The question now is, who’s going to be last minute pull-outs? Given the recent cancellation of Chelsea Sodaro’s collaboration with Canyon, my money’s on her being one of them.Well, Sodaro is ‘in the house’ with a bike new to her. Long way to travel and then not start. Another wild stab?
Both races really quite open and therefore should be exciting, as @ironrav says.
Will Long and LCB end up in the same position again?
Could see the women’s race as a dress rehearsal for places #2 - #20 in the World Championship final in late November.
In general there’s always a couple of last minute cancellations, with the whole drama this was my first guess. Good that she made it to London though, I hope she’s back to her former form.
Having said that, the Covid monster is also roaming wild, which could lead to some people calling in sick.
Missing the last month’s comments, most of which after London chat was done (say by 4 August) were in the last few days after the T100 Ibiza start list was published, together with the Waiting List (with Derron, Wilde, Schomburg, Geens on it.
@pk “well as you have noted the top stars including knibb favored nice… the athletes voted with their feet .”
@monty "Yes they did, however as it turns out, some low level (maybe the lowest on the T100 circuit) is going to be more exciting than the World Championship for Ironman.[/quote]
There is no sign Knibb “favoured Nice”: she’d just like to have opportunity to choose. And that was one reason for racing T100 SF: to build in flex - she could not reasonably expect to place high in Ibiza if she raced Nice.
Knibb will need 3 good (35 or 28) scores come 17 November so that she can beat Gentle by finishing ahead of her (and LCB) in the Grand Final (if it happens), hence racing SF so Ibiza can be ‘passed’ yet still satisfy the contract.
After Paris, winning the T100 Tour is Knibb’s priority, and she is ‘favouring it’. I assume she’d place that higher in her list of goals than Taupo, YMMV.
More generally, all the athletes capable (able and willing) to race full distance want to compete for the 140.6 mile prize. The T100 offers no ‘long distance’ outlet for their strengths.
So Nice and Kona it is, if qualified/validated. Clearly a few are ‘favouring it’ with degrees of success yet to be determined (22 September).
Ignoring her T100 contract, Sodaro is clearly all in on Nice, fwiw (new coach, new bike, London fail, missing Ibiza), and the same goes even more so for Haug. LCB, Philipp, Lee and Matthews are hanging in there with two good T100 scores as well as heading for Nice and an after party in Ibiza.
As for @monty’s ‘excitement’ metric/benchmark, I hope his blood pressure will cope with the thrills of IMWC Nice. I hope Nice is as good as it was 5 years ago with Ryf and Iden winning in style. I shall be riding the course a couple of days before the race.
Btw, Ibiza wait list with Derron on it (scroll down): https://www.triathlon.org/...cs/Waiting_lists.pdf
It’s Saturday and the full start list for Ibiza is due.
Wildcards have been announced as:
Olympic silver medalist Julie Derron, Caroline Pohle (European 70.3 Champion), and Spaniard Sara Perez Sala (who is a guide in the para tri tomorrow in Paris btw). But there will be one more wildcard tbd (Madsen/Salthouse/Chura, pick one) as Sodaro has scratched.
Worth keeping in mind that besides Sodaro, Lee, Philipp, LCB, Matthews, Pierre(?) and Haug are all racing IMWC Nice 6 days before.
Noodt, Lopez (the new World Champion in Long Distance), Smith and Keulen seem to be the men’s wildcards:
NB Not Wilde, Schomburg or Geens
Glad Derron got in, and Sara will keep the swim lively with Lucy if she actually shows up and races. Think Knibb will be ready to race and Derron could be best of the rest. Spivey has been sick since games with cold off and on, but she raced quite well in last weeks super league finishing super strong on the last triathlon of 3. Loved her tactics too, although this race is more put your head down and just max out your watts for the distances.
