Searchable start list

If Andrew Horsfall-Turner turns up (no pun intended), it could be an aggressive swim with him and Wilkowiecki. Skipper won't like it. Lange could have to wait until the run to catch up.

---

"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden

There are reports of pros not getting on the start list because entries closed early

https://twitter.com/.../1773324778062962782

in my best thestrobro imitation all i can say is that the newhouse company , some refer to it as ironman is not up to scratch and a shambles.

Not keeping Pro entries open till the advertised closing date specified (by 'just' changing that date) is very poor. Discussion on the Oceanside thread about this.
But Texas, like Oceanside, was always going to be very popular, for similar reasons.Pros have got used to being able to enter races with only 3 weeks to go.
However any pro who had not decided by mid March to race Texas carries an element of guilt at not planning their season or just procrastinating 'because they thought they could'. Is Horseau one of those?
Shedloads of USA (and a few from other countries) new Pros on the start list. I hope those in that cohort can go under 8:30 (men, and not be chicked) and 9:30 (women) to demonstrate their prowess and thus they merit starting in the pro wave.
Last year 30 men and 25 women started. RvB won in 7:45 and (it's not a comeback') Matthews in 8:33.
At the back Shi, Eaton, Pan (all US) plus Csoke and Schmidt finished in over 9:10. And four women finished over 10 hours. They all beat Skipper who wanted to get an extra long ride in (with extra accessible hydration) and then DNF'd.
https://www.trirating.com/...3-analyzing-results/

How about, by amending this thread's title, you break this out into men and women, in a spirit of inclusion.
The top ranked women in the start list are:
Matthews (last year's winner; but ? calf after Miami)
Langridge (not T100 so assume all in for IM Series, not in Roth list despite previous extrovert and successful racing there)
Stage Nielsen (#2 in 2023)
McCauley (#3 last year coming back from injury/op)
Berry (#2 in IMNZ and #11 at Kona)
Alberts (PTO #47 and winner of IMLP and Maryland last year)
2023: https://www.trirating.com/...3-analyzing-results/

Yes. One thread per race, please.

---

----------------------------------
Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

my bad, i just meant that was aware i had only spoken about guys but my post was long enough or at least had taken me enough to write it.

Is no one actually disappointed that the SOF level is actually quite low?

A couple of days ago a pro who is KQ posted on his IG that he was racing Texas.

but his name is NOT on the start list.

The guy trains like a pro and is gifted but it seems quite amateur to me ! He did not seem to know that the list was closed. I guess he should read ST more often !

To my earlier list of WPros, I'll add Wilms PTO#31, winner of IM Austria and recently (and IMWCQ) #3 at Busselton. NB She's racing T100 Singapore as a wildcard 14 days earlier.
Can look forward to Zilinskas leading out the swim, though Langridge will not be far behind.
WPro have 24 listed; MPro 30 so the hysteria seen at Oceanside is absent.
Hopefully they'll have the Race Ranger firmware sorted in the next fortnight.
https://sportstats.one/results/130475

They have now published the start list with start numbers (40 WPRO; 65 MPRO):
https://files.constantcontact.com/...155-fcc4e4b4ab3c.pdf
And in colour: https://www.instagram.com/...bJwLtSF/?img_index=1
Last year's results: https://stats.protriathletes.org/...m-texas/2023/results
Seven of the first 8 WPROs from last year racing again with the notable additions of Langridge and Wilms who will try to swim with Brandon and Clarke (but won't manage to).

The starting list is out

2024 Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas, North American Championship

and it is quite different from the sporstats info mentionned in the thread (i felt smart having found this info, well not any more !)
So Lange, Wilko, Currie, Skipper, Lieferman, Foley and Hanson are still in.
New contenders Koolhaas, Mignon, Marquardt, Magnien are now in. And they all may be contenders for the whole IM Pro Series.
I am personnaly relieved that the field is now significantly better with a SOF of 85. 28 with the current (not updated ranking)
It is somewhat amazing to find Koolhaas and Mignon since the former had a good result in Miami and ranks 12th in the T100 and the latter is a contracted athlete who is also racing Roth in July and is ranked 23th in the T100.... He may be the only male T100 athlete who may go for both series. Just like Kanute, Weiss or Chevalier he is struggling on this format and in great danger of not being in the top 10 given a contract for the next season.

Who's going to swim at the front with Andy Horsfall-Turner?

The WPRO SOF is 83.49. The winner stands to score about 89.
Koolhaas needs to get a Kona slot (he DNF'd Cozumel) and can't rely on getting another T100 wildcard (despite his great result in Miami). One assumes (given his Miami #6) he was offered a start in Singapore but turned it down in favour of IM Texas.
Goodness knows what Mignon thinks he's doing. It really doesn't seem sensible to race Singapore and then toe the line in the Woodlands 13 days later. In the last 13 months he has DNF'd 50% of his races. He too needs to get a Kona slot (he DNF'd Portugal).

Koolhaas, Wilko, Angert, Marquardt, Currie should be front pack. Cecarelli and Stojanovic although not very famous should join them too.
Lange, who has been working on his swim should not be far away in a second pack with Mignon and Magnien.
There is enough bike power in this group to make it tough for the weaker swimmers (Skipper, Leiferman, Skipper) to bridge the gap.

Some real swim firepower there for sure!
I hope Braden makes the front group, he does 99% of the time, but did come out of the water behind Lange at Oceanside (OK, only 15's, AND as you say, Lange's swim has improved).
The first 50k of the bike could be very interesting!

I suspect most of them didn't taper for Oceanside. My thoughts would be Braden leads most of the run until he gets passed by Lange and finishes 2nd. Skipper runs into 3rd.

