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Where triathlon meets real talk. Hosted by two seasoned triathletes Lockie Jones and Lleyton Wall, this podcast takes a deep dive into the controversies, challenges, and triumphs of the triathlete world.
00;00;19;00 - 00;00;38;01
Speaker 1
Oh, boy, oh boy. What a weekend of racing. Conor did not disappoint. How much of it did you watch? You watch the whole thing? Not really, because I was out long riding and I watched about the last 20 K of the run, mate, you missed it. I'll tell you what. It was bad timing. I think you did lie.
00;00;38;07 - 00;00;55;12
Speaker 1
I did lie. I thought it was 5 a.m.. No it wasn't. It was 230. So I definitely wasn't up at 230. Nor was I know, but I got him around 80 caves on the bike. I got about halfway on the bike. Yeah, I saw yeah, us because I was off at around five. So I thought saw like the turnaround at 90 K.
00;00;55;13 - 00;01;13;02
Speaker 1
Oh yeah. And then went out riding and then got back and I was like oh is it exciting now. It was on, it was on. But yeah, for those of you that might have missed it. My God, Conor, one of the best corners. I mean, I'm going to say one of the best I've ever seen because it's one of the only Conor's I've actually ever watched.
00;01;13;02 - 00;01;32;29
Speaker 1
And I say to you first in the podcast, I'm a fan of Long Course. Wow. He's converted. I'm converted. That's crazy. Never thought I was going to say that, ever. But let's get stuck into it. This is the unfunded podcast. I'm your host, Lachlan Jones, here with my good friend later, wall, and we are ready to rip in for another.
00;01;33;01 - 00;01;50;28
Speaker 1
I mean, honestly, this back end of the year is just yeah, it is stacked. And I mean, it's good that there's a pretty much long course is over for the year. The exciting ones anyway. But short course. I mean, there's still a two 100, I think. Yeah, we've still got another World Series series and then a stack of World Cups.
00;01;51;00 - 00;02;11;19
Speaker 1
World cups. Honestly, the racing at the moment is the racing at the moment starting to feel like prime Rihanna at the moment just, you know, Disturbia, S and M. You know, just like the prime Rihanna songs, you know, when you hear them and you just get it's. Yeah, okay. Well that's showing your age. That's what trough on racing is feeling like at the moment.
00;02;11;24 - 00;02;28;06
Speaker 1
Okay. That's good. So exciting. Great analogy. Yeah. You're welcome. Let's go. Let's just get straight straight into it. Let's just get stuck straight into Conor. What was your big highlight? My big highlight.
00;02;28;08 - 00;02;49;22
Speaker 1
I'm gonna go first because I don't mind, but I just love it because he was like, yeah, I think it was probably our highlight, man. He was my idol growing up. I he was he was that guy that like, he just had the swagger. He was cool. He's the cool dude of cool dude. Like, honestly, there was years where I just based my personality around Louis.
00;02;49;28 - 00;03;09;09
Speaker 1
Like, how could you not? He just had the aura about him. And I don't want to, like, make it seem like we're riding it here. But he was just the guy that everybody loved. Yeah, he was especially the short course, like 2020. Well, like from the post Brownlee era, it was the Vince era he took. It was his time and that was.
00;03;09;10 - 00;03;27;24
Speaker 1
Yeah. And he brought that cool persona to the short course triathlon. Like he wasn't boring. Like he read some flashy stuff. Like he was on trend with his, you know, fashion. He was just that typical, like, typical French. Yeah. He bit of swagger about him. Like he was really. He was just cool about it. I had I remember a story.
00;03;27;24 - 00;03;46;19
Speaker 1
It was like it was probably one of the greatest, greatest things that ever happened in my life. But at the time when I was like 17, 18 years old, but in my prime of Vince Louis love, I loved him. And it was my 18th birthday, and a week before my 18th birthday, it was Gold Coast World Champs.
00;03;46;21 - 00;04;05;25
Speaker 1
Oh yeah. Yeah, I remember this. Yeah. So there was four of us boys. There was me, Josh Ferris, Joe Begbie and four of us boys, all big Vincent Louis fans. We got in big, like, no, sorry, big blue paint. We all had one letter of his last name, so, like, I was the you. Somebody else was the LIS.
00;04;05;26 - 00;04;37;09
Speaker 1
Obviously, we stood up on the bridge on the Gold Coast like course there and just screaming for him like we loved him. We like we literally were like all all obsessed with him. And you probably died your hair at the same time he had died. My hair at the same time was probably a bleached blond hair. Anyway, he goes on to win the race and like, that photo was, circling around and Tommy took a heap of really funny photos of Vince riding past us with, you know, our shirts off, his name on our chest, and a week later, he's obviously like, done his big post on my birthday.
00;04;37;17 - 00;04;59;11
Speaker 1
I wake up September 26th with the notification on my phone. Vince Luis tagged you in a post. Oh, Vince knows you big fanboy. Like hell no presents that I got that year mattered because Vince Lily commented on my post. It was the coolest thing ever. But man, I mean, how can that not be one of the biggest stories of the week?
00;04;59;11 - 00;05;20;24
Speaker 1
Man's gone out on retirement, not podium in a single iron man. No, to date, never been to Kona. He's raced two like full distance races. He raced I think I'm and Texas came fourth. Yeah. And then I think he also came fourth at wrath. Yeah. So two of the big ones. Yeah. Yeah. Then he wins it. Yeah. In his final race.
00;05;20;27 - 00;05;38;01
Speaker 1
That is the storyline. And that's our that's probably our favorite part of Kona this year. Yeah. It was one of those like oh I got goosebumps. Yeah. Yeah I was panicking because I wanted him to win so bad when I saw him in the position, I think my heart rate, like went up. I was like kind of nervous for him.
00;05;38;04 - 00;06;02;04
Speaker 1
Stuff was charging and that would that would just be such a typical Gustav thing to do. Like it would have been such a typical Gustav. Just like motoring. That last bit of the run, you could see it like you could see it happening in your head as well, like Vince blowing up with 2 to 3 K to go, Gustaf running pass and Vince you know second or third that it was projected with about ten K to to go once Vince overtook Magnus.
