Brandes wrote:
Lets assume he was fatigued going into the race. Starts swimming and immediately the body doesn't feel good. Has a very poor swim which isn't a surprise from Lionel. However, looking at where he swam at the practice swim a week prior we can say he swam very bad. Something was up.
Now onto the bike. He starts riding and immediately the legs feel fatigued, no pep. He pushes the watts he knows how he can push. Add in the same drafting you always see in the front group. How many times did we see Lange sitting up and or soft pedaling when on camera? But still rides a crazy fast time. While Lionel is way back by himself pushing big watts but isnt the match for a group dynamic.
Watts and Time are not the best measurement of how he did as the dynamics of the race play a bigger reason into times done. You put LS in a smaller field with those watts and he will ride much better comparative to others who don't have group support.
Also in the watt category, if LS was fatigued from the weeks of training and almost two Ironmans before. If he was out of the aero bars more because he was fatigued and frustrated, he's going to push higher watts and go slower.
What does all this mean? Shit who knows. What I do know is that LS caused himself to miss out on another big opportunity off his own ignorance. His videos are entertaining but educated people see the his videos as a complete train wreck. Not some gleaming hope of whats possible. He has proven time and time again that he cannot manage himself and he's too stubborn to allow someone to work with him. When DTD worked with him last year is when we saw the most growth. Fast forward one year and we have LS self coached, talking massive game, making massive errors, and bombing at the most important race of the year.
i have about a half-dozen things that have made me cringe about how he races and trains over the last half-dozen years. i, like you, think he could've made better choices, short-cut his way to better performances more quickly, and found better success with less exertion.
i also noted how he got himself to 2nd place last year and damned near won, and i also watched mark allen try and fail 7 times to get himself to the top spot in kona.
lionel is the highest placing, best performing, most podium honored athlete who is dumber than virtually all the spectators who watch him... according to those spectators.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman