This race always seems to fly under radar when compared to your Olympics/Kona/70.3 Worlds etc but we’ve had some great races down the years and will usually throw up a few surprises.
From what I can work out (sure ill be corrected if im wrong) the realistic possibility world champions are between…
Men: Yee, Bergere and Wilde
Women: Beaugrand, Potter, Tertsch
Course profile…
A beach start (wetsuit swim) for the 1.5km swim transitions to an 8-lap, 40km bike with a sharp climb on each loop, and a very flat and fast 10km run along the seafront to the tape.
Womens race Saturday 19th October.
Mens race Sunday 20th October.
Women’s race scenario: 10 women working to drop Tertsch on the bike, and succeeding. Beaugrand “less dropped” and with a mad dash from behind after T2.
Men: will Wilde die on the first climb? Methinks, not.
Will the French lads successfully gang up on Yee and Wilde for this race again and steal it?
Its prety hard to look past Yee for me after Weihai, but Wilde has been up and down since Paris and I reckon obviously wants to go out with a bang, playing it safe the bike comes together after a few km. Yee and Wilde drop everyone a km in on the run and Yee drops Wilde just before the blue carpet.
Women’s is a lot harder to predict, I think the bike will split, we might even get a 5 ish front pack split, I just wonder if CB, Potter and Tertsch will get some help on the bike from fellow country women?
U23 race today. Was surprised to see that Bitados from Greece is just 21 and he’s already won a couple of 70.3s this year. I wonder what his pathway is gonna look like. Not far off from a T100 contract with his PTO ranking.
Weihai might be a bit of a guide, considering the fact that both Weihai and Torremolinos have a wicked climb every lap. Potter (and Jorgensen!) just 5 seconds slower on the bike than Steinhauser. Tertsch 20 seconds off the pace, which is not a lot, but also not nothing if you consider she was first out of the water will full freedom of who to bike with. Anyway, those runners can bike.
May I just shade that: the swim is two laps with an aussie exit and the sharp climb really is a pussy ( @kajet ), certainly compared to Weihai.
In the U23s we saw zero effect from it, at least in terms of creating gaps (weary legs: probably for some).
Saturday:
Yeah huge talent. One of the short course guys who will (already has) translate to long course really well. But I think he will still focus on short course (with the occasional half distance) for a little while considering his age.
Sam Dickinson is on the start , presumably he will work to prevent any “ganging up,” against Yee.
Also there are a few other Brits, so I don’t see a french “takeover”
Alis, pretty sure there are no hills , so no Wilde definitely won’t get dropped on the first hill
Who of Coninx, Le Corre, Luis and Bergère will be the domestique?
McCullough raced the U23s, poorly, so will not race the men’s. Wilde is on his own (quite capably so).
Isn’t Bergere the only male French in with a shout of champion, so him? Potter and Tertsch could also be designated some help from their feds, along with Wilde and Yee (haven’t checked the start list to see if theres a Kiwi male on there)
Reid is the other NZL athlete: not sure much use in this field.
Don’t think any of the capable top British women will be inclined to subordinate their races for Potter, given the various “dynamics”.
Her swim, bike is assured. She’s either got her run legs back, or she hasn’t.
To avoid Tertsch being ‘in the running’ her competitors have to ensure their front pack (without her) gets away and stays motivated.
Who are the chase pack women who will drag the chasing group to close the gap? Miller?
No Knibb, No Derron. Kingma in front pack.
I was thinking possibly Fullagar and maybe Mathias could be on Domestique duties if Potter finds herself in chase pack or even a front pack with CB and Tertsch chasing?
Well those grand finals continue to throw up drama! CB obviously has proven beyond any doubt she’s the best in the World, unsure what the rules state, but clear outside interference for me.
Vicky Holland take a bow! Olympic bronze, World champion, Triathlon commentator and 4th!!! In the grand final 10th overall, great way to finish your career!
Im probably looking at things from a British bias, but if she wasn’t given direction she’d probably be in Morocco by now! If the rules state athletes shouldn’t be given direction on the swim by staff then its a DQ for me.
The jetskis, kayaks, SUPs and motor boats ARE all part of the race, if they are there at the behest of the organiser.
If theyre not part of the race they should be another 2 miles away.
See the kayaks and boats close to turn bouys on every race, including this one, clesrly marking the side of the route route not to go. In which case everyone gets a DQ.
BTF taking a whingers stance when their athletes got whipped.
