# The Ironman World Championship Pretenders Revealed!

An episode of [The Triathlon Hour](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1595443343), 9 Sep 2025, 57 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2640942/episodes/19698030-the-ironman-world-championship-pretenders-revealed.mp3

Day 3 of daily podcasts for this week leading into the Ironman World Championships is here and the boys start things off by briefly touching on the Hayden Wilde situation, they then read your comments on air before getting into the highly anticipated Ironman World Champs edition of Contender or Pretender. Lever: Use the code TTH for 20% off your Lever system Lever Patreon: We put a lot of time & energy into bringing you this podcast every week and have done for 4 years now. If you appreciate what we do, we would love your support and you can do so for less than the cost of a coffee per week on Patreon - Patreon link

## Transcript

[0:27] SPEAKER_00: Yes, we are back day three of Daily Podcast.
[0:31] SPEAKER_00: That's right.
[0:31] SPEAKER_00: Every single day this week, we are bringing you a podcast in the lead up to the Men's Iron Man World Championships here, live on the ground in Nice.
[0:39] SPEAKER_00: Yes, that's right.
[0:40] SPEAKER_00: I finally made it to Nice for the World Championships on late to the podcast because it took about eight hours of driving here.
[0:45] SPEAKER_00: We went through about 15 toll roads, paid probably 250 euros in the toll fees, but we finally made it here into this really, really, really small hotel that I'm staying in.
[0:55] SPEAKER_00: As always, I'm joined by the man, the myth, the 20-time Iron Man 70.3 champion, Sam Appleton.
[1:01] SPEAKER_02: Thanks for having me, Jack.
[1:02] SPEAKER_02: It's good to be back.
[1:03] SPEAKER_02: Good to be delivering the daily content to the uh sports fans.
[1:07] SPEAKER_00: And you know what, Apppo, a lot of comments after yesterday's podcast that our man is finally off the fence.
[1:13] SPEAKER_00: He's brought some life to the podcast.
[1:17] SPEAKER_02: Well, you know, there's some, you know, I'm a bit of a fence sitter most of the time, but there's, you know, some things you just can't sit on the fence for.
[1:24] SPEAKER_02: You have to get off, choose a side, and I think I did that yesterday.
[1:28] SPEAKER_00: And a man who's never afraid to get off the fence.
[1:31] SPEAKER_00: In fact, I'm I'm I'm coining it.
[1:33] SPEAKER_00: He's the most opinionated man in triathlon, Greg Harper.
[1:38] SPEAKER_01: Sitting on fences is uncomfortable.
[1:40] SPEAKER_01: Like it's not a good place to sit.
[1:41] SPEAKER_01: I'm hopping off.
[1:42] SPEAKER_01: I'm never on.
[1:43] SPEAKER_01: I don't know what Apple likes.
[1:45] SPEAKER_01: I mean, he obviously likes riding the TT bike, very similar to sitting on a fence, so you know he's into that.
[1:50] SPEAKER_01: Um, anyway, yeah, uh I'm back for another day.
[1:52] SPEAKER_01: Thanks for having me, Jack.
[1:53] SPEAKER_01: All right.
[1:54] SPEAKER_01: Well, we have a little update.
[1:55] SPEAKER_01: Just like we were talking about being off the fence yesterday.
[1:58] SPEAKER_01: We said some things.
[2:00] SPEAKER_01: We have some breaking news here in the studio.
[2:02] SPEAKER_01: Hayden Wilde has unfollowed the trial on our Instagram.
[2:08] SPEAKER_01: Tough for Jack.
[2:09] SPEAKER_01: It's not the first time it's happened, but we are getting reports on the ground.
[2:13] SPEAKER_01: I can't say from who, but Jack has apparently cried himself to sleep last night.
[2:17] SPEAKER_01: Let's hear from the man himself, Jack.
[2:19] SPEAKER_01: What is your response?
[2:20] SPEAKER_00: Well, we've just gone over the Lucy Charles Barclay situation where for about 12 months she had me not only unfollowed but blocked on all social media.
[2:28] SPEAKER_00: We finally got her to unblock us.
[2:30] SPEAKER_00: She sent a kissy emoji over the DMs.
[2:32] SPEAKER_00: That's a great sign that we we were back.
[2:34] SPEAKER_00: We had no more enemies until Apo finally gets off the fence.
[2:39] SPEAKER_00: Greg, always off the fence, they decide to just throw Hayden under a bus.
[2:44] SPEAKER_00: You know, this is it.
[2:44] SPEAKER_00: Hayden, he's on the stake.
[2:46] SPEAKER_00: He's he's a witch on the stake, and it's got us blocked.
[2:48] SPEAKER_00: And I felt like I was rather innocent.
[2:50] SPEAKER_00: You know, I was I was probably the fence hitter yesterday because Hayden Wilde was an ex-host of this podcast.
[2:55] SPEAKER_00: He did a 10-part uh podcast series called the Hayden Wilde Triathon Show.
[3:00] SPEAKER_00: And he has it, yeah, and he's and he's unfollowed us.
[3:02] SPEAKER_00: So um that was sad to see.
[3:04] SPEAKER_00: The reason I knew is because I had a gut feeling he might not be happy after we got off the recording yesterday.
[3:09] SPEAKER_00: So I went and checked.
[3:10] SPEAKER_00: Does he still follow the page?
[3:11] SPEAKER_00: Yep, he does.
[3:11] SPEAKER_00: And then I checked this morning after I got off the phone with his manager, Simon Bailiff, who's a great guy, by the way.
[3:17] SPEAKER_00: And yep, sure enough, uh Hayden Wilde, he's unfollowed the trifle now.
[3:20] SPEAKER_00: So we've lost uh we've lost not only a fan but a friend because of you two.
[3:25] SPEAKER_02: This is what happens when I get off the fence, mate.
[3:27] SPEAKER_02: Everything is perfectly balanced when I'm on the fence.
[3:29] SPEAKER_02: As soon as I hop off, turmoil, you know, cats and dogs living together.
[3:34] SPEAKER_02: It's just uh, you know, maybe I need to get back on the fence and restore balance to the uh to the world.
[3:39] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it seems like the universe needs Apo just kind of right there in the middle, uh playing playing both sides of the fence.
[3:45] SPEAKER_01: So yeah, sorry, I'm not sorry.
[3:47] SPEAKER_01: Is that what they say, Jack?
[3:48] SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah, you know, we gotta we gotta be uh we gotta say our opinions on the show, and that's that's what we're what we're here for.
[3:54] SPEAKER_01: And I think uh yeah, there's no way I would uh have said it any different, that's for sure.
[3:59] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think so.
[4:00] SPEAKER_02: I mean, I don't want to dogpile on Hayden, but uh yeah, I think it's you know, my stance hasn't changed.
[4:06] SPEAKER_02: It's disappointing he's unfollowed you, Jack.
[4:08] SPEAKER_02: I'm sorry, that's uh one less follower.
[4:11] SPEAKER_02: But um, yeah, good riddance.
[4:18] SPEAKER_00: That's a big double down.
[4:20] SPEAKER_00: A good riddance hurts.
[4:21] SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, I think maybe one thing that we kind of got wrong in the discussion is that no one did anything wrong at London.
[4:28] SPEAKER_00: So Sam Long and Hayden Wilde didn't cheat or break any rules at London with their shoes.
[4:34] SPEAKER_00: So what happened was that the T100 allow prototype shoes.
[4:38] SPEAKER_00: You can wear prototype shoes, which is dumb, but like the T100 need to change that.
[4:42] SPEAKER_00: The thing that changed is that for the French Riviera race, because of some miscommunication with ASICs and how they handled it, there became a period of time where the Metaspeed Ray went from being a prototype shoe to a retail consumable shoe.
[4:57] SPEAKER_00: And so Hayden just missed like there there was so for London he could wear the shoe, but for the French Riviera he couldn't.
[5:03] SPEAKER_00: So it's actually quite complicated.
[5:05] SPEAKER_00: And when I was talking to Simon Bailiff, ex-manager of David Beckham, by the way, uh now manager of Hayden Wilde, it kind of made me feel a little bit more sorry for Hayden because I I feel like that is quite a convoluted and confusing system.
[5:18] SPEAKER_00: However, at the end of the day, he did break the rules, he didn't face any consequences for breaking those rules, and then you throw in the bottle situation.
[5:26] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I I I'm I'm not saying that anything we said was wrong.
[5:29] SPEAKER_00: It's just quite a complicated and convoluted situation.
[5:32] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I agree.
[5:33] SPEAKER_02: And it's yeah, it's just it's kind of I don't know, it's kind of like snowballed into this massive thing.
[5:40] SPEAKER_02: Like, I don't know, it's uh it's the talk of the town.
[5:43] SPEAKER_02: I think Trithon's such a small sport, and it's just like you know, everyone's just running away with this gossip, including the Trithon hour.
[5:54] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, 100%.
[5:55] SPEAKER_01: I feel like I had to like vent about it, and now that I've like vented on the show yesterday, I'm like, all right, cool, like let's move on.
[6:01] SPEAKER_00: And like, yeah, we should move on, but just before we do, I want to get our audience more interactive with the show.
[6:07] SPEAKER_00: Me and Greg have talked about it forever.
[6:09] SPEAKER_00: Apo doesn't really care.
[6:10] SPEAKER_00: He's not a man of the people now.
[6:11] SPEAKER_00: He's won 20 Iron Man 70.3 uh crowns.
[6:14] SPEAKER_00: He's just like, nah, I'm above everyone.
[6:16] SPEAKER_00: So what we wanted to do is for the rest of this week, like for all of the comments that you guys leave on the Spotify, um, like on the Spotify comment section for these episodes.
[6:25] SPEAKER_00: Apologies to those of you listening on Apple, it's not really a thing there.
