Aix-en-Provence opened the European leg of the 2026 Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series with standout performances and record-breaking racing, as Michele Bortolamedi (ITA) and Marjolaine Pierré (FRA) claimed victories on the iconic Cours Mirabeau. With both athletes setting new course best times, the South of France delivered a thrilling day of professional competition.
In the men’s professional race, Jamie Riddle (ZAF) led the field out of the water, setting an early tempo as a large group stayed tightly packed. Bortolamedi, just seconds off the front, wasted no time asserting himself on the 90km Zoot Bike Course, quickly moving into contention alongside Rico Bogen (DEU) at the head of the race.
A lead group soon formed, with Bogen and Nathan Guerbeur (FRA) driving the pace, while Bortolamedi and Maximilian Sperl (DEU) remained firmly in the mix as gaps began to open behind. It was on the main climb in the second half of the technical course where Bortolamedi made his decisive move, using the terrain to edge clear before extending that advantage through T2 to take control heading onto the run.
Bogen, who was third off the bike, made a pass on Sperl just a few kilometers into the HOKA Run Course before setting his sights on Bortolamedi. Patient and composed, the German steadily chipped away at the gap, closing in meter by meter before briefly taking the lead just after the halfway mark.
Bortolamedi, however, refused to surrender. The pair entered a tense back-and-forth through the tree-lined streets of Aix-en-Provence, trading momentum in a gripping tactical battle. It was the Italian who ultimately found another gear, breaking clear in the closing stages to storm to his first Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series victory in a course record time of 3:38:54.
Behind them, Lasse Nygaard Priester (DEU) delivered one of the standout performances of the day. Posting the fastest run splits on course, he tore through the field, erasing a four-minute deficit, finishing just nine seconds shy of Bogen as he completed the podium.
Bortolamedi said: “When I started the third lap [on the run], I told myself ‘oggi vinco’ - today I win. Today I was strong, my legs were perfect, the brain always clear. The second lap I saw Rico come in strong, but I didn’t have any fear, I wasn't scared.”
Top Five Male Professional Results
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Pro Series Points (unofficial)
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Michele Bortolamedi (ITA)
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Lasse Nygaard Priester (DEU)
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The women’s professional race saw Fenella Langridge (GBR) lead out of the water, with Imogen Simmonds (SUI) right on her feet, while Marjolaine Pierré (FRA) faced a 31-second deficit heading onto the bike. Pierré soon settled into her trademark rhythm on the 90km Zoot Bike Course, patiently working her way through the field before taking control just past the halfway point and extending her advantage in the closing stages. By T2, she had built a lead of 1:38 over Hanne de Vet (BEL), putting herself firmly in command of the race.
Calm and composed, Pierré never looked under pressure on the run, steadily extending her lead to secure a dominant victory in her home race, crossing the line in a time of 4:08:27 to break her own course record by more than three minutes.
Behind her, Imogen Simmonds (SUI) surged into second place in the closing kilometers, while Laura Philipp (GER) produced the fastest run of the day (1:18:39) to round out the podium, finishing just seconds behind Simmonds after a strong late-race charge.
Pierré said: "I am very happy to be back in Aix, it's always a particular atmosphere and such a support from all the French spectators and the whole French IRONMAN team, it's really like a big family and that's why I really think I will be back each year, even when I'm a grandmother, an old lady".
Top Five Female Professional Results
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Pro Series Points (unofficial)
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News and Notes
- Jamie Riddle (ZAF) was first out of the water but a fall on the run meant he had to take himself out of the race, so Sven Thalman clocked the official fastest swim of the day (21:50), setting a new swim course best
- Fenella Langridge (GBR) led out of the water, matching her own swim course best that she set in 2018 to the second (24:24)
- Four men broke bike course record, set last year by Ruben Zepunkte (2:03:51), with Maximillian Sperl setting the fastest time of 2:02:08
- Marjolaine Pierré had the fastest bike split in the female professional race, going two minutes faster than her own bike course best from 2025.
- Lasse Priester set a new run course best of 1:07:05, breaking Kristian Blummenfelt’s time of 1:07:12 by 7 seconds, and Laura Philipp posted the fastest run split of the day in the female professional race in 1
IRONMAN?Pro Series Standings????
The Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series is a year-long performance-based triathlon race series with professional triathletes being able to earn points at 16 races globally. Open to approximately 1,000 eligible professional triathletes worldwide, the Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series ushers in a new era of IRONMAN racing where Every Second Matters with every second behind the race winner equating to a point earned or lost. For any athlete, only their top five event results count towards their overall Pro Series points and standing, of which a maximum of three IRONMAN results can be counted. How it works can be found here:
www.ironman.com/proseries/about-ironman-pro-series
With most of the field starting their season in France, the overall leaders in the Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series remain unchanged. Notable movers include Rudy Von Berg (USA) whose completion of three early season races helps him climb three places to sit in third in the standings.
Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five Male (After Five Events)?
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Total IRONMAN Pro Series Points (Max Top 5 events)?
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Total Eligible Races Scored?
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Eligible IRONMAN Races Scored?
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Eligible IRONMAN 70.3 Races Scored?
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Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR)
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Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five?Female (After Five Events)?????
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Total IRONMAN Pro Series Points (Max Top 5 events)?
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Total Eligible Races Scored?
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Eligible IRONMAN Races Scored?
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Eligible IRONMAN 70.3 Races Scored?
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????
Next Events Coming Up
The Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series stays in Europe with the IRONMAN Hamburg European Championship (women’s professional race only) on June 7.