Not sarcasm. And, yes, of course I have doubts. Would be impossible not to given how long it's been since he's gone gun to tape as the old AB.
I am unabashedly a believer/sentimentalist for the dominant old guard to show the young blood how it's done on their way out. GJ and AB both. Wishful thinking? Perhaps. But, I stand by the Miami assessment that it was AB's race to lose and a message was sent nonetheless. He had dropped Laidlow. He had a 1:45 gap to Ditlev and much more to Long. He has the best running palmares of anyone ever in triathlon, including a 28:30 track 10K. If you are any of those guys chasing him on the run, you know the race is lost unless he blows up. Their destiny is out of their hands. And, yes, AB blew up spectacularly. Yet again. But that does not change the fact that those guys know AB had them beat. You think that won't be in Ditlev's head the next time they line up toe to toe?
But, yeah, you're only as good as your last race and it's been a long time since AB had a good one gun to wire, so maybe it never actually happens again.
I am unabashedly a believer/sentimentalist for the dominant old guard to show the young blood how it's done on their way out. GJ and AB both. Wishful thinking? Perhaps. But, I stand by the Miami assessment that it was AB's race to lose and a message was sent nonetheless. He had dropped Laidlow. He had a 1:45 gap to Ditlev and much more to Long. He has the best running palmares of anyone ever in triathlon, including a 28:30 track 10K. If you are any of those guys chasing him on the run, you know the race is lost unless he blows up. Their destiny is out of their hands. And, yes, AB blew up spectacularly. Yet again. But that does not change the fact that those guys know AB had them beat. You think that won't be in Ditlev's head the next time they line up toe to toe?
But, yeah, you're only as good as your last race and it's been a long time since AB had a good one gun to wire, so maybe it never actually happens again.