[6:29] SPEAKER_00: But if you do leave a comment over on Spotify and we think it's good enough, we're gonna read them out here and chat about it.
[6:34] SPEAKER_00: Just because we want the rest of this week to be nice and interactive.
[6:37] SPEAKER_00: The top comment from yesterday's episode, Apo, am I wrong in thinking that Apo would be competitive at T100?
[6:43] SPEAKER_00: Front pack swimmer is biking insane, running 320 per K of the bike, classy indeed.
[6:49] SPEAKER_00: That's from Julian.
[6:50] SPEAKER_00: What do you what do you say, Apo?
[6:51] SPEAKER_02: Oh, thanks, Julian.
[6:52] SPEAKER_02: Appreciate the uh the kind words.
[6:54] SPEAKER_02: I mean, like, I do know the T100 is a step up.
[6:58] SPEAKER_02: Like North American 70.3s, you get a handful of good guys, but the T100 is like the best of the best racing.
[7:05] SPEAKER_02: So I'm under no, you know, I do know that there's a step up in the uh in the competition at those T100 races.
[7:12] SPEAKER_02: I have done, I well, I haven't done a T100, but I did do the US Open and Um Asian Open in 2023, was it?
[7:22] SPEAKER_02: Or 2022, maybe.
[7:23] SPEAKER_02: Um seventh place, eighth place, if I remember.
[7:25] SPEAKER_02: I got two top ten.
[7:26] SPEAKER_02: So I was, you know, I was there or thereabouts, and I've actually tendered my nomination to get on the start list for Woolong um next month.
[7:35] SPEAKER_02: When's that?
[7:36] SPEAKER_02: Uh mid-aw uh mid-October.
[7:38] SPEAKER_02: So we'll see.
[7:39] SPEAKER_02: You know, I do I would like to race one, um, but I'm also I do know it's a step up in in competition.
[7:45] SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I'd like to be there.
[7:47] SPEAKER_02: And I think with the form that I've showed, I could be, you know, pretty competitive.
[7:51] SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I don't think I'd be up there challenging for a podium, but you know, somewhere in that kind of sixth to tenth range, I think, you know, would be a good race for me in a T100.
[8:00] SPEAKER_01: Now, is Apple a front pack swimmer in a T100, though?
[8:04] SPEAKER_01: Because I I'm not I'm not super convinced, you know, I've swum off my feet a few times in races.
[8:09] SPEAKER_01: I just, you know, I don't know.
[8:10] SPEAKER_01: Those three one thousands aerobic might not uh might not be the punchy uh edge he needs if he wants to swim at the front in a T100.
[8:18] SPEAKER_01: Coach Jack.
[8:19] SPEAKER_01: All right, all right.
[8:20] SPEAKER_00: Let's no, let's move on from this.
[8:21] SPEAKER_00: We don't have enough of Apo Tom.
[8:23] SPEAKER_00: We've got to get through these quickly so we can talk about the world champs.
[8:26] SPEAKER_00: Another comment from Tompa.
[8:28] SPEAKER_00: Surprised to hear such a weak and biased take from Jack regarding Hayden.
[8:32] SPEAKER_00: People have been DQ'd for much less.
[8:35] SPEAKER_00: You can't have such a blatant disregard for the rules when there's so much more money on the line.
[8:39] SPEAKER_00: Well done for that comment, Tompa.
[8:41] SPEAKER_00: Hard to disagree.
[8:42] SPEAKER_00: I I am biased, I like Hayden, and uh I probably did sit on the fence, which I give Apo a lot of shit for.
[8:47] SPEAKER_00: Red Shelby, this is a controversial comment.
[8:49] SPEAKER_00: Hayden's attitude of if you can get away with it, go for it, suddenly casts a big shadow over his miraculous comeback.
[8:56] SPEAKER_00: Personally, I think when he came up uh short against Yee and Yalla, he changed coaches and made the decision to win by any means necessary.
[9:03] SPEAKER_00: Hayden's one of the best athletes in the world.
[9:05] SPEAKER_00: Uh, trust him, but he did he did fuck up on on this occasion with the uh shoes.
[9:10] SPEAKER_00: I don't think we can draw the the long string there.
[9:12] SPEAKER_00: Um Dallas, he he says, is Ari dead just like Justin?
[9:16] SPEAKER_00: Yes.
[9:17] SPEAKER_00: Both of them died, both got kicked off the show.
[9:23] SPEAKER_00: Uh Scott Black, pretty simple, broke the rule, DQ.
[9:26] SPEAKER_00: Well, damn.
[9:27] SPEAKER_00: This is from a user with numbers as a as a as a username.
[9:30] SPEAKER_00: I thought Hayden was the athlete of our generation.
[9:32] SPEAKER_00: Second thoughts here.
[9:33] SPEAKER_00: Is it a Lance situation right now in the making?
[9:36] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we need to pump the brakes on that.
[9:38] SPEAKER_02: Like, there's a massive, massive gulf between what's hate what Hayden has done and um doping.
[9:45] SPEAKER_02: Like, we're not any in any way implying that.
[9:47] SPEAKER_02: And I think, yeah, we do need to pump the brakes on these kind of wild accusations.
[9:52] SPEAKER_02: Um, Hayden's a great athlete, and I think we all put it yesterday on the podcast that he would have won.
[9:59] SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm 100% sure he would have won um Fresjus in a different pair of shoes.
[10:04] SPEAKER_02: That's not the issue.
[10:05] SPEAKER_02: The issue is that the rules were broken, and then I think there needs to be some action taken on that.
[10:12] SPEAKER_00: I'm wondering, this is from another username who doesn't have their name.
[10:15] SPEAKER_00: That's soft, put your name on it.
[10:17] SPEAKER_00: I'm wondering about those four idiots who call themselves journalists, yes, pro Tri News, if they would have made such a loud noise if Kat had used those shoes.
[10:26] SPEAKER_01: Did they make a loud noise?
[10:28] SPEAKER_01: I mean, they kind of broke the story, but I feel like their stance is well, I don't know.
[10:31] SPEAKER_01: I just saw the Insta posts.
[10:33] SPEAKER_01: It didn't seem like they were like super hard on them in the comments.
[10:36] SPEAKER_01: So they they were more calling out the like the rule itself was kind of dumb, which is true, but um they were like kind of trying to not knock Hayden for the breaking the rule, it seemed like.
[10:45] SPEAKER_01: But um that's that's kind of the only insight I have on that.
[10:48] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, also, of course they're not gonna go after Kat.
[10:50] SPEAKER_00: Cat makes all of their money.
[10:51] SPEAKER_00: Like cat is the entire reason Mark doesn't have a job and can just drink beers all day.
[10:56] SPEAKER_00: He's obviously not gonna shit on his wife on the podcast, she'll kick him out of the house and he has no cash.
[11:00] SPEAKER_00: So obviously not.
[11:02] SPEAKER_00: Uh and yeah, as like those boys, they don't tend to go too hard on people.
[11:06] SPEAKER_00: They they care too much about not like uh not wrecking their relationships with the big names for so that it doesn't come back to hurt them.
[11:12] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, they broke the story and and kudos for them to that.
[11:15] SPEAKER_00: I thought that was actually a really good story.
[11:17] SPEAKER_00: I I really liked it.
[11:18] SPEAKER_00: But um they're not the type who like shit on someone to the point of uh breaking a relationship, I don't think.
[11:23] SPEAKER_00: All right, that's uh most of the comments from yesterday's episode.
[11:26] SPEAKER_00: If you want to uh get yours read out and have us discuss it tomorrow on the podcast, then put that uh down in the Spotify comments.
[11:33] SPEAKER_00: Should we move on to the Iron Man World Championships boys?
[11:36] SPEAKER_01: Let's do it.
[11:36] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we should do it.
[11:37] SPEAKER_01: Now I'll say one thing.
[11:38] SPEAKER_01: If you guys want to leave a couple Jack's gonna be boots on the ground this weekend, so if you want to see something maybe during his stories while he's there or whatnot, maybe you could, you know, uh write some more comments uh on the Spotify too.
[11:50] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, let us know.
[11:52] SPEAKER_01: But you know, every day, DMs, DMs, when are you bringing back Contender or Pretender?
[11:58] SPEAKER_01: When are you bringing it back?
[11:59] SPEAKER_01: This is the greatest thing that's ever happened to TTH, better than any interview Jack's ever done.
[12:03] SPEAKER_01: So guess what, guys?
[12:05] SPEAKER_01: We are bringing back Contender or Pretender World Champs Edition.
[12:09] SPEAKER_01: Now, it's gonna be slightly different.
[12:11] SPEAKER_01: We'll we'll do the contender pretender on the name, but we'll probably discuss the name a bit um further in depth.
[12:17] SPEAKER_01: Uh you boys ready?
[12:19] SPEAKER_00: So just for clarification here, Greg, contender or pretender, can I put the stipulation that to be a contender means that you can podium, and to be a pretender means you're anywhere but the podium?
[12:31] SPEAKER_01: I like that.
[12:32] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's a good so if if you're saying contender, you have a you have you think that they could possibly get a podium on their best day, and if they're a pretender, no shot.
[12:41] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they could still come fourth, which is a good result, but still a pretender.
[12:46] SPEAKER_01: What a pretender, fourth place of the world champs.
[12:48] SPEAKER_01: All right.
[12:48] SPEAKER_00: Also, just on these boys, can we have a group vote?
[12:51] SPEAKER_00: So you know how podcasts they call their the people who listen to their show, they give them a nickname.
[12:56] SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, um they might go, uh, well, whatever.
[13:00] SPEAKER_00: Like, so we might be the triton hours.
[13:02] SPEAKER_00: So they go, yeah, like hello, hours.
