The Confluence of Sport and Global Events, Ironman World Championship Insights
The primary focus of this podcast episode revolves around a nuanced discussion of the impending Ironman World Championship, alongside a critical examination of the social unrest impacting the Vuelta a España. As we delve into the complexities of the triathlon landscape, our conversation unfurls the implications of external events on the sport, particularly in light of recent protests that have disrupted cycling competitions. Matthew Sharp, an Olympian and co-founder of Tempo News, alongside Jeff Sankoff, a medical contributor and coach, aim to blend their perspectives to enhance your understanding of these pivotal issues. We also venture into a thorough analysis of the athletes poised to compete in the Ironman, exploring their strengths, potential strategies, and the historical context surrounding the race. Ultimately, our intent is to provide both informative and engaging commentary as we navigate the intersection of sport and current events.
Links to topics discussed:
The TriDoc Podcast
Matt's Instagram
Jeff's Instagram
Email Jeff: tri_doc@icloud.com
Email Matt: Matt@thetemponews.com
Signup for the Tempo News
Signup for The TriDoc Podcast Supplement form
Transcript
Welcome to Tempo Talks, a show that brings you analysis of the biggest stories in triathlon training, tips to make you a better athlete and breakdowns of the latest science and performance.
Speaker A:I'm Matthew Sharp, an olympian in triathlon, 70.3 champion and co founder of the Tempo News.
Speaker B:And I'm Jeff Sankoff, the tridoc medical contributor for Triathlete magazine, age group winner and coach at Life Sport Coaching.
Speaker B:Our goal, inform and entertain two perspectives.
Speaker B:One sport, all things triathlon.
Speaker B:Now let's get into it.
Speaker B:Hello everybody and welcome to Tempo Talks.
Speaker B:This was going to be, it is still going to be our nice preview show, the Ironman World Championship, but the world has intervened.
Speaker B:We are recording this on Wednesday, September 10th.
Speaker B:And so I'm Jeff Sankoff, the tridoc.
Speaker B:I'm joined of course as always by Matt Sharp.
Speaker B:Matt, how you doing?
Speaker A:Hello.
Speaker A:Hello.
Speaker A:Good to see you.
Speaker A:Jeff, be here with you.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:It's always good to see a friendly face on a day like today.
Speaker B:We have talked a lot prior to recording on various episodes about how we have tried really hard to keep the external world outside of this podcast.
Speaker B:We really just want to focus on triathlon but today it just seemed a bridge too far to do that.
Speaker B:So we are going to stay away from.
Speaker B:There were several really awful stories today and we are going to stay away from most of them.
Speaker B:But we are going to discuss what's been going on at the Vuelta a Espana.
Speaker B:That was something we decided on over the last couple of days that we thought was relevant to sports potentially, we hope it won't be.
Speaker B:But potentially relevant to the event this weekend and it is bigger than triathlon and we thought that it was worthwhile discussing.
Speaker B:We don't want to be Debbie Downers.
Speaker B:We will try to keep it brief and we will spend most of the program talking about the Ironman World Championship coming up this weekend.
Speaker B:But do want to forewarn everybody we are not going to be able to just stick our heads in the sands anymore.
Speaker B:Matt, a conscious decision we've both made together.
Speaker B:You're.
Speaker B:I know you have been just as influenced as I am by the news of the day.
Speaker B:How are you doing otherwise?
Speaker A:Yeah, doing okay otherwise.
Speaker A:I am still very excited for this world Championship this weekend.
Speaker A:I actually pushed back releasing my newsletter to this morning because I just wanted to put more time, a little bit more time, a little bit more effort into this preview.
Speaker A:I think it deserves it.
Speaker A:It's a historic race the last time.
Speaker A:It's going to be a Nissan for.
Speaker B:The full disc now.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Which is too Bad in some ways.
Speaker A:But I think it's what the majority of people want to see it away back in Kona.
Speaker A:But just with the field and everything, it's.
Speaker A:I'm very excited.
Speaker A:It's going to be a hell of a show.
Speaker B:Yeah, I agree and I've enjoyed watching the reels coming out of there.
Speaker B:And I got to say I am a little bit sad because I think this course, interestingly, this course, over 140.6 miles, has only 150ft more elevation than does the course in Marbella, which puts it really in perspective for me.
Speaker B:But this course is really going to favor a different kind of athlete than would be selected in Kona because of environmental conditions where the course is not nearly as difficult, but the environment makes it so much more of a challenge.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A: e this race, the Nice race in: Speaker B: worlds in: Speaker A:I would have FOMO or something for this year.
Speaker B:I do have a little bit of FOMO because I stopped racing Ironmans after they moved to Nice because of a discuss with my family.
Speaker B:And I do have a little bit of FOMO because I would have liked to have done an Ironman on that kind of course.
Speaker B:It would have been easier for me than the Kona course, which just beat me down.
Speaker B:I always did fine until the run and then once we got on the run it was like that's just not my, not my thing.
Speaker B:So anyways, but before we get to that, we do want to address what's been going on at the Vuelta Espana because it.
Speaker B:It's unfortunate and I think it's has bearing on potentially on triathlon and we do want to address it.
Speaker B:So if you haven't been following that news, just to bring you up to speed, several of the stages of the Grand Tour, the third of the season's Grand Tours, the first being the Giro d', Italia, the second being the Tour de France, the third being the Tour of Spain or the Vuelta a Espana, which is a sensational race to watch.
Speaker B:It has some of the fiercest climbs.
Speaker B:The leader right now is the Dane Jonas Vingegaard, who is ahead by I believe under a minute, maybe a little bit more than a minute.
Speaker B:But they have had several stages interrupted by mass protests of pro Palestinian protesters massing along the route.
Speaker B:One of the stages had to be stopped early.
Speaker B:Another stage had to be neutralized early.
Speaker B:They have shortened the time trial that was supposed to be 20 something kilometers.