Think the men's will be rather more congested than that.
Marquardt (PTO #22) had a epic battle to the line here last year and, on his debut Pro race (in 7:45!!), very nearly beat both Wilkowiecki (PTO #25), seconds down on the winner RvB. Both are on the start list.
Currie (PTO #45) Skipper (PTO #34) Magnien (PTO #50) Leiferman (PTO #43)
After the swim led out by AH-T, chances of Currie getting and staying away on the bike are slim.
Lange will have to bike rather better than in Oceanside to be close enough to run through (which is nevertheless the odds-on scenario).
https://stats.protriathletes.org/...m-texas/2023/results

Lange already lost over 4 minutes due to a wrong turn in Oceanside, I'm expecting him to be at or near the front after the bike (ignoring a potential flyer that might hold on on the run).

Race preview will come out next week but this looks like a really exciting race for the 2nd stop in the IM Pro Series. Going to be interesting to see who will eventually try to compete in the series & who doesn't. I wish there was a way to indicate that on the start list. Obviously we'll see people stacking up multiple results in the series & we know who is contracted for other races. Oceanside had a good # of half distance specialists racing. Now the IM specialists get their turn. It could very well be 90 degrees on the run. Expecting the faster runners to shine but we'll see. Currie & Lewis are the top male/female doubling back from Oceanside. Hanson & Skipper both outran Currie there. Lots of firepower in both races. Like the depth in the women's race for this one.

Thank you ST and leadership for affording the IM Pro Series the recognition and attention it merits (unlike other series happening this year).
Thorsten's trirating predictions: https://www.trirating.com/...4-apr-27th-seedings/
As to <<who's aiming to "compete" in the series>>, I guess all the PTO top ranked 15 on the start list are likely contenders (though not McCauley 'cos Sundays).
Tri247 preview: https://www.tri247.com/...-first-full-distance

Koolhaas and AH-T to lead out the swim with at least Currie, Wilkowiecki and Marquardt in tow or close chase pack.
I guess we might expect uber-biker Kallin and even Skipper to ride up to Lange (and Angert and Mignon and Magnien) and then all get closer to the better riders among the swim FP.
I would be amazed to find Lange "at or near [within 3 minutes] the front" at T2.
From a spectator PoV, I'd like to see a good chase to enliven the later miles (so hope Lange has plenty to catch). Last year's battle was epic (men's podium (RvB Wilko# and Marquardt (debut)) within 21 seconds; Matthews not reeling in Stage Nielsen in the first half and then making sufficient inroads for the late pass (Maya ran best ever with a 3:00 - a 5 minute PB)).

Ceccarelli also in front or chase swim pack.

You're totally right about Marquardt. I thought a bit about him, but my hunch was this year his dual life gets to him and he's not going to feature. But rechecking the results he did better than I recall he did in Nice. I can see him being there with Currie. Leiferman I always hope he's going to do better after St George 2022 an he hasn't delivered much (CDA was great, but Sam Long had issues, and I don't really count Cozumel to mean much).

Me placing Skipper for 3rd is a bit of wishful thinking, but I do want the best for him. Anyhow, I think still think it's between Lange and Currie for first.

I fear Currie is wishful thinking too. You have to look right back to the podium, by metres, at St George (May 2022) to see the last time he had an excellent, non-domestic race.
As for Skipper his swim puts him so far back (?in #50 of 65) and his bike is not differentially stronger than a dozen near the front. He might catch Leiferman and they work they way up together.

See I'm picking Currie because of timing being similar to StG 2022 and the fact that he crushed Cairns. While that's closer to home than Texas, I'm just thinking Currie excels in the first half of the year. Well see!

ProTriNews offer their analysis and predictions:
https://podcasts.apple.com/...ri-news/id1559781865
Support for Currie!
Mentions for Marquardt Koolhaas Lange Skipper
Surprise in WPro Matthews ;) (calf tear 8 weeks ago) plus Langridge, Lewis, Stage_Nielsen
Full tv coverage this coming Saturday.
https://www.trirating.com/...4-apr-27th-seedings/

Looking forward to your preview!
Lewis has a 9 point lead on Langridge in the IM Series from Oceanside: one of them will lead the standings come pm Saturday.
Currie has 244 over Leiferman and 256 over Skipper (that was a good 70.3 (for him) 16 days ago). Lange well further back.
Forecast is for heat, wind and 76% humidity: not great.
There was some ProTriNews chat that an athlete could win the IM Series with 3 70.3s, an IM and Kona/Nice. Think this may've be motivated by throwing Sanders a bone as opposed to based on arithmetic. Such a substitution will cost 41 minutes of differential loss. I think it's quite likely the eventual winners will not depend on a Taupo score.
Worked example:
Sanders: 2500+2500+5000 (IMLP)+5400(Kona, 10 minutes down on winner)+2820(3 minutes down in Taupo) = 18,220
(if wins Kona and Taupo, max score 19,000
Lange: 2000+5000+2000+5000+5820 (3 minutes down in Kona)= 19,820

IRONMAN Texas Preview is LIVE!

Can Kat Matthews overcome a calf tear to win? McCauley, Wilms, Stage-Nielson, Langridge, & several women from Oceania look to challenge her.

Can Patrick Lange rebound, coming off of a 16th place finish at 70.3 Oceanside? Your podium picks are as good as mine after that, with a ton of depth in the men's race. Lots of people doubling back from Oceanside & plenty of new faces make their Pro Series debuts.

Well written!

Thanks for the extensive race preview, especially for giving women prominent coverage. If I could suggest an improvement, it would be helpful if you added captions to the photos rather than making readers try to guess who’s in the photos or where they were taken. Being able to connect names to faces will help build the fan side of our sport.

---

Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

Pereda will be up there too. Ex-college swimmer, and he sent me a message that he wants to push that swim, so I expect him to be in the mix at least during the swim.

Lots of good stuff there, and especially on some new names that most of us are not familiar with..

Could have done without the Michael Weiss comment though, kind of poor taste and like a couple decades old now too....Is this going to be your take on every athlete you mention going forward, or is he special is some way to you??

i find it normal to mention that he is/was a convicted doper. Most people do no really enjoy seeing him (back) in the sport.
Poor taste would be asking it NOT to be mentionned.... and please it's not about him, i don't see other ex-EPO user in this field.

