100%, that’s just crazy talk. In her IG post she does say she will be racing San Francisco so I think that puts the kibosh on the more scandalous speculation.
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I agree that they don’t need her. No denying she is heads above the rest, but she makes races boring. That combined with her net-negative PR impact, I think the T100 should wish her best with the iron man series. Plenty of other plus-PR women to carry the T100 flag.
PTN podcast all but confirmed her personal reasons are “I don’t want to”
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Injury or anxiety. Taylor does not need to come out and say to the world that she’s having panic attacks and freaking out about the upcoming stress of the season and that she (thinks) she’s not physically ready for the long travel and hot race and stressed about it, etc.
At the end of the day, we aren’t entitled to her emotional breakdown or knowledge of a near stress fracture she’s backing away from.
I fully agree that as a public figure who races in the public, who only makes the money she makes because (some of) the public is highly interested the sport we are entitled to talk about it. But we should also understand that she might just hang up her bike and shoes at some point and say enough is enough and move on with her life.
So too much pushing from the organizations or the public can ruin a good thing. At this point, she’s made enough money that if invested properly she can go live a comfortable life doing just about whatever she wants. Hopefully this triathlon space remains what she wants.
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They need big name athlete roster stability more than anything. But then again everyone knows the score with the long term viability of this, so the athlete’s that they likely need to count on the most, also have the most bargaining power which then essentially turns this all into a head meet wall moments, and unfortunately it’s sorta happening over and over.
What’s the ole saying, this was doomed before it even started. All these story lines just continue to add to the frustration of it all.
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PTN very much implied this was a negotiated item that she wouldn’t show in Singapore.
Said the other athletes would learn about it sooner or later.
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That would be an obscure and new condition of a contract no one has seen.
To me it sounded more like a penalty T100 is imposing rather than it being negotiated (see: Findlay) ahead of time. I’m assuming a decent chunk of $$$ out of her contract.
I think T100 needs to create their own stars and jettison anyone who doesn’t hold their end of the bargain.
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Findlay was a completely different story. She was up front and honest from the beginning saying she couldn’t leave the US due to a green card application.
She wasn’t throwing her toys out of the pram.
At least with Paula what you see in front of the camera is what you see behind the camera.
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This threads reads like a ‘Shit on Knibb’ thread. Great of Slowtwitch to maintain the status quo on Pros to prevent any possible interaction. From Doping to T100 should kick her out to She owes us an answer. A couple people on her side, but the other comments are what keep Pros away.
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100% same page as you. I think this is bush league from Knibb. Get in, or get out. It clearly wasn’t agreed to ahead of time given the last second wildcard addition.
We won’t get an explanation from her because that explanation is simply “I don’t want to race Singapore. Its hot, far, and I’m focused on Ironman Texas.” She is the reigning champ so she can afford to bite the hand that feeds her. But when this series folds because they don’t get support they need from the athletes, the pro field is going to miss their recent big paychecks.
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Give it time and I think in 2-3 years if you aren’t “all in” on the T100 series, your not going to win the big paychecks it offers. Which then devalues your self and your bargaining demands with said race organization. Generally sport specificity wins out more times than it doesn’t (yes there is always outliers and exceptions). The athletes who build a racing calendar of all distances, I think are going to suffer vs the athletes who don’t (eventually). Add in that there is enough races and money for the athletes to actually go “all in” on the T100 series and make a good wage (for now), that if it can stick around (obviously that is the elephant in the room issue), I think these types of scenarios (and these same scenarios happened last year with different athletes so it’s not really a “shit on Knibb” specific) will sorta take care of themselves.
I think I’m more amazed at the scenario where we have professional triathletes taking paid contracts and then essentially shoulder shrugging at said contract stipulations over and over…that’s 4d level of chess I never thought I’d see from a sport that 1000% struggles to support the professional side of the sport. But it also probaly explains why this type of scenario continues to play out. Pro triathletes have to be in “me first” mentality, their meal ticket could be over as quickly as their next race they enter, and you add in all these sorta exotic locations they are forced to race, and it’s sorta a catch 22 for both parties.
