Understood. Same ‘one and only goal’ as Matthews then (this year).
There was some chat last year (and ? the year before) that he’d buried himself with a superb race in Roth and coming back up for the IMWC (Kona Oct 2024 and Nice Sep 2023) cost him that few %. So the fact that he’s choosing to race Frankfurt not Roth means he’s making sure a win in the IM Pro Series is there for the taking. So he can tell you it’s not a goal “my only goal for 2025 is Nice” but his race schedule suggests different (and allows an excellent build-up to September’s crux) and the subsidiary objective of winning the IM Pro Series is clear from his own insta post (text below).
31st January: Ditlev shares his IM Pro Series races:
IMSA (30 March)
70.3 St George (10 May)
IM Frankfurt (29 June)
IMWC
Marbella
(I wonder why he chose to trek out to St George (10th May) rather than race Venice (4th May)? Perhaps Snow Canyon offers a climb to race up in preparation for Nice.)
No changes are needed to “hunt the IM Pro Series”.
IMWC Nice is central to both: not losing many points to the other top three (Series challengers) or better still, stuffing time into them. And Marbella is ages after IMWC.
"The 2025 season? I have decided to narrow my focus and chase . . becoming Ironman World Champion. For me this means racing only the IM Pro Series in 2025 [ie not T100]. This [allows me] to plan the season perfectly around the World Championships.
“I have been on the podium in the past two editions of this race. Third in 2023 and second in 2024… My goal is to continue that upward trajectory and climb the top spot of the podium in 2025!”