Part of the interest in the TdeF is that it’s not over in a day or a week. Italy and Span have copied the format successfully.
Could the US/Canada have a three week triathlon race in August with the biggest purse?
Not looking at IMs or 70.3 for three weeks. Could vary it like they do in the Grand Tours: a rest day each week, individual time trials, ITU day(s), aquathon, duathlon, etc.
One year might be the East Coast. Next year West Coast. On the border. In the Midwest. Etc.
Could pro triathlon keep the world’s interest for three weeks like cycling does?
Ever since the beginning of triathlon, that has been my dream race to do. And now that its too late, I would love to watch something like this. I love the new format on the 3 day races, where they race several times a day, different formats, sometimes a stand alone event too. So lengthening out the events, including some stand alone races, and rest days would be great fun, especially if there were big money on the line and all the big names showed up…
Could pro triathlon keep the world’s interest for three weeks like cycling does?
No.
They refer the TdeF as a “circus”. Some places/networks might want a circus in August. Maybe a team/relay component? And if a teammate crashes out your disadvantaged (a little)?
Just go watch how Super League has imo almost perfected how to have a pro race over a 3 day weekend. That’s all you need. If you wanted to take 2-3 day weekend of races over a month and go from Orlando to Charlotte to DC to NY over 4 weekends, by all means that would be sick. But a 3 week “continous” style multisport race format (included all kinds of events- TT’s/enduro sprint/ itu/aquathlon/5k, etc etc) to me would be boring as hell after about the 4th day.
One: Pool swim inside a velodrome with a track around the pool.
They have done it a few times now. Euro Indoor worlds, some race in the 90’s, and Challenge Daytona Beach.
Two: Endurance Decathlon. (I could only think of 8 events)
400 IM
1500-4k OWS. No run out of the water. Just swimming to the finish, like the Olympic OWS
70-100 mile RR. Ideally on a “Classics” style course.
10-40k TT. Flatter.
3k Steeple
10-13 mile Road race.
Sprint Distance D.L.
1/2 IM, non-draft.
400 IM
1500-4k OWS. No run out of the water. Just swimming to the finish, like the Olympic OWS
70-100 mile RR. Ideally on a “Classics” style course.
10-40k TT. Flatter.
3k Steeple
10-13 mile Road race.
Sprint Distance D.L.
1/2 IM, non-draft. //
Just to tweek; No need for a 10 to 13 mile road race, what is that anyway? Unless you meant running, then it should be a 10k, like the races we did every weekend coming up…
TT bike ride should be 40k, keep it classic.
OWS should be 5k, and add another event that goes in and out through surf, perhaps a mile or so…
I would like to see the mile run as the 10th event too, like the decathlon.
Just go watch how Super League has imo almost perfected how to have a pro race over a 3 day weekend. That’s all you need. If you wanted to take 2-3 day weekend of races over a month and go from Orlando to Charlotte to DC to NY over 4 weekends, by all means that would be sick. But a 3 week “continous” style multisport race format (included all kinds of events- TT’s/enduro sprint/ itu/aquathlon/5k, etc etc) to me** would be boring as hell after about the 4th day**.
True. That’s one of things that they don’t care for in a Grand Tour - marches can get boring. If there were lead changes that left the outcome in doubt, that would help.
What could create some changes? A swimming time trial where no one else is sighting for you and you’re not drafting? Same for the bike? Maybe for the run too? One’s ability to recover,stay hydrated and fueled.
While arduous, it would be help if the race could also serve as useful training so as not to put the pro athlete out of races for the rest of the year (unless the purse was worthwhile). Sometimes racing is the best training.
One: Pool swim inside a velodrome with a track around the pool.
They have done it a few times now. Euro Indoor worlds, some race in the 90’s, and Challenge Daytona Beach.
Two: Endurance Decathlon. (I could only think of 8 events)
400 IM
1500-4k OWS. No run out of the water. Just swimming to the finish, like the Olympic OWS
70-100 mile RR. Ideally on a “Classics” style course.
10-40k TT. Flatter.
3k Steeple
10-13 mile Road race.
Sprint Distance D.L.
