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Post by prince on Jun 25, 2023 4:19:27 GMT 8
smart to have a go at Nice this weekend as its a good experience over the course and gives him some advantage over others for September. Also, these days with the super shoes, many pros are saying they recover quicker than they ever have.
meanwhile, Roth will be interesting this weekend. I think focus on Skipper. He needs to put up a good performance here if he has any chance for Nice, no excuses. It's a rolling course like Nice and should suit him. I still pick Ditlev, as I think he is improving every race, but he needs a decent lead of the bike as who knows what Kenute or Langer will run.
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jun 25, 2023 8:45:56 GMT 8
smart to have a go at Nice this weekend as its a good experience over the course and gives him some advantage over others for September. Also, these days with the super shoes, many pros are saying they recover quicker than they ever have. meanwhile, Roth will be interesting this weekend. I think focus on Skipper. He needs to put up a good performance here if he has any chance for Nice, no excuses. It's a rolling course like Nice and should suit him. I still pick Ditlev, as I think he is improving every race, but he needs a decent lead of the bike as who knows what Kenute or Langer will run. Interesting point about the super shoes. Iāve read mixed reports. Some say their feet feel better, others report more muscle damage suffered as a consequence of being able to increase stride length whilst running at race pace. Itās worth noting (see what I did there, lol) that Cam did those back to back ironman races in 2017-19 without the benefit of super shoes (which he first used in ironman Italy later on in 2019 when the Nike guys slung him some pairs as a spin off from the INEOS Sub2 challenge). cam is downplaying the race, saying it was only a last minute decision made on the drive home from Austria. I reckon that may be shenanigans, as he has a habit of racing stronger in the second weekend of a two race Ironman block. I reckon this may have been āthe planā all along: race conservatively in Austria and secure a qualifier for the WC there against a much weaker field than Nice and then āthrow it against the wallā in Nice and see what turns up. Iām excited! Especially with the hype around Roth being held - and broadcast - at the same time. A great afternoon and evening of ironman watching/following beckons. on another note: how good is Matt Hauser? Also good to see Birthwhistle coming back into form as well. I notice that Blu is getting ever closer to the front in ITU racing again, but Gustav ā¦ isnāt. Will either - or both - switch to long course mid season?
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jun 25, 2023 8:55:05 GMT 8
Interesting punditry there Prince, regarding Roth. Whilst Lange should run 2.35 or better, letās not forget that Ditlev ran 2.40 there last year and is improving every race - as you say. He also could run close to 2.35. So could skipper, but heās a flounder in the swim. Worse than even Long and Sanders. Watching his you tube videos he does all his swim training in Norwich with a couple of old aged pensioners without any due regard to either the biomechanics or āfeelā for the water required to ever be anything other than a 52 minute ironman swimmer. I don't see him bridging up to Ditlev - or getting close enough at T2 - to pose a real challenge, even if he works with the likes of Keinle on the bike.
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Post by aplover on Jun 25, 2023 9:59:08 GMT 8
Where can we watch IM France All seems confusing on FB live now , looks like u gotta join a private group
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jun 25, 2023 11:31:22 GMT 8
Where can we watch IM France All seems confusing on FB live now , looks like u gotta join a private group I didnāt even think it was going to be broadcast. If it is, then what will probably happen is that in addition to that āprivate groupā facebook malarkey, a youtube page will open up just before the start - which is in two hours time (7.30am Central European time).
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Post by Peter on Jun 26, 2023 10:33:41 GMT 8
A good result. I canāt believe he came 4th only 7 days after another top Ironman.
He went without a wetsuit too
First off the bike m
The hoff only just beat him and Bart 2nd.
Iād rate this a success for him. Iām impressed
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jun 26, 2023 11:29:16 GMT 8
Yeah. A pretty impressive training day. Other things to note:
The bike course is still 170km. I note that there ARE some differences with the proposed WC course (ie. the bike goes further down the coast to start before cutting back in to rejoin the course used yesterday just before the main climb (creating another shorter climb and descent)and there seems to be a few more kms in the alpine plateau section as well. I dont know whether that will add up to 180km, but if it does that would mean the ābenchmarkā would not be the 4.32 times that Wurf rode last night and also back in 2018, but more likely something like a 4.45hr bike split. Of course, I expect all the big cycling guns to be going much harder than wurf rode last night, so perhaps a 4.35 is ādoableā ona genuine 180km course.
The other thing of note was that the run course was also short. By at least 1km. Looking at the world championship course I think they will have at athletes exit T2 in the opposite direction and do a little 500M-return to the eastern turn point before starting the four laps. Plus perhaps extend the other turn at the other far end adjacent to airport as well. Yesterday appeared to be hot - typical for this time of year. Early September should be far more favourable conditions and I think a few athletes may end up challenging a 2.30hr marathon split & the winner will have to run well under 2.40 - even if they are an āUber bikerā like Ditlev.