Speaker B:It's now going to be like a 12 kilometer time trial.
Speaker B:I don't even know why they're bothering.
Speaker B:And there's been several crashes caused by protesters coming onto the course, and there's been several abandonments because of it.
Speaker B:Now, ostensibly, a lot of the protests are targeting their ire against the team of Israel Premier Tech, which really has nothing to do with the country of Israel, but nonetheless does have the name Israel in its name.
Speaker B:They have dropped the name Israel to try and assuage some of the protesters.
Speaker B:That has not worked.
Speaker B:And the protests have been getting more and more numerous and violent, and it's really unfortunate.
Speaker B:Matt, have you seen any of the footage that's come out of this?
Speaker A:Yeah, I've definitely seen it.
Speaker A:Definitely read about it.
Speaker A:Like, you've been following the Vuelta this whole time.
Speaker A:Has this.
Speaker A:These protests and whatnot?
Speaker A:Have they been featured front and center from right, from the beginning or how did this evolve?
Speaker B:Yeah, it.
Speaker B:Like, you saw the protesters with their Palestinian flags pretty early on.
Speaker B:It.
Speaker B:The first time it really became noticed was on the team time trial.
Speaker B:So the team time trial was, I believe, stage two.
Speaker B:It might have been stage three.
Speaker B:And what happened was, is the protesters got on the road and actually stopped the team time trial when Israel Premier Tech's team was coming through and the whole team had to stop and they had to get the protesters off the road so that the team could get through and continue.
Speaker B:And it.
Speaker B:And it didn't just stop them because, of course, the teams are only separated by about, I think, a minute.
Speaker B:So it stopped a couple of different teams.
Speaker B:And from that moment forward, it was obvious that this was going to be an issue.
Speaker B:And you started to see more and more numbers of Palestinian flags along the route.
Speaker B:And it's not uncommon during these Grand Tours as they go up these hills, that the crowds are very.
Speaker B:They infringe upon the road or they're.
Speaker A:On the road, part of the spectacle, right?
Speaker B:You see the flags very frequently coming close to the riders.
Speaker B:But this started early on to all of a sudden, this wasn't the flag being pulled away.
Speaker B:This was the flag hitting the riders.
Speaker B:And it wasn't just the issue of primary attack, right?
Speaker B:It was all the riders.
Speaker B:And I think Jonas Vingegaard, the leader of the race, has been very eloquent and very circumspect.
Speaker B:At first he was a little annoyed, but then he said, look, the protesters just want to be heard.
Speaker B:We understand.
Speaker B:But you know what?
Speaker B:We're just cyclists.
Speaker B:We're not politicians.
Speaker B:There's nothing we can do.
Speaker B:We understand you want to be Seen and heard.
Speaker B:But be respectful of the race, be respectful of the cyclists.
Speaker B:You are injuring us.
Speaker B:Please let us do what we are here to do.
Speaker B:And I couldn't agree more with that.
Speaker B:The situation in the Middle east is abominable.
Speaker B:It's appalling.
Speaker B:It's been going on for way too long.
Speaker B:It is not acceptable.
Speaker B:And I understand why people want to protest.
Speaker B:What I don't understand is why they are protesting in this way and why they are wreaking havoc on cyclists who really have nothing to do with anything for the protesters.
Speaker A:And we're talking about it.
Speaker A:So maybe that's the point.
Speaker A:Is that because it is creating an uproar, it is creating a tension.
Speaker A:Like ultimately, if that's the goal, then they are succeeding in a way.
Speaker A:There's obviously just the collateral damage of the cycling race and the cyclists getting injured.
Speaker A:Has what.
Speaker A:Has there been any serious injuries or just people crashing?
Speaker B:Nothing serious, but people crashing heavily enough that they've had to abandon and that.
Speaker B:That to me is serious.
Speaker B:This is their livelihood and when a team loses a member, that's not a good thing.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:I agree with you.
Speaker B:I understand they have increased their visibility.
Speaker B:They obviously are getting people talking and if it results in any changes, that would be fine.
Speaker A:But I've seen protesting a bike race can result in.
Speaker B:That's what I was going to say.
Speaker B:We've seen massive protests for the last couple of years and we haven't seen significant move on the ground.
Speaker B:I don't think this is going to accomplish that either.
Speaker B:I'm not saying people shouldn't protest and I'm not saying people shouldn't necessarily protest at this race.
Speaker B:But if they are going to protest at this race, do so in a way that may be more constructive and not destructive.
Speaker B:Because this is harmful and it concerns me.
Speaker B:We have the Ironman World Championships coming up in a very similar region now.
Speaker B:The Ironman World Championships, a much, much smaller event, media wise.
Speaker B:It's big for us as triathletes.
Speaker B:I think we.
Speaker B:We all know about it, but I think around the world it's not going to get the same kind of attention or press.
Speaker B:And so I would hope it's not going to.
Speaker B:I hope.
Speaker B:But who knows?
Speaker B:It could.
Speaker A:Yeah, we don't know.
Speaker A:I'm wondering, you talked about having a line that's crossed.
Speaker A:Would you think the line that's crossed in terms of being constructive and destructive, that's when the actual racers are getting infringed on, would you say?
Speaker B:I think so.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think so.
Speaker B:I Think like they've been plenty visible on tv.
Speaker B:The protesters have their signs, their flags.
Speaker A:Are they at the podium ceremonies?
Speaker A:Like they are everywhere making a present.
Speaker A:Okay, okay, they're everywhere.
Speaker B:And they're there in increasing numbers.
Speaker B:And of course, when the.
Speaker B:When these guys are going up these big summit stages, they're moving slowly so you have a chance to see these protesters for quite a long time.
Speaker B:And so they are being seen.
Speaker B:Why they have to disrupt and why they have to cause injuries.
Speaker B:That to me is not acceptable.
Speaker B:And that.
Speaker B:So, yes, that's the line that's being crossed.
