Free viewing: make the most of it this month:
Evans has said on insta that World Tri (or at least the Lanza organisers) have not used her ‘frozen ranking’ from pregnancy ‘leave’ to inform her number/pontoon position.
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Was just about to make some predictions, but im not that brave for this one, id expect Lehair, GTB and Lindemann to do well.
The mens is even more unpredictable for me, guessing with a hill on the course we’ll get a front group and a chase, unfortunately wont be watching, hopefully avoid spoilers till I can.
Interview with GTB
Clearly firmly focused on LA28 - and needs to get some WorldTri points to assure she gets the starts she wants next year and allow more flex for MD. Currently #9 ranked in GBR.
But has a dilemma in September: Karlovy Vary clashes with the 70.3 worlds in Nice (and Nice only a fortnight before Pontevedra). Sounds as if she fancies herself up Col de Vence and after #4 in Marbella, wants to podium.
Has to work hard to stay swim FP - but didn’t train properly in the pool last year, and is ‘older’.
As ive been saying she’s easily got another medal in her, as long as she can stay injury free. She’ll be the same age as Duffy was when she won gold and Spirig when she won silver.
sorry but how can she easily have a another medal in her ( unless you talk relay) …. she is not a top 5 runner in the sport anymore and she is not going to get faster while the likes of Lombardi, Tertsch, Mansson are not maxed out yet.
She is obviously still a world class athelte but I see like a 5 percent chance for a podium at the the single event.
Sshe likes to push the bike and take the legs out of the runners. Not impossible
Hasn’t been done for a while though
Hmmm. I’m not sure about that. Or maybe I’ll put it this way: there are always triathletes who punch above their weight and below their weight on the run because of their superior or inferior bike fitness. Spivey comes to mind as punching over her weight, and prior to last season I felt the German women were often too gassed to show their true run talent.
But I agree if you are saying this doesn’t really happen at the top of the podium.
I’m saying it hasn’t happened in the last few years
She was outrunng Potter and CB before she got injured a year before Paris, fair enough I wouldn’t expect her to do the same again, but as I said we’ve two women in the past medal her age.
It would be ridiculous to rule her out of a medal.
A good and proper OW swim, spread out all over the place. But for naught, basically the entire field in one bike pack now. But plenty of wind and undulations, so perhaps a break or two coming later on.
And Fanny winning the swim, the 18 year old who has been racing since she was 10 has arrived. They mentioned she swam a LCM 1500 recently in 17;20, so not a surprise as at 18 she already has very extensive OW experience. And all those super sprints she has done, really helps your pack dynamics in the slower and longer swims..
If Ruff can get a good run going, I sorta think USAT is going to pick a 3rd candiate for the MTR (assuming USA W get 3 spots, which is probaly going to be a reality), which would be good spot for her in LA timeline.
I don’t think anyone in the US will be a podium spot, so I think it’s going to be very much up for grabs. I assume Knibb is top favorite, Spivey depending on how she does the next few years, same w/ GJ, can she stay fit/healthy at this point in her career? So the next generation at some point sorta have to step up or our team will be the older group for sure.
Good race so far .
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Cue PTN Pat and the cones debate…ouch front pack. It looked like the cones by that road were just edged out a little further than the other cones.
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Well the wind and hills are doing their jobs, and some aggressive riding by GTB. She has a lot of incentive too, getting rid of some good runners.
Not familiar with her, what’s her story? And why do you think she is going to beat Gwen out of that 3rd spot??
U23 athlete, probaly the top developing athlete for the US who’'s not raced WTCS yet. GJ isn’t going to win a medal (she won’t even be t10 in 2 years imo in itu) and she’s probaly not that great of a MTR pick. So if your talking about picking GJ vs a developing athlete who’s showing form*, take the developing athlete imo. (Knibb I assume will be picked by default but won’t AQ imo).
IMO the US’s best chance of medal in LA will be MTR. GJ I just don’t think helps with that. Generally younger athletes can have the capacity to hold pace at shorter distances, so Ruff could be a good “extra” MTR person.
Well likely no one is winning an individual medal, and I cannot see anyone taking Spivey or Knibbs spot on the MTR..So I would imagine unless someone shows Knibb TT ability in the swim bike and a solid run, the 3rd spot will go to the higher ranked athlete overall. Which I suspect will be Gwen, and by a lot unless Kasper gets in the mix again
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Very unlikely imo. I would imagine they pick the 3rd women with the MTR in mind to be a safe backup plan, since yes individual medals are no bueno for US in LA. I see GJ being the Matt McElroy of LA Games- top 2 ranked American yet not picked. But again if you don’t AQ, that’s federation doing federation things.
Just like look out for a young man named Blake Bullard. He won’t be strong enough at the Olympic distance as I don’t think he’s strong enough biker and runner yet*, but I think he’s going to be a great MTR pick in 2 years development time.
So who is faster than Gwen for the MTR that would leapfrog her ranking? I could see Kasper for sure, but is she going to even race ITU anymore? Gwen would be the back up if disaster strikes as it stands now, of course things can change. But our developing athletes have just not developed enough to make the big stage yet, so we wait..