Koolhaas was in the front pack at T100 Miami. Swam up front at Challenge Almere too. Ceccarelli was a DNF @ Oceanside but came out of the water in the lead group. Some of the biggest names like Wilkowiecki, Currie, and Marquardt. Horsfall-Turner led out the swim last year & didn't drop Wilkowiecki & Marquardt. There are some good bikers in this field. Would think that those guys want to try to string it out on the swim. Simon Shi also has front pack swim potential but I'd rather see him swim comfortably in the chase pack, conserve some energy, & set himself up for a good day.

Think Brandon will end up dropping everyone in the women's race. Might have company for a little bit. We'll see.

Real feel will be 90 degrees w./ a dew point close to 70 by the time folks get onto the run. Thinking 2:50 & 3:00 could get the job done for someone out in front. Will be interesting to see if any men can go sub-2:45 & run to the front.

Not to mention that this strategy is extremely risky. Even if you can math it out, the race dynamic and incentives are to go for broke at the WCs. Someone like Sanders can probably turn out podiums/wins at regular IMs with very little risk just by staying close to target power and not letting himself get too ahead of himself.

If he's depending on the WCs for even a decent result, especially if the decision is "5% Kona win, 95% walking the marathon" vs "95% secure a top 10" you know he's going for broke.

Yeah I guess it's personal preference here. I thought it was relevant when researching for the preview and saw who beat Pohl at IM Maryland last year. There have been plenty of apologist articles written on Weiss. I don't have any tolerance for doping & think it's relevant to include background information like that so as not to normalize it by never brining it up. I think our sports lends itself to normalizing things that make you a better athlete. Easy to make the jump as an AGer to trying out some banned products (maybe not even knowing something is banned) thinking there's no harm because you're not a pro but then ending up with a 70.3/140.6 Worlds slot. I didn't write a paragraph on how I think the science is sound on the long term benefits you get from doping even if you dope for a short period of time. I mentioned Laidlow being under investigation earlier in the year so, no, he's not special to me. If anything, I would say that's showing some consistency on the topic. If you're associated with doping, it's fair game that it gets mentioned if articles that preview or recap races. I'm not giving my opinion on these things like I am here but I do believe readers should know about these things and decide what importance to assign it. Open to feedback if ST doesn't want this stuff mentioned but at the end of the day it's still an opinion piece & I'm not spending too much time focusing on stuff like that versus highlighting all of the great (clean) athletes on these start lists. Can't make everyone happy but it was one line & I think it's relevant for as long as Weiss wants to compete. Would guess that that line wouldn't be something that most people who read the article are thinking too much about.

I'm with @Monty here - and you throwing it in jarred (because of its irrelevance - see below).
Extract: "Jason Pohl . . . came in 2nd at IRONMAN Maryland to convicted doper Michael Weiss."
Point is: Weiss is NOT on the start list (@jcqiraSHT please note) - is he?
If he was then 'fair' to mention: but he isn't - or have I got that wrong?
So the fact that Pohl got beaten by him is across the borderline irrelevant (to Pohl's chances in IM Texas).
Why did Pohl DNF Oceanside? He DNFs a lot of races. Why? Does every DNF make the next one easier? Or is this a recurrent injury?
I don't have any tolerance for doping & think it's relevant to include background information like that IF the athlete referenced is racing.
I appreciate the review (as said ^^^): the number of athletes you mentioned was extensive and I liked the article's construct.

https://proseries.ironman.com/...n-championship-texas
Pro panel tomorrow at 1400 local: https://proseries.ironman.com/...live-texas-pro-panel
Very likely a top 10 in the men will get a IMWCQ. Top 8 for the women (estimate).

Great write-up! My picks:

1. Langridge
2. Matthews
3. Brandon

1. Wilkowiecki
2. Lange
3. Currie

---

"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden

I like Wilkowiecki a lot.

You think Langridge can hold it together on the run in the heat? Hesitated to put her higher after she was run down in Oceanside.

Ajax Bay, you're right, he is not racing. My bad


Looking at Oceanside result, it seems that taking into account the 'handicap' can make the race more interesting from a viewer point: if my numbers are correct
Currie 's buffer to remain at the top of the IM Pro Series is as follows
Lange : 7'32''
Hanson: 5'57''
Skipper: 4'16''
Lieferman : 4'04

Skipper 's buffer to Hanson is 1' 41, and 3'16'' to Lange (and Angert). I find this TdF system quite interesting and athletes will find an extra incentive to fight till the end. Currie could finish outside the top five and still be first in the Series.

There have been plenty of apologist articles written on Weiss. I don't have any tolerance for doping & think it's relevant to include background information like that so as not to normalize it by never brining it up. I think our sports lends itself to normalizing things that make you a better athlete. //

First of all I'm with you on the no tolerance for doping in sport, those that know me and have read my posts here the past 20+ years know my very stern and vocal stance on it. I have never seen an apologist article, let alone "plenty" on Michael, perhaps I just missed them. And your last comment about our sport normalizing doping, where the hell did that come from? It is the exact opposite, always has been since my day back in the 80's, where us pros implemented the first ever drug program on ourselves to insure a level playing field. Of course we now know that all those efforts could be beaten(and still can be), and often were. But there never was or is an attempt to normalize doping, I believe we do better than most sports in that area.

Now if you were talking about the AG side, that is a different story. And it is not that our sport is normalizing it, but society as a whole. The whole longevity dynamic that is pervasive in our culture, has bleed into sport, and many do think it is "normal" to take all those drugs and then compete because some doctor said so....

Fantasy is on:


https://www.dailytri.com/.../races/im-texas-2024

---

"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden

Race Ranger should be being used. But we've heard not a peep since they pulled it last minute at Oceanside (firmware 2.0 upgrade quality not assured). Anyone know?
A question to ask the pro panel in a few hours time maybe:
"How do you think RR is going to affect the bike?"