Speaker B:And I wish that it didn't have to.
Speaker B:And listen, I wish that this situation in the Middle east wasn't happening.
Speaker A:We all do.
Speaker B:We all, first and foremost.
Speaker B:But the fact that people want to protest, I'm okay with that.
Speaker B:I encourage it.
Speaker B:But I encourage it in a way that it doesn't cause harm to others and that it doesn't necessarily.
Speaker B:And sure, in the grand scheme of things, it's a bike race.
Speaker B:I get it.
Speaker B:Bike race is a small potatoes compared to what people are enduring in these regions.
Speaker B:But your protest is not changing that.
Speaker B:And therefore protest in a way that is visible, is heard, but without causing additional.
Speaker A:Where are we in the Vuelta in terms of the duration or like stages.
Speaker B:They are coming up?
Speaker B:I think they're about two thirds of the way down, if not a little bit.
Speaker B:For my son would know.
Speaker B:My Adam is like right on top of that.
Speaker B:But they are.
Speaker B:They're pretty close to done, I believe.
Speaker B:I believe stage 17 is the time trial and there's 21 stages.
Speaker B:So they're just about done.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:If you're the race director, what kind of decisions you would you be making?
Speaker A:Just trying to keep it the course as tight as possible to have the possibility of.
Speaker B:That's what they're facing now because they've got.
Speaker B:Don't forget the final.
Speaker B:The last day is generally Madrid.
Speaker B:I don't know if they can finish in Madrid.
Speaker B:They can't secure the course in these big cities and that's the problem they're having.
Speaker B:So, yeah, that's the real decision that they're having to face is what did they do?
Speaker B:That's why they cut this course down tomorrow to only 12 kilometers, because that.
Speaker B:That they can.
Speaker B:They feel that it keeps them far enough outside the city, they're not going to run into huge numbers of people.
Speaker B:Is terrible for the spectators who actually want to see this or who actually build their time around going to see these cyclists because they're being robbed as well, and again, I do not want to compare the significance or importance of this cycling race to what's going on in the Middle East.
Speaker B:It's not comparable at all.
Speaker B:And I do think there's a place for protest at these events in a way that can be seen.
Speaker B:But it.
Speaker B:It alarms me and I get worried when the protest becomes to the point that it stops these things from happening at all.
Speaker B:Because then what are you going to protest then?
Speaker A:Yep, absolutely.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker A:We'll see.
Speaker A:With the Ironman, I feel like the course almost, because it goes up into the hills and it's pretty remote when you're there.
Speaker A:I think maybe if there were some issues, it would be closer to town.
Speaker B:And maybe it would be a nice.
Speaker A:Yeah, it might be easier to do security for that if there is issues.
Speaker A:Maybe it's a little easier with this race versus Free for all in Spain.
Speaker A:Definitely.
Speaker B:They won't.
Speaker B:They won't talk about it.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:They're not.
Speaker B:But it would be really interesting to know if they are planning and if.
Speaker B:I'm sure they are, because we know that Nice has had issues with terrorist attacks.
Speaker B: And so when I was there in: Speaker B:And so they already are pretty good at.
Speaker B:They have these bollards and they're able to keep trucks and vehicles that are unwanted away, but pedestrians, you can't keep pedestrians away.
Speaker B:So it's going to be interesting to see what they do.
Speaker B:Yeah, it'll be interesting.
Speaker B:All right, well, nice.
Speaker B:Let's talk about the big race.
Speaker B:It is going to be a fantastic day.
Speaker B:I know you've done a ton of work getting prepped and have.
Speaker B:Of course not.
Speaker B:So I am very interested to hear your assessment.
Speaker B:I know a lot of the names that are going to be there.
Speaker B:I am very excited to see this race because I think it is going to be a heck of a day.
Speaker B:I'm already seeing some posts coming out from Ironman questioning if this could possibly be the fastest swim ever, even without wetsuits, because of the caliber of the swimmers.
Speaker B:So why don't we start right there with the swim?
Speaker B:What do you think?
Speaker A:Definitely, I think.
Speaker A:Yeah, definitely quicker than a Hawaii situation because the water temperature there is super hot.
Speaker A:And just being hot there, you never want to go into the red zone too early.
Speaker A: I think it will be because in: Speaker A: But I know in: Speaker A:It helped break things up in the swim.
Speaker A:But with the cast of characters we have in Nice this year, like you basically have a bunch of people who came straight from the Paris Olympics now doing the pro series and racing at the world championships.
Speaker A:So that whole dynamic, these guys have basically come in and are racing the front of an Ironman like an Olympic distance race.
Speaker A:I'll throw out a couple names there who maybe we expect to be leading in the swim.
Speaker A:But a guy like Jamie Riddle from South Africa, a great front pack swimmer.
Speaker A:He always is, yeah, pushing the pace.
Speaker A:And then John Jonas Schomburg who at Ironman Frankfurt literally was just like he took out the swim like it was a sprint distance triathlon.
Speaker A:And I remember watching the beginning of that swim in that race and it was just a string of, a long string of athletes.
Speaker A:Whoever could hang on, he dropped Blumenfeld on that swim.
Speaker A:Just the way the races with the athletes who are in it and the way it's shaping up, it's just from the gun.
Speaker B:And then you've got guys, you've got guys like Sam Laidlaw who loves to swim hard and loves to try to break things up on the swim because he feels, I don't know why he feels he has to.
Speaker B:He's such a strong cyclist, but he just goes out there and tries to shred the field.
Speaker B:You've got Matthew Marquardt, my boy who's gonna come up frequently, very strong swimmer.
Speaker B:Although I get the sense that he maybe is trying to keep things in reserve a little bit so that he doesn't run into those cramping issues.
Speaker B:And then there are other real.
Speaker B:It's not like Blumenfeld is any slouch.
Speaker B:He's a strong swimmer and all those guys are strong swimmers and yet they don't necessarily figure to be in a front pack with some of these incredibly fast people.
