAGE 2
The next 300m swim in the 18°C harbour waters was led by Godoy and Lehair, with the three remaining Brownlee Racing squad members trimming the gap to form a pack of seven at the fore as the athletes exited the course via a brutally steep ramp to T1.
Godoy and Lehair were first to enter the second 4km bike course of the day. Brownlee Racing’s popular rising star Fanni Szalai was the first casualty of the slippery bike course, with Casillas already dropping back to make it a pack of five at the front, with Brownlee Racing’s Bethany Cook also in the mix. Godoy would be the next victim of the relentless pace at the front, dropping back to 19secs in arrears from the leaders.
Taylor-Brown would burst out onto the second 1.6km run, with Lehair her closest chaser and Cook dropping out of the podium spots. Lehair would pass Taylor-Brown at the end of lap one and break away from the Brit to create a lead of 7secs; Périault was now 14secs in arrears in third.
STAGE 3
Into the water for the final time, Lehair would lead the 300m swim throughout as athletes tumbled out of the race at the back of the field due to the Eliminator format, including Emma Jeffcoat. Périault would swim her way back into contention on the swim, while also being announced as the Short Chute recipient for Podium Racing over Lehair. The duo would exit the water together, with Taylor-Brown just behind.
A tidy transition saw Lehair first onto the 4km bike with five seconds of daylight now between her and the chasers. Huge crowds would cheer the racers throughout the entirety of the bike course, with the leaders now forming a pack of three at the front in the battle for the podium spots. Taylor-Brown would establish a small lead by T2, but would it be enough to hold off Lehair and Périault, the latter with a Short Chute, on the run?
It was all to play for on the final 1.6km run of the day, with Lehair back in control after yet another faultless – and possibly race-defining – transition. Having established daylight between herself and the chasers, Lehair didn’t look like losing that advantage and would cross the line eight seconds ahead of Périault, who herself finished eight seconds before Taylor-Brown.
