In case you haven’t seen this, it is very interesting and fun. Consider me a huge Bjorn Andersson fan! Awesome!
Guys- pay particular attention to his comments about tires and Cervelo ride quality.
I used 22mm tubulars at about 108 psi give or take.
Bjorn used 19mm tubulars at about 150 psi!
He also said his Cervelo P3 was perfectly comfortable. Pretty darn impressive, athlete and bike.
I think we will soon be seeing a “changing of the guard” in triathlon as these young up and comers begin to take over. There’s three Swedes we know that could be at the forefront.
what was the road surface like in NZ. I have heard in the past it was pretty rough. I would think 150 psi would be slower under those conditions(too much vibration). Does anyone remeber when Chris Legh first appeared on the scene? He rode really low and fast. I think there was even some discussion about his Ironman problems that first year('97) I believe being due to his low position and not digesting food and liquids adequately. He had part of his colon removed follwing the race. Lately I have heard that he has had back problems and it seems like his results have suffered. I dont know if he is even racing anymore. I know Bjorn is young, strong and obviously flexible but I wonder what the long term effects of putting in big miles in an extreme position like his are?
So he was comfortable with 19mm tubulars at 150psi? I suspect a guy who can hold the position he does for a 112 miles can tolerate a lot before he’s uncomfortable!
A few points:
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I find it interesting the level of deserved homage that is being paid to Bjorn on this forum relative to that being paid to Clas. Boy do we love the bike. Problem is the race is not won there. The run split the Baron put down was every bit as sick as Bjorn’s bike, if not more.
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Do you think Bjorn would say that the bike was not comfortable on the sponsors website? Don’t dwell on this one two long.
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Judging by Bjorn’s bike position, I am not in the least bit surprised that he found the Cervelo/tire combo comfortable. The man feels no pain.
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Tom as the second official member of the Bjorn groupie club, I would like you to meet Becca.
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Can Bjorn, Clas and Jonas do for tri what the Swedish Bikini Team did for calendar sales?
“I wonder what the long term effects of putting in big miles in an extreme position like his are?”
My chiropractic intuition tells me that he won’t be racing in that an aggressive position ten years from now. Maybe not even in five. However, if he incorporates yoga/flexibility stretches into his training routine it can help considerably. I believe Gordo does yoga as part of his training regime so he may have already introduced Bjorn to this.
“I think we will soon be seeing a “changing of the guard” in triathlon”
it’s not the swedes. it’s the vikings en masse. it’s the danes as well. they’re all smart, durable, disciplined, well-coached, and as a group more “grown-up” in their approach to life than most of the other pros i’ve seen from other countries. sandvang was the first, but just the beginning. watch for the danish doodes as well: torbjorn sinballe, rasmus henning, etc. there will be 3 or 4 swedes/danes in kona’s top-10 very soon.
The fans of Clas, Cameron and all the “runners” are out here in this forum… maybe less outspoken, but… still here 
Hey Paul,
Yeah, actually, I’m with you on this tire pressure thing. However, I cannot argue with Andersson’s results.
I don’t think I would have been faster on those tires at that pressure. I think I would have been really uncomfortable.
The pavement was odd. Most of it was fine, but part of it was extremely course. It was in excellent repair- no chuck holes- but the fragments used to construct the road were very large. It was as if a series of small rocks were laid on the road bed and then tar poured over them then the entire concoction tamped down solid. It is a good surface, but it produces a very distinct vibration through your bike- it is not subtle, it rattles your brains.
what was the road surface like in NZ. I have heard in the past it was pretty rough. I would think 150 psi would be slower under those conditions(too much vibration). Does anyone remeber when Chris Legh first appeared on the scene? He rode really low and fast. I think there was even some discussion about his Ironman problems that first year('97) I believe being due to his low position and not digesting food and liquids adequately. He had part of his colon removed follwing the race. Lately I have heard that he has had back problems and it seems like his results have suffered. I dont know if he is even racing anymore. He’s still around. I saw him at that half IM in AZ in Nov. He was 2nd to Macca. Also, he’s racing IM Oz in a few weeks. I know Bjorn is young, strong and obviously flexible but I wonder what the long term effects of putting in big miles in an extreme position like his are?