[13:04] SPEAKER_00: You know, like they just come up with some lame name to call their audience.
[13:07] SPEAKER_00: What are your thoughts on us just coining our audience, either contenders or pretenders?
[13:12] SPEAKER_01: I thought you already coined them pretenders, so I I was I was on that uh on that.
[13:16] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think we had this discussion a few weeks ago.
[13:18] SPEAKER_00: No, we had it like we kind of brought up off air that it would be cool to have a name, and then on on an intro, I randomly called everyone who listens pretenders, just because I thought it was fun funny.
[13:27] SPEAKER_00: But do you think we go pretenders over contenders?
[13:30] SPEAKER_01: I kind of like contenders better, actually.
[13:31] SPEAKER_01: You know, they're here supporting the show.
[13:33] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I agree with Greg.
[13:35] SPEAKER_00: Alright, contenders it is.
[13:36] SPEAKER_00: All right, so every show from now on, if you listen to this, you're a contender.
[13:40] SPEAKER_00: Except for you, Greg, you're a pretender.
[13:41] SPEAKER_00: Okay, first name on the uh on the board, and what a shock.
[13:45] SPEAKER_00: Greg's done this, so what a shock.
[13:48] SPEAKER_00: Jonas Schomberg, uh, Greg, contender or pretender?
[13:52] SPEAKER_01: You already know contender.
[13:54] SPEAKER_00: Apo.
[13:56] SPEAKER_02: I think he might be a contender for a podium, to be honest.
[13:59] SPEAKER_00: Yes, I agree.
[14:01] SPEAKER_00: I Jonas Schomberg has arrived, like he is a contender.
[14:04] SPEAKER_00: I'm wondering if anyone's even really talking about him if it's not for our podcast, because I swear we're the only place that's been talking about him this year.
[14:12] SPEAKER_00: Um okay, so with Jonas, Apo, you made the comment that some guys disrespect the distance, and this was largely revolving around Jonas Schomberg.
[14:21] SPEAKER_00: He swims as hard as he can, he gets on the bike, he just tries to ride off the front of the bike, no matter what race he's in, and then he holds on on the run, and he's actually started running pretty solid.
[14:31] SPEAKER_00: What do we expect from him this weekend?
[14:33] SPEAKER_02: I mean, he's just gonna send it, you know, he's gonna he's gonna swim.
[14:38] SPEAKER_02: Like I've watched Jonas in ITU for like the last decade.
[14:41] SPEAKER_02: He's always the first out of transition, running out at 230 kilometer pace and kind of paying the price at the end.
[14:48] SPEAKER_02: But we have sh we have seen him have some pretty decent Iron Man results.
[14:52] SPEAKER_02: And I think, you know, when I say he disrespects the distance, I don't mean that in a negative way.
[14:57] SPEAKER_02: Like I've done a handful of Ironmans, and you know, the marathon gets so hard that I'm almost so scared I've got PTSD from marathons that I've walked.
[15:06] SPEAKER_02: But you know, Jonas doesn't have that PTSD, he just goes for it, and um, you know, it makes for great viewing.
[15:13] SPEAKER_02: And I think he's gonna swim hard and he's gonna light up the front of that bike, the the start of the bike with you know, probably Laidlow and Jamie Riddle will be there as well.
[15:21] SPEAKER_02: And I think it's gonna make for great viewing.
[15:23] SPEAKER_01: Well, I totally agree.
[15:24] SPEAKER_01: And we mentioned it the other day on the show.
[15:27] SPEAKER_01: You almost have to, these days, if you want to win the world title, you kind of have to disrespect the distance, right?
[15:33] SPEAKER_01: And like we said, it's not in a negative way, but you have to race aggressively, you know.
[15:37] SPEAKER_01: This is times of change where you gotta be able to ride hard and back it up on the run.
[15:41] SPEAKER_01: So what's his ceiling?
[15:43] SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think there's a world where he could win the race.
[15:46] SPEAKER_01: Now, do I think it's likely?
[15:48] SPEAKER_01: I mean, I do, but you know, on paper, I'm not sure it's likely.
[15:52] SPEAKER_01: But, you know, I I've got buddies who see Jonas day to day and he trains the house down.
[15:58] SPEAKER_01: And apparently he's been training the house down for a lot of years, so he might be more built for this Iron Man than he ever was for short horse racing.
[16:05] SPEAKER_00: And we saw it challenge Roth, he came second to Sam Laidlow, and he was only two minutes down from him.
[16:10] SPEAKER_00: He had the fastest bike ride of the day.
[16:12] SPEAKER_00: Like, how many people in the world are riding faster than Sam Laidlow, who was clearly in great shape that day on a course like Roth?
[16:20] SPEAKER_00: I I think maybe Magnus could, maybe you know, Jonas obviously could, but I don't know if there's many others who could.
[16:26] SPEAKER_00: And so the dynamics at the front of the world championships this year are gonna be everything, in my opinion.
[16:31] SPEAKER_00: Sam Laidlow will be there, and Jonas Schomberg will be there, and I highly, I highly suspect that Martin Van Rier will be there as well.
[16:39] SPEAKER_00: So if those three can work together, I mean, it's just gonna be so hard for the groups coming through that those three working together, if no one gets dropped, if they roll roll turns, uh, I mean, that could be the winner could be right there in that group.
[16:53] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think so.
[16:55] SPEAKER_02: I mean, yeah, I and I feel like people like Schomberg, Riddle, like those people that are really happy to push the front of the bike, I feel like that's gonna help Laidlow.
[17:06] SPEAKER_02: Like he's gonna have some allies for that first half of the bike.
[17:10] SPEAKER_02: Um, and I think I think that's gonna play into his favour because he's he has stood the test of time.
[17:15] SPEAKER_02: He's won um this race in 2023, he's been off the front at Kona.
[17:20] SPEAKER_02: I think having people on the bike is actually gonna help Laidlow.
[17:23] SPEAKER_02: Um so he's probably, you know, it wouldn't surprise me if he's had a chat to Schomberg.
[17:27] SPEAKER_02: And I know he's been training a little bit with Jamie Riddle in the lead up.
[17:30] SPEAKER_02: I reckon he's quietly, you know, keying up these guys and getting them excited for a bit of a swim bike breakaway.
[17:37] SPEAKER_01: Well, that's like the Alistair Brownlee method.
[17:40] SPEAKER_01: You like, hey, hey, what hey, what's up, man?
[17:43] SPEAKER_01: Hey, do you want to push this bike?
[17:44] SPEAKER_01: Like, that'll be sick.
[17:45] SPEAKER_01: But like thinking in the back of your mind, like, oh, this is gonna help me win the race.
[17:48] SPEAKER_01: So Laidlow is probably doing what he does as a world champ.
[17:50] SPEAKER_01: Like, yo, guys, should we should we hit this bike hard?
[17:53] SPEAKER_01: Like, that'll be the best race for you for sure.
[17:55] SPEAKER_01: Thinking, like, all right, I'm gonna run these guys down and win the race, too.
[17:59] SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I think there's mind games and and strategy that goes on amongst the top pros, and maybe Laidlow's uh yeah, recruiting some show soldiers for the army that is are gonna help him win that race.
[18:09] SPEAKER_01: And Jonas could be one of them, except Jonas will outrun him.
[18:12] SPEAKER_00: So funny, funny you boys both say that because I was thinking this exact same thing on my drive into Nice today, and including the Alistair Brownley analogy, where Alistair Brownley went to Richard Varga, who was the best swimmer, always gonna be there when it came to the swim in London or if he made it to Rio.
[18:27] SPEAKER_00: And he he kind of made him feel special.
[18:29] SPEAKER_00: He brought him into the camp, he took him away for training camps in St.
[18:32] SPEAKER_00: Moritz.
[18:32] SPEAKER_00: He said, Here, Richard, you're part of the team.
[18:35] SPEAKER_00: But we know what Alistair was doing.
[18:36] SPEAKER_00: He was getting ready, he was just building him as a little soldier, you know.
[18:39] SPEAKER_00: Like I was gonna say that yeah, anyway, like uh we know what Alistair was doing.
[18:44] SPEAKER_00: Then he did the same to Aaron Royal.
[18:45] SPEAKER_00: Aaron Royal was young, he was a front pack swimmer, he loved to smash the bike, but he wasn't a run threat.
[18:50] SPEAKER_00: Alistair said, Aaron, come here.
[18:51] SPEAKER_00: We love you, come eat some porridge at our house in Leeds, move here, be our training, buddy.
[18:56] SPEAKER_00: It wasn't because he liked either of them.
[18:58] SPEAKER_00: Alistair, Alistair's too cutthroat for that.
[19:00] SPEAKER_00: He like I said, he would have killed his own family members to win two Olympic gold medals.
[19:04] SPEAKER_00: That's just who he is.
[19:05] SPEAKER_00: And and so I wondered if Sam Lado's doing the same thing.
[19:08] SPEAKER_00: I don't think Sam Lado's quite as cutthroat when it comes to winning as Alistair, but I still think he's a winner at heart.
[19:14] SPEAKER_00: And is the entire reason that he's be kind of building this friendship with Jamie Riddle because he goes, hey, this guy swims like a beast.
[19:22] SPEAKER_00: He loves to ride hard off the front of the bike, and I can just sit on it on his wheel.
[19:25] SPEAKER_00: And I yeah, I wondered that.
[19:27] SPEAKER_00: I wondered if he would have this the same conversation with Jonas Schomberg, but you boys seem to think that it's almost a foregone conclusion that he's going to have these conversations.
[19:35] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think so.
[19:36] SPEAKER_02: I mean, I've been in and around the pro scene for a long time, and you know, I've had conversations with these people, uh, you know, not Laidlow, but other people like that I know can, you know, we can work together and create an alliance.
[19:49] SPEAKER_02: Like it's just it's just part of racing.