00;06;02;07 - 00;06;20;26
Speaker 1
We'll get into the chaos of Kona soon. But on this while we're on it is like he was projected good stuff to win by 20s in the end. Yeah, at one point. Yeah, and I was. I'll set that in breakfast. I was like, I'm nervous, I know. No. So Mum and Dad, they just went to Japan and they came back.
00;06;20;26 - 00;06;41;23
Speaker 1
So they saw me on the way back down, we were out for breakfast and I had to have it up. I was like, the iPad kid in the cafe was, no, mom, I need watch this. How's your day been? Don't care how well we'll get to that. Vince is about to win. Yeah. No. It was. Yeah, I was fanboy hard in the cafe, but, it was amazing.
00;06;41;23 - 00;07;02;18
Speaker 1
I thought just. Yeah, just stylish to finish like that. Yeah. And it's not a cooler dude to finish on a win like that, though. And like, again, it probably in my mind like again, even as a short course like fanatic probably the race of the year I would say Kona has been the race of the year. Yeah. Especially with the drama that happens.
00;07;02;19 - 00;07;22;27
Speaker 1
Like there's so many changes in the lead. Like it's probably not as like exciting for that one two hours. Yeah. But as I said, it's like test cricket when a wicket falls or when someone falls over and starts stumbling. It is exciting. It's like it's like medieval times. Like you want to see blood drawn. Yeah. And it kind of was.
00;07;22;28 - 00;07;43;25
Speaker 1
Yeah. It was, it was crazy. I think yeah. The amount of lead changes, the ways that all the races went was just unpredictable. And I think that's the island of Kona. Yeah. Like we didn't see that. We saw that last year in the women's field as well. Like the unpredictability of Lucy Charles and Taylor nib falling over and then Solveig Seth winning.
00;07;43;28 - 00;08;03;11
Speaker 1
So that was unpredictable. But we didn't have a men's race and we had this cracking men's racing niece, which was so tight and so close together for 40 odd K of the run. Yeah. But then this year completely different. Yeah. So then that mix of races changes so much with Kona. With Kona. Exactly. It just it causes chaos.
00;08;03;11 - 00;08;19;18
Speaker 1
And we very well could have had a sprint finish between Gustav and Vince 100%. We could have seen one more pride Prime time Vince Louis would have. He got him. He. Yeah, he had to. He had it on the day. Made that Vince Louis short course specialist would have just kicked in 200 to go bang. You were not seeing him.
00;08;19;18 - 00;08;43;11
Speaker 1
You reckon al real the day before just absolutely revved him up. I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure where the reason Vince one. I reckon Vince saw that real and he went, yeah, I've got this. He's like, yeah 2018 Vince. Yeah my bones aren't sore anymore. My joints, I'm good to go. So like when and I obviously it's easy for me to say this now and like it's I'm not going to act like I predicted Vince to win.
00;08;43;11 - 00;09;04;04
Speaker 1
But when I was seeing the videos of the lead up in Vince, you remember how Hayden Wilde, before he was quiet? No, not even quite how he looked. We saw that video of Hayden where you could see every bloody vein in his body, and he was like, lean. And you're like, you are toeing the line between fit and fucked.
00;09;04;05 - 00;09;23;29
Speaker 1
Yeah, like you're either broken or you are the fittest you have ever been. Yeah, Vince looked like that for me. He had that, like, shallow face where it was like, you look so incredibly lean, like you have done everything. Everything right. You're teetering on the edge. You're either fetal fuck. You're either literally going to win. Well, I didn't get I'm not going to pretend like I thought Vince is going to.
00;09;24;00 - 00;09;40;26
Speaker 1
I don't think anyone thought Vince who's gonna win, but I do. I did think I was like, man, he's in he's in shape just from pure physical appearance. If you look lean and you look like ready to go. Yeah. Didn't think he was gonna do that. No, but I'm not surprised now, looking back and seeing how fit he looked.
00;09;40;26 - 00;09;59;24
Speaker 1
But also like I watch one of the Iron Man's like, you know pre dockers and it was had like Vince Martin van Real and Yuri coolant. Yeah. But if you watch that video Vince was hardly in it. No he did not want to. Do you want a bar of anything going on. He was just like going for a ride.
00;09;59;25 - 00;10;17;20
Speaker 1
All the all the talk was like, okay, all the talk was on no agent. Now all the talk was on the Norwegians and Sam Laidlaw, obviously Jamie Riddell, because he's obviously just such a big icon. And then in that one especially. Yeah. You just heard about Martin. Yeah. And Yuri because he likes to talk. Yeah. Because he wanted to be in it.
00;10;17;20 - 00;10;37;07
Speaker 1
Yeah. Yeah. He still actually did very well. He came ninth. Yeah. So he's insane. What do you think that is the last we're going to see? Vince? I kind of hope so. It's. It's sad to say that we're not going to see him again, but I think for his legacy, as he said, it's like going out on top.
00;10;37;09 - 00;10;58;24
Speaker 1
Who's done it? Yeah, he and I think he deserves that because he had a little like his leave. Leaving short course for him was not nice. Yeah it was a bit sour like he he didn't get picked for that, Olympics in Paris or home Olympics. He was he kind of missed his prime time in 2020. He got robbed.
00;10;58;24 - 00;11;24;19
Speaker 1
Covid robbed him. He like, realistically, I know we can't say that he was going to be the Olympic gold medalist, but he was on form, was a world champion that year. He did win the world championship that year. So, you know, he was 2018, 2019, 2020 world champion 2021. Yeah. Just yeah. And just had niggles and couldn't couldn't get back to his short course career and the fact that he's finished on top.
00;11;24;19 - 00;11;41;12
Speaker 1
And he said that that's pretty much the only thing that kept him going is to win a big title in long course and he's done it. Go out on top. It's it just adds to the aura. Yeah, it just adds to that. Like nobody else would do. Like nobody else would do that. Any other athlete was to win in Kona.
