Doug Gray: Welcome back to the World Trashon Podcast, joined once again by the Hamburg Hailers, Will McCloy and Belinda Granger to look back over a pretty special 25th anniversary edition, top-tier Hamburg Trashon Racing. And ahead to WTCS London, which will be the sixth of eight stops of this year's series before September's finals in Pontevedra, Spain. Belinda, you were back in Australia for this one. So I shuddered to think what time it was for you out there, but hopefully a soundproof booze stopped you from waking up the entire neighbourhood, as you were calling that one home. No, it was pretty good. I've got a nice little ⁓ place downstairs that no one can hear. It's funny for for the first race, for obviously for the individual race on Saturday, I stayed awake. ⁓ because that was quite an acceptable hour. 9 15 start. Yep. ⁓ and then 11 30 or something. But the mixed relay the next night was was horrific. So I actually went to bed at 8 30 and had a couple of hours sleep, set an alarm for midnight, got up, and then I think we called it at 1 30. was the start of the mixed relay. And I think I finally got to bed at about three forty five in the morning and didn't get out of bed till nine nine AM the next day. So worked all right. It's good. Good on you, mate, for staying up till nine fifteen. That's really strong from you. Well done. That's why you're that's why you're on such a big contract, I reckon. Good stuff. That's good. I was very impressed with myself. What are you talking about? No, it was interesting. You're very impressed with yourself every day. I am. I am. I think the worst one so far was Yokohama when I was in France. That was Yes, that was so bad. You were the wrong end of the world. Yeah, that was an online. That that hurt. That took a few days to. ⁓ Ridiculous. I literally was in Germany like the week of I I I flew out of Germany on Munich on the Monday night of of the week of Hamburg. Stupidity. I mean, why did you do that? I don't know. Well, I know I had to get back for a Phoenix camp on the Gold Coast. ⁓ that's true. Which was well and truly worthwhile. Amazing group of young superstars. Yeah, but it was it's it's such an I mean, these could be the future. I mean, the Trifids had they could be the I mean Aspen Anderson came from the Phoenix futures camp, right? That's true. That's true. That's true to to debut. To debut last weekend. Exactly. To get it back on track. Lovely. Well Yes. Thank you. Well done. Your first time coming c ⁓ calling the race? Athletes got the magic. Man, it was fun. Like it's so fun on ground there and and like for the broadcast, the job is to try and translate what that vibe is on the ground for people who haven't been there to to really understand how special that race is. Because, you know, what ⁓ you know, World Travelers always wants to go to new places and stuff and make sure it's a truly world series, but y it's gotta be a special place to to get twenty five in a row. You know. And it's just like there's no question that that needs to stick around forever because that's if every round was like that, it would be like it would be an unbelievably popular sport, which is what we want. Yeah. Yeah. Great. You guys rattled off the list of ⁓ some of the women names that have won there and it really was a who's who. ⁓ I tried to make that sound like I just knew it, but I had it written down. But I I try to make it sound like I like, ⁓ yeah, like Gwen Johnson and ⁓ yeah, Erin Densham like and I was like, Well, there's no way I remember all of that. Just just a bit of just going back in the memory banks, you know. But no, that was written. Flora was one of those, right? Flora Daffy won there, didn't she? Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's won just about everything though. So yeah, I mean yeah, that was a safe bet, naming her. 'Cause she's done ⁓ about everything. Big news from the Flora camp today, in fact, before we move on to Hamburg. Yeah. She's calling her retirement today. Has. Yeah. What a few. Any reason any reason? I I don't I didn't know this. So any reason other than she's done everything, she's won everything, she's been through all the injuries and that's enough? Or is she like she's not pregnant or she's not do you know, there's nothing else, it's just No, it was it was a realisation that to race at that level and what her body couldn't put she couldn't put it through anymore in training. ⁓ and it just they're cool. Wasn't up to it. So yeah, a tough call, no doubt. Very tough call, I'd imagine when you finally go, you know what, I this yeah, that's probably that's probably it. It's hard. How long before she's president of Ber Bermuda? Like surely. Exactly. She just goes straight into the job. Yeah. Especially with someone like her. I mean, ⁓ I think everyone looked up to her back in the day. She was just she was brilliant. ⁓ for so n for so many years, not just for a short time, for a long time. She was up there with the best of the best. ⁓ and she will yeah, she'll be missed but What a career. What career. If you've got a hill and a rum named after you, you're doing pretty damn well over. And I reckon I got about that much rum left in my Florida Duffy bottle of rum, so I'll have that. Tell me on she's got a r I knew she had a hill, but she's got a rum named after her? She's got a bottle