[19:50] SPEAKER_02: And to think that it doesn't happen, yeah, it's uh it's a bit naive.
[19:54] SPEAKER_02: But yeah, for sure, there's there's definitely conversations.
[19:56] SPEAKER_02: And it's the same for people in the chase pack, you know.
[19:58] SPEAKER_02: It's like they'll be having conversations about, you know, I'm sure Camworth and others are chatting to each other about, you know, let's work together on the Black Trian limit losses and things like that.
[20:07] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it happens.
[20:09] SPEAKER_01: Well, speaking of Camworth, we the next in line could be an ally with him.
[20:14] SPEAKER_01: And the next name for contender or pretender is Leon Chevalier.
[20:20] SPEAKER_01: Appo?
[20:21] SPEAKER_02: He's a contender for a podium.
[20:23] SPEAKER_02: I mean, he was Yeah, he what was he at Nice a few years ago?
[20:27] SPEAKER_02: Was he fourth or fifth?
[20:29] SPEAKER_02: Fifth, and then Connor, he was fourth.
[20:31] SPEAKER_02: So I mean Leon just does his own thing.
[20:35] SPEAKER_02: He does his own race, he doesn't rely on you know groups and things like that.
[20:40] SPEAKER_02: And I think he's such a strong rider, and I think this course for him to just solo T T might actually play into his favour.
[20:48] SPEAKER_02: He's not getting caught up in riding above his his power, his numbers and things like that, and he just works his way up.
[20:55] SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah, I think it would be silly to say he's not a contender.
[20:58] SPEAKER_00: Oh, see Apo, I think Leon is tough.
[21:01] SPEAKER_00: I I think he's he's right on that line.
[21:04] SPEAKER_00: Like he came fourth and fifth.
[21:05] SPEAKER_00: Obviously, at Kona last year, he he was fighting for the win at one point.
[21:11] SPEAKER_00: Oh I I can't yeah, he had a bad day at Alpha de West.
[21:16] SPEAKER_00: How's he climbing?
[21:19] SPEAKER_00: Oh I'm gonna go with I'm gonna go with Pretender, and I know it's controversial, but I'm gonna go with pretender.
[21:29] SPEAKER_02: I do agree.
[21:30] SPEAKER_02: He is right on that cusp, I think.
[21:33] SPEAKER_02: You know, like I could see him getting onto the podium or just missing out like he has the last couple of years.
[21:39] SPEAKER_02: He is right on the cusp.
[21:41] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean it's it I'm gonna call Leon Chevalier a pretender over here.
[21:46] SPEAKER_01: I'm ranked like 200 in the world, but like uh it's like I I agree, and the only reason is there I think there's a lot of firepower at the front this year, and like, yes, this is a Course where not being in the front pack in the swim, you can make up time, you know, because the ride is so hard.
[22:06] SPEAKER_01: So it favors Leon in that way.
[22:08] SPEAKER_01: But I just don't see a world where he can get to a place off the bike where he's in contention to run for the podium.
[22:14] SPEAKER_01: If he was a if we knew he was gonna run low 230s, yes, but you know, does he have a better run than all the other guys, the Rudy Von Berg's and these guys?
[22:23] SPEAKER_01: It seems like it's on par with them.
[22:25] SPEAKER_01: And I think he has to have that run be more of a weapon if he's gonna get on the podium.
[22:30] SPEAKER_01: If I had to be a betting man.
[22:32] SPEAKER_00: I agree.
[22:32] SPEAKER_00: I don't see him coming into T2 in like the top three or four.
[22:36] SPEAKER_00: I maybe see him coming in somewhere between fifth and tenth, and then he has to have a really, really strong run to get onto the podium.
[22:44] SPEAKER_00: But I just wonder if there's guys like um Laido, Ditliv, Lang, Blumenfeld, Eden, even even potentially Rudy Von Berg and and Jonas Schomberg and Martin Van Rieel.
[22:55] SPEAKER_00: Like, there's so much run firepower who could be off the bike in a similar position, and I don't think Leon's the best marathoner in the field.
[23:03] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I mean, I I can definitely see him finishing top five again for sure.
[23:08] SPEAKER_00: I just I'm just not quite convinced about the podium.
[23:10] SPEAKER_00: Um, I made a public service announcement the other day to Jamie Riddle.
[23:14] SPEAKER_00: I want to make another one to Leon Chevalier.
[23:17] SPEAKER_00: Leon, last year at Kona, you came in off Nice where you'd finished fifth and you're on top of the world.
[23:24] SPEAKER_00: You went into the lead that day at Kona and you thought, I'm the man.
[23:28] SPEAKER_00: And when you were in that mindset, you got a bit too big-headed and you thought only of yourself, and you destroyed and contaminated the water source for all other 3,000 age groupers out on course that day.
[23:41] SPEAKER_00: Leon Chevalier, no matter how hot or how thirsty you get out on course in Nice this weekend, don't you dare contaminate the water with your disgusting sweaty head and chest.
[23:53] SPEAKER_00: Public service announcement finished.
[23:57] SPEAKER_01: Well put.
[23:58] SPEAKER_01: Well put.
[23:59] SPEAKER_01: All right, next in line, Matthew Marquis.
[24:04] SPEAKER_02: I mean, he's had an amazing season, two Iron Man Pro Series wins.
[24:09] SPEAKER_02: But this is another step up.
[24:11] SPEAKER_02: And I I think, you know, with his like he's probably gonna cramp again out of T1, which if he does, like I don't know if this is a race he can get back into.
[24:25] SPEAKER_02: Um like Cairns and Placid, he was able to kind of ride his way back into the race because you know it wasn't a world championship field.
[24:33] SPEAKER_02: Still great athletes there, but you know, this is another step up, and I think if you lose a few minutes or you know, what was it at Cairns?
[24:41] SPEAKER_02: 15 minutes or something he lost in in T1, like you just can't come back from that.
[24:46] SPEAKER_02: Um so you know, for a podium chance, I think Pretender.
[24:51] SPEAKER_02: Jack?
[24:52] SPEAKER_00: Uh Pretender for me, Matthew Marquett.
[24:55] SPEAKER_00: What's the best indicator of future performance?
[24:58] SPEAKER_00: It's current or past performance.
[25:00] SPEAKER_00: And with Matthew Markwart, he hasn't not cramped for his last five races.
[25:05] SPEAKER_00: I just don't think, like Apo said, he can make up the gap if he does have to spend five, ten, fifteen minutes getting rid of his cramp and coming over it.
[25:13] SPEAKER_00: I think the race will pass him by.
[25:15] SPEAKER_00: He's become a fantastic marathon here.
[25:17] SPEAKER_00: He's ran 239 in both of his last two Iron Man's in tough courses, play placid and cans.
[25:23] SPEAKER_00: So I fully expect him to kind of soldier on and have a fast marathon.
[25:28] SPEAKER_00: But I just think he'll come into T2 too far back.
[25:30] SPEAKER_00: Could he top 10?
[25:32] SPEAKER_00: For sure.
[25:32] SPEAKER_00: He could he could definitely pick up the scraps and top 10, if not even maybe top seven or six.
[25:37] SPEAKER_00: But the podium, nah, pretender, I think.
[25:41] SPEAKER_02: And let's just let's just make it clear to everyone listening.
[25:44] SPEAKER_02: No Apo.
[25:45] SPEAKER_02: No Apo.
[25:47] SPEAKER_02: This is for the podium where it's pretender or contender.
[25:50] SPEAKER_00: We're not saying of the Iron Man World Championships, the hardest race in triathlon to podium on.
[25:56] SPEAKER_00: If you come forth, career best day, bad luck.
[25:59] SPEAKER_00: Pretender.
[26:00] SPEAKER_01: Yep.
[26:02] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I gotta say pretender too.
[26:04] SPEAKER_01: However, if he doesn't cramp, I mean, does do you think there's a world where he could ride with like those those big guys at the front?
[26:12] SPEAKER_01: I mean, we've seen him put down lots of power and and ride off the front of races.
[26:16] SPEAKER_01: So I mean, it seems like maybe it's gotta get sorted by now, but I mean, obviously they're looking for answers.
[26:23] SPEAKER_01: And now I guess Cans was non-wetsuit, right?
[26:26] SPEAKER_01: And placid was probably wetsuit, or what those are?
[26:29] SPEAKER_01: No, Cannes is wetsuit.
[26:30] SPEAKER_01: Cans is wetsuit because it's jellyfish.
[26:32] SPEAKER_01: So you have to wear a wetsuit.
[26:34] SPEAKER_01: Do we have do we have a word on the street for the race this weekend if it's gonna be non or it's Nice.
[26:39] SPEAKER_00: The the Mediterranean's that hot here that I just assume it's always gonna be non-wetsuit.
[26:43] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think well, last year for the women it was wetsuit, but I the rumors are this year that it's warm enough that it will be non-wetsuit for the pros and wetsuit for the age groupers.
[26:53] SPEAKER_01: Maybe that plays a role, you know, like if if he just has a swim skin on and a little less like restriction, who knows?
[26:59] SPEAKER_01: I mean, we they're obviously trying to work it out behind the scenes, but I think there's a world where he doesn't cramp and rides like near the front of the race.
[27:06] SPEAKER_01: Now, I know he's a big like trainer guy and he doesn't have all this ITU experience, so I do wonder about his like technical descending skills.
[27:13] SPEAKER_01: So I mean I think it's pretender.
[27:15] SPEAKER_01: I think he's got a lot of strength to stay at the front, but yeah, I I I don't see it happening.
[27:22] SPEAKER_01: Like you said, the past performances are indicative of future performances.
[27:25] SPEAKER_01: It's five races in a row.
[27:27] SPEAKER_01: Like I feel bad for the guy as of now.