It was used in Singapore after Oceanside correct? I'd assumed that they had worked the bugs out of the software but perhaps the bugs related to the shorter draft distance allowed?

---

Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

I think the point is that Pohl would have won and it would have been a gigantic win for him, and without that win, he’s still relatively unknown even with his Roth/Maryland low-4 bike followed by 2:39 runs. I see it as highly relevant commentary for IMTX as to why Pohl is worth mentioning and under the radar - LRC does a great job providing backstories like this as they analyze, for example, recently who Ethiopia will choose for their Olympic marathon team, and that context is appreciated. keep this quality of writeups coming and thank you.

---

wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

I think a better question would be "Have you seen the wind forecast?"

:)

@Th4ddy "I think a better question would be 'Have you seen the wind forecast?'"
In the pro 'panel' they often share the latest forecast. Looks gnarly with winds 24kph, gusting 40 and some rain. And 30C for the run.
https://www.ventusky.com/...&t=20240427/1900
Great tailwind on the way back!
https://proseries.ironman.com/...t_CourseMap_Bike.pdf

Thank you, but my predictions are usually as accurate as North Korean economic statistics. You’re basically asking a person with learning difficulties to multiply 629 by 482…

---

"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden

Sorry? "Pohl would have won" IF what?
If another athlete, who was busted a very long time ago in a different sport, hadn't been racing? Do you think Weiss, having served his ban, should never race again? That's not a very Christian 'forgiving' stance - but I appreciate one some advocate: a life ban from competitive sport. But it's not one the wide(r) sporting community adopts.
Pohl's two 2:39s (Roth and Maryland) were breakthrough runs for him: way faster than he'd managed before. That sort of run will see him well up the order, challenging Hanson for #2 on the run.

Again, if Weiss was racing, mention of his past in a preview of a race is perfectly reasonable.
Weiss is racing St George, according to https://sportstats.one/...ronman-703-st-george

If there was a lifetime ban. Again, LRC would not shy away from mentioning that Pohl would not be as much of an underdog as we perceive him to be if a convicted doper had not beaten him and Sam Long with a uncharacteristically fast bike/run combo at Maryland - the inclusion of why we are underrating an athlete is good journalism.

forgiveness, exoneration, acceptance and future inclusion are separate judgments. we can attempt one without the other(s)

---

wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

Sorry? "Pohl would have won" IF what? //

Ha, my first thought, then realized the poster is trolling for this exact response. Pohl may have a bright future, but first he has to beat an old man who is hanging on by a thread in this sport, who has a hard time getting top 10 in any sort of good and deep field...

The issue (as has been said) is not a gap setting thing.
RR was used successfully at Singapore (caveat: success as in: the sun shone, the lights blinked red (some of the time)). I feel sure that the PTO have their 'own' 40-50 sets: these are physically not the same 120 kits planned for use at Oceanside. I suspect the plan was to install the 2.0 ware in the 6 days they had 'tween events: activity immediately placed on hold after the 'fail' before Oceanside. So the Singapore kits/system (same as Miami) remained fine/proven.
I am told that Race Ranger is being fitted to the Texas bikes tomorrow; set at 10m gap obv.

Thanks for the good info! I didn't realize there was a whole different set for PTO vs the Ironman folks. Fingers crossed that the bugs have been worked out and fair play will rule the day at least in part due to their use.

---

Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

IRONMAN Texas will take place on Saturday April 27. Men's start 06:25 local (CDT, corresponds to 12:25 in the UK, 13:25 CEST and 04:25 on the West Coast) with the women starting 5 minutes later.
The race will be broadcast live for free real time (but Outside (without the "+") offers no review).

In both Canada and the USA, in "partnership with Outside, IRONMAN Pro Series events will be available to watch exclusively on the website , with on-demand playback available on Outside+."
https://proseries.ironman.com/...ionship-texas-teaser
"Internationally, viewers will be able to tune in across multiple platforms, including on the dedicated IRONMAN Pro Series website, DAZN and L’Equipe"

Women:
Matthews
McCauley
Stage Nielsen
With 6 slots available, following are already IMWCQ: Langridge, Wilms, Alberts

Men:
Currie
Koolhaas
Wilkowiecki
With 6 slots available, following (all likely to finish top 10) are already IMWCQ: Lange, Wilkowiecki, Marquardt, Leiferman, Magnien

Clarke's take (on Tri247, don't what that "covid-19" is doing :))
https://www.tri247.com/...hampionship-covid-19

https://proseries.ironman.com/...ermann-ironman-texas

I put this together for others - people may find useful.

IRONMAN Texas will take place on Saturday April 27. Men's start 06:25 local (CDT, corresponds to 12:25 BST) with the women starting 5 minutes later.
The race will be broadcast live for free real time (pre-'show' from midday)
on the dedicated IRONMAN Pro Series website (for UK)
Best preview out there: https://www.slowtwitch.com/...ro_Preview_8937.html
IM hype: EP 1 of 2: A Fighting Chance: 2024 Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas

https://proseries.ironman.com/watch
Start list: https://files.constantcontact.com/...155-fcc4e4b4ab3c.pdf

Download tracker (on phone): IRONMAN Athlete Tracker App Go to 'Leaders'
https://sportstats.one/event/ironman-texas

Course: IRONMAN Texas | Anything Is Possible
Run map: https://proseries.ironman.com/...seMap_Run_030124.pdf
Weather forecast (set for run start time: midday local): Ventusky - Weather Forecast Maps
Fresh SSE 19mph wind with gusts to 30mph (block headwind from bike 20-42 miles and 61-83, but tailwind coming north x 2 (obv)). High 20s for after noon run (before that riding north will have far less cooling effect as the gusts will be same speed as riders!)
Ironman Texas 2024 (Apr 27th) – Seedings – TriRating
Seedings are based on previous race results
Preview: Stars revealed for first full distance race of the IRONMAN Pro Series in Texas
We can see the swim from lakeside (the run course goes round the large lake and bike access). The bike course is two loops so xxxxxx only seen (I think) 4 times. The (mostly) lakeside run is three loops (and very pretty).
Edit to add: Race Ranger fitted.