00;11;41;12 - 00;12;08;05
Speaker 1
You bet your life you're seeing them on the racecourse the next year. Well, yeah, exactly. There's heaps of them that have done it. Like, who is it? Chelsea Serrano. Yeah. See, like she's one Conor once, but I think she's tainted her. Her mystique, her aura, let's say, of being a world champion because she's. Well, she didn't races here because she was sick, but she hasn't had great years after that, I think.
00;12;08;07 - 00;12;32;14
Speaker 1
I think you're a one and done. Yeah. I think majority of athletes have. You look at Ali Brownlee. You look at Ali Brownlee that we knew Ali Brownlee from 2012 to 2016. Untouchable. Yep. Untouchable went long. Had a couple of good 70.3 races. You know he got two podiums. Second in 2018 2019 over the 70.3 distance I'm in distance I think his best ever was like a 21st or something.
00;12;32;14 - 00;12;51;23
Speaker 1
Yeah. He was riddled with Hendry. Just couldn't do it. Yeah. That. You can't tell me that. That's not ruining the legacy from that 2018. Oh that sort of. Yeah. 2018 to 2022, 20 oh 2023 when he retired. Yeah. Unfortunately, that just does take the legacy a little bit like, yes, you were great. You didn't end great. No. Yeah.
00;12;51;24 - 00;13;15;13
Speaker 1
And I think Vincent Louis ending great. Like okay we may as well go into his career because yeah it's an absolutely stunning career. Stellar career. He was the junior world champion in, 2008. Well, a long time ago. He's been going around for a while, the big fella. Long time. And then he won a French mixed team relay championship.
00;13;15;16 - 00;13;47;18
Speaker 1
Oh, well. World championship mixed team relay with France 2015 again in 2018. One super try 2018 2019 won the world title 2021. The world title was won in 2018. No, sorry, he won the grand final. Actually, he wasn't fine. Yeah, he only won two world titles. 2019. He won both the individual and the mixed relay again. 2020 World Championship, the one day race in Hamburg.
00;13;47;21 - 00;14;18;04
Speaker 1
So that was kind of a prelude to the Olympics or what could have been the Olympics that year. And then 2022 was a French mixed relay world championship again. Now, Conor, he's pretty well done at all besides that. And he did get an Olympic medal in the relay. Yeah. So we can't forget that. No I mean from Olympic Olympic medals like I mean again obviously it's going to probably always be that little sore spot that it's not an individual.
00;14;18;06 - 00;14;38;07
Speaker 1
I think this makes up I think this makes up for it as well. This 100% makes up. I did I did see yeah, there was an Instagram. Real going around where this is, his good karma for losing that, for losing that Olympic title. Yeah, I think so. I think. Yeah. Be done. Be on top. Say, hurrah!
00;14;38;09 - 00;15;08;25
Speaker 1
You can go back to kind of for the next 20 years. But the guy that was undefeated at Kona retired on top one. Conor won it. Cool. Conor complete it mate. Yeah, literally. That's all I need to do. So that was awesome. Good for him. I'm happy with that. The I kind of went through like a bit of a I kind of sparred a little bit after I saw the question from Pro Tri News and Pro Tri News were like, obviously they looked like they did an unreal job there.
00;15;08;26 - 00;15;28;03
Speaker 1
Like shout out to really cool. Looks like an awesome set up they had. Obviously both. Jan Ferdinand Christian Bloom felt an interview on the panel. They asked both the audience I think it was Will. Will McCoy asked the audience both times when they were on if Christian Bloomfield was to win. This was obviously before the race. He asked.
00;15;28;03 - 00;15;48;03
Speaker 1
He said Christian, if Christian Bloomfield wins on the weekend, does he then surpass the dino as the greatest of all time? And everybody, everybody said yes. So I mean, when John was there, everybody said no. Jan would still be the best. But obviously that's because he was there. But it wasn't as like it wasn't as, I guess, definitive.
00;15;48;04 - 00;16;07;24
Speaker 1
Yeah. As when Christian was there. I was like, yeah, Christian's the greatest of all time. I just don't believe that. I'm sorry, I don't I don't like, believe the only thing that Christian has done. And this is why I can 100% see the argument. You've got the four big ones, you've got an Olympic title. An Ironman title. Yeah.
00;16;07;26 - 00;16;32;17
Speaker 1
0.3 world title. And then a World Triathlon Short Course Series title. Yeah. Christian is the only one that has done all four of those. All four? Yes, but no yarn. Freddy. No. Did not ever get a short course world title. So he never won a World Triathlon Series. He never won that. But he has an Olympic title. He has three Ironman world titles, all in Kona.
00;16;32;18 - 00;16;55;18
Speaker 1
I think that's where it comes in. Yes, because the pinnacle of short course we would say, is the Olympic title. Yeah. And they both have that the pinnacle of long course, although it comes around every single year, is the Iron Man work title in Kona 100%. That's the thing. It's in Kona because as you see or saw on the weekend, it doesn't go off.
00;16;55;20 - 00;17;17;07
Speaker 1
Who is, you know, on paper, the fittest. Yeah. Or on paper looks the best. It doesn't matter. Yeah. It does not matter who it is. It's who is the best on the day. And Kona can do some weird things. I think it's just I just look at it and I crazy of it. Okay. They have the same amount of Olympic titles.
00;17;17;09 - 00;17;42;04
Speaker 1
John Ferdinand has two more Ironman world titles, three more in Kona. He has one more Ironman 70.3 title and Christian only beats him in. He has one more short course World Series title. See, I, I think that's harder. Like and you look at on the weekend you could you could not predict who was going to win. So the fact that someone can win three.
00;17;42;11 - 00;18;05;18
Speaker 1
Yeah. On the Big Island. Yeah is more impressive than winning over a year, year of short course racing, I believe. Anyway, yes, like longevity and longevity of a career like you. Look at Yan's career 2008 last world title, 2019. All of these. So he's he's out of these four major out of the four major titles 2008 Olympic gold.
