I've enjoyed reading your posts for a time now, but this pick is turning me into an unapologetic fanboy. (I love it, but I don't agree with it).
1. Haug 2. Ryf 3. Langridge
1. Laidlow 2. Ditlev 3. Kanute
I worry that fenella is going to have a tough day- nobody much for her to swim with. getting out of the water with ryf doesn't do anyone any good, and there aren't really any other swim/bikers I can see for her to work with. ____________________________________ https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan
It's a bit of a punt, but as you well know, Roth has traditionally granted good swimmers a premium. What she does with it, we'll see. "FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden
It's a bit of a punt, but as you well know, Roth has traditionally granted good swimmers a premium. What she does with it, we'll see.
fair point. on the other hand you know the big German names will have moto support throughout the ride ... and fenella ain't German! ____________________________________ https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan
It is obvious that most of us are competitive by nature and not just in sports, but there is a time and place for that. At a race carbo loading dinner there is no need to race for the food items or the utensils - there is usually plenty of either. The crew of Endurance Conspiracy accidentally captured 2 athletes wrestling for the pasta spoon as they were filming the general setup of the Challenge Roth carbo loading dinner last night, and then one of these two athletes took an alternative path.
Carry on "What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy "Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin
From the Roth site, the 2023 bike course is 178km per gpx, btw, so >1% short. But nearly 1400m of climb (and RwGPS always underestimates the climb (or at least others suggest more)). Also (from the gpx, the run is 41.8km: 400m short. https://www.challenge-roth.com/en/course-info.html
Every little helps when you're staging a race where records are made and broken.
I hope Fenella Langridge gets on the podium and proves me wrong but I just cannot see it happening. He who understands the WHY, will understand the HOW.
That is one deep field, I actually don't really know much about the Roth course so will put a bit of research in and come up with a prediction. Will this be shown live anywhere?
Yes free live stream with Jan frodeno and belinda granger as co commentary.
In his “last year of full professional racing” Frodeno is commentating (next main race is PTO US in early August). https://www.tri247.com/...lenge-roth-2023-fomo We saw Brownlee giving great insights during the Sub7/Sub8 challenge and I expect FOMO Frodeno can offer quality added value. He raced Ditlev last year till 188km and of course he's had fellow top German Lange in his rear view mirror (some of the time) for the last 8 years. And mesdames Ryf, Haug and Philipp are well known to him. From the Roth site (posted 25 May): "The race [on Sunday 25 Jun], with five world champions and the crème de la crème of the sport, is available free of charge via live stream all over the world while in Germany, BR Fernsehen will broadcast both on terrestrial TV and online.
"BR Fernsehen to broadcast the race live for nine hours From start to finish, all Challenge fans can follow the race without interruption. The German BR stream can be seen on http://www.br24sport.de and http://www.sportschau.de. From 6.15am to 3.15pm Bayerischer Rundfunk will broadcast live on TV, with a programme-related break from 11am to 12 noon.
"Worldwide live and free of charge without geo-blocking TEAMCHALLENGE also offers all triathlon fans an English-language triathlon stream hosted by Belinda Granger and a surprise co-host. The international stream will also start at 0615 [CEST 0515 BST 0015 EST] on the 'DATEV Challenge Roth powered by hep' YouTube channel for free." https://www.youtube.com/@challengeroth/videos
The Granger-Frodeno duo is an absolute dream team. She knows everyone and everything in long course triathlon. He knows Germany and Roth (including its roadside) like the back of his hand, and how many Germans speak English on a native level with a South African accent? Plus both are legends. Both have a great sense of humor. And lack of experience commentating (Frodo) is an asset because novices don't see the need to talk all the time like Ironman commentators. Crazy. "FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden
Two great line ups, especially the ladies with maybe the best iron distance athletes in the world currently (just missing LCB). I predict two course records. The one thing that's disappointing....the lack of interest on this forum. I appreciate ST is predominantly US based but, come on, this is arguably the biggest race outside Kona?
I wonder why Lucy Charles chose not to race? She has her AQ place at Kona from her podium last October. And IM decided that for this year again (after the pandemic is well over) not to require the normal validation Ironman (maybe with the Norwegians in mind). So looks as if she'll not race long distance till Kona. Maybe Kona has ceased to be as important to her and the PTO and Lahti races come first (in priority, prize money as well as date) and a long distance would interfere with that schedule. Every other athlete we might expect in the top 10 in Nice or Kona will have raced a long distance this season. Or maybe Roth were not prepared to pay her the appearance fee that she thought she was worth, after their appearance fee commitment to so many other top 6 athletes (M and W). Or maybe she judges the risk/reward of a long distance race against her main competitors is too great and is keeping her powder dry for October. Anyway, as @Joss says: two great line ups, and no drop outs afaik. Given Roth's iconic status, shame there's so few North Americans competing. Sodaro and Kanute flying the stars and stripes and Pohl sporting the maple leaf (latter aiming to beat Haug!) Clashes with Coeur d’Alene of course. Meanwhile: Sebi:
Lucy ran into issues with spending too many days in the EU and new rules following Brexit, I recall she had only a couple days left and used those up to race 70.3 Kraichgau. Seems like Roth was a casualty of that
The Granger-Frodeno duo is an absolute dream team. She knows everyone and everything in long course triathlon. He knows Germany and Roth (including its roadside) like the back of his hand, and how many Germans speak English on a native level with a South African accent? Plus both are legends. Both have a great sense of humor. And lack of experience commentating (Frodo) is an asset because novices don't see the need to talk all the time like Ironman commentators. Crazy.