Mens race is a toss up as usual, seems like 10 guys each of these is capable of winning or podium. No clear favorites as last week favorite can be this weeks top 10 chaser…
Aren’t Olympians like Wilde obliged to do all of Ibiza, Vegas and Dubai plus the grand final? Not surprised that Hayden’s plate was a little full and his schedule may have felt overwhelming, but then they’re still freaking adults…
Hayden is in the hunt right now for super league in a battle with Yee. He may be focusing on that, looks like it pays very good for 4 days of 1 hour of work each time…Would be fun to have him pitch up at a PTO race though, he would immediately become the favorite. Perhaps he has negotiated a shorter schedule than the olympic one they did pre season…
Hayden isn’t a contracted athlete so he doesn’t have to show up to any number of races. He’ll smoke everyone in Vegas though.
I’d be surprised if Wilde (with a wildcard; as you say not contracted) “smokes everyone in Vegas”. I expect him to be racing at Torremolinos that weekend: he’s on track to be top 3 (stretch win) the WTCS. Both he and Yee need to race both the last two races (3+1 to score and they’ve only raced 2). Since he’s on the start list for WTCS Weihai he can’t race Ibiza (either). And I don’t think the PTO will introduce a season long narrative spoiler by giving Wilde a wildcard at Dubai. He’ll have his chance to kick ass on home soil in December - the T100 athletes will be exhausted by then (but KB will be there, as will Bergère).
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Has Chelsea stated she has pulled out? Her name is still on the start list? That would be her third race she will miss for no real reason?
She’s still entered but I think anyone who races nice the week before hard has a very real reason not to race in Ibiza. Even if they show up because of their contract they won’t be effective. Pretty sure Taylor could barely walk the week after Kona last year.
I must have been mistaken: Sodaro is on that list (but I counted Saturday am and there were only 19 names: now there’s 20). Whatever. The proof will be in the greixonera on 28 September.
Start lists for T100 Ibiza are up:
https://triathlon.org/events/start_lists/2024_t100_triathlon_world_tour_ibiza
Sodaro not on list.
At least 4 wild cards available, even before the aftermath of Nice forces others.
My suggestions are: Pohle, Chura, Salthouse, Kivioja, Derron
LCB, Sodaro, Haug, Philipp, Matthews and Lee are racing IMWC Nice 6 days before.
Start lists for T100 Ibiza are up:
https://triathlon.org/...lon_world_tour_ibiza
Sodaro not on list.
At least 4 wild cards available, even before the aftermath of Nice forces others.
My suggestions are: Pohle, Chura, Salthouse, Kivioja, Derron
LCB, Sodaro, Haug, Philipp, Matthews and Lee are racing IMWC Nice 6 days before.
I’m excited to see Flora Duffy and Taylor Spivey on the women’s list.
Start lists for T100 Ibiza are up:
https://triathlon.org/...lon_world_tour_ibiza
Sodaro not on list.
At least 4 wild cards available, even before the aftermath of Nice forces others.
My suggestions are: Pohle, Chura, Salthouse, Kivioja, Derron
LCB, Sodaro, Haug, Philipp, Matthews and Lee are racing IMWC Nice 6 days before.
I’m excited to see Flora Duffy and Taylor Spivey on the women’s list.
Another solid also-there-but-not-quite-good-enough finish for Spivey? Duffy I’m curious how she’ll do at T100 compared to her Ironman 70.3 St George race. She’ll have the benefit of drafting in a pack making loops around the course in Ibiza so I think she’ll do better than she did at the true time trial course in St. George.
Start lists for T100 Ibiza are up:
https://triathlon.org/...lon_world_tour_ibiza
Sodaro not on list.
At least 4 wild cards available, even before the aftermath of Nice forces others.
My suggestions are: Pohle, Chura, Salthouse, Kivioja, Derron
LCB, Sodaro, Haug, Philipp, Matthews and Lee are racing IMWC Nice 6 days before.
I’m excited to see Flora Duffy and Taylor Spivey on the women’s list.