00;18;05;20 - 00;18;34;14
Speaker 1
His last one was 2019 when he won Kona. Yeah, that is an 11 year stint of dominance 2008. And then it was 2015, 16, 18 and 19. Christian Bloomfield was 2021, 2021, 2022. Yeah, 2021. Like all in the space of one two years. Still very impressive, but not I say I. I wouldn't say he's the goat. I would forgo a World Triathlon title for the three peat that Jaan has.
00;18;34;15 - 00;19;01;06
Speaker 1
Yeah, in Kona for sure, but I just thought. I just thought it was like very a short, short sighted from a lot of people to say. Yeah, I think now people love like. And people have gone more into the Norwegian method slash the science of triathlon, the hype of I think that's what they love more. And they dive into that a bit more than actually looking at objectively who has won on the hard days.
00;19;01;09 - 00;19;20;16
Speaker 1
I think it's yarn. Yeah. I mean, you even look at like overall world titles over the course of a career. You got Harvey Gomez with seven like he had seven. He had five in the short course. He had five World Triathlon titles, short course and then two Ironman 70.3 titles. See, but the thing is he never had never got an Olympic one.
00;19;20;16 - 00;19;42;29
Speaker 1
And he never won an Ironman title. To be classified as a goat, you need to hit it on that one day every four years. Oh, that's a Olympic title. The only for me, the conversation of a goat is yarn. Christian and Allie Brownlee, do you think then, And Alex Ye could convert to long course and become a goat like this?
00;19;43;02 - 00;20;01;17
Speaker 1
I mean, do I think Alex ye I don't know, I don't know what Alex is going to be like. He could very much be an Alistair Brownlee where it's like, you're a short course goat. Yeah, yeah. You're not a trough on goat. Yeah, I think they I think to be. Yeah. I think you have to be one. You have to have an Olympic title.
00;20;01;23 - 00;20;21;11
Speaker 1
I think that's a, the only one that challenges. That is Harvey Gomez. And that's because you know he he's got a silver and he has five world titles to his name spanning from 2008 to 2015. Yeah it's pretty good. He's close. He's close. But yeah I, I, I think.
00;20;21;14 - 00;20;44;11
Speaker 1
I don't think you've ever seen the conversion on a women's side though either. It's like a flaw of Duffy. Yeah. She won an Olympic gold but couldn't quite converted over Gwen won Olympic gold. Hasn't quite converted over. Look the conversation is definitely between John and Christian. Like. No. They're the only two that have been able to spread themselves from an Olympic title to an Ironman world title to 70.3 world title.
00;20;44;18 - 00;21;08;00
Speaker 1
The only two. For me, it's yarn. I still think it's yarn. Yeah, for sure. The longevity. Yeah. And yeah, I don't know. I think people would just be short minded with that. But it's funny how like, I think Vince is just with this one race, kind of dipped his toe into that category now like he's he had like two world titles as a short course athlete.
00;21;08;02 - 00;21;26;04
Speaker 1
And now just with that one Ironman world title, I think that's just the iconic like, doesn't even need to be in the Goat status conversation, but just having one and done. Yeah, it's just a legendary thing to do. Just it is it's it's just aura and we don't really have words for it. So we haven't explained it very well.
00;21;26;06 - 00;21;48;20
Speaker 1
Yeah. It's just cool. It's just cool. It's just it's French, it's arrogant and it's cool. Yeah. That's what I like about it. Out of there. Go. He owns. Go make your coffees at your cafe. Cafe. Just go be cool. Yeah. Go. Go where? Some weird stuff, man. Yeah, I mean, he. Yeah, I usually I like rock with whatever Vince wears, but whatever the thing he was wearing before that highlighter kit, I can't.
00;21;48;22 - 00;22;12;18
Speaker 1
No, but that's Finn's. That was he can rocket. That was a bit like. Yeah, yeah. Okay. The DNS. My god, I think this is the storyline of Conor and what makes Conor such a cool event, because we're not actually watching realistically, like the race dynamics between people. We're watching people just absolutely suffer murder themselves on a race course.
00;22;12;23 - 00;22;35;20
Speaker 1
I think tactics go out the window when they're on in such harsh conditions. You're not tactical with the other competitors. You're not, you're not, you're not. They're not racing each other per se. It's it's a war of attrition. And I think when you do that, like I think I do 100, 100% think Solveig saw Taylor in her sights and she started racing.
00;22;35;20 - 00;23;02;29
Speaker 1
She started racing. Taylor. Yeah. Look what that did for her in the end. Well, and that was last year in the women's field as well. Taylor and, Lucy Charles, they were racing. Yeah. And they just capitulated. It's like. So we'll continue with people who either DNF or had massive blocks because there was a stack of them. First off, Taylor Knibb started wobbling.
00;23;03;05 - 00;23;23;02
Speaker 1
She was leading the race. Yeah. So I thought she was gone then solving. Look, Seth was leading the race. Yeah, we all saw. Everyone has seen that. She just collapsed. It was. It was. Hers was bad enough for you. Like, okay, I'm actually worried for her. Yeah. It was that, like, it's a train wreck. It was that I can't I don't remember what year it was.
00;23;23;02 - 00;23;40;16
Speaker 1
I don't remember who they were. But there was this, like, iconic video that I remember seeing as a young kid watching growing up in triathlon. There were these two women who were crawling to the finish line. They were they were racing each other, crawling along the finish line because they both couldn't physically stand. I think I've seen that, but I don't know who it is.
00;23;40;16 - 00;23;57;22
Speaker 1
I don't know who it was and I don't know what year. It was probably like a Kona back in the 90s. Yeah, yeah, it would have been somewhat like that where they were both basically the same as Solveig, where they could not stand and they were racing to the finish line crawling. Yeah. But the back then the craziest thing was though, like sucking on almond.
00;23;57;24 - 00;24;21;16
Speaker 1
Yeah. For their nutrition. Yeah. Yeah. Having a big mouth there. Yeah. Who else? Magnus leading the race. Absolutely. Just started wobbling and need to sit down as well. And that was pretty late as well. That was late. That was 30. Came to the marathon. Yeah. Yeah. He he was a good like you know you know I think he had ten K to go.