Maybe because the RSA's Afrikaans language evolved from Dutch, which itself evolved from German?
Sorry for the digression off the pro topic. Anybody have any perspective on if this is going to be a wetsuit legal swim, or not? For the AGers, that is.
Joss1965 wrote:
"Sorry for the digression off the pro topic. Anybody have any perspective on if this is going to be a wetsuit legal swim, or not? For the AGers, that is."
In 2019 and 2022 the water temp was very close to the 24.5, I think 2019 was actually 24.3! Both years the weather in the lead up was very hot (30 degrees plus for several days). Worth keeping an eye on, I don't think it has ever been a wetsuit swim though.
Reported water temperature of 23.1C this morning. So as said: (from the Athletes' Guide) "Wetsuits can be used if the water temperature is up to 24.5°C (for age group athletes)." Wetsuit legal for sure. Today's mild but Saturday and Sunday both hot, with forecast temperatures on the run topping out at 28C (in the 80s F)and dry (unlike last night!) https://www.ventusky.com/...&t=20230625/1300 Great images from last year - bike ones illustrating just how great a draft the lead athletes (good swimmer chapter) have come to expect at Roth. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ct04T2ON6pz/
It's worth listening to the ST podcast where Eric interviews Felix. They talk about the moto draft.
What it sounds like is Felix has heard from the athletes and did something about it.
Nice to see a CEO that listens to the athletes.
I have a very high opinion of Felix Walchshoefer (I'm sure he's reading this and giving a shit, LOL), but he's subject to the same rules as everyone else: actions speak louder than words.
We'll see on Sunday. "FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden
It's worth listening to the ST podcast where Eric interviews Felix. They talk about the moto draft. What it sounds like is Felix has heard from the athletes and did something about it. Nice to see a CEO that listens to the athletes.
I have a very high opinion of Felix Walchshoefer (I'm sure he's reading this and giving a shit, LOL), but he's subject to the same rules as everyone else: actions speak louder than words. We'll see on Sunday.
Very well done and well worth listening to, ahead of Sunday or otherwise. https://podcasts.apple.com/...1710?i=1000617930571 Deals with, inter alia, the moto/media balance in the third third. I linked the insta v short video compilation to show what it was like last year and allow contrast with Felix's stated intent (note well before the Hamburg tragedy) to put athlete (and moto) safety ahead of satisfying every tom dick and harriet who want to ride pillion alongside the train. Roth is a two x 85km loop bike course so there will be some congestion as the Pros pass the slowest swim/bike amateurs in the second half of lap 2. But there are no 'out-and-backs'.
"Pros pass the slowest swim/bike amateurs in the second half of lap 2." --------------------------- The pros pass a LOT of the amateurs on the 2nd lap. With the wave starts, someone like me who ends up in wave 12 or so (I've done the race 9 times) can start well more than an hour after the male pros. So, biking in the 5:20s after a 1.08 swim (certainly not "slowest" of the amateurs) gets you caught by Cam Wurf, Jan, Detliv, etc before the end of the first lap. The good news is that the waves spread folks out and traffic jams are not all that bad.
My greatest moment ever is when Sebastian Kienle, one of my heroes, passed me right at the base of Solar (no motorcycle involvement at all!!) and we rode up (sort of) together with the crowd going nuts (for him, not me).
Lots of folks on this thread talk like they know this course, the dynamics, etc. . . . you really need to experience it to understand.
Yep, I listened to Eric’s interview with Felix almost the moment it was published and it was a spectacular episode with Felix saying all the right things.
He is credible, just let’s see if the message gets across to the moto riders. "FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden
The one thing that's disappointing....the lack of interest on this forum. I appreciate ST is predominantly US based but, come on, this is arguably the biggest race outside Kona?
Kona is the biggest race in terms of marketing and money. Roth is much bigger when it comes to real fan enthusiasm, accessibility, atmosphere, and (more and more each year) competition. This forum is way too US-centric to be representative of anything.
They should start, with Roth, the equivalent of the NBC documentary on Kona; give it a few years and everyone would know where the real world championships take place.
Anybody in Nuremberg that would want to split transportation to race start on Sunday, or already has a car and could offer a ride? The train/bus schedule is a little tight