[27:29] SPEAKER_01: Although he does one two Iron Man, so it hasn't been the worst year.
[27:32] SPEAKER_01: So hopefully he can kind of write the ship and we can see him, you know, do what he does at the at the front of the race.
[27:36] SPEAKER_00: I also question whether he can climb with the big boys if he doesn't cramp.
[27:40] SPEAKER_00: So let's say he comes out of the water and he's like, holy shit, I'm not cramping.
[27:45] SPEAKER_00: And then he gets into this front group with like Martin and Sam Lalo and Jonas Schomburg.
[27:52] SPEAKER_00: He'll be so high on adrenaline that he'll go with moves.
[27:55] SPEAKER_00: Like I he's a smart guy, calculated guy, but imagine having for a year straight not cramped coming out of the water, and then suddenly you're just you're better.
[28:04] SPEAKER_00: I think it'd be so hard not to try and go with everything.
[28:07] SPEAKER_00: And then I worry about him keeping up with those Europeans on the climbs.
[28:11] SPEAKER_00: I think that's a that's a tough, tough thing to do for an American who does most of their riding indoors.
[28:16] SPEAKER_00: And I don't know, I'm not it's not like to say that he couldn't.
[28:20] SPEAKER_00: I think he could.
[28:20] SPEAKER_00: I just think he might have to blow himself up to do it.
[28:22] SPEAKER_00: So maybe if he does cramp, it's not the worst thing because he can get into a different group, he can kind of take his time and then and then have a really strong marathon, which has become his become his move.
[28:32] SPEAKER_01: I like that thought.
[28:33] SPEAKER_01: All right, next one on the ri list, Rudy Weinberg.
[28:37] SPEAKER_01: Jack first.
[28:38] SPEAKER_00: Oh, my boy Rudy.
[28:40] SPEAKER_00: I'm uh he's a he's a contender.
[28:42] SPEAKER_00: Now, I I came out and made uh the call a few weeks ago that Rudy is one of the more under pressure athletes in the world right now because I think this is his last chance to become an Iron Man World Champion.
[28:53] SPEAKER_00: I know that he's not technically a local here, but he's basically a local.
[28:56] SPEAKER_00: His dad, Rodolf Von Berg Senior of 2023 fame in the triathlon world, lives just around here.
[29:02] SPEAKER_00: Rudy's been climbing these these roads and descending these roads for forever, for a lifetime.
[29:07] SPEAKER_00: We saw what he did here in 2023 at the Iron Man World Championships.
[29:10] SPEAKER_00: We saw what he did here at 2019 at the 70.3 World Championships.
[29:14] SPEAKER_00: No one descends these roads better than Rudy Von Berg.
[29:16] SPEAKER_00: He does it in TT position too.
[29:17] SPEAKER_00: He's just a psycho out there.
[29:19] SPEAKER_00: Uh, I fully expect him to have a good ride, to be in the mix into T2.
[29:24] SPEAKER_00: No matter how he gets there, no matter what group he gets there in, I think he'll put himself in a position to have a great marathon and fight for the podium.
[29:31] SPEAKER_00: Now, can he win it?
[29:32] SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure.
[29:33] SPEAKER_00: I don't think he quite has the marathon to win it, but I definitely think he can finish second or third.
[29:37] SPEAKER_00: So contender for me.
[29:39] SPEAKER_02: Apo.
[29:40] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I agree.
[29:41] SPEAKER_02: Contender.
[29:41] SPEAKER_02: I mean, Rudy is an amazing descender, and just his technical ability is amazing.
[29:47] SPEAKER_02: I've ridden with him a few times here in Boulder, and he's like, I'm not the best descender.
[29:52] SPEAKER_02: And he just rides away from me on some of these descents around here.
[29:54] SPEAKER_02: Like, yeah, like Jack said, T T position.
[29:57] SPEAKER_02: Just, you know, he has no fear.
[29:58] SPEAKER_02: And um yeah, he's I think the big question for me is Rudy's swim, he's really he's a great swimmer, but this we know that this swim is going to be on this weekend.
[30:11] SPEAKER_02: That's the Schombergs, that's the Riddles, that's um, you know, Martin Van Riel, Sam Laidlow.
[30:16] SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be a really fast, hard swim.
[30:18] SPEAKER_02: It if Rudy can get on the back of that, I think that will set him up for a great race, and he'll be, you know, probably into T2, starting the run in a great position.
[30:29] SPEAKER_02: But if he misses that swim group and has to ride maybe a little bit more aggressively, um, yeah, I think it could it could hurt him a little bit if he doesn't make that swim group, but his biking is phenomenal.
[30:41] SPEAKER_02: Like Jack said, he knows these roads better than anyone, and he's run, he's proven that he's he's a great runner as well.
[30:46] SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I think he could sneak onto the podium.
[30:49] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm saying contender for sure.
[30:51] SPEAKER_01: You know, and I was I was just looking at the weather forecast because Rudy put out this YouTube, he did this big brick, right?
[30:56] SPEAKER_01: He rode good power, he ran solidly, and it was raining out.
[30:59] SPEAKER_01: I'm like, oh, what are the chances it rains on race day?
[31:02] SPEAKER_01: I think that would crazy help Rudy.
[31:04] SPEAKER_01: It doesn't look like there's maybe some slight rain on Saturday and the race is on Sunday, but that's a world where like if it started raining on the descent, that's where Rudy probably would thrive and even pick up some more time.
[31:15] SPEAKER_01: So I think that could be a factor into like him potentially winning the race.
[31:20] SPEAKER_01: I think it that would have to be the conditions to do that.
[31:22] SPEAKER_01: But like you guys said, I just have no doubt that Rudy's just gonna be solid.
[31:27] SPEAKER_01: He's gonna ride well, he's gonna descend well.
[31:29] SPEAKER_01: And I think Apo brought up a good point.
[31:32] SPEAKER_01: How big is this swim group?
[31:34] SPEAKER_01: I'm thinking it's gonna be five to eight people, and I think the likes of Rudy might be on the outside, even Blumenfeld might be on the outside.
[31:42] SPEAKER_01: So there might be allies in that like one minute to 90 second back group, and that's kind of how I see it playing out.
[31:48] SPEAKER_01: And Rudy would be in that, but I still think he can move up and and find that that podium spot.
[31:54] SPEAKER_00: And there's a chance he's with guys like Magnus Ditliff, Christian Blumenfeld, Gustav Eden, Cam Werth, if he has a good swim day.
[32:01] SPEAKER_00: Like there could be even Matthew Marquite, like he's a guy who could be in that front group.
[32:05] SPEAKER_00: He on his day, he swims well enough to be there with Leito for sure.
[32:09] SPEAKER_00: But he also could be the person who's the last one to drop and ends up in that 60 to 90 seconds down group.
[32:16] SPEAKER_00: That'll be interesting.
[32:16] SPEAKER_00: But there's gonna be a lot of firepower there, right?
[32:19] SPEAKER_00: Like, imagine a group where Rudy and Magnus and Cam Worth and Christian and Gustav Eden are all in.
[32:24] SPEAKER_00: Now that that's danger for the guys out front.
[32:27] SPEAKER_01: It's so funny because this race, there's you know, on their day, I mean there's some heavy hitters, right?
[32:33] SPEAKER_01: But essentially there's I feel like there's like 15 guys who like maybe could get on the podium, like on a day.
[32:40] SPEAKER_01: I wouldn't be surprised, right?
[32:41] SPEAKER_01: So he's just another one.
[32:43] SPEAKER_01: Um, and I I think he's a contender for sure.
[32:46] SPEAKER_01: All right, next one.
[32:48] SPEAKER_01: Daniel Backagard, Apple.
[32:50] SPEAKER_02: Oh, this is such a hard one because Daniel's been quiet this year, um, I think purposely for this race.
[32:57] SPEAKER_02: Um, but I almost I feel like with Philip Sype as his coach, like he knows how to coach a world champion, right?
[33:05] SPEAKER_02: Like he knows what it takes to prepare.
[33:07] SPEAKER_02: Um Laura Phillip put on a clinic last year um in the women's race.
[33:12] SPEAKER_02: So uh I mean we haven't seen Daniel race too much.
[33:18] SPEAKER_02: He had a great race in Texas.
[33:20] SPEAKER_02: Uh what was he fourth there?
[33:22] SPEAKER_02: Um so I mean I feel like he's just gonna be outside the podium.
[33:30] SPEAKER_02: I don't know if he has it in him to podium, but I could definitely see him being in that um, you know, from that fifth to seventh or eighth position.
[33:39] SPEAKER_02: I think that's where I could see Daniel.
[33:41] SPEAKER_02: Um so yeah, I mean, I guess that means I'm calling him a pretender, but you know, um sorry, Daniel, but yeah.
[33:50] SPEAKER_02: I think a great race for Daniel will be that fifth to seventh.
[33:53] SPEAKER_02: All right, Jack.
[33:54] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, pretender.
[33:55] SPEAKER_00: Um I I'm also interested in the Phillips site magic.
[33:59] SPEAKER_00: I mean, Laura Phillips, she'd come what, top five two or three times at the IMAN World Championships before last year, where she finally breaks through and wins it.
[34:07] SPEAKER_00: And yes, in dominant fashion.
[34:08] SPEAKER_00: So you might, you know, she's got Daniel Backegaard's gone and got uh the coach that can potentially help him win here because he's shown he can take athletes to the to the victory here at Nice.
[34:19] SPEAKER_00: But Daniel Backgard isn't Laura Phillip and he hasn't done those those two or three great performances before he makes the breakthrough, which tends to be the way now.
[34:28] SPEAKER_00: Even Sam Leah, who seemed like a breakthrough, he obviously did the St.
[34:31] SPEAKER_00: George uh World Championships.