00;24;21;17 - 00;24;40;01
Speaker 1
Yeah. And that's when Vince passes him and that's when he has to stop. He looked ordinary. Yeah. He's a big boy as well. He's a big boy. And I think I said that before I. And not that it's going to be like a massive detrimental factor but just being big I that's why I had my argument about Patrick laying.
00;24;40;01 - 00;25;03;03
Speaker 1
He's done so well and because he's, he's so small. Yeah. And he just like doesn't absorb the heat. Like he's not putting out as much energy like per kilojoules as a bigger guy is, which is just like naturally like is that going to be the reason again? Like we spoke about Christian Bloomfield again. That's why I think he he's he's not he's not a massive dude.
00;25;03;03 - 00;25;22;29
Speaker 1
But yeah I think he's hard to get right. Bigger than some of them. Like he's he's probably bigger than events like. And you said Vince looked you know looking at those two running together, they were kind of they looked about the same. But again, like we're not saying these athletes are big. No, but they're not like a, you know, they're not a Patrick Lane.
00;25;22;29 - 00;25;43;11
Speaker 1
They're not a yellow Gaines. Yeah. Exactly. Those kind of like really, really small. Yeah. Like whippets. But I mean, Vince made it work, so. Yeah. Fair. Who else do you know? We had Sam Laidlaw. Sam Laidlaw. That was a big one. Yeah, that was pretty. That was pretty like. I feel like we didn't get to see the KB Laidlaw showdown that no everyone wanted.
00;25;43;16 - 00;26;03;05
Speaker 1
I think it was really hyped up. We didn't get to see that even, like we had Martin Van Real. He still finished. But, you know, he he just wasn't himself. Who else? Jamie Riddell, Jamie Riddell, also down. Lucy. Charles Barkley. Well, that was a tough one. Yeah. I didn't think it was going to happen again.
00;26;03;11 - 00;26;23;25
Speaker 1
I did not ever. I thought she was going to save it. I really did as well. I thought she was going to be good as gold. I thought, you know, Lucy hadn't raced. She's been all in on Conor. It doesn't matter. There was one athlete that I thought. I thought they were done. And this was about 90 to 100 cannon.
00;26;23;25 - 00;26;46;16
Speaker 1
The bike was Schomberg, Jonah Schomberg. He started cramping. And you just saw Matthew Marquard and did live absolutely motor past him like he was standing still. Yeah. Like flew past him like he he was cramping up on the bike and that's. You still got 80 kHz to ride at that point. It's a long day. You've got a long day to keep riding.
00;26;46;18 - 00;27;05;22
Speaker 1
But recovered. Finished seventh. So yeah, that's a good stint. Really good, really good. But still someone that blew up and probably didn't have the race in the end that they wanted but made it work. Yeah. But then also you have guys and girls that had harsh days by getting drafting penalties and they got back on the poem.
00;27;05;22 - 00;27;25;24
Speaker 1
They got back into the race. We said, what was it, three out of three out of the six on the podium. So good stuff. Eden, Mark Marquardt and Julie Darren. Yeah, all got penalties on the day and all ran up to podiums. I mean, there was even parts where Julie Darren looked ordinary on the run. Yeah. And still, like, she had to walk like she was.
00;27;25;28 - 00;27;49;07
Speaker 1
I mean, I guess it's probably not an athlete that maybe didn't walk, but I mean, maybe Vincent. Good stuff. But, there was not a point where, like, there was a point where Julie Darren looked ordinary. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, most of them did for actually, you know, it. Everybody was there at some point. Vince is probably the only one that did that didn't then also I thought he's like five K goes not looking 100%.
00;27;49;11 - 00;28;16;01
Speaker 1
You just can't be it. No five. But yeah I thought that was super impressive. Those three people and it just it does just show that Conor that distance, that kind of race. It's literally not over til it's over. But you can get a three minute penalty on the bike and you're back in it. Yeah. Exactly right. My question to you is because we looked at Conor and for me analyzing it from my cafe chair, I was like, this is like a UFC match.
00;28;16;04 - 00;28;37;15
Speaker 1
I'm watching people just drop down. I'm waiting for the next person to drop. That's what I'm waiting for. It was it was kind of bad because I was like, out for blood. But that's one that's what I was looking for. That's what kind of made it so shock and awe and like, I want to keep watching. It's a train wreck and it's going in slow mo and I can see this person is absolutely.
00;28;37;19 - 00;29;04;07
Speaker 1
Yeah EFT. Yeah. So it makes me think if you have a situation like solving Locke's F, should the athletes be stood down from racing medically for an extended period of time? So I've related this to a related Conor to UFC. And if you see fighter gets absolutely knocked out I know different brain injuries etc. they get stood down for like medically retired for six months.
00;29;04;07 - 00;29;25;07
Speaker 1
Right? I'm not saying six months in triathlon, but if you have a situation like Solvay logs have who literally collapsed on the course, I know it was a K to go. Should she be medically not banned, but like medically stood down from racing for a period of time for the athletes health because that is not good for your body.
00;29;25;07 - 00;29;46;05
Speaker 1
Like what some of those guys and girls did like. It is not good for your body. The heat exhaustion like just that, that you can't. It's pretty dangerous to be fair. Severe toll in your body? Yes. Are you saying, like, stood down, by, like Iron Man? Or are you saying stood down like so? All right, look, you've copped enough.
00;29;46;07 - 00;30;08;07
Speaker 1
You can't finish. See, I think see, this is tough because in the spirit of, like, Iron Man and like to honor the race, I think it was so cool for someone like Silver Log Seth to finish the race, because, like, because that shows what the storylines are. It's like she was an Ironman champion the year before. Yeah.
00;30;08;08 - 00;30;29;22
Speaker 1
And she's honoring the race by, like, literally just have to finish crawling. She had a 30 minute nap and then went went again. Not so. Yeah. Well because and that's not good for your body. No. But using the UFC theory like I obviously I know it's just a theory, but they would like if you were someone looking like a lot like, Solveig did.