of rum. Limited edition, her face on it. It's it's a beautiful thing. Shut up. Is it called what's it called? Is it called up the Duffy? ⁓ my god. ⁓ that's that was better than I thought that was gonna be. Honestly Like it's ⁓ I could get if there was a drink or whatever named after it, but that's a whole bottle. Like it was like ⁓ I'll have a fluffy Duffy or whatever at the bar. I could handle ordering that, but that's cool. Yeah. I should go down and get it. I should have had that on hand for the Ugh what a for this, I know missed opportunity. Come on. You mean she's actually Flora Duffy is like at the moment on a list and they're trying to break it down for the greatest Commonwealth Games moment. And only it only matters to people like us who are part of the Commonwealth Games family, right? But there was fifteen other athletes who are all voted in a public vote on the Commonwealth Games website and then they've been cutting them down and then the final three and the other two like so she was n ⁓ the other two are Usain Bolt. Yep. If you don't mind, for anchoring Jamaica to that Costco. He had a very strong watch on that was shown on the telly for ⁓ France Spain game yesterday. I bet he did. Love lovely bit of bling. And ⁓ Eilish McColgan. Yep. Ten thousand metre runner for winning gold in Birmingham. And the the Bermuda's first gold at in Australia and the Gold Coast in twenty eighteen is the other one. So if you're watching this, go and vote for Flora. Nice. Okay, we'll get rid of you saying an Israel, so you on the Commonwealth Camps website. Of course, so she was first Commonwealth gold and then first ever Olympic gold for the whole flipping island. Yep. That's when you that's how you get a rum. What's how you get a rum and a and a hair And she's a dame as well. Yeah. If you don't mind. And above above everything, just a bloody nice person. Like everyone loves her. Everyone. Just a yeah, good good person. And she's good at commentating too. I've commentated alongside her one time and she was good at that too, which is so annoying. I know she's good at When you do something for twenty years and then they just jump in and go I know, good at everything. You could tell that. Totally. That's where all this contract chat is coming from, is it well? That's like yeah. These people heading into retirement. You're like, hang on a minute, we need to lock that in, please. ⁓ no, I didn't know that she was retiring and now it's even more stressful for me. All right. We cut a yeah, people people, stop trying to r commentate after you retire, just move on. Yes. No, but obviously, yeah, congratulations for an absolute icon for the sport. ⁓ and a brilliant career. Thanks for everything. Hamburg. Amazing. As as we would be, it was amazing. Yeah. Men went out first. Showed once again that if you're heading into a tunnel and you're six or seven abreast on the edge of that, then you're either going to swim into a wall or have to swim over some people quite quickly. ⁓ some pretty amazing photos from above of the just bodies on bodies there. ⁓ but no such issues for Mark DeVay, Matt Houser, Miguel Hidalgo out front. Aiden Wilde forty five seconds. Back out the water. And these days you cannot be there and still play part in the race, really. Plus, he and Miguel Hidalgo received 10 second penalties for meddling with the stickers on their bikes, more of which later. Chonga Layman went in for a closer look as he flew over his handlebars at the dismount line, nearly taking out Matt Hauser, which could have been fatal. ⁓ yeah. On to the 5k run. Connor Bentley, Charles Paquet, and Neil Serra, all going very well. ⁓ but then Hauser hit the front. And was really off it. He detonated good and early out there, straight off the cobbles over the bridge. ⁓ I don't know, about 800 metres out. He went this time, leaving Fasco. Chasing him, able to just scoop a fifth silver. ⁓ Graf, Henry Graf back to his best podium form in third. Neil Serra on debut at 21 for France, comes in fourth, equaling Oli Conway's amazing result in Carlo Vivari. But I would say possibly against a a much stronger field than that was in Carlo Bivari. If you look a bit further down the result list, there's some especially in the twenties, there are some huge names. ⁓ yeah. So congrats Matt Houser. Two from two, but still a lot of work to do to catch Vasco in the overall series. Hmm. If I was Vasco, right? I mean I'll let's let's unpack it. He's now come f second five times in Hamburg, but like forgetting that one. I would almost like he must be sad because he would have given his everything into that race and then still got done by Matt Houser and he's gone he's gonna he's gonna have to mentally absorb that because he's gonna this is gonna happen again and again. And he's probably gone from being like, I can do this, but like he would have put a lot into he's finally racing Matt and and a deep field of everyone and if I can win here then I can go on and win the title. But Not being able to do it and falling short again is is a a mental blow for a guy that's sitting on top of the standings. I think like that's a big blow for him. Yeah, no, I agree. And it wasn't wasn't like it was super close. I mean, it wasn't a true sprint finish. Matt seemed completely in control, decided when he was gonna go, never looked back. And as