[34:33] SPEAKER_00: So I think this year might be the year that sets Daniel Backagaard up for better things in 2026.
[34:38] SPEAKER_00: And like Apo said, I kind of see a top 10 day for Daniel Backgaard being a great day to then springboard on for next year.
[34:46] SPEAKER_00: So pretender for now, watch this space for 2026 with Daniel Backgaard.
[34:50] SPEAKER_02: He'll he'll be in that front swim group.
[34:52] SPEAKER_02: He's a great swimmer, he'll be with like yeah, I think he'll be with that Laidlow Van Real um riddle group.
[34:59] SPEAKER_02: Like Daniel's a great swimmer, so he'll be there.
[35:01] SPEAKER_02: Um, and then I think I don't think he'll ride with someone like Laidlow, but I think you know they could take him up the road for the first half of the bike, and then I could see Daniel coming into transition kind of in that chase group and executing a good run for that top, yeah, top ten.
[35:16] SPEAKER_00: That's exactly how I see it to Apo.
[35:18] SPEAKER_00: He will let that front group go on the bike.
[35:20] SPEAKER_00: He doesn't have the bike in the mountains to ride with Jonas and Laidlow if they're just pushing it.
[35:25] SPEAKER_00: And if he does, he'll have to destroy his legs to do it.
[35:27] SPEAKER_00: And I see Daniel Backgard as a very smart guy and a very, very, very high IQ racer.
[35:34] SPEAKER_00: I don't think Daniel Backgard has the world's most talent, but I think he makes the most of what he's got.
[35:40] SPEAKER_00: He's a hard trainer, hard worker, and very, very smart racer.
[35:43] SPEAKER_00: So I think when the numbers become a little bit too high for him, he'll choose to sit up and he could link up with like Cam Worth and Rudy Von Berg, who are coming through behind and stay with them again until the numbers are too much, or if they're never too much, stay with them.
[35:57] SPEAKER_00: I think he'll set himself up for a very consistent marathon.
[35:59] SPEAKER_00: Greg, do you have him as a contender or a pretender?
[36:02] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I this one's really tough for me because I always I always like Daniel and I feel like he's right on the cusp for so many years now from breaking through, but I think I have to say contender and I mean pretender, sorry.
[36:15] SPEAKER_01: And I think you hit the nail on the head, Jack.
[36:18] SPEAKER_01: It's that past performances, like, you know, he was 34th in Kona last year.
[36:23] SPEAKER_01: He didn't race Nice in 2023, DNF in 2022.
[36:28] SPEAKER_01: He hasn't he has no consistent good results at the Iron Man World Championship.
[36:32] SPEAKER_01: Now he's gotten on a podium at the 70.3 World Champion in 2021, but like you said, you I don't think you go from nowhere to getting on a podium.
[36:41] SPEAKER_01: Now, maybe he gets sixth this year, like you said, it's a setup race for him to springboard into a podium or something next year.
[36:48] SPEAKER_01: So I think you you have to have that most of the time.
[36:52] SPEAKER_01: And um, yeah, I'm gonna call Daniel Backagard one of the worst trahletes on the planet.
[36:58] SPEAKER_01: Pretend no, I'm just kidding.
[36:59] SPEAKER_01: But you know, yeah, he's he's he's a pretender in this, but yeah, I expect him to have a good day.
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[38:35] SPEAKER_01: All right, next in line, Jack's favorite triathlete on the planet.
[38:40] SPEAKER_01: Camworth.
[38:42] SPEAKER_01: Jack, why don't you go first?
[38:43] SPEAKER_00: Contender.
[38:44] SPEAKER_00: Um, Camworth can and probably should be expecting to win this race on the weekend.
[38:50] SPEAKER_00: He's swimming better than ever.
[38:51] SPEAKER_00: He's uh he's dominated the Norwegians in the pool when they came to Andorra.
[38:55] SPEAKER_00: He's been dominating Hayden Wilde in the pool.
[38:57] SPEAKER_00: He's swimming better than ever.
[38:58] SPEAKER_00: He's the best climber and descender in the world, um, particularly on a course like this.
[39:04] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, he did crash on this course um last time around descending, but let's forget that.
[39:08] SPEAKER_00: Let's call that that was a mechanical or something.
[39:09] SPEAKER_00: It wasn't it definitely wasn't Worth his fault.
[39:11] SPEAKER_00: Um so he'll have the fastest bike, he'll swim very close to the front, he'll run 232, um, the only triathlete coached by the Nike boys.
[39:19] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, Camworth should win the race by probably seven to eight minutes.
[39:23] SPEAKER_00: Um, anything less than that would be a bad day.
[39:25] SPEAKER_00: So contender.
[39:26] SPEAKER_01: Ask one follow-up before I ask Apo.
[39:28] SPEAKER_01: Where's all the swim insight that you're getting too?
[39:31] SPEAKER_01: Because his last couple results, he had a few good early season results in the swim, but the last few have left uh something to be desired.
[39:38] SPEAKER_01: So where's this intel coming from?
[39:40] SPEAKER_00: Um he's just been playing mind games with the competition all year.
[39:43] SPEAKER_00: He's decided that if if everyone knows how well I'm swimming, um, that's not a good move for me.
[39:48] SPEAKER_00: I want to go into Nice, low key, under the radar, and then when they realize how big a threat I am, it's too late.
[39:54] SPEAKER_00: So that that's all that is, Greg.
[39:56] SPEAKER_02: All right, I like it.
[39:57] SPEAKER_02: All right, Apple.
[39:58] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, wasn't wasn't he eight minutes behind in um in Frankfurt?
[40:03] SPEAKER_02: Was it something like that?
[40:04] SPEAKER_00: All part of the plan.
[40:05] SPEAKER_00: All part of the plan.
[40:07] SPEAKER_02: And it's I know you're joking, Jack, but that's probably something Cam would actually do.
[40:12] SPEAKER_02: Um it's uh I think Cam like Cam, I feel like anything less than a podium, Cam will be disappointed with.
[40:25] SPEAKER_02: Um, but I just don't think he has I just don't think he has the run.
[40:29] SPEAKER_02: Like Cam's a great runner, like I could see him running a solid, even a low 240s, but I just don't think he has that, you know, I don't think he has that mid-230s that it's gonna need to get on the podium um this weekend.
[40:41] SPEAKER_02: His only chance is to kind of get off the bike with a big lead.
[40:45] SPEAKER_02: But we just know that his swim isn't there, and I don't think he's gonna ride up and through and then put time into guys like Laidlow in that front group.
[40:53] SPEAKER_02: So I'm sorry, Cam, but I'm gonna have to call you a pretender for the podium.
[40:58] SPEAKER_01: I'm really going back and forth on this one.
[41:01] SPEAKER_01: Uh I think I have to say pretender on it.
[41:05] SPEAKER_01: Just for the reasons Apo described, uh, you know, he he needs a bit of a buffer on some of these guys, I think, coming into the run, but with the firepower up front and he has to have the swim of his life to to kind of get up there on the podium, which you know, G Long, he swam really well close to the front, but you know, someone put four minutes into him at Eagle Man 70.3, so it's like, eh, you know, I don't know about that.
[41:30] SPEAKER_01: And um must have been yeah, must have been AFO, front pack swimmer.
[41:35] SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, so I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna go pretender for Cam Worth, but I I mean as the fan, like I want him up there.
[41:42] SPEAKER_01: I want him coming to the front of the bike and I want him to put pressure on and I I really hope that happens, but if I'm a betting man, I say he finishes somewhere in that fourth to tenth range.
[41:50] SPEAKER_01: Yep.
[41:51] SPEAKER_01: Next player in the game, Jamie Riddle.
[41:55] SPEAKER_01: Apo, you go first.
[41:57] SPEAKER_02: I love the way Jamie races, um, but he's very green, isn't he?
[42:02] SPEAKER_02: And I don't think um I don't think he can get on the podium here.
[42:06] SPEAKER_02: I think he's a pretender, but he will race really hard from the gun and he'll give it his all.
[42:12] SPEAKER_02: And yeah, like like a Schomberg, he just throws caution to the wind, sends it, no respect for the distance, and he's gonna be he's gonna be a feature for the swam and probably half the bike.
[42:25] SPEAKER_02: And then I could see him kind of, yeah, maybe the inexperience of Iron Man and you know an Iron Man World Championships, because it is a different level, like going from even a pro series Iron Man to a World Championships is completely different.
[42:38] SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I think Jamie has a great future, and I think he's you know he is green and young, so yeah, I think this is going to be about getting experience for him.
[42:49] SPEAKER_02: Um, and yeah, I could see him in the future being a contender, but yeah, this year I think he's a pretender.
[42:55] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, pretender for me.
[42:56] SPEAKER_00: I obviously made the public plea two days ago on the daily podcast to Jamie Riddle, but he won't listen.
[43:02] SPEAKER_00: Even if he listened, he won't listen.
[43:03] SPEAKER_00: He's like, he's 25, he has the testosterone of a raging bull.
[43:08] SPEAKER_00: Like he will get onto that start line, the gun will go off, and he will just try to he'll try to kill himself.
[43:15] SPEAKER_00: He'll literally try and kill himself.
[43:16] SPEAKER_00: I'm expecting one of the biggest blow-ups of the day to be Jamie Riddle because he'll lead the swim for most of it.
[43:22] SPEAKER_00: He'll make sure it's only a select group up in front, like have fun saying on his feet in this swim.
[43:27] SPEAKER_00: And if he'll just ride as hard as he can from the start.
[43:29] SPEAKER_00: I don't see a world where he sits in and goes, you know what, I'm gonna make sure I get into T2 with fresh legs, ready to run a fast marathon.
[43:36] SPEAKER_00: I think he'll try to get into T2 in the lead or he'll die trying.