Aaaand we are off! Seems a bit less commercial breaks this time ... thanks god!

Surprisingly, I have no complains about the broadcast thus far. Looking forward to a good race.

Anybody else getting “This Video file cannot be played” every few minutes?

I have to refresh the page to continue watching.

It is working fine for me on Apple TV

I’m watching on my macbook and it happens every time they go to commercials, which is now getting a bit annoying.

Watching here on Chrome on a Macbook: https://proseries.ironman.com/races/im-texas

I tried watching from there, but same thing happens. Every time they switch to an ad it breaks, and I have to hit refresh.

Also, these are getting a bit annoying. 70s of ads every like 5 minutes.

Is Outside+ ad free? If so it’s worth considering to get rid of the ads.

Skipper 8mins back in the swim is ridiculous, he really does need to do a Sam/Lionel and start focusing on it more, getting into fights with the local old ladies at the David Lloyd gym is really not working 😬

I think you mean just Lionel because Sam isn’t swimming well at all. Over 4 minutes down in Singapore. He would be right next to joe in a full.

I’m disappointed that it is on outside. I have a far better viewing experience on YouTube.

With the free outside you can only watch live to watch after the fact, you must subscribe.

On YouTube, I pause the stream and train or work or whatever. Watch at my convenience. I can fast forward through less tactical sections. Also, on YouTube I can watch at 1.5 or 2.0 speed till it catches up in real time.

I’ve watched Ironmans in the past on YouTube and watch T100 on YouTube. MUCH BETTER THAN outside online…

Lange riding 6th already - if he can stay there, game over! (not 3rd, sorry)

Kat race over. 5 min penalty. Bummer.

Incredible that in these days of super bikes with integrated hydration/fuelling points we still have athletes carry 3 even 4 standard bottles draped all over their frames. Do any pros actually use the internal hydration compartments their bikes come with?

Not over. Stage Nielsen has one too (5). Depends on how Langridge and Wilms run. They are both 3:10 runners

You can carry max 1L of liquid in most built-in deposits. For a male athlete you need 4-5 bottles at least for a day like today.
If you need to pick up hydration on the way, you are going to need to slow down. The commenter called it "momentum" which I undertand, but it has nothing to do with momentum physics-wise.

Bottles between arms and behind the butt are basically "free" aero-wise.

So that´s it ...

Fair enough. Hope you are right, I want to see her win!

The bottom bottle looks empty. He’s using it solely to block the wind from hitting his pelvis area to prevent the air getting trapped there. Similar to why athletes were using the bottle down the shirt as it moved the air so it didn’t get trapped.

It's more concerning that there are "pros" 25 mins down after a 45-50 mins swim. Danielle Lewis was given on the podium or whereabouts by most pundits, 15 mins down on the swim. FIFTEEN!

Wilms yes, but Langridge ran sub-3 in Roth last year and 3:04 in IM WA. She is the favorite to win this race and always was.

---

"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden

Very annoying these lower level pros effectively blocked Brownlee etc from starting Texas.

There shouldn’t really be pro men 20+ minutes behind at 12 miles in.

also annoying that there are 10 DNF, only 56 started, because IM doesn't apply any penalty to those pros that register to a race and then don't show up.

I agree with that. Dns should be 500 bucks at least.

Rinny showing once again that she's 10 categories better than Belinda in the commentary box. No disrespect to her, but the difference is just shocking.
Only annoying point is that IM doesn't allow them to even pronounce the words PTO or T100 even when they need to mention past results or where they got injured...a tad childish.

Rinny just said, that it’s less important to stay aero with headwind than with tailwind, because with headwind you go slower so you don’t have to worry about aero that much. LOL

I find the IM Texas race broadcast / coverage absolutely boring. Maybe it’s because it’s a full distance race, maybe because we’ve been spoiled with good coverage & emotions during Oceanside and Singapore.

The distance that Kalin and Marquardt have just put on the entire field between miles 61 and 71 is insane.

---

-------------
Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

missing some big names/characters too to light it up a bit more

Just wondering, is it now ok in IM to go across the center line and around the cones delimitating the race track?

All the top pro women doing it :/

I blame the race format. The broadcast is good but it's like watching a 2-hour race at 0.25 the speed.

---

"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden

Don't think even Lange can run that gap back. Marquardt is a capable runner.

Stage Nielsen lost 2 minutes on the Matthews/McCauley/Berry pack with a dropped chain (we are told). And then Mathews and Stage Nielsen stopped for a 5 min penalty.
Before stop Matthews/McCauley/Berry were 3:34 down on Wilms/Langridge. McCauley/Berry are riding same speed as lead trio: Matthews has lost 5 mins plus but now recovering some of that time, upwind.
Significant amateur rider congestion.
Langridge ran a 1:25 at Oceanside so consistent with a 3:10 estimate (trirating). We'll see.

If Kat is healthy, that's an easy win with those distances. She easily has at least 15 mins, if healthy. All depends on that calf.
I wouldn't discount Lotte Wilms from sticking with Fenella on the run...

It's hard for me not to believe that Marquardt and Kallin are not risking their race with this pace. Skipper started the bike in 42nd, now in 7th, but 12 minutes back from the front! Top two guys have put almost 4 minutes into him on the bike so far.

---

-------------
Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

To anyone, what bike is wilms on

I’d wager Skipper will podium or be very close.

It appears to be a Storck, but I don't know why they put that branding on it.

https://www.storck-bikes.com/...d/tt-triathlon/aero3

---

-------------
Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

Thx ed.

