I was impressed that Larsen beat the next fastest bike split by over 10 minutes and DeBoom ran about 10 minutes faster than Larsen on the bike. The difference between the 2 was really the swim - overall Larsen was only 2 minutes back and lost a little more than that in the swim. Also a 2nd place by Larsen over that field is pretty impressive…
I’ll be interested to see how Larsen does in Hawaii (I’m a Larsen fan) - his swim and run are going to continue to get stronger and stronger… How much of lead going out of T2 would he need to win the whole thing? I think he’ll definitely be a big factor in how the whole race plays out in Hawaii - will push the bike leg and maybe make the entire race faster - the “runners” will have to watch how much of a lead they give him…
Also Larsen’s success gives us a lot of insight into how other cyclists like Armstrong could do (I think he’d do really, really well). I think a world-class runner with a decent swim background would do the best…cuz I think a runner can become a good cyclist faster than vice-versa…
I think upper body mass is a non-factor in the swim - its all technique and core muscles…
Cylcing is so much harder than running to pick up.
I dont think a world class runner could become a strong cyclist very fast where as a I personally believe the reverse is true, look at McCrae, Armstrong, Bolts and then look at the kenyans that raced in OH, good runs poor bikes…
Even more impressive was that SL hasn’t been doing much running at all in the last 8-10 weeks. He said he was planning to drop out after the bike yesterday, but once he found himself in the run, kept going.
I also think a strong cyclist would do better. Economy, power/weight ratio, would keep him with teh front runners. I’m hoping Larsen does well in Kona. I enjoy watching guys “race” the bike leg (Macca, Zack, Helreigel). Makes for exiciting and fast race!
Even more impressive considering that Larsen spent a few days here in Georgia a week or so ago racing the 6-day Tour de Georgia stage race. Bet he didn’t do much running or swimming then.
IMH times have been a bit slow for years. I think if Larsen cuts loose on the bike and goes for it, he can really change the race. He showed some spunk in Tour of Georgia (Sorry I think the “de” is just stupid for a US race). His problem was never really the run, it was the training for the run. Hard for a cyclist to make the transition. They are used to so many non-impact miles on the bike, and have such strong aerobic engines, it seems to be hard for them to ramp up to the distance for marathon training.
I would not be too concerned about the lead out of T2. He will need a decent one, but the I think how much he hurts the chase group is what will win him the race. If he puts it in high gear, and really starts getting a big lead, the chase group will have to pick up the pace and change their race plan at some point. He needs to really hurt everybody, while not hurting himself too much.
On the comment about upper body mass. It is not about having it, or not. There are great swimmers who have a lot of upper body mass, and many who are very slim. Their techniques tend to be a bit different, however. What I think may hurt Armstring is the change in his mass since he last trained seriously at swimming. The atrophy from the chemo, and then the atrophy from continued specialization at cycling has really made some profound changes.
Cylcing is so much harder than running to pick up. I believe the opposite to be true.
I dont think a world class runner could become a strong cyclist very fast where as a I personally believe the reverse is true, look at McCrae, Armstrong, Bolts and then look at the kenyans that raced in OH, good runs poor bikes…Not sure about Bolts, but I think McCrae and Armstrong are bad examples - they were competitive runners first.
BTW, anyone who raced knows that Deboom’s 1:10 half is AMAZING. The run course was changed due to the wet conditions and was much hillier than usual. Beach Hill twice???!!!
“BTW, anyone who raced knows that Deboom’s 1:10 half is AMAZING.”
Damn right. This race gave me new found respect for the talent of these pros. I can’t even begin to comprehend DeBoom’s run. I am so happy to see this guy kicking ass. I don’t know why, but he seems to get no love. I mean did anyone here even mention him last year when people were throwing out their picks for Kona?
BTW, does anyone know what the total climbing was on the WF LC run? I’d be curious to know.
It’s pretty hard to generalize, when you are talking about good athletes in one sport making the jump to triathlon. It’s rare for a true world class athlete single sport, swimmer, cyclist or runner to make a splash in triathlon.
I think that Ian Thorpe - currently the top freesyle swimmer in the world - would have a tough time running around the block with his size 17 feet, but I am sure that there are top swimmers who have the bodies and the ability to pick up running and cycling. Sheila Taiomina comes to mind.
As for cyclists, generally speaking cyclists loath doing any weight bearing activity. Former 7-11/Motorola star and TDF Yellow hersey wearer, Steve Bauer once told me the hardest thing that he ever did was the 400 metre LeMans style run at the start of a 24 hour MTB relay race! But there are world class cyclists who obviously can run. Lance Armstrong. #1 cyclist in the world right now, can run.
Wold class runners are typically very small and slight with small muscle mass. Most of the Kenyan men are 5’10" or less and less than 120 pounds. That’s small. It’s hard to take someone like that and teach them how to swim and then get them to develop power on the bike. I knew a 2:12 marathoner who was completely humbled by the marathon run in an Ironman.
I don’t necessarily aggree with your comment that cycling is very hard to pick up compared to running. I think that triathlon has proven the opposite - that you can take people with little or know cycling back ground and turn them into very successful cyclists within the sort of triathlon. Two examples that come to mind are Mile Pigg and Spencer Smith. They did not cycle prior to starting up triathlon, yet with in a short period of time they were feared cyclists whithin the sport.
Uh, I believe L.A. was a swimmer first. Didn’t he swim USAS for about 5 years as an age-grouper?
IMHO, for a young kid, swimming is where they should start. And early. 3-4 years old if they like it.
Did everyone make their contribution to the Lance Armstrong Foundation yet this year? I’ve got mine sitting on my desk for mailing so I thought I’d remind everyone. :),
<< BTW, does anyone know what the total climbing was on the WF LC run? I’d be curious to know.
I am still learning all the in and outs of the Delorme Topo software, but best as I could figure, the run course for the half was about 1582 feet of climbing (791 ft per lap). It also had just slightly more downhill, 794 per lap, 1588 ft total. So it was a downhill course
I suppose the technique takes a while, but I have always thought decent runners do well when they take up cycling because they already know how to deal with hard efforts. You have to cycle pretty hard to equal even a moderate run pace, so I think runners becoming cyclists have it easier than a neophyte cyclist with no experience in any sport. BTW, I went from collegiate swimming to cycling and did well the first year and I know many other swimmers who have done similarly well. So I think that too gives some credence to a person used to training and raciing being able to adapt to a different sport fairly quickly, at least an endurance sport. Actually, cycling seemed easy compared to swimming, and the hours just fly by almost effortlessly. Looking at the bottom of a pool for 4-5 hours a day is almost an unbearable thought now!
