Originally published at: “I’m in the best shape since the start of my career” – Els Visser on Nice Prep - Slowtwitch News
The pros are just like us: both age groupers and pros alike fear getting a dreaded mechanical issue on the bike portion of an IRONMAN race. Depending on the severity of the mechanical, it can slow you down a bit at its tamest and completely derail your race at its worst.
Last year, Dutchwoman Els Visser faced the latter when her entire pedal came off during the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona – it was still clipped onto her cleat – with only a handful of miles left on the bike course. She went from riding towards the front to slipping into the middle of the pack.
Visser ended up finishing in fifteenth that day, and this year has returned valiantly to the racing scene with tremendous success, finishing in the top five for all but one race of the IRONMAN-brand races she’s competed in . Can she continue that streak with a podium finish in Nice?
Els Visser is Ready for Nice
ST: How has your season gone so far this year? How are you feeling about your season at this point in time?
EV: It’s been the season of my life so far. I’m in the best shape since the start of my career and have had some incredible results – finishing third in Roth and setting a new Dutch women’s IRONMAN record was super cool. I’ve been racing a lot, too – I think IMWC Nice will be something like my thirteenth race of the year and my fifth full distance IRONMAN this year.
I’m really happy with the consistency I’ve been able to put out this season, how I’ve recovered from each race, and how the season is going.
ST: You’ve bounced back really well after your bike mechanical in Kona last year. Remind us – what exactly happened there?
EV: I was riding with Anne Haug after the turnaround in Hāwī – she was really setting the pace but I was able to follow her – we were in something like sixth and seventh place. With about 35km (~22 miles) to go, my left pedal broke and it was still clipped underneath my bike shoe. It literally broke off its pedal spindle.
At first, I stopped and got off my bike, but it was obvious that I couldn’t fix it, and I didn’t see a mechanic coming, so I thought, “Okay, the only thing I can do now is jump back on the bike and ride the last 35km with one leg.”
It was very frustrating because a lot of girls behind me overtook me in those final kilometers and I had been in such a good place when I was riding with Anne [Haug].
At the start of the marathon, I had to mentally reset and still try to run a good marathon. It took me nearly 10km to not feel sorry for myself anymore. In the end, I finished in 15th.
I think that given the circumstances, it was still a really good performance, but of course it could have been better had I not lost my pedal. But that’s also, I think, part of the sport and how you handle it, how you overcome obstacles and if you can still manage to deliver a good performance.
ST: What are your thoughts on the IM Pro Series? You’ve been in the pro triathlon circuit for a long time; do you think the Pro Series is ultimately a good thing for pros?
EV: At the start of the year, the IM Pro Series wasn’t really my focus, but then I did do some races in the series and kept going on that path; I could probably have done a better job of picking the right races within the series. Right now, I am in fourth place in the series.
Next year, if the Pro Series stays the same, I will definitely focus on it and train specifically for the races in the Pro Series to try to get the highest amount of points possible. I think the Pro Series is an incredible opportunity for us athletes to get rewarded – I like that if you are a consistent athlete and able to deliver good performances over multiple races you get a financial bonus for that.
I think it’s super cool how IRONMAN bases the Pro Series on the point system and that every second really does count and that at the end of the day the Pro Series is about getting the best out of yourself.
ST: What are your thoughts on the new IRONMAN World Championship venue in Nice?
EV: I think in the end Kona is still the race that everyone really wants to win if you compare it with Nice, but I think that’s also because Nice is still a very new IM World Championship location, so it may take some time for people to truly appreciate the race.
Nice is definitely a course where, in the end, the best overall athlete will win the race. You will need a good swim, an incredible bike, and a good run performance; it is a very honest course.
I also like that Nice is close by for those of us based in Europe. For Kona, most pros would do a pre-Kona camp and need to travel out to Kona a month out. This year, I won’t arrive to Nice until the Tuesday of race week. I can drive there, and because I’ve raced so much this year and traveled a lot, it’s convenient to have Nice so close. I do think some of the “World Championship” hype is missing a bit now, but maybe that is because it is so close to where I live.
ST: You are a very strong cyclist. What are your thoughts on the dynamic bike course in Nice and how will it impact the end result of the race?
EV: For this race, you can have an incredible bike, but if you over-bike and you aren’t able to run a good marathon, then it doesn’t matter. You need to pace yourself on the bike so that you can still run a good marathon. I think the race will come down to having the right combination of a strong bike and a fast run, but not overdoing it on the bike.
I don’t think the swim will be as important in Nice because with all of the climbing on the bike, I don’t think quite as many groups will form – the bike will be very honest and very much an individual effort.
Pace yourself well, approach the race as your own race and racing against yourself, take care of your fueling plan, and don’t get too excited in the first hour on the bike are my pieces of advice.
ST: Who are your sponsors this year?
EV: Red Bull, Breitling Netherlands, Jelenew, and a private sponsor, the Lion Capital Group.
Photos: Eric Alonso, Alexander Koerner / Getty Images for IRONMAN