[43:40] SPEAKER_00: So uh I think it's gonna be a great experience for him.
[43:43] SPEAKER_00: I think one day he's gonna be a real threat over the Iron Man distance.
[43:46] SPEAKER_00: I don't think it's this year, I don't think it's next year, but in two to three years' time, I think this guy will have will take you kind of like two or three y years of like learning, racing from the front, and finally, you know, he'll kind of pull it back.
[44:00] SPEAKER_00: But I just don't think he's ready to pull it back yet and be a kind of high IQ racer.
[44:04] SPEAKER_00: I think right now he's the kind of guy who races with his heart.
[44:07] SPEAKER_00: Um, and I like it.
[44:08] SPEAKER_00: He's gonna make the race fun.
[44:09] SPEAKER_00: He's gonna be one of the people who make the race fun on the weekend.
[44:12] SPEAKER_00: So for us watching, Jamie Riddle's gonna be be a big factor in the race and the entertainment of the race.
[44:17] SPEAKER_00: But when it comes to the podium, uh pretender.
[44:20] SPEAKER_00: Greg, what about you?
[44:21] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm a big Jamie Riddle fan since he dusted me in the LA triathlon in 2021 and took the victory.
[44:28] SPEAKER_01: And I thought he was like a really humble young kid.
[44:31] SPEAKER_01: And I still think he can have a good race.
[44:34] SPEAKER_01: This course suits him, but I'm still gonna say pretender.
[44:36] SPEAKER_01: I mean, we saw the T-100 SF.
[44:39] SPEAKER_01: He rode those hills, he didn't have the second fastest ride, I think, to Rico Bogan, too.
[44:44] SPEAKER_01: So I think, yeah, his aggressive style of racing might be a bit too much for this distance at the moment, but I see a world where he still hangs on for a top 10.
[44:55] SPEAKER_01: I mean, I feel like everyone we're talking about, yeah, top 10, top 10, there's no there's only 10 spots.
[44:59] SPEAKER_01: So is he gonna get one?
[45:00] SPEAKER_01: I'm not I'm not sure.
[45:01] SPEAKER_01: But I I could see him breaking through and having one of the best races he's ever had um at this race.
[45:07] SPEAKER_01: Like you said, he's gonna be trading with Laidlow a little bit.
[45:10] SPEAKER_01: So if Laidlow isn't trying to steer him in the wrong direction, maybe, maybe he'll have a little bit more experience going in.
[45:16] SPEAKER_00: I can just see a world, Greg, where like Laidlow and him are in a front group, and Laido rides up next to him and goes like push, push, push, come on, let's go.
[45:23] SPEAKER_00: We've got a gap, we've got a gap.
[45:24] SPEAKER_00: And Jamie's like, Yeah, yeah, let's go, let's go.
[45:26] SPEAKER_00: And Laido then just like goes to the front for like a minute or two and then slips back in, and Jamie just does some psycho shit off the front of the race.
[45:33] SPEAKER_00: Like, I could genuinely see that happening, uh, which could be fun.
[45:36] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and he's not afraid of the big stage.
[45:39] SPEAKER_01: I mean, he was off solo off the front in the Olympics, you know, taking a flyer.
[45:43] SPEAKER_01: So that's awesome to see.
[45:44] SPEAKER_01: I hope he races it with that same heart, and he always seems like he does.
[45:47] SPEAKER_01: Now, I'll make a public plea for Jamie Riddle.
[45:50] SPEAKER_01: In the swim, stop looking behind you all the time.
[45:54] SPEAKER_01: Like he's always checking around what's going on.
[45:57] SPEAKER_01: Like, you can't do that too much, man.
[45:59] SPEAKER_01: Like, especially in these long races, like your lower back might seize up at the end of the end of the bike and stuff like that.
[46:05] SPEAKER_01: Like, stop looking behind you when you're swimming.
[46:07] SPEAKER_01: If you're on the front, just keep your head down and swim your stroke.
[46:09] SPEAKER_01: And if you want to slot back in, slot back in.
[46:11] SPEAKER_01: But don't look behind you every fourth stroke and lift your body way out of the water.
[46:16] SPEAKER_01: It's just a lot of wasted energy.
[46:17] SPEAKER_01: And Jamie is always doing that.
[46:19] SPEAKER_01: I swam on his feet in the LA triathlon.
[46:21] SPEAKER_01: I'm like, is this man just like trying to get a look at me?
[46:24] SPEAKER_01: Like every five seconds.
[46:25] SPEAKER_01: I'm like, keep your head down, man.
[46:27] SPEAKER_01: Conserve your energy.
[46:28] SPEAKER_01: So with me and Jack's tips, the top five.
[46:31] SPEAKER_00: It's because he lives to drop people.
[46:33] SPEAKER_00: He's just, I'm telling you, he's just a crazy bloke.
[46:35] SPEAKER_00: Like he was looking back to be like, is he here?
[46:37] SPEAKER_00: Is he here?
[46:37] SPEAKER_00: Is he here?
[46:38] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[46:38] SPEAKER_00: He's kind of like a kelpie that goes for a run, you know.
[46:40] SPEAKER_00: Like he just once he gets once the gun goes off, he you because you're like, you hear him, he's like a calm, kind of sensible, reasonable guy, and then the gun goes off and he's literally the opposite to all those things.
[46:50] SPEAKER_00: So he um he will look behind him a bit on the weekend because you'll be looking to see who's there and who he's dropped, I reckon.
[46:56] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's spot on.
[46:57] SPEAKER_01: All right, next name on the list, Antonio Benito Lopez.
[47:01] SPEAKER_01: Sam, you start us.
[47:03] SPEAKER_01: Uh, this is pretty tough.
[47:05] SPEAKER_02: I I think he Antonio's had a great year, like just quietly, like hasn't made too much fanfare.
[47:11] SPEAKER_02: Like he's been racing the T100 a lot, and he's been having pretty good results.
[47:16] SPEAKER_02: Like, he's been top five a handful of times, a couple of times.
[47:19] SPEAKER_02: I could see him actually having a breakthrough race and sneaking on the podium.
[47:23] SPEAKER_02: So I'm gonna I'm gonna maybe say contender for this.
[47:26] SPEAKER_02: He's a great runner.
[47:27] SPEAKER_02: Um, he was second at Texas, um, ran with um yeah, Christian for what was it, like 10 miles or so, and then maybe found it a little bit, you know, the pace a bit too hot.
[47:39] SPEAKER_02: But he's he's a great swimmer.
[47:42] SPEAKER_02: I think he'll be in that front group again, that laid low group.
[47:45] SPEAKER_02: Um, and he's a small guy.
[47:47] SPEAKER_02: He'll be he'll climb pretty well.
[47:49] SPEAKER_02: I'm not sure how his technical ability is, but yeah, I mean I think he could have a great race.
[47:54] SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna call contender.
[47:56] SPEAKER_02: Jack.
[47:57] SPEAKER_00: Well, if I'm gonna call Leon Chevalier a pretender, I can't call Antonio Benito Lopez uh uh a contender.
[48:04] SPEAKER_00: So I've got to go pretender, although I see him very similarly.
[48:07] SPEAKER_00: Um different ways of getting there, but I'm equally as certain he will have a top ten finish as I am Leon Chevalier.
[48:14] SPEAKER_00: I don't I I mean I don't see a world where both of those guys don't finish outside the top ten, um, but I don't see a world where either of them podium either.
[48:23] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, for me, pretender, I just think his bike will get found out a little bit.
[48:29] SPEAKER_00: He's a good cyclist without being a great cyclist, and I think there's so much bike uh firepower in this race that the guys like him who are very, very solid on the bike and good on flat courses where they can sit in or punchy courses where they can use their power to wait, might just get slightly exposed, but he won't get exposed to the level where he's spat out the back and he's a non-factor.
[48:51] SPEAKER_00: I could easily see him running up into fourth or fifth or sixth.
[48:54] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, um, pretender for the podium, though.
[48:58] SPEAKER_01: You you kind of convinced me on that last one, Jack.
[49:00] SPEAKER_01: And I'm gonna say pretender as well, but you know, I think similarly to Apo, and you know, his technical abilities, didn't he race ITU for a lot of years?
[49:09] SPEAKER_01: You know, I I think all that type of stuff helps.
[49:11] SPEAKER_01: Like it's not the same as descending mountains, but the guys who come from the the short course background are probably a bit more technically sound than the guys who haven't been on that circuit.
[49:20] SPEAKER_01: So I think that could play into his role.
[49:22] SPEAKER_01: And yeah, he's he doesn't seem like a big guy.
[49:24] SPEAKER_01: He's also 31.
[49:25] SPEAKER_01: Like he he's not new to the game.
[49:27] SPEAKER_01: You know, he's been doing triathlon a long time.
[49:29] SPEAKER_01: So I think he probably races smart as well.
[49:32] SPEAKER_01: That could play into his favor, even though this is you know an early, you know, he hasn't always been doing Iron Man World Championship.
[49:39] SPEAKER_01: I guess he raced Kona last year, um, 20th place.
[49:44] SPEAKER_01: So, you know, he he did bike near the front, but I think it's a different kind of ball game.
[49:49] SPEAKER_01: I mean, he was in that pack, um, that that big chase pack, it seemed like, uh, in Kona.
[49:55] SPEAKER_01: So he ran 304, though.
[49:57] SPEAKER_01: So it's possible he he hangs in there.
[49:59] SPEAKER_01: I like he said, I think it's a top 10, like you said, Jack, but pretender for the podium.
[50:04] SPEAKER_00: The one thing about Antonio that I want to mention, Sam, oh Apo, I shouldn't call him Sam, that's not his name.
[50:09] SPEAKER_00: Apo brought up the Texas result where he ran with Christian for quite a lot of it and looked like a threat, ended up finishing second.