00;30;29;23 - 00;30;57;06
Speaker 1
Yeah. In a UFC match or any sort of fighting match, they'd be like, you look really ordinary. Done. You're done. Yeah. Don't see again, we know that this is just an analogy and it's super different, but yeah. Could there be something like that? It's a lay down for 30 minutes and then you can go again. Yeah. Maybe. Maybe but also like, like a two month like period of I know a lot of these guys and girls won't be racing because they've absolutely drained their body.
00;30;57;06 - 00;31;17;25
Speaker 1
They need rest and they know they're ultra professionals. They won't be racing for a while because it's taking so much out of them. But should there be someone like Solveig who literally collapsed on the floor and did leave, who was on the verge of just falling over like a big giraffe just gone Boof? Yeah, cracking his head on the floor.
00;31;17;27 - 00;31;37;14
Speaker 1
Should they be like told? Mate, you can't race for two months like you need to get your body right. Health back on track. Yeah, before you can race again. You can't bury yourself in a month. I don't know, like, I feel like just as an athlete, like, welfare thing, it makes sense. It does make sense. And I see where you're coming from.
00;31;37;16 - 00;32;00;11
Speaker 1
Surely their own personal athlete teams are making those sort of calls. I definitely think that a lot of these people won't be racing for until pretty much next season. It is the end of the season race. I know a few might do a T 100. Yeah, but even race in Beijing this weekend. Yeah. Highly doubt on my it's in China.
00;32;00;13 - 00;32;21;11
Speaker 1
Oh yeah. Maybe. But she didn't collapse on the floor. It's like when it's a real dramatic collapse. Like it's because that was pretty scary. That was. You and I both have said that looks scary. And we were concerned. Yeah. It was one of those collapses where you like, your immediate attention was like, shit, shit. It wasn't like worried about her result.
00;32;21;11 - 00;32;42;05
Speaker 1
It was like, Holy shit, is she going to get carried off in an ambulance? Yeah, exactly. So I don't know. It just begs the question, should there be something like that? I don't know. Bit of, like an external panel, maybe. Yeah. That reviews and goes. You're just done. Like your body as much as it's sport. But your health comes first.
00;32;42;08 - 00;32;59;23
Speaker 1
Is, I don't know, a bit of a take. I think it's tricky because like when when you're in the UFC, it's quite easy to see like the significant blows to a head. Yeah. And again, again, I know it's just an analogy, but it's like, yeah, how do you really see how much it has directly affected that athlete? Yeah, it's interesting though.
00;32;59;25 - 00;33;25;13
Speaker 1
Anyway, so take that as you will give us your thoughts on that. The next one, we can't go past it because we've just half done a lot about Vincent Louis. But the triumph of Taylor nib. Yeah. And just obviously an incredible story from what happened to her last year battling it out with Lucy Charles to the point where she sat down and said, I just want to stop.
00;33;25;14 - 00;33;49;11
Speaker 1
I don't want to keep going anymore. Like she said that on, obviously it was the the live, recording of it. I just I just want to stop. I don't want to go anymore. So go from three. Quote from the finish. Yeah. To go from that. Watching Solveig run faster to this year, watching Solveig run past her again, probably in her mind, just absolutely going, I fucked up.
00;33;49;15 - 00;34;08;16
Speaker 1
I've done it again. Because she was wobbly as well. Yeah, she was not looking good. She tried to go with her when she passed, but she couldn't. Probably thinking it's the delay here. Yeah. And then okay to go just down the road. So down. You see her down. And you're thinking I just need to stay up. I literally just need to stay up here.
00;34;08;16 - 00;34;25;06
Speaker 1
And I think that's what some of the I think Will McCoy was like, Taylor, you just need to stay upright. Like, all you need to do is just get there on your two feet and you're the world champion. Like, there was a real that really funny interview was, of her at the end where she was like, I just didn't want I was out there and I don't even know why I'm doing this.
00;34;25;07 - 00;34;52;21
Speaker 1
Like, what am I doing this? It's so hard. Why am I doing this? But I got to the end and it was good. It was like, oh yeah, I just think what, what an impressive last month from the month or six weeks. Like I thought it was going to be way too much. But the fact that she's gone 70.3 word title, 13th at world TT champs and then Ironman World champion in a month, one of the most probably like the most compatible athlete.
00;34;52;23 - 00;35;10;09
Speaker 1
And she was still got you know she still got World Cup podiums to her name this year. Yeah. Yeah she's going to race everything every distance. Yeah I see I thought I wrote her off and I thought he was going to do the same thing as last year. I stand corrected, we both did. I mean, neither of us.
00;35;10;10 - 00;35;34;18
Speaker 1
It was an impressive like to be able to back up. And she's probably one that alongside Hayden Wilde but probably a bit more versatile. Yeah. Is the most versatile athlete at this current stage. Caitlyn is 100% the most versatile. Taylor was 100% the most versatile athlete the trough one has right now. Yeah, like the fact that she's gone winning World Cups and then or podium World Cups.
00;35;34;21 - 00;35;57;07
Speaker 1
Yeah 70.3 world champ. I man world champ. She just needs for the Olympics, which I think hopefully is her focus over the next two years is just all legs. In short course if she goes and wins in Olympic title, the greatest of all time, greatest female of all time, I think so. I think she'd be probably the goat all around.
00;35;57;08 - 00;36;12;16
Speaker 1
Yeah, the fact that she's done it all, then, is ultra impressive. One of the only woman to ever do it. Yeah, yeah. I think she's probably one of the only women to convert, so. Well, yeah, up to the Iron Man distance. I said this last week. You don't really see it too often. She was super dominant in short courses.
00;36;12;17 - 00;36;39;00
Speaker 1
Yeah. Like, even, not not Flora Duffy, Canadian Paula Findlay, Paula Findlay, she hasn't quite converted over as well. Still a great still a course athlete. Yeah. And a great long course career. Probably similar to, like, Harvey Gomez where it was like dominant short course. Good, good. Like, don't get me wrong. Like, nothing to snake like podium level athlete.
