That lad doesn't lack for confidence, that's for sure. I found his cocky manor a bit off-putting at times, but maybe that's just differences in cultural expression.

I think his attitude is refreshing compared to most of the tri scene, everyone seems overly humble. Like Lange when he kept apologising by the finish chute. Dammit you've earned the right to at least some credit!
Wurf respects the hell out of all the other competitors, but isn't afraid to say that he is a better biker than everyone on today's scene which is true! As long as someone isn't overly cocky, which I don't think he is, I don't see any problem.

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Terrible Tuesday’s Triathlon

I'm with you. He is confident, not cocky. Comes off as a great dude and clearly respects the sport and his competitors.

I also liked that he is willing to put it all on the line and go for it

Definitely, that is an awesome trait and one I try to live by. In Sweden we say "Ingen minns en fegis" or nobody remembers a coward!

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Terrible Tuesday’s Triathlon

Personalities like his are good for the sport. Will be interesting if Cam does make the front pack next year on the swim. Wonder if he and Starky work together.

If Sebi/LS spot those guys 5 min out of the water, doubt they catch them by T2.

That would be interesting and I think you are right. I think Cam will do just that. It is clear from that interview and others I've seen that he was in no way prepared for getting kicked around during the swim start. He has shown to have some good swim chops. If he is prepared to go out and hammer the start of the swim to be in that front group, everyone should beware. He has been putting in more run mileage than before and I suspect with nutrition, experience and another year of work his run will be good enough to at least podium. I'm looking forward to his next IM. He seems to be aware of the consequences of going deep and knowing that he only needs like a top 4 in his next race to KQ, I doubt he does go deep, but I still want to pay attention to that swim and run. He won't screw up a swim start again and his running is only going to get better.

I know people seem to think Talansky has a bigger engine, but Cam just seems like a worker who can just go on and on. He is a better all around athlete and I suspect we are just seeing the beginning of what he is going to do.

His next IM is in two weeks time in Busselton. Busselton is probably the worlds flattest IM bike course. If the weather conditions are good he could do a world record IM bike time.

He mentioned in his podcast with Bob that he was hoping for sub 8 and maybe a sub 4 on the way to that. He biked 1:58 recently at USAT nat.
With 50 min swim, 4h bike 4 min t1+t2 he just needs a 3:05 run. Last year the race was won in 7:51, which could be a tall order but def not out of the cards if he runs well.

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Terrible Tuesday’s Triathlon

He was DQ'd at that race for cutting the bike course...

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"Good genes are not a requirement, just the obsession to beat ones brains out daily"...the Griz

Wow that’s crazy! Any idea what happened? Hard to think it was intentional

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Terrible Tuesday’s Triathlon

I didn't find it cocky. I found it a frank, personal assessment of his capabilities and execution, relative to his peers. It's surely quite true that he could outride even Sebi whenever he has a mind to do it. But he seems, also, to completely understand that Sebi, Lionel and the rest have vastly more experience about racing the complete race. Oddly, I feel like a guy like this could benefit tremendously (moreso than some others) from working with Scott, Allen or someone else who have decades of experience with Kona and can help him harness his abilities into the best approach for him.

Agree. Running and swimming aside - pro triathletes can't compete with a near top level (as in TDF level) pro cyclist when it comes to a time trial. I 100% believe Cam when he says he could have ridden away from those guys any time he wanted to.

Wow - I'm amazed he found that record-setting bike not crushingly hard. I had originally thought he had intentionally burned all of his matches going all-out on the bike to win the bike record. At least from his telling it, he had even more in the bike tank left, and I'm inclined to believe him despite the run meltdown.

I would like to learn more about their aero testing that determined a shallow front wheel was faster than a deeper wheel.

Damn, I hate to think what you would find self-deprecating...

I thought it was a very level assessment of his capabilities and his race.