Speaker A:Martin Van Reel, another name.
Speaker A:So an Olympian, two time Olympian T100 champion last year.
Speaker A:He's actually coming in, coming off like a run injury.
Speaker A:I think he's able, he's going to be able to run the full marathon and finish the race.
Speaker A:But yes, someone like him, he, when I raced him in short course, he was always a guy pushing the pace on the swim.
Speaker A:So it just adds to the firepower.
Speaker A:And I guess if we rewind to 20, 23 the last time it was there and how it played out, like I remember Sam Long was definitely.
Speaker A:Or San laid Low rather was at the front.
Speaker A:He had a few other athletes with him, I think there was like a group of 10 of them that kind of came out of the water together.
Speaker A:But then he basically just.
Speaker A:And another athlete until Sam dropped him.
Speaker A:They just blasted away right on that first climb and just set the tone for the rest of the day.
Speaker B:Do you think, you know, Sam Long is.
Speaker B:He just toasted even though he's such a strong cyclist, the fact that these guys are going to go out so hard on the swim and then they are also such incredibly strong cyclists.
Speaker B:Does he even have a chance?
Speaker A:I think he has a better chance on this course for sure in some ways than like a Kona, because there's not a lot, especially on the climb.
Speaker A:Obviously.
Speaker A:There's really no draft effect like being in a big group and saving your legs.
Speaker A:So you're all on this.
Speaker A:A level playing field.
Speaker A:I guess it.
Speaker A:That's a true cyclist.
Speaker A:Strength will show on this course.
Speaker A:And we know this year that he has been basically all in for this race.
Speaker A:His full.
Speaker A:He's been training through all these T100 races that he's been doing.
Speaker A:Like, I. I talked to him in St. George and he basically said, yeah, I'm all in for.
Speaker A:For Nice for Ironman World Championship.
Speaker A:So, yes, he will not be at the front at the beginning of the race.
Speaker A:Depends who he comes out with in the swim.
Speaker A:So if he has a guy like Cam Wharf near him, I think Cam Wharf maybe is swimming a little quicker than him these days.
Speaker A:But if he has an athlete like that who he can work with on the bike and feel like just having someone else there with him to push the pace, who knows.
Speaker A:But you could see him potentially ride back and be somewhat within striking distance when they got off the bike.
Speaker A: is course, I just remember in: Speaker A:You had Frodeno walking because he overcooked himself in this race that he had prepared for quite well as.
Speaker A:As well.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It is just a true cyclist course, this race.
Speaker A:So a guy like Sam Long, he's a great cyclist who knows.
Speaker B:All right, so cyclist course Sam Long we've mentioned there are a host of others and we have to keep in mind they have to be able to run off the bike, of course.
Speaker B:So who are your athletes to watch on the bike?
Speaker A:Well, on the bike for sure, you're going to have Sam laid low even like a Jonas Schomberg who rode away from Sam laid low at Challenge Roth earlier this year, Sam maybe was coming back a little bit from his early season struggles.
Speaker A:He's put his hand up as a good cyclist.
Speaker A:Cam were Sam Long Christian and Gustav Catherine Soarez.
Speaker A:They're great athletes.
Speaker A:The one thing I'm curious about is to see how they go on this course because they've had a lot of success on the Texas's, the Frankfurt style courses which are flat.
Speaker A:Like all those guys a Christian Hogan Haug who really lit it up in Frankfurt and like almost put Blumenfeld on notice for that, that run because of the gap he had coming off the bike.
Speaker A:You could see him pushing.
Speaker A:And then of course your Guy Marquardt man.
Speaker B:Matthew, strong cyclist, did well on a hilly course in Lake Placid.
Speaker B:Not to the same degree as this, but still.
Speaker B:How about Magnus Ditlov?
Speaker B:Has he proven himself in these kinds of climbing?
Speaker A:Yeah, I definitely cannot forget Ditlev.
Speaker A:He's one of the elite cyclists in this sport.
Speaker A:He's a guy who.
Speaker A:He won't.
Speaker A:I don't think he'll be in that real like front group that'll have laid low, that'll have Schomburg and Riddle.
Speaker A:He could come out with Blumen felt but I think he'll want to get rid of Blumen felt as quickly as he can for this race because a lot of these, for a lot of these athletes, I think they see Blumen felt as the best runner.
Speaker B:Better than Patrick.
Speaker A:Better than Patrick Langa when it's going to be a hard bike.
Speaker A:And it's going to be a hard bike and it's hard too because Langa obviously coming in as the defending champion from last year but we know he's had some pretty decent struggles with injury this year.
Speaker A:I know he's coming in now.
Speaker A:He says he's feeling really good.
Speaker A:He's had a lot of time like he really hasn't raced at all this year.
Speaker A:So not that I worry about him working hard once he is on the race course, but there's a little bit of an unknown there.
Speaker A:I think to me from what I've seen from Blumenfeld this year, he has been untouchable on the run.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And we haven't mentioned Rudy von Berg.
Speaker A:Curious if it's funny with Rudy, like he's.
Speaker A:He deserves a respect he's had.
Speaker A:Last year he was third in Kona.
Speaker A:The year before he was fourth in this race.
Speaker A:So he's has championship pedigree.
Speaker A:It's just when there's I guess like separating skills that come to the fore, especially with laid low breaking away on the bike potentially.
Speaker A:I just don't know if a guy like Rudy can go with him.
Speaker A:And so he maybe will get caught up in like a second pack scenario.
Speaker A:But now the second pack has Casper Stores and Gustav, Matthew Marquart.
Speaker A:And with Rudy, obviously he's got great skills on the bike with his descending skills because he's lived in that area and he knows those roads very well.
Speaker A:But it's hard for me to see him getting that podium again in this field.
Speaker A:But he could prove me wrong and it'd be interesting to see that for sure.
Speaker B:And once we get to the run, you've mentioned Christian.