00;36;39;00 - 00;37;05;06
Speaker 1
Yeah, but not that dominance that Taylor. Taylor. Taylor has. Yeah. Right now. So Taylor I think yeah she is probably the best in the world. Well she's the best in the world. But like the most you know one that can translate over any distance. And I won't see her back in that short course realm and really focusing on it, because I think doing all this long course stuff just takes away so much from that short course.
00;37;05;07 - 00;37;20;23
Speaker 1
I think she's ticked it off now, like you've just gone and you've just got to go on one. And she's done them both. She just she needs that Olympic gold. Did him in, did him a one year go get your Olympic gold now will a mixed relay Olympic gold do it for you though? Yeah. Yeah, it's gonna be an individual one.
00;37;20;24 - 00;37;43;04
Speaker 1
Got to be an individual. Like I'm like. Then then we're saying, you know. Oh, Lassa Lewis and Tim Hellwig have Olympic gold surname. Yeah. Like, they're great athletes, but they don't. Yeah. So no that doesn't that doesn't do it for me. She has to go and get an individual Olympic gold and then it's the same. It's the same as the men, you know.
00;37;43;05 - 00;38;07;23
Speaker 1
It's the same. You can't tell me that Christian Bloomfield winning in. I'm trying to remember who was the British athlete that was in the gold medal winning team in Tokyo. Alex and, Johnny. Johnny, obviously. Yeah, obviously. Johnny. Well, that's a bad example. Yeah. Bad example because Johnny was Johnny was a great good. I was hoping it was like, Johnny's got the whole set.
00;38;07;24 - 00;38;24;07
Speaker 1
Yeah. I was thinking it was going to be like a, I mean, again, nothing against Sam Dickinson, but, you know, like, I Sam Dickinson and Christian Bloomfield, but yeah, that kind of room by analogy. But anyway, no, it's not the same. You have to go win an individual. So back to that was Conor and it was chaos.
00;38;24;08 - 00;38;37;03
Speaker 1
And guess what, where came for next year? Yeah, I love it. So I wouldn't be following the Roman Pro series next year. I don't know if I'll follow the Pro series. I'll follow the ones with the big names, the big names, the big names. I wish Conor was two two times a year because I want to watch that twice.
00;38;37;04 - 00;38;54;03
Speaker 1
You know, maybe it's just Conor and Niece. That's all I really care about. Yeah, I only it's it's one of those ones. I'm not going to follow the series like I do World Triathlon. Like short course every year. Every race. Sorry. Yeah. But I'll follow enough enough of it. That's good. That's like watching the big dogs and we're turning it into a long course podcast.
00;38;54;05 - 00;39;17;19
Speaker 1
Where are they going to cover the two long course races? Beijing World Cup. And we're back to short course guys. And a little sorry for hurting your ears for the last half hour. Yeah, that was cool. Beijing World Cup, we're back. We're raising a lot in Asia at the moment for the World Cups. First one off Beijing and it looks like you're pretty stacked.
00;39;17;22 - 00;39;42;20
Speaker 1
It is still pretty stacked. I mean, everything's on the line for Olympic points. We were just talking and there was like I think Hong Kong World Cup has a 95 person waitlist, which absolutely absurd, ridiculous. Probably the hardest year to get into any kind of race. It's just been crazy for waitlists. And obviously nobody wants to go to China because there's like seven people on the Beijing waitlist, but, that's okay.
00;39;42;25 - 00;40;05;25
Speaker 1
Yeah. That's right. Songs more. Oh, there's nobody on the women's. Yeah. Stacked field. We've still got like big. I mean, he's got, well, WTC s winners. Yeah, yeah, we got Max Duda. We got like, big name China. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm not gonna say it. We got big names like Alberto Gonzalez, Mark Davey, Morgan Pearson, Seth Ryder.
00;40;05;28 - 00;40;29;23
Speaker 1
You got such as Sascha, Shakib, Brandon Copeland, Hugo Milner. What are we going to see there? He wasn't that good in Rome. Yeah. Still can't really remember. Negro. You went to Negro? Who has got Ben Dykstra? Hopefully. Yeah. Lots of big names. Yeah. In the women's who who are some of the contenders as well? We got a Kate WAF.
00;40;29;23 - 00;40;57;18
Speaker 1
She's doing a lot of racing in this back end of the year. We got Kate Wharf, Gwen Jorgensen, Marta, safe. Malachy the Aussie, she's pretty good. Brett. Roderick. Nina, I'm Rochelle hill. Yeah, yeah. Hill. Which is cool. Kira. Helen. Good to see her back on a start list as well. So, yeah, still some pretty big names getting around, which again, like you said, we're still in that Olympic, Olympic window.
00;40;57;18 - 00;41;14;05
Speaker 1
People are going to be getting their their points up. Their points up. It looks like it will be a warm race. Oh, yeah. I think any time in China it's going to be pretty hot. It's an Olympic distance as well. Especially Beijing's definitely going to be. Beijing is going to be real hot to be bloody polluted and hot.
00;41;14;06 - 00;41;35;09
Speaker 1
Yeah. Factories are yeah, yeah. They have a two lap swim in like they're good looking man made lakes that they always have no moats. And then it's a 40 K roll around on a highway probably. Yep. And a flat fast run for by two and a half K. You can basically just have a blanket format for what every China race is going to be.
00;41;35;10 - 00;41;53;10
Speaker 1
Yeah. So it's flat. It's in a dead flat swim. It's a pan flat bike on highway. There'll be rapid and a rapid run. So they do do it well, though, to be fair. They're pretty cool. It's always blocked off and they always put on a good show. I mean, they set it up like it's basically a World Series.
00;41;53;11 - 00;42;16;07
Speaker 1
Yeah, it is awesome. And I think the World Cups, they probably do even better. Like, oh well, better than Connie's. I've only been to a Connie in China. So what is your podium predictions for the men's? I mean, I'm actually looking at it and it does look like there are quite a few big name swimmers in this.
