If they will be lined up on the pontoon by race number, Jonny and Alistair are adjacent to Aaron Royle and Aurelien Raphael making for a really excellent swim group. Kristian Blummenfelt is over near Henri Schoeman and Vincent Luis so perhaps they can get something going. Richard Varga is more in the middle of the whole pontoon and you can bet his toes will be heavily chased. There's a somewhat gusty southwest breeze going so perhaps there will be some chop on the water. It looks to be a great day to race with very comfortable temperatures.

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Wish I could - especially since Summer Cook will add more speed to the front swim pack creating a bigger differential back to Non et al at T1 - but, alas, I cannot find a Canadian bet shop for triathlon. Would definitely go heavy on Flora for the win.

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Advocating for research & treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
http://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)

Go to Skybet mate.

I'm sat in the grandstand now, only half empty at the moment about to start a Mexican wave!

No Lucy Hall and no Summer Cook, means Flora and Learmoth may be only 2 off the front of the swim - will be harder to build a big lead.

Maybe Taylor Nibb pulls / keeps Non close enough to Flora that Non runs her down?

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Advocating for research & treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
http://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)

Stanford is in that front pack on the swim if she can make the front pack on the bike I think that bet I put on her is prety safe!

Flora Duffys family is sat in front of me, coming all the way from Bermuda some support that!

What happened to Learmonth? Commentators have said nothing online.

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Advocating for research & treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
http://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)

They don't seem to know what's happened to her at the finish line either!

How spread out are these groups? Proper course this!

Evidently Learmonth didn't go slow enough in the swim to keep Non in the pack - but unusually had 8 on her feet...it was odd she didn't have a smaller swim pack and now we know why.

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Advocating for research & treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
http://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)

she dropped back to domestique non.

It is odd she was on her own at the front then ended up in the 2nd pack.

why is it odd? her job is the domestique non and non was back on the swim.

I'm surprised anyone is a domestique in this race, but it looks like you're right.

Spivey has such a baby face - and bright future.

Betto or Spivey for silver?

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Advocating for research & treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
http://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)

Does anyone know how to get BBC commentators??
I have the ITU streaming but the commentators are driving me nuts so I would love to get BBC.

Absurd "team tactics" by GB, if Stanford was a few seconds down after the swim fair enough but Learmonth dropping out of the lead to wait a minute was ridiculous. And then they lost a further 1:30 on the bike anyway! Hopefully this debacle will be the end of team tactics, if I were Learmonth I'd be fuming.

Trust me, you don't - the lead commentator on the BBC is awful (although slightly offset by having Helen Jenkins in the commentary box too)

For me it cannot be worse than the ITU streaming.

Maybe Learmouth dropped back so Stanford could domestique her?

Bazinga!

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Advocating for research & treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
http://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)

I just cannot listen to all the" "if I was her coach I would....." or "olympics this, olympics that" every other sentence.

Athletes have a brain and the olympics is just a race every fourth year. (rant over)

She's about 5 secs in front of Stanford on the last lap.

Is Ai Ueda going to run herself into 5th with the fastest run?

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Advocating for research & treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
http://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)

So according to Helen Jenkins the tactics were agreed by the members of the GB women's team (not imposed by the coaches) and Learmonth has been struggling with a knee injury in the last few weeks. Still looks pretty dumb though.

This course must be brutal given the gaps between the athletes (granted some of the big hitters are missing). Duffy is a class above at the moment.

This seemed to go over peoples heads a bit.