[50:15] SPEAKER_00: That day he beat names like Rudy Von Berg, Daniel Backgard, Casper Stoyners, Nick Thompson.
[50:20] SPEAKER_00: He beat Werfee, he beat Leon Chevalier, Matt Hansen, Gustav was there, Matthew Marquart was there, Ben Canute was there, Robert Callan, Christian Hoganhag.
[50:29] SPEAKER_00: He beat a lot of world-class guys there.
[50:31] SPEAKER_00: And for example, I've said that Werfee's gonna win the race.
[50:34] SPEAKER_00: We've all said that Rudy Von Berg's a contender, and yet we've all said that Antonio is a pretender, even though he beat him already this year.
[50:42] SPEAKER_02: No, I said contender.
[50:43] SPEAKER_01: I said contender.
[50:44] SPEAKER_00: Oh, you did so sorry.
[50:45] SPEAKER_01: I'm changing my answer.
[50:48] SPEAKER_00: He's a contender.
[50:50] SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, like he beat he's beaten Leon and Rudy this year.
[50:54] SPEAKER_00: So I I mean Antonio could be the smokey of the race, couldn't he?
[50:57] SPEAKER_01: Yep, yep, 100%.
[50:59] SPEAKER_01: Um, all right.
[51:00] SPEAKER_01: I think this might be our last name for today.
[51:03] SPEAKER_01: Jan Stratman.
[51:05] SPEAKER_01: Jack?
[51:05] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so he was best man at Fred Funk's wedding.
[51:07] SPEAKER_00: Uh just a fun little fact there, that night where I went to uh that wedding where Dan Lorang was blind drunk on the D floor at 3 a.m.
[51:15] SPEAKER_00: Um I think Pretender, I mean, I think he's another consistent guy without any weapons.
[51:22] SPEAKER_00: So I don't see the weapon for Jan.
[51:24] SPEAKER_00: He's a good swimmer, he's a good cyclist, and he's a good runner.
[51:28] SPEAKER_00: Is he is he a great swimmer, great cyclist, or great runner?
[51:31] SPEAKER_00: I don't think so.
[51:33] SPEAKER_00: Not not at the world level.
[51:35] SPEAKER_00: So I don't think he has the weapon to get him into the position to podium.
[51:39] SPEAKER_00: I think he has all of the build to make like to have a really uh consistent day.
[51:45] SPEAKER_00: You know, what I think a top 10, top 12, even top 15 is a great result for him.
[51:50] SPEAKER_00: He came third at Roth, but he was a long way behind um Jonas Schomberg and Sam Lalo, who are the two guys that we we think might play play the a big factor out in the front of this race.
[51:59] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, consistent day for Jarn, but but without a without a decisive weapon, like until he goes away and makes either his bike or his run a weapon, I don't see him contending for the podium at a race of this level.
[52:12] SPEAKER_00: So pretender for me.
[52:13] SPEAKER_02: Apple.
[52:15] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think I agree with Jack.
[52:16] SPEAKER_02: Like, great athlete, very strong across swim, bike, and run, no real weakness.
[52:21] SPEAKER_02: Um, I mean, he did, didn't he do a crazy fast time at Iron Man Barcelona last year when he won?
[52:27] SPEAKER_02: Um 728.
[52:30] SPEAKER_02: Like, that's that's gotta be like up there as one of the fastest time, like top ten fastest times, right?
[52:36] SPEAKER_02: It's gotta be close.
[52:37] SPEAKER_00: But like that doesn't really matter, does it?
[52:39] SPEAKER_00: Because we know what courses are like in trifle.
[52:41] SPEAKER_00: Like Willie Hirsch came second that day, finished two minutes behind him.
[52:44] SPEAKER_00: Do we think Willie's gonna contend?
[52:46] SPEAKER_00: You know, like it's kind of more about who you who you beat on the day, isn't it?
[52:50] SPEAKER_02: Yes, I agree.
[52:51] SPEAKER_02: And courses, like, I couldn't even tell you what my fastest, you know, 70.3 time is, for example.
[52:56] SPEAKER_02: Like courses don't really matter, like, times, and I feel like a lot of European races tend to be a lot faster than every other race in the world.
[53:06] SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, I mean, he's a solid athlete.
[53:09] SPEAKER_02: I'm pretty sure this is his first uh world championships for Iron Man.
[53:13] SPEAKER_02: Um, so yeah, I think I think pretender for the podium, but I think a solid day he could sneak into the top ten for sure.
[53:20] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm going Pretender for the podium as well.
[53:24] SPEAKER_01: Um Jan has I think he's one of those guys that could hang with those those firepower on the swim.
[53:30] SPEAKER_01: I feel like there's like the Back a Guard, the Jan Strautman, maybe one or two others can hang with those those big boys in the swim, you know, the Schombergs, the Laidlows, the Riddles.
[53:39] SPEAKER_01: And I think he's one of those guys.
[53:41] SPEAKER_01: Now, will that even play a factor in his race?
[53:43] SPEAKER_01: Because he might get isolated on the bike quickly.
[53:45] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, who who knows?
[53:46] SPEAKER_01: But like you said, he's solid across the board, and you can't be a slouch and go a 728 and an Iron Man.
[53:53] SPEAKER_01: So I don't see him on the podium, but like every person we're talking about, you know, there's only 50 guys on the start list, right?
[54:02] SPEAKER_01: For how who how many are you gonna start?
[54:04] SPEAKER_01: 40, right?
[54:05] SPEAKER_01: I would say 30 guys have a chance at a top 10 on a day, right?
[54:09] SPEAKER_01: So there's a lot of guys who have a chance at a top 10, and uh I think he's he's one of them.
[54:15] SPEAKER_00: Chris McCormack, uh, who won multiple Iron Man World Championships, always used to say, yeah, there might be 50 blokes on the start line, and a lot of them can have good days, but there's only a handful who can win the race.
[54:27] SPEAKER_00: And I think those handful who can win the race are the ones that are the real contenders for the podium.
[54:32] SPEAKER_00: And people like Jan Stratman and Antonio Benito Lopez, they're so solid, they don't really have weaknesses, they're world class, they can win lots of other, you know, big Iron Man races, like but both of them have shown that they can, you know, run second to Christian Blumenfeld.
[54:48] SPEAKER_00: But someone like a Christian or a Laidlow or a Ditliff or a Lang, they're the real contenders, aren't they?
[54:55] SPEAKER_00: They're the ones we're looking at and saying, you know, they're gonna be eyeing each other off during the week.
[54:59] SPEAKER_00: How fit does that person look?
[55:01] SPEAKER_00: Do they look like they might be sick?
[55:02] SPEAKER_00: Have they got an injury?
[55:03] SPEAKER_00: They're the they're gonna be asking about each other.
[55:05] SPEAKER_00: They're not doing that about someone like Jarn Stratman.
[55:08] SPEAKER_00: And it's not it, it's not a dig or an insult on Jarn.
[55:11] SPEAKER_00: They all know Jarn's gonna have a good day and finish probably top 10, top 12, but they're not looking at him right now as one of those guys Chris McCormack would have been looking at back in the day and being like, he's who I have to think about all year when I'm out riding a bike.
[55:23] SPEAKER_00: It and yeah, it's not an it's not an insult, is it, Greg?
[55:26] SPEAKER_00: It's just the level is so strong that even the 50th best athlete on this course is is a world-class athlete, but but probably not a contender on the day.
[55:35] SPEAKER_01: I think that's super well said.
[55:36] SPEAKER_01: And you know, the guys who were in the top ten last year, you know, seven, you know, we had Bradley Weiss and Barnaby, like they're in this race too.
[55:44] SPEAKER_01: They got the top ten last time, too.
[55:45] SPEAKER_01: So that that seven through ten is that might be the hardest predictions to to do, right?
[55:52] SPEAKER_01: I mean, we kind of know who's probably gonna win or get second.
[55:56] SPEAKER_01: Like, there's a four guys, like you mentioned, one of them is probably gonna take that spot, but the spots from six to ten, it's like, who's gonna have it?
[56:03] SPEAKER_01: Like you just have you have no idea uh who's really gonna show up on the day.
[56:08] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because you also assume everyone's gonna have their best day, and you don't know who's gonna take a risk and blow up.
[56:13] SPEAKER_00: So it's it's yeah, uh that's this is why this week of podcasts is so fun and why I'm so I'm looking forward to the race.
[56:19] SPEAKER_00: Okay, that's day three, done and dusted on the every single day grind until Iron Man World Championships here in Nice.
[56:28] SPEAKER_00: So we've still got, what have we got?
[56:29] SPEAKER_00: Day four, five, six, and seven to go.
[56:30] SPEAKER_00: We've still got four podcasts left.
[56:32] SPEAKER_00: Um we heard your feedback about Joe Skiprot on the podcast yesterday, uh, and we know how much you loved having him on.
[56:38] SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna endeavour to get Joe on and join us for as many of them as we could.
[56:42] SPEAKER_00: He just couldn't join us tonight because he was packing for his travel day to the Iron Man World Championships tomorrow.
[56:47] SPEAKER_00: Uh Apo, Greg, that was awesome.
[56:49] SPEAKER_00: Um, like we said, if you want to get involved, comment on the Spotify.
[56:53] SPEAKER_00: If your comment's good enough or we think it's funny, we'll be a bit more organized.
[56:56] SPEAKER_00: I was traveling all day today, so we weren't that organized, but we'll have them written down and uh we'll we'll read them out live on air on tomorrow's daily podcast and discuss them before we get into uh the rest of the podcast.
[57:06] SPEAKER_00: So, boys, let's do it all again tomorrow.
[57:08] SPEAKER_02: Sounds good, Jack.
[57:09] SPEAKER_02: Thanks, Jack.

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