I noticed Kienle is missing from above. From the Ironman blog, it sounds like he's still in it and just ahead of Sanders?

He's on the list there

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Maybe Brownlee read the pay on here about getting a drafting penalty. Riding at the front will avoid that.

The map is sweet. I've got AB, LS & SK all plotted on it :)

whoops.... thanks!

He's on the list in 14th.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Kienle gone ahead of Sanders it seems from the map so biding his time to floor it I'd say - be it hills or flats etc.

And Don is so tucked in I can't even see his name - tucked into group of 3 others in chase... :-)

All about Snow Canyon and whether Kienle and Sanders can close in to Brownlee there?

If anything I expect the opposite, Ali is a mountain goat.

Is the map a reflection of their GPS locations? Or merely an estimation from the last checkpoint? On the top left it does say 'participant locations are estimated'.

Map feature doesn't seem to be in real time for me. They're not even at the 15 km marker.

Agreed! That clip was awesome. Don't think I've ever seen a long course guy descend in that position before... Awesome.

Yeah, I kind of expected Brownlee to just toy around until the Snow Canyon point and only then drill it to lose some of the excess baggage. I'm loving how he is racing here even though I want Sanders to win...all these guys...AB, Sanders, Kienle, I just love how they race. I'd actually love for AB to gun it wire to wire. I actually expected him to just stay at the front of the race with whomever till there is 5K to go on the run and then attack....not attack out of T1.

They're estimates not GPS locations.

Hugh

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Just an estimate, the o my data they have I think is the checkpoints. So when you see Kienle "passing" Sanders don't get too excited because it might not have happened. That said, Matt L just posted on his blog that Kienle has put an attack on Sanders.

Per IM live video feed at 18miles in.

Brownlee out on his own - massive 1min 40sec gap to Kanute.
Appleton maybe 10-20 secs back.
Costes on his own then Gambles with Don v close behind and Laundry behind that's a group of 3.

Sanders and Kienle together 2min:50 down so haven't lost anything and on same pace as Brownlee from the 11mile splits.

I think Sanders and Kienle up to 9th and 10th and have passed all the others.

It's the Brownlee show so far...

Think he had fastest T1 to boot as well at 57 seconds...

It's been a bit of a ding dong battle here with Keinle and Sanders trading blows with no one else able to respond. They are coming up on Kanute at the moment and will soon only have the leader Brownlee to chase. And chase they will...

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

If Sanders is trading blows with Kienle, this is the race Sanders wanted at 70.3 Worlds that he was not able to pull off....combo of his swimming a touch faster and Kienle's slow transition and maybe Kienle not being quite on his September/October form. Does not matter. These two guys working together is what I have been waiting for now for a few years (actually since Kienle had an off day at Tremblant 70.3 World's 2015...where Sanders rode and ran his way up to 4th from last).

Sanders 2:42 back to Brownlee at the half way point according to his wife/gf

Enjoyed that quote from Lieto. So, it's a dick swinging contest?? haha

Brownlee ahead by 1:30 at mile 30 followed by Kanute, Kienle, and Sanders in that order in front of the chase pack

If Sanders and Kienle worked together on the bike, I thought they had the potential of catching Brownlee at around the halfway mark and then putting a few minutes into him before T2. Brownlee is looking strong so that may not happen. But is it too much too soon for him? My guess is not, but we'll see.

I think the transitions are a given. I hope the 'run out' cam can catch enough to make it worth watching.

Don't think that's right.

Sanders Periscope at half way on bike had Brownlee out on his own, 2:45 ahead of Sanders and Kienle with the front group hanging on to them. So Sanders and Kienle up to 2nd and 3rd but same gap to Brownlee out front. IT's the 3 horse race we thought - outside shot for Don if he stays in their draft but likely dropped up snow canyon you'd imagine.

So Brownlee to win by 3mins unless the others have more watts up the Canyon...

It looks to me that Ali will be caught before the end, maybe by design. Those two in a hard chase would be hard to hold off anyway, and he has the fastest run in the sport in his quiver, so might be a good tactic to sit back a bit and let those guys burn matches in their duel.

I think if Sanders does win somehow it will be funny that he will be the guy that gets complained about for drafting(legal of course) Every complaint he ever made about sitting on someone or dudes working in groups against him, will be Brownlees same arguments against him!!!