00;42;16;07 - 00;42;41;28
Speaker 1
Obviously, you got, like, a marked of a Morgan Pearson's a great Seth Rider. You know, Brendan Copeland's a great swimmer to, regularly kiss James song like a James and a Jordan in there. Jordan. Jordan re great swimmer. So I mean, you went to Negro to I, I want to say it's going to be like an exciting swim breakaway, but I just don't know.
00;42;42;03 - 00;42;57;13
Speaker 1
Look, I, I just don't think you can't go past the king of China, Max Duda, love racing in China. We saw him in way high. You got to go, Max. So I'm going to go. Max Duda. I'm going to go Morgan Pearson. He's got the experience. And I mean at this level, you know he should be on the podium.
00;42;57;16 - 00;43;16;05
Speaker 1
Great runner Morgan Pearson in second. And then I'm going to go for the big fella Brandon Copeland I'm going to. You stole my pick Brenda will the whole thing. Oh well very close. Yeah I'm going to go Brandon. Just because we saw him in way high 11th in way high. Really good. Obviously we're biased. We trained with him train in the house down at the moment.
00;43;16;05 - 00;43;31;17
Speaker 1
And I think you've just got a little bit of mojo back. Like he sort of seems to be training really well. I mean he always trains well, but racing really well to bit of confidence. He kind of knows. He knows he's good. Yeah I agree it's going to follow through from that way. He's been trying like ten times this year as well.
00;43;31;19 - 00;43;48;04
Speaker 1
Yeah he's a king. He was loves it. Yeah. He's got the new stars of King of China. Yes that's mine Max Duda Morgan Pearson Brandon Copeland okay, so I've gone Max Judah. Yeah. You can't go past him. King of China. He. He's the real king of China. And I've gone Hugo Miller I think it's going to be a run race.
00;43;48;07 - 00;44;11;01
Speaker 1
So you just can't go past his pedigree. I think you can win. The bike is. I like again. I just think he's shocking on the bike. You saw him in Rome. I mean, Rome's a different course, I get it, but I'll. I'll think I think it's a flat fast 40 K like, it's not very technical. It's pretty much a big loop for a eight by five K loops.
00;44;11;03 - 00;44;27;00
Speaker 1
It's it's pretty pretty often because I picked him. I picked him for Rome. Yeah, I know I'm off him because of that. And I've gone Brando as well. He actually said to me on Saturday run session he goes, are you going to pick me this week? And that gave me confidence. Yeah. And I was like, we've both been Brando.
00;44;27;03 - 00;44;48;01
Speaker 1
Yeah, you're on, you're on here. Brando. Not that I'm going to borrow your wheels anyway, I love that. I love the people want to be picked up. Yeah I know, yeah. Thank you. Feel that it means anything like we're wrong majority of the time. Just take a cone of picks, for example. But, Nah, I think Brando will do well here, actually, though, so I've got you out there.
00;44;48;03 - 00;45;10;03
Speaker 1
If I didn't believe in you, Brando, I wouldn't pick you up. All right, moving on to the women's race. I think you can't go past Kate Wolf. I'm gonna go. Kate Wharf. Just super strong swim bike. You could potentially see like a martyr. Kate Wharf. Who else you got? You probably got a, like, a prayer, Roderick.
00;45;10;06 - 00;45;35;01
Speaker 1
There's a couple other big swimmers. Yeah, a couple of friends. A couple of friends. You know, there could be a bit of a swim bike breakaway here. So, Yeah, I'm gonna go. Kate. Wolf. Kate Wolf. Gwen jorgensen. I don't know about came off. I'm going to go oh four in Pontevedra, unfortunately got disqualified. So it doesn't unofficial fourth.
00;45;35;04 - 00;46;01;17
Speaker 1
Okay. Off and then I'm going to go. Gwen Jorgensen okay. I think there'll be a bit of a gap. Marta. Crop. Go! Kate. Waffle. Hold on. Gwen Jorgensen will run our way up. Okay, so I've got Kate off numero uno standard. Then I've got inky hang. She's the Chinese girl that came forth at way high this year. So I've got her in as a dark, I reckon.
00;46;01;18 - 00;46;20;29
Speaker 1
Okay. I think a World Cup. I think she might be on. Well she should be paying like five, $5.20 for her. Yeah, probably for a podium. And then I've got Gwen Jorgensen as well. She's got number one on the back and. Yeah, I just think she, she actually raced or right in the world final. Did she come in pond top ten.
00;46;21;00 - 00;46;42;06
Speaker 1
I think you better take that back. Did you come 20th? She was pretty far back. She's back with two dimension. Oh, anyway, I've got in there anyway, so, Nice try. Yeah. So did you see that was the photo of Gwen and Tilden. It was like the oldest versus the youngest in the field. Oh, true. Yeah, it was like the 19, oh, I don't know, 1920 year old versus a 40 year old.
00;46;42;07 - 00;47;00;15
Speaker 1
Crazy. That's actually a mad difference. Gwen. Gwen was racing around in the junior series when tilt was born. Yeah. Oh, that is crazy. That is pretty cool, though. Fair game to keep going. Yeah. Oh, 100%. If you if you can do it, can you want it? Yeah. If I was that good when I was 40, I'd still do it.
00;47;00;15 - 00;47;23;17
Speaker 1
But yeah, I can't even get that. She's still number one on the style, which is crazy. It's literally 1986. Wow. We weren't even a thought then. No, not not single thought. I was 14. It was 16. 14 when we went. When? 14 year thoughts? Sorry, sorry, sorry. She was 14. Yeah. Was born. Yeah. Crazy crazy crazy crazy. Doing.
00;47;23;24 - 00;47;44;21
Speaker 1
If you can keep doing it 100% better than a day job. Exactly. Not going to be me. But you keep doing it. All right, guys, thank you very much for listening to the unfunded podcast. Once again. I don't know, 61, episode 61, episode 61. That's our kind of thoughts. Again, what a race. Looking forward to back to being back in the short course realm this week with Beijing.
00;47;44;23 - 00;47;55;24
Speaker 1
We'll give you the rundown. And basically every week from now is going to be recapping and reviewing a World Cup for the rest of the year. There you are. Thanks for listening, guys. Thank you very much. Bye. Good show.