As for Cam, 70.3 Andorra next weekend, followed by a mid July team cycling training camp and then probably his last cycling stage race, before the end of next month beckons. But heās now laid down a pretty good swim-run base now to really find the extra gears needed in both disciplines come 10 September.
Iād expect 4-6 weeks of back to back 100km+ run weeks and 20km+ swim weeks from late July & some more specific ironman paced bike training (at suitably alpine altitudes and gradients) leading him to be at least as sharp - and as fast - as he was at ironman Italy and Ironman Copenhagen back in 2019 and 2021, but another notch up again in leg speed on the run. That being said that will probably only see him off the bike with or slightly ahead of the Ditlev group into T2. But a 2.45 marathon - or slightly better - might be enough for a top 5 finish.
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Post by Peter on Jun 26, 2023 11:42:02 GMT 8
Roth was 4k short on the bike and 2k short on the run. Seems they are all short now.
By design?
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jun 26, 2023 13:04:45 GMT 8
Roth was 4k short on the bike and 2k short on the run. Seems they are all short now. By design? Roth has always been short, but I thought theyād āfixedā that with the more recent course changes. signigicantly, going off camās strava feed most of the courses he has recently have been bang on the supposed 180km and 42.2km (ie. Copenhagen, Mallorca, St George, Vittoria, Kona, SA, Lanzarote and Austria). He usually starts his Garmin about a minute after the start of both legs, so when one adjusts for that (ie. checking his stop watch against the tracker split) one gets an approx. distance within a few metres of being spot on. Ironman Italy and Ironman France are notable exceptions to that.
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Post by prince on Jun 26, 2023 13:29:43 GMT 8
Even if Roth was short, how amazing was Daniella Ryf? and Haug remains in great run form
Also, I no longer rate Skipper at all for Nice, nor Laildlow.
Neumann, Bekegard, Ditlev, and maybe Lange (depending on the swim gaps) must be clear favourites now, but still think Blu might show up. September is only a few months away.
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jun 26, 2023 14:06:25 GMT 8
Even if Roth was short, how amazing was Daniella Ryf? and Haug remains in great run form Also, I no longer rate Skipper at all for Nice, nor Laildlow. Neumann, Bekegard, Ditlev, and maybe Lange (depending on the swim gaps) must be clear favourites now, but still think Blu might show up. September is only a few months away. Agreed. Ditlev has to be the outright favourite. I wouldnāt have Bekegard in the first tier of favourites, but Iād also include Frodo, Neumann, Currie alongside Ditlev as āthe favouritesā. Bekegard is a huge talent, but perhaps not quite at the level of those blokes at this point of time. I would not write off Laidlow either. He has health problems right now, but that doesnāt mean that āon his dayā he canāt go hard for the whole 8hrs+. If he does, heās also one of the favourites. On the next level down are blokes like Lange and Bekegard. Followed by the likes of Skipper and Chavelier and Mignon. Long as well if he races. Wurf is a disrupter. He will have a huge say in the shape of the race, and may finish in the top 5. The Norwegians have a choice to make NOW. Especially Iden. If he decides that ITU racing just isnāt working for him this year and decides to specialise in long course for the next 10 weeks, heās actually my outright favourite. Blu may decide to judge both, especially since he seems to have ādone enoughā already to get selected for the olympic team. I think he is the Michael Jordan of Triathlon: no one - never - has been so insanely competitive. If he racks his bike, I wonāt be betting against him. also: donāt forget a lurking Brownlee. Time is running out for him though. He has to qualify next month and do a huge block of training and turn up 100% fit and healthy in September. The odds are starting to look ā¦ very long.
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Post by Peter on Jun 27, 2023 7:48:30 GMT 8
How big is currie? Is he a big guy compared to other Ironman top guys or smaller?
He looks like he is about 5 foot 8
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Post by prince on Jun 27, 2023 12:27:54 GMT 8
Not sure but he looks huge. Watching him in Cairns he seemed so strong. I got some footage of him in slowmo and he is a beast. Will try and upload on here
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Post by Peter on Jun 27, 2023 14:24:02 GMT 8
Not sure but he looks huge. Watching him in Cairns he seemed so strong. I got some footage of him in slowmo and he is a beast. Will try and upload on here Certainly a ball of muscle. If he doesnāt fall apart, Iād back him in
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jun 29, 2023 12:34:49 GMT 8
Wurf is entered in Ironman 70.3 Andorra this weekend and Ironman Switzerland next weekend. It will be interesting to see whether he races either. Or both.
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Post by Peter on Jun 29, 2023 15:04:04 GMT 8
I guess its a Fully catered training day for him.
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Post by Peter on Jul 3, 2023 20:33:17 GMT 8
No Wurf in andora 80.3
good win by jan
I see Emma pal didnāt race in her period damaged white race kit this time.