you I think you mentioned before, Doug had an extra gear if he needed it. didn't need it. So it's a tough one. Well, yeah, yeah, it's interesting. For me, I I thought he sort of he obviously forced Matt to go earlier than he's ever gone before. ⁓ I don't think it was a problem for I know we saw that we got some great close ups. The cameramen were brilliant. And and there's no doubt chewing the air. Yeah, he was chewing the air, but but he still seemed in control to me. He wasn't a guy that was desperate. As evidenced by his demeanor. when he's crossed the finish line. ⁓ yeah, the finish line, exactly. Exactly. Yeah. I mean, going to interview him, he's still kind of hop puffing, obviously, but he just looks like he never hits the floor. It's always controlled. And I sort of feel like the the again, like the psychological impact of seeing that reaction to doing that must just double down the field. If he flopped over, like if he flopped over like Cassandra style, like s like he's been snipered as soon as he crossed the finish line, he'd be like, All right, well I pushed him really hard. But he's like it looks like it looks like Farlap just like cantering across the finishing line, doing his little gun thing, and then just being like, Who wants to interview me? you know? So you're just like, What am I gonna do? Like, what do I do here? He's like he must have flashbacks Basco to like last year where he three races in a row, I think he finished second behind Matt, you know, like a close finish. Yeah. And he's like, ⁓ not this again, you know, not and like he's he's gonna Basco's golden 'cause he's gonna now basically can just do whatever he wants now and and that's cool and whereas Matt still has to go to London and either Carlivari or way high. So but he's still gonna spend this whole time thinking about how he's gonna have to beat Matthauser, right? Yeah. But maybe that's not necessarily thinking the other way around. He's not thinking the other way around. Matt's not out there thinking how am I gonna beat Vasco Velasa? Yeah. He's just thinking, how do I put together the perfect race 'cause the perfect race for me is gonna win. But like I don't know if Asco goes, ⁓ maybe I put together a perfect race and I still don't win. And that That's har that's much harder. So it's a long lead up to Pontevedra watching Matt Houser go and win two more races. Races, yeah, true. Actually I'm really keen. I I'm not sure if there's a start list out for or a prelim start list out for London yet, but I'm gonna be real I obviously we know Matt's going. But I'm gonna be really keen to see if Vasco's going or whether he takes a step away and gets a good training block done because he's raced a lot. He's down at the moment. Yeah, yeah. He's definitely on on the start list at the moment, yeah. Yeah. ⁓ He needs to beat Matt before Podavedra. Like he needs to go there and win. Yeah, but then it's the championship finals, isn't it? You know, Leah Bouger had never won and then won any championship finals. ⁓ I know that like the way that Howers is like racing at the moment, but maybe he gets London under his belt, tries to stop Matt there or or try something new there. Maybe just roll the dice in a different way in London and use that as a free hit. ⁓ and then go back and he can be that meme with the algebra going on in the background where he's just trying to figure things out and like he's got ⁓ two months to decipher the code that will get him ahead of Hauser in the good thing is no matter who wins this thing, I'm stoked for them, you know? Yeah, me too. Like they're they're they you know, they've worked hard and they're good people and it and that's cool. ⁓ but you know, I always want to see I mean I'm on one hand I'm Australian, but on the other hand I just wanna see someone fresh come in and and, you know, win a world title 'cause there's nothing more special, I imagine, than winning it for the first time. ⁓ so but then that's not the only two people that can win this race. By the time we get there, and 'cause because of the way that's set up, when you play when you race four, we're gonna have multiple people who can walk away with a title no matter what. So it's only about It's not about winning it before you get there, which is awesome because it's just it's only about putting yourself in a position to domin to dominate to have a go, to have a crack at on the day. On the day is what makes it so exciting. It's been a while since we've had athletes on either side that have backed up. I know obviously Vincent did nineteen and twenty, twenty being the standalone one, Flora twenty one and twenty two. But yeah, not since Vince and obviously before him, Mario Mola just swept for. three years wasn't it? ⁓ so yeah ⁓ a backing up immediately is a bit of a rare feat these days. It is if Matt does it he will have overcome some like little hills on the way there too. So he wouldn't have done it like easily. No. So that's what that's kind of what you want though, you know? Yeah. He's about to come back and and race a lot in the second half of the year. Hmm. And I suppose little indication from those finishing further down the list of who might also be coming up and challenging over the next couple of races. Dorian Conings follows up Kiberon win with 20th finish. Ricardo Batista back to back podiums