Speaker B:He obviously such a strong runner.
Speaker B:He's just, it's so funny to watch him because he just doesn't look like he's gonna run as fast as he does.
Speaker B:And he just is just amazing.
Speaker A:He just looks like he's sprinting when he's running.
Speaker A:Even when he's running a marathon, it looks like he's just in a full out sprint.
Speaker A:It's wild.
Speaker B:And then the beautiful form of Patrick Lang, who ran very well when the race was in Nice a couple of years ago.
Speaker B:Stan Laidlau, when he puts it together, he can be a very solid runner.
Speaker B:He did obviously a couple of years ago.
Speaker B:Last year left too much on the bike and then got consumed by the heat.
Speaker B:I haven't checked the weather.
Speaker B:Have you looked at what the weather's going to be this weekend?
Speaker B:I haven't had a chance.
Speaker A:It looks pretty like standard September weather there.
Speaker A:Maybe mid-20s.
Speaker A:I don't think it's supposed to be particularly hot, but could change as things get closer.
Speaker B:And mid 20s.
Speaker B:For those of you not familiar with celsius, that'll be mid 70s depending on high.
Speaker B:How high in the 20s it can get up to like higher 70s.
Speaker B:And then who else would you be looking for?
Speaker B:We really haven't heard much from Gustav Iden.
Speaker B:I feel like we've almost forgotten about him because he really hasn't had a real big win in a little while.
Speaker B:And I wonder if we are making a mistake.
Speaker B:Not about him, I guess of the.
Speaker A:Four returning champions, I guess Blumen felt when he won in St. George you got laid low.
Speaker A: ,: Speaker A:And then basically after that went through a really tough period with.
Speaker A:He had, I think an Achilles issue.
Speaker A:He, his mother passed away, which was really tough on him.
Speaker A:And I would say this year he's climbed out of that kind of tough cycle and he's really found his feet.
Speaker A:But it's hard when you have someone like Blumenfeld who consistently is beating him by minutes, plenty of minutes on the run.
Speaker A:You also have his countrymen who he trains with, Casper Stornes, also consistently beating him.
Speaker A:I think Gustav loves these kind of races and the way he's been training and kind of the way I've been following him, it feels like he has a good energy going to this race, but it's really hard for me to see him take the win.
Speaker A:But a top five, I think I wouldn't be surprised if he finishes in the top five.
Speaker A:I just don't know.
Speaker A:Even a podium for me, I just, I don't see it.
Speaker A:But I would love to be surprised.
Speaker A:He's a guy who I'm always happy to see have success.
Speaker B:Yeah, he's a gregarious, happy guy.
Speaker B:I've seen a couple of interviews with him this week and he has seemed very affable as always.
Speaker B:Yeah, I, I don't.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Going back to your guy, Matthew.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:He didn't take the cruise ship over.
Speaker A:Flew over.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:He's not on the cruise ship training camp, pre race.
Speaker A:So I wonder with him, what do you think it's going to take for him to have a championship winning race or just the race that he needs to have?
Speaker A:Because with this cramping issue, like that's top of my mind for what could set him back.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's so hard.
Speaker B:When he won in Cairns, I think both of us felt like, okay, he.
Speaker B:That was a big breakthrough moment for him.
Speaker B:But let's face it, the field was.
Speaker A:Yes, not Cohen, not nice.
Speaker B:But then when he won in Lake Placid, that was a real kind of standout win.
Speaker B:He beat a roster there that was very worthy.
Speaker B:Now there wasn't Christian, there wasn't Magnus Ditlov, there wasn't some of the real top tier guys, but there was a very strong field there and so it made me think he definitely has a chance and I would say, like, I wouldn't count him as a winner, I think, but I think he's got a realistic chance to be podium tier.
Speaker B:I think he's podium tier outside, outside shot.
Speaker B:Top five, I think is very realistic.
Speaker B:Top three would be a bit of a stretch, but why not?
Speaker B:He has distinguished himself with his ability to ride really hard and have incredible runs off of those rides.
Speaker B:So I think it's possible for him.
Speaker B:I think the big thing is he can't lose five minutes in transition because he's cramping.
Speaker B:He just can't he can't afford that against this field.
Speaker B:And he has to be able to have his kind of swim and get out of the water and not be cramping.
Speaker B:And I don't know what that's going to take for him.
Speaker B:I assume he's been working on that.
Speaker A:But I was going to say, have you seen anything or heard anything about him trying something else to not.
Speaker B:And you know what I fear is, I fear this is the last we're going to see of him as a professional because.
Speaker A:What do you mean by that?
Speaker A:That's very ominous because.
Speaker A:Very ominous.
Speaker B:Well, because very clearly for him, his priorities are his medical career.
Speaker B:It's very.
Speaker B:Listen, he's in Nice and he's visiting cancer centers.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:I know, it's amazing.
Speaker B:I mean, he's studying, he's doing all of his medical stuff in the afternoons.
Speaker B:He gets his training out of the way.
Speaker B:He gets up at 5, he gets all his training out of the way, gets the media obligations, and then he hits the books and he goes and visits cancer centers.
Speaker B:The guy is amazing.
Speaker B:I just.
Speaker B:I have nothing but admiration for him in every sense of the word.
Speaker B:And that's really why I want him to do so well.
Speaker B:But he made it clear to me when I spoke to him, he doesn't have any thoughts of.
Speaker B:At least he didn't when I spoke to him.
Speaker B:He's not going to take a year off.
Speaker B:He's not going to delay his residency.
Speaker B:And he wants to do.
Speaker B:He wants to be a surgeon.
Speaker B:He wants to go into ear, nose and throat surgery.
Speaker B:That's not an easy residency.
Speaker B:That's not going to be a residency where he's going to be able to get the kind of time that he has had in medical school, to be able to do what he has done.