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jul 5, 2023 10:43:33 GMT 8
No Wurf in andora 80.3 good win by jan I see Emma pal didnāt race in her period damaged white race kit this time. heās on the Greek island of Kythiru having a family holiday. Seems to be swimming for an hour and - since the weekend - running for an hour every day, but no biking. I assume heāll back on the tools full time in Andorra towards the end of the week. I doubt heāll do IM Switzerland, even as a catered training day. But who knows with Wurf. I assume the team will still want him to do one short stage race this month as well.
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jul 6, 2023 15:51:56 GMT 8
Very long podcast interview he did back in February, but just released now:
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Post by kenkong on Jul 6, 2023 17:34:40 GMT 8
Very long podcast interview he did back in February, but just released now: Never seen such a humble bloke.... Funny how any question just seems to be met with a 15 minute epilogue of talking about how good he is and how he never tries very hard etc... What a wanker, 'yeah I was 15 mins in the lead and slowed down just so I could wait for him to catch up and drop the hammer'
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jul 6, 2023 17:47:39 GMT 8
ā What a wanker, 'yeah I was 15 mins in the lead and slowed down just so I could wait for him to catch up and drop the hammer'ā
Yeah. Nah. Not quite. More, āI was running a steady pace waiting for him to get within a minute then drop the hammerā. ā¦ which has the virtue of being ā¦ actually true. Of course half that ~4-5min lead at the end was due to sanders jogging the last two km, but Wurf DID put another 90 seconds on him from the last turn with 4km to go before that point. Also, Lionel never got within 75 seconds, not 45 seconds as Cam says, but hey details. ā¦
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Post by kenkong on Jul 6, 2023 18:18:18 GMT 8
ā What a wanker, 'yeah I was 15 mins in the lead and slowed down just so I could wait for him to catch up and drop the hammer'ā Yeah. Nah. Not quite. More, āI was running a steady pace waiting for him to get within a minute then drop the hammerā. ā¦ which has the virtue of being ā¦ actually true. Of course half that ~4-5min lead at the end was due to sanders jogging the last two km, but Wurf DID put another 90 seconds on him from the last turn with 4km to go before that point. Also, Lionel never got within 75 seconds, not 45 seconds as Cam says, but hey details. ā¦ Yeah not quite, he says something about Kipchoges win so decided to 'run nice and slow until Lionel got within 90 seconds' and then drop the hammer. Every word the bloke says is a humble brag. Great athlete sure, but besides being a jack of all trades he is no where a master of one.
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jul 6, 2023 20:32:36 GMT 8
I think you have devolved into a play on words KK. You don't like the guy, but if ever there was as case deserving of a āhumble bragā it would have been Wurfās Copenhagen performance (and I note Sandersā reaction. After the race that Camās bike split was the most dominant athletic performance heād ever witnessed). Not to mention breaking the nearly 30yo IM Australia race record in 2019. And so on. Heās ā¦ a little bit better than just being a jack of all trades. By a fair margin.
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Post by kenkong on Jul 7, 2023 8:42:47 GMT 8
It's not that I don't like him, I don't know him well enough for that. But if someone I knew spoke like him he would definitely be labeled a wanker.
For the first hour of the podcast before I turned it off was all just him going on about how good he is,and the whole 'I still haven't had a chance to empty the tank', like seriously...
I really hope we don't go down the American path of people being praised for blowing their own....trumpet.
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jul 11, 2023 14:36:05 GMT 8
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Post by kenkong on Jul 11, 2023 17:25:41 GMT 8
Maybe he will finally get a chance to 'empty the tank'.... Gee might even see a sub 7 if he performs half as good as he talks.
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jul 12, 2023 5:36:03 GMT 8
Maybe he will finally get a chance to 'empty the tank'.... Gee might even see a sub 7 if he performs half as good as he talks. That would be approaching Anthony Mundine levels of awesome if he did.
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jul 12, 2023 17:40:42 GMT 8
Some candid post Roubaix comments: before he ran a half marathon back to the hotel at 4 min / km pace ā¦
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jul 30, 2023 7:43:00 GMT 8
So Cam decided to do his own solo Tour Du Andorra yesterday - basically climbing every Col in and around Andorra - ended up doing 300km, with 9,500M of vertical climbing in over 13 hours in the saddle. The day before was a triple swim day, logging in around 10,000M in the pool. I guess today will probably be a double marathon. ā¦
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Post by kenkong on Jul 30, 2023 17:01:28 GMT 8
So Cam decided to do his own solo Tour Du Andorra yesterday - basically climbing every Col in and around Andorra - ended up doing 300km, with 9,500M of vertical climbing in over 13 hours in the saddle. The day before was a triple swim day, logging in around 10,000M in the pool. I guess today will probably be a double marathon. ā¦ Of course no possibility of doping here unlike with Ditlev...just a stud of an athlete... Just taking the piss TBH and don't think he is dirty but if people are going to raise eyebrows he would have to be the first one to look at
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