I think top 3 is within reach. And if Kallin and Marquardt have.... oh crap. Kallin (Edit to correct) just crashed for no reason. Looks like he might have taken out or almost taken out an age grouper who was behind him. Looks like he just got a bit floppy riding out of the saddle and torqued his foot out of the pedal.

---

-------------
Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

Shiat - did you see that Robert Kalinn crash? Unclipped and tarmac struck

From that brief replay it looked like he skipped a gear which pitched him forward a bit while causing him to unclip to balance but it was too late and he fell off.

So when are we gonna see a Mortal Move or other promo about why low calorie stevia drinks are the new rage for endurance sports?

When an athlete bonks is that the Mortal move?

Re: the drafting penalty. Looks like Kat is going for bust. Did they show it on camera? Interesting move with the technology. I wonder if she can demonstrate an margin error in the radar that could undo the penalty if that's why it's called.

I like that she's going for it.

That’s what I thought as well. Hope he can run.

I think it's 4 for the podium: Marquardt, Mignon, Lange and Skipper, with the question mark on Hernandez running his first IM (he's wicked fast in 70.3) and I don't think Kallin is going to be a factor, even less after his fall.

Not to be a conspiracy theorist but it seems that athletes riding with McCauley have a higher chance at penalties. Sodaro got one in taupo and now mathews. I don’t think either of those athletes have gotten a drafting penalty in a long long time before those. Maybe she slows down in weird spots and people get caught? Just seems to be a common denominator.

Kallin crash totally 'him': no other rider cause.
Agree that looks like the top 4, in your order you gave. Rodriquez has some good 1:09/1:10s early last year but Campeche and Oceanside not promising for a fast full (and first IM). If sensible he runs it in to get a Kona slot (first ?8).
Edit: Superb bike time from Marquardt!

WPro starting to look quite interesting. Langridge is better runner than Wilms. McCauley, Berry, Slater and Alberts pretty even, similar to Wilms.

Mexican Tomas Rodriguez will give Lange a good run for his money here! I saw him run 2:38 in a blazing hot 2023 IM Cozumel.

Question is if Mignon is far enough ahead, or they can catch him?

Skipper fell off.

Off the pace or off his bike??

deleted

Sorry pace

Commentary: "Marquardt has perfect biodynamics ... from the hip down". HAHA - OMG. Legend comment! What´s with his left arm? :O

Lange in a strong position.

---

-------------
Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

Hernandez is absolutely flying though, and Leiferman still on Lange's feet, at current pace all 3 of them can catch Marquardt.

Skipper pull out?

no but running slow, 4 mins down on Lange now, and lost a minute on the likes of Andre Lopes and Nick Thompson, so not a great pace for now.
Wonder if he just went too hard on the first 100 miles on the bike and popped.

Tomas Rodriguez running sub 3:30 min/km first 7.2 km ... dayum!

Anyone. Brand of kit on fenella?

he's flying, at this pace he'd win with 5 mins plus on anyone!

3rd already. Let’s see if he blows.

Mauna Apparel

It´s North American Champs - Tomás is infact North American :). Viva Mexico!

Just saw Marquart stop and walk, and really couldn't see the reason physically. Think maybe a heat. issue??

And now see his is pulling the plug...Maybe go on to get some points

Currie and Skipper both pulled out as well by the looks of it.

Its a blood bath. Kudos to the commentators to keep believing in Marquart. He is toast. Won´t even end up in top10.

Is this the new reality with the points system? No benefit to finishing 30 min down on the winner… DNF and try another day

Dont think he cares about place at this point, he is running for time behind leader. And funny thing is when he runs, he doesnt look bad. Greg keeps saying he must have cramps, but I dont see any sign of cramps, no stretching or what not when you have them..I think it is just a heat issue..So now he just keeps going as well as he can and limit the loss of bonus points..Places dont matter..

I don't think he's that toast, might still salvage a podium, can't see anybody else except Lange overtaking him (if he doesn't totally implode)

are you watching the same race?

---

What's your CdA?

My comment hasn’t aged well😂😂

Was thinking the same ... or maybe delayed...

OK - I will admit that Marquardt is holding it together better than expected. He looked like a wreck, but he still runs - well done!!

I am, he's still there :)
So probably fourth.

Is Rodriguez going to lose his race bib number?

I think I got it right Wilms vs Fenella :)

Congrats to boxer Ryan Garcia, who wins Ironman Texas a week after beating Devin Haney.

What’s the slot situation for the men here? Can’t believe they haven’t mentioned.

---

Dimond Bikes Superfan

Rodriguez Hernandez, Mignon, Kallin, Schuster, Hanson and Koolhaas should get them

Koolhaas disappeared, DQ?

Did Kat serve her penalty?

halfway through the bike

It's a Mortal Move. Not enough carbs and maybe their electrolytes caused cramps. //slight sarcasm

Indeed, i do not see him anymore then Pole Szala would get the Kona spot (the third Pole fo the year !)

i tried to get the points for the rankings but it is very unofficial as i am not great at maths !

1- Lange 4 903 +1 615 =6 518
2- Hanson 4 174 + 1 710= 5 884
3- Leiferman 4 025+ 1 823= 5 848
4- Hernandez 5 000 + 582 = 5 582
5- Lopez 3 586 + 1 659= 5 245
6- Mignon 4 661

Congrats to Penny!

I feel for Joe. He just has not been able to put it together the last couple years. I wonder what it will take to finally hire a coach.

Yes and then gained circa 3:45 back on everyone in the second half of the bike.
Very good run by Slater to get #2. PTO score earned jumps her from #54 to about #38 (by my reckoning).
And Wilms in #3 jumps up more than 10 places too.
https://www.tri247.com/...series-women-results

How many kona slots were on offer for pros?

---

Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

6 each for women/men

6+6 but several were already IMWCQ

This aged poorly.

