Waugh excited by duel with Knibb in San Francisco T100 Triathlon

Great Britain’s Kate Waugh and Belgium’s Jelle Geens have opened up going into Saturday’s second T100 Triathlon World Tour race in the iconic city of San Francisco.

One is seeking to live up to the promise of their debut victory in Singapore last month; whilst the other is looking for redemption after a disappointing DNF.

Ahead of tackling the legendary Escape From Alcatraz course, both are talking exclusively on the Countdown To San Francisco T100 preview show, which is available now on YouTube.

“I quite liked being the underdog into the race,” said Waugh, a 26-year-old British Olympian who burst onto the scene at the Singapore T100 with the biggest margin of victory in the history of the Professional Triathletes Organisation’s 100km races. “I quite like being able to slip under the radar and do my thing. But I obviously didn’t expect the race to go quite like that.”

“I’d be lying if I said I haven’t got a lot of confidence from Singapore and now I’m thinking I can dream big and I’m thinking, okay, how can I make this year really great.”

“It would be cool to have the pressure of the target on my back. I think it’s a privilege to be in that position and to be seen as one of the ones to beat.”

On her duel with 2024 T100 World Champion, American Taylor Knibb, who was unbeaten over the 100km distance last year, Waugh said: “I’ve raced Taylor for 10 years now. We’re a similar age so I think I first raced her at a European Cup when we were 16. I know the kind of athlete she is, I know how strong she is on the bike. She’s always been such a powerhouse and I’ve always had a lot of respect for the way she races. I love how she takes the bull by the horns and just goes for it. I’ve always thought of myself as an athlete who wants to do the same. I want to be a complete triathlete, I’ve always been determined to do that. I want to be strong across all three [disciplines] so I’m excited to race her.”

On the men’s side, Belgian Jelle Geens caused shockwaves in his first T100 race in Lake Las Vegas last October, beating his all conquering compatriot Marten Van Riel.

But the new guard of New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde, who took control and won in a hot and humid Singapore, changed the dynamic. Unfortunately, a serious bike accident for Wilde in Japan has meant he will be missing from this race, so there’s an opportunity for others to make up ground while he recovers.

“I was on a good winning streak since the Lake Las Vegas T100 last year,” said Geens. “But I guess everything has to end. After that win, there is a bit more expectation from the outside world but also from myself.”

Looking ahead to the challenge of jumping into the deep waters of the Bay from the San Francisco Spirit, Geens said: “I really want to finish on the podium or fight for the win. I like these races where you know in advance all the best people are there. I think it’s the highest level [of racing] there’s ever been in middle distance racing.”

The San Francisco T100 Triathlon is a collaboration between the Professional Triathletes Organisation and IMG, who own and run the legendary Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon, which has been a bucket-list event for more than 40 years and seen the best professionals and amateurs try the impossible – to escape from Alcatraz Island. 2,000 more amateurs will attempt to do just that on Sunday 1 June starting at 7am, following the San Francisco T100 men’s and women’s professional races the day before (Saturday 31 May). An accompanying fitness festival will open on Sunday from 7am until 2.30pm. Further details here.

How To Watch 

The men’s San Francisco T100 race will start at 0600 local time, with the women’s race beginning at 0645. The broadcast commences from 0545 and you can tune in live for free globally on PTO+, or watch on our partners channels such as TNT Sports 2 in the UK, Max or Discovery+ in Europe, or beIN in North America. You can catch the highlights on FanDuel Sports Network in the US. For a full breakdown of where to watch, please visit: https://t100triathlon.com/san-francisco/pro/#how-to-watch

The T100 Triathlon Live Data Dashboard is available at t100triathlon.com/live/ and is packed with extra information on the races. Including pivotal moments in the races, such as lead changes, fastest discipline times, penalty information and more. Fans can also stay abreast of how the action will affect the T100 Race To Qatar Standings as the race unfolds via the ‘Virtual Standings’ tab. All this is on top of the live leaderboard, which shows key data such as splits to leader, groups, speeds, positions gained and Heart Rate effort.

For the full start lists visit https://stats.protriathletes.org/race/san-francisco-t100/2025/participants