Speaker B:Now, if he were to finish, I don't know, top three, top five, maybe he might consider doing something different.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:But he clearly is very devoted and dedicated to his medical career, as he should be, because, let's face it, you have a triathlon career for X number of years, but you have a medical career for the rest of your life.
Speaker A:He's passionate about it.
Speaker B:He's very passionate.
Speaker B:You can tell he's very fortunate.
Speaker B:He's very fortunate to be in the position that he's in.
Speaker B:He uses his talent in triathlon to continually be advocating for his cancer research.
Speaker B:And I, again, I'm full of admiration for him.
Speaker B:I think he's a wonderful human being and I wish nothing but success for him and When I say that I think he can do really well at this race, it's not just me admiring him.
Speaker B:That's me just basing, like, what I see that he's been able to accomplish.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And based on his skill set, too, like he swims, bikes and runs.
Speaker A:Well, it's more like depending on the race dynamics.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And that brings up an interesting kind of piece.
Speaker A:What do you think the race, like, how do you think the race will play out Ultimately, given the field?
Speaker B:I think that there's going to be a group of people who are going to try and smash the swim because they recognize that they need to really get out ahead and start making a gap on some of the stronger runners.
Speaker B:They are going to want to leave.
Speaker B:Christian.
Speaker B:They're going to want to leave.
Speaker B:Look at what Patrick did last year.
Speaker B:He was 15 or 20 minutes down after the bike, and he still won.
Speaker B:You have to leave people like him in the dust.
Speaker B:And this bike course gives you the opportunity to do that.
Speaker B:Even in Nice, what, two years ago, Patrick was down by.
Speaker B:Again, I think he was down by 15 or 20 minutes.
Speaker B:And then he went and ran his way back to third.
Speaker B:You have to put him away on the bike, and you've got to.
Speaker B:And you do that by opening a big gap on the swim.
Speaker B:And I think you have to be fearful of people like Sam Long, who is a very strong runner and can run well off of a bike like this.
Speaker B:So I think.
Speaker B:I think there's going to be like, the Laidlaus, the Marquarts, the reels, all the names that you mentioned.
Speaker B:I think that they are going to go out.
Speaker B:I wouldn't even be surprised if they work together.
Speaker B:If they just say, you know what, let's go smash this swimming and let's, like, take turns at the front and let's just blow this race apart right from the beginning.
Speaker B:And because that would be smart, because.
Speaker A:Leaving Jamie Riddle has been training with Sam laid low.
Speaker A:So there is definitely some.
Speaker A:Some plans afoot.
Speaker B:Sam, I think, made a mistake last year where he exerted himself so much on the swim.
Speaker B:Now, look, he did great through the bike, but I think he.
Speaker B:He left too much out there.
Speaker B:And then when he got to the run, he was cooked.
Speaker B:And if he could find others to work with on the swim to really do the same kind of damage, I think that it behooves him to do.
Speaker B:And there are a group of people who can swim with him, so I won't be surprised to see that kind of dynamic.
Speaker B:And then once they get on the bike, I mean it almost makes me wish it was draft legal because I think it would be so interesting to see a pack of guys work together up the.
Speaker B:Now look on the climbs, you can't draft anyways.
Speaker B:Not that much, but it would be really interesting.
Speaker A:Yes, definitely.
Speaker A:I agree.
Speaker A:A big kind of swim powerhouse group will be leading the charge.
Speaker A:I think laid low, I think Jamie Riddle, Martin Van Reel, Jonas Schomberg and maybe a couple other people who can hang with them.
Speaker A:And then starting the bike.
Speaker A:They're not gonna be starting the bike like they, It's a hard 180k ride.
Speaker A:They're gonna be starting the bike like it's a team time trial in a way.
Speaker B:Oh yeah, yeah, I think so.
Speaker B:They come out of the water, they can come out of the water with what, three, four minutes you think?
Speaker A:I would say only two minutes.
Speaker A:I even if they're working well together, cuz there's just so many, like the depth of field is so good, like those gaps actually close down even with the great swimmers.
Speaker A:But then everybody works hard in the swim.
Speaker A:So everybody loses a bullet in the chamber, so to speak, in the swim because it's just going to be on it more is okay.
Speaker A:How far back is Ditlev out of the water?
Speaker A:How far back is Blumenfeld out of the water?
Speaker A:Gustav, Cam Wurf, even Christian Hogan Haug, who actually probably will play a pretty significant role in this race based on his bike prowess.
Speaker A:So you have this front group and then you have a second group who I don't know if they'll work together.
Speaker A:I feel like Ditlev, like I said before, will really try and break away from Blumenfeldt.
Speaker A:He doesn't want Christian to come off the bike with him.
Speaker A:Like he knows, I think he knows Christian's gonna outrun him.
Speaker A:Ultimately I think there's gonna be a bit of pushing at the front and then pushing in that second group to try and get away.
Speaker A:And then that third, fourth, whatever pack with the Sam Longs and the Cam Wurfs of the world, they're gonna have their work cut out for them early.
Speaker A:And I think we did see people who really did pace themselves fairly well in Kona last year have success.
Speaker A:But maybe because the environmental conditions aren't as bad this year, that won't play out as much on the run.
Speaker A:People will be able to run.
Speaker A:People won't be running fast, but they won't have the same blow ups like they do in Kona, I would say.
Speaker B:Yeah, and it's an easy, easy as.
Speaker B:As easy as A marathon can be.
Speaker B:This is an easy one, right.
Speaker B:It's relatively flat, it's relatively fast.
Speaker B:You have all these.
Speaker B:You have all of these opportunities to see the people, the, the gaps that you have.
Speaker B:That, that played, I think, a big role last year for Laura Philipp to be able to chase down Kat Matthews because she could see at every turnaround exactly what the gap was, measure her effort, see what Kat looked like.
Speaker B:And really, I think that really plays a big role if you're coming from behind.
Speaker B:I, I don't have any idea who's going to get off the bike first.