I totally believe him about the nutrition issue. Looking at some of his information on Strava and Instagram, he biked the course 1 week before he raced IM Whistler and held ~330W 4+ hours at like 140bpm HR. Its not just the top end power tour level cyclists can hold, but the duration and frequency they can perform these efforts at. He is just a HUGE engine. He seems to be figuring this out more and more every race. Looking at some of his good swim and runs, he has a Sub 8 in him.

Something doesnt add up about that though. But he did say his bike nutrition was lost at like mile 3 and he had to go off course needs. Then he says his HR was 10 beats less than what he had previously done in an race to run 3:05.....except then he said the wheels fell off at mile 5.....If/when the wheels fall off 5 miles into the marathon run....you didn't do it right. But of course he did say this in the middle of the bike, "Once we caught the front I saw all the guys faces and they looked gassed, especially Jan. At that point I decided to throw caution to wind and go for it and try and win the race. It was a big roll of the dice considering the nutrition deficit I was facing having dropped my food. But I decided it was worth the risk. "

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

I was taking his statement to mean that whatever minimal advantage a deeper wheel provides, it's nullified by strong cross winds in race conditions (like Kona) when you have to fight against it. Of course, I have read/seen some of his other post race interviews so perhaps I am viewing it with that in mind. In other interviews (or maybe it's his race report on his site) he talks in more detail about the handling advantages of the shallower wheel far exceeding any minute aero penalty. He even talks about riding through the lead pack and watching them all struggle in the wind with their deep front wheels basically concluding that if he, a pro tour rider, is not comfortable fighting a deeper wheel for 112 miles, none of them should be either.

I didn't find him cocky at all - I think he has the credentials on the bike to be confident in those skills and he also understands he lacks experience and needs to improve the swim/run/nutrition. He pays great respect to Sebi here and even more so in his race recap.

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"It's good enough for who it's for" - Grandpa Wayne

I'm having a nice little exchange with him on the FB porting of the article, here was my comments;

Good Interview, but silly comments about Lionel not going that last 90 seconds with you at the end of the bike. Even you said they were suckered into your pace, so perhaps he was smart to drop off and get ready for a winning type run? As the race is now over, we know who biked a little hot and who didnt, Lionel's only issue as i see it was his uneven ride. Sebi went for it and still held onto a decent run, he would probably do the same thing again. Some days you can overbike a bit and still have that magical run. Look forward to your future races with the big dogs with some added speed in the swim, and endurance in the run.. But keep in mind that although it is entertainment for us, it is a profession for you. Figure a way to make some decent money with your talents, it is not a long career Ironman racing for most.



And then I got some more of his thoughts on his take on how the race played out. Perhaps he will gravitate over to the forum here sometime, be nice to have another current pro giving us their birds eye view of these races..

I enjoyed the interview but I’m surprised you didn’t press more on his training partners. Do you all not find that interesting or concerning with everything going on right now with team sky and UKAD?

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https://twitter.com/mungub

That's irrelevant. It's all the about the marginal gains such as wheel depth and stuff...

The assumption is that as he puts in more swim and run training, his biking stays the same. This is almost NEVER true....that's the fine balance of the three. How much of your strength do you give away to prop up your weaker areas?

In terms of the other statement on this thread about going for a world record at Western OZ, the numbers for Cam need to be 50+4:00+2:55+4 to get in the range. With this being his 5th IM this year, what do you guys think the chance of the 2:55 are? I'd say it is low, but I really wish he can pull it off. I loved how he raced in Kona.

Very much agreed on the balance and I do expect his bike training and power to be slightly affected. With someone who has as much sporting background as he does, I still don't see his biking being noticeably affected. I think he might already be close to hanging on the FOP, he just needs to be aggressive at the start and remember what that start at Kona taught him.

Also, I'm not anyone advocating he can break a world record. I do see a Sub 8 or near there sometime in the next year though.

I'd love to see it, but I don't think he has a 2:55 in him right now.