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Yeah, in Knibb’s “defense” (in quotes because I don’t really think she’s being attacked), some of the locations suck. The weather and water in Singapore. The courses in London and Dubai. Which is a reason not to sign in the first place. But what did Taylor really sign? Ha!
she is getting paid for content , and she is creating contend as this thread shows. no news is bad news…
t 100 could have created the t200 world champs as the pros wanted. pto wanted it to be be a middle distance series and call it long distance and now seems to be surprised that the pros that had told them that they want do long course races within the pto, are no doing those races elsewhere.
Really? In what other sport can athletes just pull out for ‘personal reasons’ and everyone just be expected to go ‘ok’? Especially on the back of a recent doping scandal??
Imagine a superstar in the NBA, NFL, PGA, F1, PTA, Premier league etc pulling out of a series opening blockbuster, it would be discussed adnauseum by the media and the public…
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A little birdy whispered to me 10 days ago that Knibb might not be going to race (and see the T100 thread for discussion on that last week: Texas prep, hot humid and dodgy hot water, long flights x 2).
I wonder when Knibb ‘finally’ decided not to go. What recent events have tipped the decision? I’ll suggest none. In which case why leave it to only 12 days before and not share till 7 days to go?
All the others who couldn’t race said so a month ahead (Findlay (Green Card, can’t leave USA and interview), EPB pregnant, Simmonds suspended, Salthouse, Madsen both injured.
Still wonder like others whether absence from Singapore was part of the pre-signing negotiations (and we heard Lemieux implying (by silence) that before Christmas). And PTO/Knibb agreed not to reveal this until 7 days to go. McDonald (top of the wait list and thus her wildcard replacement) was told she had a place (source: PTN) last Monday (12 days before).
Fair bit of chat on PTN on this:
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[quote=“BDoughtie, post:32, topic:1287455, full:true”
I think I’m more amazed at the scenario where we have professional triathletes taking paid contracts and then essentially shoulder shrugging at said contract stipulations over and over…that’s 4d level of chess I never thought I’d see from a sport that 1000% struggles to support the professional side of the sport. But it also probaly explains why this type of scenario continues to play out. Pro triathletes have to be in “me first” mentality, their meal ticket could be over as quickly as their next race they enter, and you add in all these sorta exotic locations they are forced to race, and it’s sorta a catch 22 for both parties.
[/quote]
Which is one of the reasons I am so impressed with what Ash Gentle is doing. She won over half a million dollars (AUD) last year and was 3rd female and 4th overall on the 2024 money earners list on TriRating all without having to chase the Ironman hype. Josh here could tell us what their plans are but it seems to me that they have decided that while the T100 cash cow is still around that is where they are going. I think that is a very smart move on their part and it made her the highest paid Triathlete in Australia.
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Do you feel that Kat Mathews and Taylor Knibb who earned a good deal more than Ash were dumb to double or triple dip? I seem to remember Taylor meeting Olympic obligations as well last year. Do you think she’s being greedy? Ashley is certainly a good “fit” for T-100 and it has rewarded her handsomely. If/when it dries up what will she do? There’s an old adage regarding all one’s eggs in a single basket.
I think Ash is being smart in not risking injuries and breakdown by not racing Ironman and the T100 series. The injury list of Pro athletes is growing all the time. I think it will extend her career and when the T100 folds she will be in a great place to shift to Ironman or have a kid or two.
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What other option do you think Gentle had?
Why on earth do you think we need “Josh” to tell us what her ‘plan’ is?
Her metier is middle distance and she’s only bested by a phenomena.
The IM Pro Series is designed for athletes who want to race long distance.
Gentle will race 6 T100s, a 70.3 (before 30th June) and Marbella.
Plan: Gentle will race most of the T100s but not Lake Las Vegas in October and will plan not to race Dubai. She has to get a start for Marbella and there are 8 weeks between Singapore and SF so has to be done then. I’d have thought Port Macquarie was logistically easiest. Given the fortnightly T100s (31st May, mid June and late June) has to be done by mid May latest, or skip Vancouver and race Boulder. Thus qualified that inks in Marbella (8th November) and then 5 weeks to ‘Race to Qatar’.
.
Feeling like being an argumentative dickhead today hey…I’ll play along.
Ash has plenty of options, just like every other Pro female. She just chose to focus on the T100
Josh is her husband and posts here so if we did want to know anything he is the guy to ask. I would have thought that was bloody obvious.
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