Speaker B:I really, I do imagine, though that rather than someone getting off a long way ahead, I won't be surprised if you see several riders come in together and then the run starts like we used to.
Speaker B:I remember those days in Kona where you had.
Speaker B:I. I could still remember those pictures in Triathlete Magazine of Peter Re and Cameron Brown and.
Speaker B:Who's the third guy?
Speaker B:It was always the third.
Speaker B:It was the third guy across the.
Speaker B:Was it Tim de Boom?
Speaker B:I can't remember.
Speaker A:Yeah, that rings a bell.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I won't be surprised if you see several guys start to run together and then we'll see how that plays out.
Speaker B:But I also won't be surprised if the winner comes from behind.
Speaker B:If you have someone come in five, even 10 minutes, back off the bike and then has a sensational run like it is definitely a possibility.
Speaker A:Do you have a podium?
Speaker B:I am.
Speaker B:I'm really hesitant because the field is just so good that it's so hard to.
Speaker B:I hate picking podiums.
Speaker B:I think I've.
Speaker B:I don't think I've done it right at all this year, but I definitely.
Speaker B:My emotional pick is Matthew somewhere in the mix.
Speaker B:And if I'm going to think of a top five, I got to think of Matthew somewhere in there.
Speaker B:I think Sam Laidlaw looked really good in his last race.
Speaker B:In his last two races, he looked great in Leeds.
Speaker B:He looked great at Roth.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think Sam could potentially be in there.
Speaker B:That's too.
Speaker B:I think Christian.
Speaker B:You just can't go against Christian.
Speaker B:The guy's just so strong.
Speaker B:I think he.
Speaker B:As long as he is within striking distance when the run starts, he's going to be in there.
Speaker B:Assuming he's not puking everything up again.
Speaker B:Patrick, I don't know.
Speaker B:It's hard to go against Patrick.
Speaker A:It is for sure.
Speaker B:At some point the sun's gotta set on an amazing career and you just wonder, is it.
Speaker B:Is this a bridge too far for him?
Speaker B:I just don't know.
Speaker A:What if he hadn't been injured and he's showing up to this race?
Speaker B:Well, sometimes being injured is.
Speaker B:But sometimes being injured is okay.
Speaker B:It delays you from putting in too many miles early in the air and you come in and you're peaking at this race.
Speaker A:True, true.
Speaker B:So who knows?
Speaker B:But I don't know.
Speaker B:I think with the push that's gonna happen on the bike and.
Speaker B:Sorry.
Speaker B:On the swim and the bike, I don't know that he's going to be coming into T2 close enough to.
Speaker B:Even with his run.
Speaker B:I just.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:Magnus Dytlev had a great race last year.
Speaker B:Phenomenal.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I don't know if we'll expect to see him again.
Speaker B:I wonder if one of the new guys.
Speaker B:I'm not going to say their names right, but the guy from Frankfurt and the guy from Hoganhaug and then the other one, Caspar or something.
Speaker A:Oh, Caspar Stornez, the third place.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So those two guys.
Speaker B:I think one of those two guys could factor.
Speaker B:And that'll be four.
Speaker B:And then the fifth guy, gosh, maybe it's going to be a dark horse.
Speaker B:Someone who even thought, yeah, it could be somebody we haven't talked about.
Speaker B:Maybe.
Speaker B:What about you?
Speaker A:Probably.
Speaker A:I'll tell you how I think the race is going to play out.
Speaker A:I do think there is going to be that front pack firepower off the swim.
Speaker A: oing to be almost a mirror of: Speaker A:But I think he's gonna have maybe one or two other people with him, which will actually be great because it'll just help them push each other and find even more of a pace, having a group versus just one.
Speaker A:So I just think he's gonna come off the bike again.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:For me, he's an incredible descender as well.
Speaker A:And it's a skill you need to save energy ultimately on this course.
Speaker A:And I think that with that factor as well, yeah, I'm picking him.
Speaker A:Laid low for the win.
Speaker A:All right, and then who did I say second?
Speaker A:I think I said Ditlov second, because I think he's going to be someone who will want to work with Laid low or try and get up there and get rid of Christian.
Speaker A:And then I said Christian third, because he's just been so dominant, it's hard to not have him on the podium.
Speaker A:But I don't think he's winning the world Championship.
Speaker B:All right, what do you think, folks, did we miss someone?
Speaker B:Do we have it right?
Speaker B:Are we way off base?
Speaker B:We would love to hear your thoughts.
Speaker B:Drop us a line in the talktempo Talks Facebook group.
Speaker B:You can find that group if you're not already a member by searching for it on Facebook.
Speaker B:Answer the easy questions will gain you admittance.
Speaker B:We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Speaker B:We would also love to hear if you have any thoughts about what's been going on at the Vuelta Espana and if you think that potentially has any risk for the Ironman race that is coming up tomorrow when you hear this will come out on Friday.
Speaker B:So be tomorrow when the race happens.
Speaker B:All right, Matt.
Speaker B:Hopefully better days ahead.
Speaker B:Certainly a better day tomorrow, I hope.
Speaker A:Certainly.
Speaker A:I actually have a little bonus side bonus topic that I want to inquire about.
Speaker A:I don't know if you've noticed like you saw that Precision is now the official sponsor of 70.3 worlds.
Speaker A:I don't know if you noticed this, but it doesn't appear to be to have a presenting sponsor for like Nice or Kona as of right now.
Speaker A:I don't know, maybe they're going to unveil it, but I haven't seen any kind of Vinfast branding or anything.
Speaker A:What do you think about that?
Speaker A:Is that a bad sign for Ironman?
Speaker A:They don't have a presenting sponsor for their world championship?
Speaker B:Yeah, it is interesting.
Speaker B:I know Vinfast's contract ran out before this world championship.
Speaker A:I think so, yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I knew that was expired and I had heard that they were looking for new title sponsors.
Speaker B:You had told me that Precision had signed on for 70.3 worlds and I just assumed that they also had picked up Ironman Worlds, but I didn't realize that wasn't the case.
