Post by andrewearlwood on Apr 21, 2024 21:15:06 GMT 8
3rd in a KQ in Ironman South Africa.
Cam was actually outbiked by the winner, Rasmus Svenningsson - who came into T3 with a 3 minute lead. However, Cam ran up to him and took the lead briefly at around the 27km mark, before Rasmus found a second wind and accelerated away for the win. Wurf slowed from his steady 4min/km pace after 32km for about 5km before getting going again and was just pipped for second by Mattius Peterson at the end. However, a KQ after a hard Spring Classics season (7 races in 5 weeks, including Flèche Wallone on Wednesday this week) is very creditable.
An early qualifier gives him the luxury of really planning his season for once without the panic of trying to get a last minute WC qualifier whilst also juggling his INEOS pro tour duties. On that note, I think the team are going to use him as a sort of ‘road captain’ for their big Grand Tour camps, but not really relying on him to race much. this was the original plan when he signed with the team at the beginning of 2020, but he proved so effective as a domestique during the pandemic he was used a lot more in that role and rarely ever went on any of their special grand tour training camps.
I also note that he is still off Strava for the swim and run training he is obviously doing (he was a front pack swimmer in SA), and only infrequently posts his cycling training and racing, so who knows what training he is actually doing at the moment, but a 2.53 marathon indicates that he is a heck of a lot stronger in the run than when he ran a 3.03 on the same course last year. I presume he’ll aim for Ironman Vittoria as his next IM (unless the team start him in the TDF, which is unlikely), and maybe even IM Cairns (if the team don’t use him in the one week pre TDF stage races in June). There is also IM Lanzarote in five weeks time & he might feel he has unfinished business there, given his third place finish last year (although Arthur Horseau might want to come back and defend his title).
Cam was actually outbiked by the winner, Rasmus Svenningsson - who came into T3 with a 3 minute lead. However, Cam ran up to him and took the lead briefly at around the 27km mark, before Rasmus found a second wind and accelerated away for the win. Wurf slowed from his steady 4min/km pace after 32km for about 5km before getting going again and was just pipped for second by Mattius Peterson at the end. However, a KQ after a hard Spring Classics season (7 races in 5 weeks, including Flèche Wallone on Wednesday this week) is very creditable.
An early qualifier gives him the luxury of really planning his season for once without the panic of trying to get a last minute WC qualifier whilst also juggling his INEOS pro tour duties. On that note, I think the team are going to use him as a sort of ‘road captain’ for their big Grand Tour camps, but not really relying on him to race much. this was the original plan when he signed with the team at the beginning of 2020, but he proved so effective as a domestique during the pandemic he was used a lot more in that role and rarely ever went on any of their special grand tour training camps.
I also note that he is still off Strava for the swim and run training he is obviously doing (he was a front pack swimmer in SA), and only infrequently posts his cycling training and racing, so who knows what training he is actually doing at the moment, but a 2.53 marathon indicates that he is a heck of a lot stronger in the run than when he ran a 3.03 on the same course last year. I presume he’ll aim for Ironman Vittoria as his next IM (unless the team start him in the TDF, which is unlikely), and maybe even IM Cairns (if the team don’t use him in the one week pre TDF stage races in June). There is also IM Lanzarote in five weeks time & he might feel he has unfinished business there, given his third place finish last year (although Arthur Horseau might want to come back and defend his title).