So what am I missing here? He came third in an age group TT?

Sorry I think I need a bit of context, sounds like a reasonable training day though.

Maurice

Somehow, it is apparently big news that Alistair Brownlee is:
1) really good at riding a bike
2) really good at riding a bike for longer than 60min/40km

Why/how this is a revelation is beyond me...

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

With round water bottles and loose fittings arm warmers. Not shocked at all he's a superstar.... And best part he's likable

Remember too, Ali just dropped out of the sprint races about a week ago? Citing he was sick. That may have had a lot to do with him not being 100% yet. A week or two out from illness is not a real clear gauge of his fitness.

I think you're missing about how good these AG timetrailers are and how competitive the races are. The very best are very good cyclists, and if a triathlete is mixing it up at the front they are really strong for a triathlete.

Timetrialling is a massive thing in the UK with literally 100s of events every week all over the country, and people take it very seriously. The very best amateurs over the past few years Matt Bottrill, Michael Hutchinson etc. have been capable of mixing it up with pros.

Agree context is needed, especially if you're not familiar with the UK TT scene. I don't think it tells a massive amount but as an example he finished just ahead of Richard Bideau in a 50 mile TT. Richard is 2nd in the all time fastest riders list (UK TT) for 100 miles with a 3:22 that he posted last year, if you can fathom that.

Obviously we don't know who had a good or bad day, but basically he placed well against some pretty strong specialist TT folk. But yeah, like Jordan said, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody who pays any kind of attention that Ali can ride a bike fast. People seem to forget Kitzbuhel.

Yep second that, the time trialling level even at "local" standards is very high in the U.K.
Not only are there some very fast podium guys, but the depth is there also.
Matt Bottrill and Michael Hutchinson were competing with the likes of Wiggins and Dowsett.

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It's only impossible if you stop to think about it.

Yep. Time trialling is pretty big over here and this is a solid ride - the course is brutal in places, over the top of the moors which is pretty exposed to the elements. A few years ago it was rainy and freezing and about 60% of the race DNFd.

But yeah it's no surprise that AB can ride. We know this...

have u hear about this guy called Jordan Rapp???? I hear he is ok on the bike too

hahahha

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The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

Philip Graves the triathlete?
So we are getting excited because Alistair finished 45 seconds behind another triathlete?
what am I missing?

In defence of the OP, there have been a couple of comments indicating that he is gushing and wheres the suprise, this is clearly not the tone of the OP. Its just another thread about another performance of an athlete, an intiguing one though.

I think to say he finished 3rd behind another triathlete is selling it a bit short. Phil Graves is a strong long course biker, who has led the pro field in Kona on the bike (albeit briefly), and has also just been concentrating on the bike. Its a solid performance that certainly warrants an eyebrow raise at least.

I think given that many people expect Brownlee to lead Kona wire to wire the first year he transitions to long course, losing a TT to a triathlete who was briefly in the front of the bike at kona once is not a result that is expected to impress.

But maybe Graves is a stronger cyclist than any triathlete in the world now... I have no idea.

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
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Guys this side of the pond who understand the context (including Graves) are trying to say: The AG best UK TTers mix up with the best pro TTers in the world, Philip Graves is one the best TTers in the UK, Brownlee can be considered now one too, and therefore Frodeno, Sanders, Keinle, Gomez etc. will not be riding away from him on the bike.

Also, I think it would be fairer to call a graves and ex-triathlete. As far as I can tell he doesn't swim or run anymore - he's been plagued with running injuries over recent years.

crap like this is making it harder for me to enjoy slowtwitch. someone posts an interesting news tidbit, and says, "interesting news!"

and promptly a handful of other people pile on and say "it isn't news!" or "it isn't interesting!" or assume that because they don't know the backstory or all the players involved, it can't be relevant or worthwhile to anyone else.

ugh.

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

Exactly. Friend of mine, serious tester, (2nd overall BBAR last year I think) had the fastest bike leg at IM Wales last year (fastest full stop, not fastest AG'er).
He's actually very modest and was telling me afterwards that he was gobsmacked it placed so high as I decided to take it down a notch from half way through to save his run legs.

A multi Olympic gold and ITU champion triathlete posts a podium TT time on a brutal course against the national TT champion.

Where else would I go for a discussion of this than a triathlon forum?

Some people are just upset they could not ride this fast. I know I could not.

Unless it's about Sanders learning to swim (pink)

Hi Ed. I think some of the UK guys on here who are in touch with the UK TT scene have been trying to give you some context, whether it impresses or not is in the eye of the beholder I guess! Phil is seen over here as less of a triathlete and more of a TT specialist who has tried his arm in triathlon with a bit of success (I think he won Lanzarote once). When he led Kona that time he was firmly a multisport guy, but he is back to a TT focus now, I think. Phil has a 25 mile best of 46:28. A certain Mr Boardman, temporarily of this parish, is on the same list only 31 seconds faster at 45:47. Different course, but this is the UK all-time fastest list and each entry is that rider's best ever.

Another comparison was against Richard Bideau as I mentioned above. Richard has done 100 in 3:22. Michael Hutchinson's best is 3:23. Some bloke called Sean Yates once managed a 3:30. Richard is also on the 50 list with a 1:35:22, just 9 seconds behind Steve Irwin on the same day. For a bit more context, Steve Irwin has a 17:49 for the 10, a smidge faster than a certain bloke called Bradley ever managed. But Richard is a pretty big guy I gather, and this was what we call a "sporting" course.

This is all very empirical and doesn't really tell you anything, but if you are familiar with the UK TT scene then it is pretty interesting to see AB rub shoulders with proper testers at this level. That's about all you can take from it, but it is pretty interesting if you are a triathlon fan.

Be interesting to get Steve Irwin's take if he is still knocking about on here? Paging...

And it tickled me to read that Ali pulled his trainers on just over the finish line to go for a run! Obviously testing out his run legs off the back of a very hard 50ish mile bike.

No they don't. The best AG UK TTers would get wholesale slaughtered by the best pro TTers in the world.

If you'd said, "continental pros" then you might have a case. Not the best pros.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/...nships--Time-Trial-0

Yeah, good example. James McLaughlin kind of marks the start of Continental Pro-land. Being an actual Continental pro. And the amateurs come in after him.

Amateurs can mix it up with pros. They do not mix it up with the the "best pros." Participating in the same race isn't nearly the same thing as "mixing it up," in my opinion.

Coming within 3 minutes of Dowsett is awesome. It's not mixing it up with Dowsett. That's a slaughter in 40K. It's pretty close to Rowe, but he's not one of the "best pros" when it comes to TT.

I don't think it unworthy of discussion. I just find it a bit odd that this - a random 50mi TT performance - is somehow the thing that should "scare" long course pros. As opposed to, you know, the two Olympic gold medals...

It's been very obvious for a very long time that Alistair can ride a bike really hard. It was the "Lookout [sic] Mr Reed" line in the title that I found odd. I don't know any competitive 70.3 (or Ironman) racer who even for a moment thought anything like, "oh, Alistair can only ride fast in a draft bunch..." or anything like that.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp