It’s what you live for

The recent PTO European championship was a race we have been waiting a lifetime for. To see the last 3 Male Olympic champions, go head-to-head (Jan, Alastair and Kristian) as well as a women’s race that featured multiple Kona winners, world champions and world number ones. While we can explore the race from a technique, transitions, bike set up, who wore aero socks or socks at all on the run or the power numbers they pushed, for me this race was about ego, mindset and what people use to get an edge.  

I loved the build up where everyone kept commenting that they couldn’t wait to race, they all just love to race and compete against the best.

• It was funny to see Frodo talking a big game when he chatted to Kristian and worked to assert his superiority as the GOAT, however an interview with his wife Emma a world and Olympic triathlon champion herself painted a different picture where she said Jan would just be happy to finish given the challenges he had faced over the past few years, suggesting he may have a few mental fragilities he didn’t want to show.
• For Ditlev it is all about racing smart- expert pacing on the bike and run combined with being as aero as he can be. His ride was just breathtaking, but I was surprised that when he caught the front group, he didn’t ride through them and really impose himself.  But he is a smart racer so maybe that was his limit.
• Alastair was all about imposing himself and trying to hurt those around him. When Ditlev caught him on the bike he proceeded to attack dropping Jan and Kristian and then on the run he did what he always does and just went hard from the front, possibly the reason for him blowing up halfway through but that is who he is!
• Max Neuman a quiet unassuming Aussie, just worked to position himself in the right spots through the day, nailing a quick T1 to get back on the front group, he rode smart letting the others set the pace and he built through the run embracing the pain after having a bad patch through the middle. The harder it got, and the closer Kristian got too him the more focused and determined he became.
• For Kristian it was more about his comments post-race where he downplayed Max’s result, protecting his ego by saying it was only early season and that he should have given Max more credit and not let him get away.
• For the women they don’t tend to beat their chests quite as much as the men, but this doesn’t mean they are any less of a competitor.  Lucy is a racer, and you can tell she loves to win, Daniella loves to hurt and put herself out there, Emma Pallant-Brown just races at every opportunity regardless of the race (she won the world duathlon champs the weekend prior), while Ashleigh has almost 20 years of experience competing at the highest level and has finally found her Niche in these longer races.

But it was Max’s post-race speech that really caught my attention when he said, “I love racing, it is what I live for!” Sharing that he liked to keep a low profile, he hated Instagram and doesn’t see the need to post about every workout you do, he doesn’t employ sport scientists he just uses a power meter and hard work, preferring to keep things basic with no bullshit! On the run Max just grabbed whatever was available at every aid station (drinks, gels) compared to Alastair who had to have his specific food product.

The women’s race wasn’t quite as gripping following a more standard script, with Lucy Charles Barkley leading off the front for the swim and bike, the chase group forming behind who played a more tactical game, and the better runners like Haug, Cedaro and Jewett trying to minimise the damage after the swim.

While Annie Haug’s run was amazing her bike was the big talking point as she not only minimised her losses but made it a real strength with the third fastest split of the day. She is more of a quiet achiever who thrives on the drive for continual improvement. This makes sense as she learnt how to swim at 20 and only took up triathlons at 27. So, while she was the oldest competitor, she views herself as still one of the beginners constantly trying to improve. Her belief now comes from her training where her hard running sessions at the track leave her feeling ready for anything.

In the end Annie summed it up the best when she said, “you need the best in the world, to see how good you are” and that is why the best race- to find out- its what they all live for!

And after seeing this course with such a choppy swim, cars driving at speed passed the riders and people walking straight in front of the runners on a very tight and twisty course makes you appreciate how great it is to have a race like Victor on the SA calendar.