Hey jaylew,
Maybe one of the the long-term effects of riding such an extreme position for long miles might be a win in Hawaii some day.
How about that post race nutrition? That is the best part of the whole report.
I agree that eveyone is going a little overboard about Bjorn and his potential. His performance reminds me of Steve Larsen when he first switched to tris a couple years ago. Everyone said he would change the sport and cyclists would dominate ironman. We all know how that turned out. Bjorn can obviously swim much better than Steve ever could and that is an advantage but Steve rides faster and I think has a better build for running. Bjorn looks like a pretty big guy with some massive quads. Not ideal for fast marathons. Last year in NZ Larsen rode 7 minutes faster than Bjorn’s time this year and ran 4+ minutes slower. I talked to Steve when he first started tris and then later. He first thought all he needed to do was work on his run and swim and he would win. His cycling suffered and his results were no better. He then switched to his old cycling training methods and his bike came back but he still couldnt beat the top guys(Deboom, Reid etc.) Now he is retired.
That being said I really hope Bjorn does well and wins Ironman someday. It would be nice to see the race won from the front on the bike. I just think we need temper the enthusiasm a little. After all didnt Cam Brown win the “Triathlon”?
P.S. Bjorn we would love to sponsor you since you will get us the most coverage. Until we can talk Cam, Tim or Peter into running with a wheel strapped to them
“Everyone said he would change the sport and cyclists would dominate ironman.”
That’s not going to happen because tris will always be won on the run. But it’s much more exciting to see super cyclists break away from the pack.
What we don’t want to see is any more of those 16 man group rides as at Kona last year.
Chris Legh for some time had continuing health issues related to the colon removal (scarring and the like.) Apparently he was so dehydrated in that race that his body essentially shut down blood supply to that part of the colon. It became infected and the tissue had to be removed.
He just didnt know when to pull the plug to protect his health. Also, from an article over at the Gatorade Sports institute, their work with him revealed that he sweats alot more than a typical athlete… which is liekly why he has so many problems at the IM distance.
“Everyone said he would change the sport and cyclists would dominate ironman.”
That’s not going to happen because tris will always be won on the run. But it’s much more exciting to see super cyclists break away from the pack.
What we don’t want to see is any more of those 16 man group rides as at Kona last year.
I wonder if people said the same thing about Joe Bonness. His position is pretty close to Bjorn’s and he’s no spring chicken.
the top two U.S. guys in Joe’s age group in Hawaii this year ran 3:16 and 3:09 respectively. Joe ran 3:32. I dont know if that is indicative of his usual runs but maybe the extreme bike position gains you a couple minutes on the bike but costs you more on the run?
Hey Paul,
I respectfully disagree with your statement about “tempering our enthusiasm” about Bjorn.
This is sport. Not law or (at the fan level) business. It is about passion for a guy like me- a fan and recreational competitor.
I want a hero to emerge. I want a new star. I want someone to swoon over.
Tempering my enthusiasm over a sensational (and it was sensational in every way- visually, performance wise, from a “hype” perspective) new athlete is like saying “be quiet during sex, temper your enthusiasm…”
As a spectator (and I WAS a spectator at IMNZ) I want to hoot and holler about something exciting.
Bjorn Andersson’s radical position, compelling story, dashing but unassuming demeanor as well as bold, incredible performance on the bike make him the “Numba 1 Stone Gold Gangsta Playa” Bjorn got game and he can back 'dat up.
I wanted a character like Bjorn to show up. Years from now, no matter what happens going forward, we will be talking about Bjorn at IMNZ in 2004. Remember that? he was awesome…
Temper my enthusiasm? Eh gad man, why? It was exciting!