Yup. Very good.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I can't wait to see her in 70.3 soon but unfortunately, it's probably just a fun foray, I'm guessing slightly convenient as she needs to train on the TT bike for island house? Mostly excited to see if while Gwen and Brownlees are getting their 2nd medal on team relays if Flora can get a 2nd in mtn bike

Next years ITU season should be really fun to watch and I truly hope her bike skills put Gwen to the test. Guess it may always depend on the technicality of the courses.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

It will be extremely interesting to see how well Gwen copes with the new and ever improving Flora. Her performance capability ought to make for a very exciting season of women's ITU racing.

Hugh

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

At Rio she got off the bike with the lead pack but just couldn't run with the big dogs. NOw she blows them away on the run if she has to or just drops them on the bike.

So what changed in her training for such gains?

4DP :D

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Alex Arman

Strava

Spirig will be back next year in ITU and that has potential massive implications on Duffy's game.

Only if Nicola's swimming has jumped up a couple of notches. Otherwise she'll be towing the field of lesser swimmers up to the front as she's done in the past....or perhaps that's the implication you were referring to.

Hugh

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Spirig is coming back? Is that like 1 itu race a year comeback or actually racing the series?

I think the only implications it likely has it gives the front chase pack one more stronger biker to pull Duffy’s likely attacking group back. Spirig *usually* doesn’t have a front pack swim so she’ll have to bike up to front chase group to even then get near likely Duffy front break group. I also think sprints are worse on athlete of her ability, just not enough time on bike.

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

Flora is my favorite triathlete.

Exactly what I was referring to, I don't think Duffy comes off the bike with the minute plus's she's been coming off with this year with a fit Spirig racing.

So does she wait for Spirig and the two of them break together? In which case I think Spirig is the better runner of the two.

As someone has pointed out though would depend on how much Spirig plans to race.

Its going to be fun to see if Gwen can run her down regardless.

Maybe the Olympics told its own story to what happens with a fully fit womens field (what we didn't have last season) although Duffy's definitely improved since then.

She looks to be the female version of Javier Gomez, super across all spectrums of the sport, with Ironman distance looming out there in the future, maybe?

The only problem for her I see is if Gwen comes back at the same form she left in. Is Duffy really that much faster, or is she just the best of the rest? Gwen dominated ITU for such a stretch and she had gobs of time in hand most every race. Now Flora was not 2nd every time Gwen won, so she has for sure moved up into that vacuum Gwen left. But breakaway rides will probably disappear once Gwen is back and you have to find a way to out run her, good luck with that..

And even if you get a minute, past results tell us that is not enough either. But Flora has branched out nicely into races Gwen does not do, so she is going to have a lot of success no matter what. I could just see her ditching ITU at some point after 2020 and making a serious run at long non draft races and Xterra, perhaps Kona one day. On paper she would be odds on favorite(once she crushes some 70.3's first), certainly make it interesting. Hope Ryf hangs around long enough to have that match up one day when they are both on. Throw in the new British super star a little more seasoned and the front of the Womens race could really be fun to watch.

I'm just really not sure how she factors into ''massive implications.'' How will Spirig affect Duffy's race plan?

agreed. that girl is great at sports.

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

She does fantastic sportsing. Usually she does sports faster than the other girls can do the sports.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Did you read the rest of the thread?

Yea, I'm just curious how Spirig will effect that much change in the dynamic of the bike+run.

My understanding based on interviews is that she graduated from CU and now has a few years of consistent full-time training under her belt.

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team

When fit she's equal if not stronger than her on the bike, so she doesn't come out of T2 over a minute up.

My understanding based on interviews is that she graduated from CU and now has a few years of consistent full-time training under her belt.

I lived in Bermuda for about 5 years and have been surprised with how Duffy has turned things around. She has always been a great athlete and been to 3 Olympic games but she did struggle for a while. After the Beijing Olympics she took 2 years off the sport and then took more time off to go to University after the London Olympics.

I remember her struggling in races and the attention was far higher on Tyler Butterfield, another Bermudian.

Flora was diagnosed with Anemia and had some injuries but in 2014 things started turning around. She now has things worked out with training and life balance and has stayed away from injuries and is dominating.

I'd really been hoping for a good photo gallery and to know some details - did she take a aerobic-monster approach and out swim, climb on the bike and take the descents cautiously, and out run everyone, or does she have the downhill skills, too?

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wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

That's great for Spirig, I suppose, if anyone actually works with her in the chase pack. But why would they? They're potentially dragging Gwen around as well, the only runner better than Spirig is...Gwen. And Ashleigh Gentle.

There's really nothing technical about the Maui bike course.. unless it's muddy. Which it doesn't look like it was. There's one semi fast descent but it's a straight shot.

I'll trust you on that, but then I remember Gomez talking about taking the descents cautiously and this is where Stoltz, if I remember correctly, clawed back some time.

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wovebike.com | Wove on instagram