1/2 IM, non-draft.
**Scored by placing. **
Feel free to work shop this.
Really like the idea of scored by placing, especially for this situation. Steeple/hurdles??? lol might result in some gender changes mid race.
It used to exist. The IRON TOUR in France. In the 90’s and lasted up to around mid 2000’s or thereabout. Javier Gomez dominated the last few years of its existence. Earlier, Simon Lessing was a regular winner.
Didn’t last 3 weeks, but included several triathlons, a mix of olympic, sprint, Time Trial Triathlon, over about 7 days. Drew all the best short course triathletes at the beginning, was awesome.
I did mean running. 10k running race seems good to me.
Maybe a surf lifesaving “ironman event” with only the swim and run portions?
Open water of 5k would be more tactical, which I would enjoy watching.
I like the idea of a flat out mile run to finish it off. Especially with placing mattering more than time.
Nah,Slowtwitchers aren’t into the Ultra’s really.There is a bit of coverage of Ultraman Hawaii and maybe Ultraman Florida but that is about it.Apart from giving people like Ashley Horner and IronCowboy time,only a few of us here give a damn about Multi-Iron and Bikepacking races and Trans Continental Tris.
I think it could work. But to work it would need to have teams and allow drafting on the bike. The ‘stages’ would include different distances and not holding to the ‘standard’ leg distance.
Eg - stage 1 might be an individual TT (prologue) sprint distance tri. Stage 2 might have a 4km swim, 20k bike and 5k run. Stage 3 might be a 1.5k swim, 180k bike with a big climb in the middle and 10k run. Stage 4 might be a 400m swim, 20k bike, followed by a marathon. Stage 5 might be an ITT over a standard Olympic distance. Stage 6 might be a ‘reverse’ order leg with a 10k run, then 40k bike and finish with a 1.5k swim…and so on
The way the ‘stages’ and different leg distances are laid out over different courses would significantly impact results, and would make the race very dynamic. E.g. Lange would smash stage 4 above, but Wurf would smash stage 3. Who does the team work for to make sure the lowest cumulative time for one of the team members at the end of all stages? I think this type of week long, or two week long format would be very unpredictable and quite exciting
This looks awesome! I’d heard about the TranAm bike race, but didn’t realize there was a tri version.
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Yeah it should be pretty epic.The swim and run will require crews but the bike will be done Bikepacker style,alone and unsupported.
I think it could work. But to work it would need to have teams and allow drafting on the bike. The ‘stages’ would include different distances and not holding to the ‘standard’ leg distance.
Eg - stage 1 might be an** individual TT (prologue) sprint distance tri.** Stage 2 might have a 4km swim, 20k bike and 5k run. Stage 3 might be a 1.5k swim, 180k bike with a big climb in the middle and 10k run. Stage 4 might be a 400m swim, 20k bike, followed by a marathon. Stage 5 might be an** ITT over a standard Olympic distance**. Stage 6 might be a ‘reverse’ order leg with a 10k run, then 40k bike and finish with a 1.5k swim…and so on
The way the ‘stages’ and different leg distances are laid out over different courses would significantly impact results, and would make the race very dynamic. E.g. Lange would smash stage 4 above, but Wurf would smash stage 3. **Who does the team work for **to make sure the lowest cumulative time for one of the team members at the end of all stages? I think this type of week long, or two week long format would be very unpredictable and quite exciting
Good ideas and use of ITT to create action on other stages where competitors will have to attack to make up time.
With the team approach, does one want someone who’s primarily a swimmer or primarily a cyclist who are there for their GC man? We could have classifications/competition for best swimmer/cyclist/runner within the race and not just overall winner. A prize for lowest overall team time?
Maybe that team format could be carried over to even one day tris. When I see triathlons broadcast, the outcomes seem too inevitable (barring a blowup) for too much of the broadcast. When there’s a team component, what’s happening behind the winner in the race gains in importance and interest. That would be true for ITU or IM. Maybe make for some “relationship” coverage rather than individual coverage. Perhaps this could be like XC running with a team result that’s as important as individual winner (by paying the team as much as the overall winner).