You're right: he ran sub 1:13 for the first half: at that pace he'd have won by 10 minutes. Unsurprisingly his pace dropped and Lange pushed all the way: a great win (NB off a good hard bike). RTP beckons.
Rodriguez said he flew the first two laps and survived the last one. Aims for a 2:28 next time: with a negative split if he has sense.
PTO points will lift him from #57 to mid thirties.
https://www.tri247.com/...o-series-men-results

Wow! Some performance from that Rodriguez!!!

Thanks @Upstaterun and @Ajax Bay

---

Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

She was one of Ari Klau's training partners during his Aussie swimming adventure. Congrats indeed!!!

---

"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

What are you yammering about?

---

swim.bike.run.soccer

Finally some representation 😬😃

---

swim.bike.run.soccer

It's not a rebraded Storck. It's the same open mold bike that Ribble also uses.

She is (at least was) sponsored by Storck, but Storck might be using the open mould you mention.

Yeah Storck use frames from Chinese manufacturer Pardus (or the same underlying factory)

---

Regards, Richard
3D Bits and Pieces - https://www.printables.com/@thetrickster_793480

Would it be fair to say that Rodriguez is the fastest North American IM-distance athlete at the moment? Has Sanders or Long gone faster than this?

I think that's a fair statement at the moment. Rodriguez has improved his bike aero efficiency, if he gets a bit more wattage, he could be a serious Kona contender as his swim and run are top notch.

I bet Jack thinks he's "possibly the best ever"

I guess RvB and Kanute would wish to be included in the North American chat. Do Long and Sanders race full distance nowadays?
If we think Lange is a "serious" contender for IMWC, and he obviously is, then I guess this is a question of how far back from 100% is Lange. Yesterday they swam together, biked for a long time together and then Rodriguez pushed off on the last downwind rush on the tollway and started the run 36 seconds ahead.
The difference was that Rodriguez ran 1:13/1:21 and Lange ran 1:16/1:19.
As far as 'records' are concerned, I believe that at 7:42:38 Rodriguez has just raced the fastest IM debut ever (discarding venues with a significant current assistance). His previous outing was a bike/run.
And that time is faster than Iden's at Florida, 10 months before his memorable Kona 2022 win.
#Thorsten: https://www.trirating.com/...an-distance-records/

Yo! I love a conspiracy but sat with Kat and read her this:

[laughing] “OMG no Jocelyn is great! She’s smooth and is almost too honest herself, leaves huge gaps and if she ever gets even slightly too close instantly overtakes”

Kat’s penalty was when they caught a couple of slower riders who ended up in the group then slowed into a bridge. Probably a little bit trigger happy from the ref and certainly not the worst offence out there, most going un punished BUT glad to see refs actually doing something. It was pretty clear she was the strongest rider in the race so wasn’t trying to cheat and with the win there was no point protesting when she thought the intent was honest from the ref.

Mark

Is Rodriguez on a testing protocol?

With PTN latest release on the T100 athletes not being on testing protocols, my thoughts are if they’re not on IM testing protocols, they should be ineligible for the series.

Athletes don't have a choice whether or not they're put on protocol so that would be an absurdly unfair stipulation.

---

Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

I agree on all you mention here, mate. Rodriguez IM debut was in Cozumel, which was no-swim, so as per "full-IM", that may very well be true!
But he had the bike-run experience in the legs already.

And trust me: Waiting 2-3 hours under the Mexican sun in 2023 IM Cozumel, no drinks and no food, before they let us take off on the bikes, did not make that Ironman much easier, even if the swim was cancelled :)

Seeing him run IRL in Cozumel, I already knew he was an ace.
My family is Mexican - and we were ALL rooting and cheering (LOUDLY) here for Tomás´victory yesterday! What a cliffhanger in the end!

It’s unfair that athletes are eligible to compete when they’re not playing by the same sets of rules for those that are tested.

No one disagrees. We'd all love it if everyone was on an RTP but we're not and that simply isn't up to us. Everyone is at least subject to onsite testing. This is an Ironman/federation issue, not an athlete issue.

---

Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

Are you talking about these athletes:

Yes, that was the post I was referencing, which led to my question on whether or not Tomas is on a protocol.

He has been an ITU athlete for years, and of course he is on the same protocol as everybody else. Why would he not be?

I don’t follow ITU, and have never heard of him until yesterday’s win.

Are you sure he is? It absolutely sucks we have to have this conversation and it's not even Tomas' fault if he's not in an RTP. However, I'd love if someone was able to show he was in an RTP because I can't find it.

Hey Mark, as always you had a few animated conversations with Kat caught on the live stream while on the run, would love to hear on the podcast what you were discussing, especially in the early miles, there was a lot of hand gesticulating from both of you! LOL!

---

-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

I’m glad you thought yesterday she biked correctly but I have heard from multiple people at many races that she has a tendency to get people a little close behind her when refs are around to give some penalties. In theory it’s a legal strategy I suppose but just feels a little slimy to do. It seems to happen more in races where she is tired or not having her best day.

Well I just sat with multiple women who have raced her many many times ant the awards and they all laughed at this notion. I’d hazard a guess that anyone suggesting this is just not as good as her on the bike. Chelsea sits close. You could see it in the Instagram stories of the NZ race. And she got a penalty. Jocelyn is not deliberately slowing down to get people penalties. She hits a pace and holds it.

I have heard from multiple people at many races that she has a tendency to get people a little close behind her when refs are around to give some penalties. //

It is basically like when driving a car, the one behind has all the responsibility for distance, and none on the driver(or rider) in front. Of course during the course of the bike portion of a race there are going to be speed changes, up and down. When you are the leading rider you get the luxury of making those changes on your own needs. It really is one of the only perks to leading a group or just being in front of others. So to blame that person for what really is just inattention to the trailing riders response, well grasping at straws really..


