Max Neumann started the season as impressive as he finished the previous one. Neumann used the half distance Hell of the West event in Queensland to have a proper hit out and to get his season underway. The BMC Pro athlete dominated the bike leg and claimed the top spot in a winning time of 3:20:11. Neumann put together a dominating display finishing eight minutes ahead of second place Kieran Storch (AUS). Josh Amberger (AUS) rounded out the podium in time of 3:30:56.
It was Amberger, who produced the fastest swim of the day. But he was only a few seconds ahead of the first chasers, which included Max Neumann. Once on the bike Max clearly brought his biking legs and took full control. Coming into T2 Neumann had opened up a lead of nearly five minutes on Kieran Storch and Amberger. These gaps further increased on the run with Neumann crossing the finish line in 3:20:11 for his third career win at Hell of the West after back-to-back victories in 2018 and 2019.
Afterwards Neumann reflected on his dominating display: "No better place to start a big 2023 then out west in the Queensland outback. Hell of the West put on another incredible race and I was happy to get my third win out here. It's always good to start the season with the legs feeling good. Everything went really well and smooth. I have had a great summer of training in Australia and looking forward to a few big ones over the next few months."