Speaker B:The lack of a title sponsor, I think for athletes is probably just fine because I gotta tell you, getting my medal and getting my shirt and having a logo on it is not something I really needed.
Speaker B: My first time there in: Speaker A:That was so random because that was a one off.
Speaker B:Yeah, it was a one off and it was weird and I didn't need it.
Speaker B:And then my second time, the Vinfast logo at least is not as recognizable.
Speaker B:So it's a logo that kind of blends in with the metal.
Speaker B:But I, you know, I don't know.
Speaker B:I think it's too bad that we have to corporatize everything.
Speaker B:I understand this is a business and they want money and I get it.
Speaker B:But at the same time, I for one, and I'm sure many age group athletes probably feel the same way.
Speaker B:We don't care.
Speaker B:We're not going to miss it.
Speaker B:But does it mean.
Speaker B:Is it a bad sign?
Speaker B:That's a different question.
Speaker B:There's been a slew of not the best economic news coming out recently, so it's not necessarily that surprising that companies maybe don't want to pony up whatever Ironman's asking for.
Speaker A:Yeah, interesting.
Speaker A:Who knows, we could still maybe see them have something.
Speaker A:But it seems a bit late to have a presenting sponsor for your title race.
Speaker A:Maybe there'll be something in Kona, because Kona has that cachet, it has that brand.
Speaker A:So yeah, maybe they'll release something there.
Speaker A:But it's.
Speaker B:It.
Speaker A:I just was, I just noticed that and I was like, man, this really seems interesting that they haven't had someone and it makes you ask questions about, okay, what is the value here?
Speaker A:Is there less of a value for these brands?
Speaker A:Or maybe it's just a tough climate and people are scaling back spending and Ironman title sponsorship is on the chopping block.
Speaker B:Here's.
Speaker B:Here's my bonus question.
Speaker B:Yeah, with a beautiful venue like, nice, how disappointing will the broadcast be?
Speaker A:It looks like they've.
Speaker A:They're really doing a lot of media stuff there, so I think it'll be okay.
Speaker A:Will it be what everybody wants?
Speaker A:Definitely not.
Speaker A:It never is.
Speaker A:People always find a way to, to complain.
Speaker A:But I think, come on, people find.
Speaker B:A way to complain because there's a good reason to complain.
Speaker A:I like the, a lot of the people who do the broadcast, so I don't want to speak ill and honestly, talking about triathlon for that long, it can't be easy.
Speaker A:Like for eight plus hours, maybe we could because we're ridiculous.
Speaker A:But it's just, it just can't.
Speaker A:It can't be easy.
Speaker A:So I don't really fault.
Speaker B:But I've said this before and I know other people have said this too.
Speaker B:It's as easy as just not talking about what's on the screen.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:Like, just stop describing what I'm looking at.
Speaker B:Because they do this for eight hours.
Speaker B:They just describe what's on the screen.
Speaker B:And I'm like, my eyes are open, I can see it.
Speaker B:Good commentators.
Speaker B:Like, I've said this before, if you watch any of the cycling races, I'll watch a cycling race for six hours, no problem.
Speaker B:Because they're talking about other stuff.
Speaker B:They're talking about cycling.
Speaker B:Of course they're talking about the riders.
Speaker B:They're talking about the teams, they're talking about all kinds of things, but they are not describing what I'm looking at because they recognize that my eyes work just fine.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:And it's clear, based on the feedback that we always see on social media after these races, that something needs to happen.
Speaker A:I think Ironman is really fumbling their broadcasts.
Speaker A:I don't want to cast shade on the announcers because they're not professional.
Speaker A:Ironman should be bringing in professional.
Speaker B:It's not their fault.
Speaker B:And I don't think they've been getting proper coaching.
Speaker A:No, they've been exactly like.
Speaker A:Yeah, they haven't done a good job of investing in the broadcast and really like sports right now.
Speaker A:Like live sports broadcasting, like, it's so valuable.
Speaker A:And it's the only time where people really are sitting down together at the same time to watch something like Iron Man.
Speaker A:They're just.
Speaker A:They're fumbling this opportunity.
Speaker A:It's been the best time to be a sports broadcaster and they are just, yeah, dropping the ball hugely.
Speaker B:And I think it's also a good time to point out that just because you were successful as a professional triathlete doesn't mean that you're going to be a good broadcaster.
Speaker A:I mean, listen.
Speaker A:Listen to me on here.
Speaker A:Seriously.
Speaker B:That's not what I was saying and you know it.
Speaker B:But I will say that I.
Speaker B:Because.
Speaker B:Because I definitely take issue with the quality of some of the people and I agree.
Speaker B:I like them.
Speaker B:They're.
Speaker B:Individually, as people, they're very nice and I have nothing bad to say about them.
Speaker B:But either help them be better or find people who could do the job better but aren't necessarily professional triathletes.
Speaker B:Because I think all of us, as the people watching would really like it to be better.
Speaker A:I think they could actually.
Speaker A:They could probably do a good job of finding athletes that are engaging that.
Speaker A:That do have the charisma, whatever.
Speaker A:To be engaging, it just requires effort.
Speaker A:And clearly Ironman isn't willing to put that effort in.
Speaker A:For some reason, they don't see value in it, even though there is massive value in it.
Speaker B:Yeah, we'll see how it goes.
Speaker B:We're going to watch it anyways.
Speaker A:We are.
Speaker B:All right, Matt, this has been a great episode yet again.
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Speaker B:Excellent.
Speaker B:All right, Matt, great chatting with you again.
Speaker B:Look forward to dissecting what goes down tomorrow when we meet again next week.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm looking forward to you ripping apart my failed podium picks.
Speaker A:We'll see.
Speaker B:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker B:If anybody's gonna fail, well, it's gonna be.
Speaker B:All right, guys, good action.
Speaker B:Thanks for listening.