Of course Kat was the strongest rider on the day, but doesnt mean she didnt get caught up in stuff. And as she apparently explained, it was somewhere else where there was natural compression of the group. One thing that could be at issue, is the PTO where she races is much more flexible when someone barley enters the zone, and doesnt force them to make a pass every single time. And to some extent Ironman does the same, but every once in awhile a ref decides to enforce the letter of the rule and if that red light goes off and you dont pass, well that's your penalty right there. I wasn't there so cannot judge intent, but seems like her explanation seems reasonable and it was sort of a ticky tack call, although within the letter of the law..

Correction, “Possibly best ever in the history of the Ironman pro series”

Is Lange's front end a faring?

---

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

While I agree with you about the front person being in control. Even in your analogy a car cannot slam on the breaks in the middle of the road for no reason and blame the car behind them for rear ending them. Yes the person behind needs to be paying attention but the person in front is not supposed to make strange speed changes for no reason. The rules don’t say you are not allowed to but I believe the spirit of racing dictates you shouldn’t.

All I’m saying is she is somewhat known for this sort of tactic around her peers when she is tired and hurting. Most of them are shaken off as “ticky tack” but maybe she is good at making them look like that. Ticky tack or not it’s still 5 minutes and can end someone’s day in big races.

i have no idea but given those results https://www.triathlon.org/...2775/tomas_rodriguez
chances are way higher we was not in a testing pool he was the 20th highest ranked mexican athelte in his last race he did so you can be prety sure he did not have to do whereabouts.
anyway as for the other poster you can be sure he will be now on the ironman testing pool and surely will be tested.
the point of pro tri news was that if yeuri was racing in the ironman series he would have been in the testing pool of ironman by now, while pto does not have set this up yet . they did not blame the athletes but pto for the issue .

This is somewhat annoying because you keep implying someone well known for her sportsmanship and camaraderie in the sport doesn’t play fair and ruins races. Without any evidence at all and even when presented with multiple first hand reports of the exact opposite.

To be clear neither Kat nor Maja, who have raced with her multiple times and both received penalties in Jocelyn’s group yesterday, have anything but good things to say about the way she rides.

Late to this.
Impressed that @An_apple has sufficient insight into the behaviour profiles within the WPro top tier and look forward to further revelations. Really interesting to hear different albeit second/third hand perspectives. The Facts bloke has shared what Matthews take is on McCauley (they share a coach (Geesmann) of course). I reckon he/she is more likely to have a genuine insight than your correspondents ("multiple people at many race").
When you say McCauley has a tactic of "getting people a little close behind her" do you mean she eases off unexpectedly or without any foreseeable reason (eg a corner)? Are you suggesting brake testing?
Caveat sequor!

And even if this assertion has any validity, what's this about "seems to happen more in races where she is tired or not having her best day" and you noted Sodaro's and Matthews' penalties.
In IMNZ earlier this year, McCauley was having an excellent race, as was Sodaro. As the leading pair they were sharing the pull (lion's share McCauley obviously 'cos why would Sodaro pull - check the tracker for the detail). Penalty was in the first half of the ride. So neither "tired [nor] not having her best day".
Yesterday (Texas) McCauley, Matthews and Stage Nielsen had swum the second half together and had every expectation to ride successfully together either catching Langridge/Wilms or at least minimising any loss. The penalty was called in the first hour: so neither "tired [nor] not having her best day".

Finally, for @monty: "the PTO where [Matthews] races": well, the odd race. She has raced Milwaukee (with RR) last year and Miami this year. I doubt her focus to stay a fair distance behind is reduced by her experience with Race Ranger. Are you suggesting Miami lulled her into a false sense of security? Quite the reverse, she got 80km RR practice at Milwaukee but tbf very little pack riding there, and then 80km in Miami mostly behind Byram or leading (the Findlay/Lawrence/Byram/Ryf group) till a lap to go (miscounting). After a few laps of the Homestead inner road circuit section, other riders' styles/cornering strengths became obvious so that meant their speed variation could be predicted and allowed for.

I was at the taupo race at the turn around on the bike after the first lap and McCauley did not look like she was feeling very good. The penalty occurred at the start of the second lap and hearing from sodaro first hand she did not feel McCauley was riding fairly the whole time.

Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t McCauley potentially having knee surgery now after Texas? Can’t Imagine she felt great on that ride yesterday.

I think we can all agree that if you are basing peoples feelings of others off what you see on social media then it won’t always be genuine. Especially coming from the women because they are thrown to the wolves if they show any sort of problem with other females.

What happened to Trevor Foley?
His last YouTube he seemed to be really gunning for big things at Texas.
I'm sure I'm missing something here and will be flamed.
Crossed my mind that soemthing happened to both he and LS while training but not the case as Lionel has come out and said what his issue is.

Got smacked by the triathlon gods for talking shit about Gomez??? (-;

Have no idea what his race issues were of course, sure someone here does though...

He had a bike wreck and is still recovering from the concussion. He did a video on it recently.

Tomas is not currently in the IM protocol. I can't find anything from Tri Mexique regarding whether he remains in theirs.

Assuming that he isn't in one on the ITU front, I can almost guarantee he'll be in Q3/Q4 protocol with IM.

---

----------------------------------
Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Neither you have been following up IM brand races.

Have you googled his race results? The guy has been steadily improving from 70.3 Mt. Tremblant 2022 when he finished second to Sanders.

"look forward to further revelations"
You report that Sodaro shared to you at Taupo that "did not feel McCauley was riding fairly the whole time".
If Sodaro felt that during the race I guess the solution would be to ride on the front, or maintain a longer gap.
We've all had times in group rides where some riding close are unpredictable: a wary eye is sensible, with extra space anytime they're ahead and/or near.
On the home team, both Matthews and Stage Nielsen do not recognise any such unfair riding.
Good to see McCauley getting a wildcard for T100 in Singapore and finishing the race well.
Sad she did not finish on Saturday but I have faith she'll bounce back.

Good short 'Fighting Chance Ep 2 of 2' race recap video (10 minutes):
https://proseries.ironman.com/...pionship-texas-recap

The Daily Tri video review: