De Boer has been added to the start list in place of EPB; implying that Visser has said ‘no thanks’.
Edit (6 Nov): Another significant DNS inbound? Diederiks is now top of the waiting list.
Is Lucy not going to Dubai? She doesn’t seem to be on the start list, but I’ve not seen anything saying she’s not going, I could easily have missed it though.
By Lucy you mean Lucy Charles-Barclay? Pretty sure she called an end to her season after pulling out of Nice.
Yes sorry, LCB. That’s surprising, it sounded like a minor calf strain.
Lucy Byram, currently #7 in the T100 standings, is starting. Don’t think any other Lucys have finished a high profile MD/LD race since Singapore.
Lucy Buckingham raced both Miami and Singapore T100s (sick for first and good finish in second, but has not raced since.
If you’re interested in a lower ranked Lucy, I shared 9 days ago:
However I understand LCB will travel to Dubai, assume aiming to stay in the conversation, and available for interviews.
Lucy (Byram) will be offered a gold contract for 2025 (top ten in T100 rankings after the Grand Final), but t’other Lucy won’t.
Saw on Instagram: Vincent Luis and Georgia Taylor Brown were out riding TT bikes the last couple days (Even met with Laidlow). Also Alex Yee shared of story of him riding some water slide, titled ‘T100 dubai prep’ (paraphrasing here).
Are we expecting some last minute Wild Cards, or simple media appearances from some OLY athletes ?
Yee could have been trolling, but we know Luis is moving on to long distance.
What do you guys think ?
That’s a huge bummer, I didn’t expect her to drop from the GF.
Interesting to see 2 completely different athletes’ scenarios:
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LCB committed to only T100 beginning of season, started well with 2nd in Miami, 2nd in Singapore and 1st in IM France, changed her decision to race 2023 IM WC but DNS due to injury, finished the season with nothing
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Kat committed to both IM Pro Series and T100, but injured herself already in the first race in Miami, then recovered quickly and won two IMs and 2nd in T100 SF and 3rd in T100 London, great 2nd place in 2023 IM WC and on her way to finish the season with #1 for Pro Series and top5 in T100 series
I’m very surprised LCB is not going to Dubai. She said she had a grade 1 calf strain before Nice, that shouldn’t take long to heal. I also assume she’s not fulfilled her contract with only 3 race starts? Maybe there is something going on she’s not talking about.
Luis and GTB are racing 70.3 Bahrain (NB both in BV ‘team’). BV athlete numbers depleted in Bahrain end November by all the MD ones in or en route to Taupo (or injured eg AW). Beaugrand and Waugh will be there in Bahrain (assumed).
Yee trolling.
Not expecting any SC athletes as ‘last minute’ wildcards. Waiting list offers insight to who might be called up if there are any more DNSs. Diederiks and Koolhaas are top of the lists.
How would random ‘Olympic’ medalists popping up in Dubai add to the ‘story’? You’ll already have Derron, Knibb, Spivey and Duffy there, racing, and Brownlee, and Holland and Frodeno commentating.
Thanks for the insight.
I agree the quality of racing will not improve much by inviting these athletes.
However, i am french and I can tell you that Luis and Beaugrand have a big following here, even outside of triathletes. With them would come a lot of viewership who could get hooked on the T100. I can only imagine it would be the same for Yee.
But i realize this is probably hard to pull together for many reasons - first of all the appetite for olympic medalists to race long course at the end of their season.
Yet how cool would it be to see a race featuring the T100 line up, olympic medalists, IM world champions… ‘All stars’
Well your cool ‘All star’ dreams will come true on Saturday:
Olympic medallists (Indiv Gold, Indiv Silver, double MTR silver, single MTR silver), World IM Champion2024, World 70.3 Champion2023, 2023 PTO 100 race supremo, World IM 2024 and 70.3 2023 silver, likely winner of the IM Pro Series, World IM 2022 Champ, 13 of the top 14 ranked in the world).
Every female athlete who wants to ride further than 51.5 will be there, if they are (a) fit and (b) willing.
SC athletes have mostly had a long season (poor dears) and are chillin’. Some have actually been in Dubai training (but not to race obv).
Bib numbers have just (today) been published.
21 on the women’s start list and 22 on the men’s.
Derron, Kivioja, Madsen, Curran are the main wildcards.
World Tri published an amended tie break rule (linked below; on 19 Sep; presumably as agreed by/with PTO).
- The previous ‘whoever’s best in the GF’ PTO formula was simple (ie JUST the GF).
- This one is (considering ALL T100 races including the GF): who’s got more firsts, then seconds, then thirds, etc, till tie is broken.
- The chances of ties are high.
- The wording is slapdash and lacks clarity imho.
Anyone any idea on what SC athletes will be racing T100 next year?
Im wondering what Jonny Brownlee will do, also all the big 4 French, along with the Norwegians?
Someone made a brutally honest comment in the Vegas thread that mid pack ITU finishes were dominating T100, I think those French lads and certainly the Norwegians can take these races to another level next year.
Shock of the year:
Sodaro will DNS
She has been replaced by Diederiks (who was top of the Waiting List).
But Sodaro has travelled to Dubai to attend the Monday post race athletes’ meeting where the gold contracts for next year will be announced/dished out (hot take: she’s not getting one). Whether she gets offered one of the remaining 10 for 2025 is moot: given she contracted to race 6 of 8 in 2024 and will end up starting 2 and finishing one.
Maybe strapping into an aircraft seat at AFB Nellis counts as a “cross-over media stunt engagements” in lieu.
Sodaro is currently PTO ranked #13.
Are you sure its simply to attend the post race ceremonies or to act in a promotional and commentary capacity as well?
I hope it is this as she is quite good at commentary.
I’m being a bit flippant. But with the top 10 athletes there, if she’s not racing she adds little, “promotionally”.
“I’ll still be in Dubai this week to celebrate the @t100triathlon season and some of the best athletes in our sport.”
On commentary, Frodeno will be on the team to give that aspect of insights.
I just hope Kelly keeps his opinions terse and questions brief.
I am sure there would be many that would like a contract, but they can’t just all decide to tace t100 and get starts. Some will be offered wildcards, maybe even hotshot contracts, others will race other events for points in the hope they do well enough to be offered wildcards later. I agree, mid pack or weaker swimmer ITU who are strong bike runners are doing very well in nondrafting events at the moment and we will continue to see this.
Chelsea was fine in commentary - but there’s something that seems next level professional about Jan and Vicky Holland. Vicky’s voice and cadence and insight is both concise and very easy to listen to. And she’s just getting started.
Agreed, Vicky and Jan (and Jack for that matter as the play by play commentator) are great. I didn’t mind Chelsea, she was good, but yes not quite on the other two consultants’ level.