Another solid also-there-but-not-quite-good-enough finish for Spivey? Duffy I’m curious how she’ll do at T100 compared to her Ironman 70.3 St George race. She’ll have the benefit of drafting in a pack making loops around the course in Ibiza so I think she’ll do better than she did at the true time trial course in St. George.
Not that certain there will be much drafting aid. I believe that the women have been actually quite well behaved in regards to observing the 20 meter draft zone used by PTO so as Taylor Knibb would say “we’ll see”. Perhaps St. George was just a bad day for Flora. Those do happen for almost everyone. I’m wondering if Ashley will have upped her biking game a notch or two.
LCB, Sodaro, Haug, Philipp, Matthews and Lee are racing IMWC Nice 6 days before. //
It really is kind of a joke to think anyone who drills the ironman will be even remotely competitive 6 days later. I get why all the ladies are still on the list, just in case they pull the plug on the race. And secondly they do get to fulfill an obligation to start in the series, so there is that, but certainly not what the organizer’s would have hoped for and paid up front to insure…
Just glad they got some exciting athletes in there to keep it lively, Derron would be a fun one to see pitch up for sure. Spivey is racing well in the Supertri series at the moment, but not sure she is or has ridden a tt bike. Shouldn’t take long to get acquainted, but it does take some effort. Hope we get to see olympic Duffy, she was super strong there and seemed to be willing to go it alone if need be. Perhaps a race where everyone is alone will be her forte from here on out…
Start lists for T100 Ibiza are up:
https://triathlon.org/...lon_world_tour_ibiza
Sodaro not on list.
At least 4 wild cards available, even before the aftermath of Nice forces others.
My suggestions are: Pohle, Chura, Salthouse, Kivioja, Derron
LCB, Sodaro, Haug, Philipp, Matthews and Lee are racing IMWC Nice 6 days before.
I’m excited to see Flora Duffy and Taylor Spivey on the women’s list.
I assume Laura Madsen would also get a slot. But plenty to give from i suppose.
LCB, Sodaro, Haug, Philipp, Matthews and Lee are racing IMWC Nice 6 days before. //
It really is kind of a joke to think anyone who drills the ironman will be even remotely competitive 6 days later. I get why all the ladies are still on the list, just in case they pull the plug on the race. And secondly they do get to fulfill an obligation to start in the series, so there is that, but certainly not what the organizer’s would have hoped for and paid up front to insure…
Just glad they got some exciting athletes in there to keep it lively, Derron would be a fun one to see pitch up for sure. Spivey is racing well in the Supertri series at the moment, but not sure she is or has ridden a tt bike. Shouldn’t take long to get acquainted, but it does take some effort. Hope we get to see olympic Duffy, she was super strong there and seemed to be willing to go it alone if need be. Perhaps a race where everyone is alone will be her forte from here on out…
Surly there’s a few more ITU girls they can throw into this race, who don’t fancy flying out to China and not compromise the quality of the start list, rather than have the Nice girls start.
LCB, Sodaro, Haug, Philipp, Matthews and Lee are racing IMWC Nice 6 days before. //
It really is kind of a joke to think anyone who drills the ironman will be even remotely competitive 6 days later. I get why all the ladies are still on the list, just in case they pull the plug on the race. And secondly they do get to fulfill an obligation to start in the series, so there is that, **but certainly not what the **organizer’s would have hoped for and paid up front to insure…
Just glad they got some exciting athletes in there to keep it lively, Derron would be a fun one to see pitch up for sure. Spivey is racing well in the Supertri series at the moment, but not sure she is or has ridden a tt bike. Shouldn’t take long to get acquainted, but it does take some effort. Hope we get to see olympic Duffy, she was super strong there and seemed to be willing to go it alone if need be. Perhaps a race where everyone is alone will be her forte from here on out…
…than the organizer should not put a race 6 days after the ironman world champs or put it in the contract if you do nice you cant do ibiza…
they cant be so naive so i guess they dont mind it.