to twenty third. Hayden Wilde twenty seventh. Ollie Conway thirty third. Luke William thirty seventh. I don't know what quite happened to him. ⁓ because you you obviously don't have time to do it, I was quite surprised with it with quite a few of the results. It was I mean, obviously there were a few unhappy people. But then for someone like Dorian, that then back it up the next day, obviously I know we'll get onto it with the relay. But yeah, there's no doubt that they would have been these men that you've just mentioned would be very disappointed with their race in Hamburg. It's a unique place though, no? It's like it's that's how it how it like if you can win there, you can win there every year. And if you can't win there, You're never gonna win there. Because like, you know, people like Conix or Hidalgo, like great athletes, winning athletes, can't get on the podium there. ⁓ it's just like a certain set of skills or that you have and in terms of if you're good positioning and tactically and you need to have a really good swim and it's very hard to pass and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Whatever it is. If you have the Leone Perio code, you can unlock it and you can win every year. You know? But sometimes and there's great athletes who can't perform there. So I'm not sure what it is because I'm never No, me neither because WCCS race there. Well well, some of these athletes had put themselves in good positions. We're not talking about I mean, they weren't in the second or third group, they were there. But for some reason they just they got off the bike and they just didn't run the way that we've seen them run before. Which was ⁓ surprising. And some of the others were maybe so beat up and set back out of that swim that it just became very hard to shut down the kind of gap that Perio was able to. ⁓ I guess yeah, she was more like thirty five seconds back, they were forty to forty five, weren't they? But Yeah, true. A lot of sorta very honest Instagram posts going out over Sunday and Sat ⁓ Monday just saying, Yeah, didn't didn't have it. David Cantero, one of those. He's actually missing out London, but ⁓ He was way back, no? He was way back. He was fifty fifty second out of fifty two. Yeah. Massive surprise. Yeah. What a what and then and then another one was Miguel because I mean w we talked about in the podcast last week. We had this we had this cut priced co-host, Belinda, who was here called Chris. I think his name's Chris or Cameron or something. Anyway, he he came out with a unusual piece of ⁓ insight. Actually he's he's very smart and insightful, which is annoying. But he very much is. I agree. He is. ⁓ but and he'd been look looking at ⁓ Miguel's training load and we were talking about that. Which was huge. ⁓ which is too ⁓ huh we was he was like, it's too big. Like ⁓ if he's building to something in two years, sure, but like hey, he's not putting it together on race weekends and he's doing too much training. And then his Instagram post is basically that exact thing. Like I it is possible to work too hard and do too much and I just did not have it today, which is basically exactly what Gamel said. Which is ⁓ fair play to it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So there you go. Hopefully you learn something from that because it's I mean, it's all good being a massive trainer, but unless you can ⁓ apply it to the actual job that you've got, it's not From all accounts, from people on ground, they said that he did not look good. ⁓ obviously we know that he had a mishap with the with the penalty that he didn't end up serving and therefore a DQ. But w reg regardless of that scenario, he he wasn't having a great day. It just wasn't firing. Hmm. Furt out of the water. Third out of the water, you'd have thought, you know, and then the the bike does the bike bangs you so Yeah. It was af it was what happened after that. It just didn't have the legs. Well, water's techni I mean, it's technique, isn't it? Like you gotta be fit to swim well, but like it's also requires it's also a technique based skill. And then as soon as you get out there for the pure athletic stuff, if you've trained yourself into a hole, we're gonna see it. Yeah. You're not gonna be firing. Yeah. And it just shows you as well. I th one thing, the other thing that I noticed was like When you interviewed ⁓ Hayden, he was like, ⁓ so it's six days out of the water, and that really put me back. And he was forty five seconds back and he's like, If you're not a great swimmer, like and you have it it just shows you the knife edge that these guys are on. Like if you miss six days in the water, you would think, Okay, well, I can make that back up and that was a couple of weeks ago or whatever, but when you're trying to swim against Matt Hauser and and and Mark DeVay and stuff, best of the six days, dude, like I'm like, ⁓ like I've got a race in a week and I haven't swung for six days and I'm like, ⁓ I'm screwed. I'm done I'm screwed. All the work I've done is gone. That's it. So ⁓ it just shows you that the the ⁓ the little one percenters that are are required. If you miss six days two weeks ago, three weeks ago, you're still not gonna swim anywhere near the front. Any insight, I don't know, Belinda ⁓ what the rest of the season might look like for Hayden now then. ⁓ if it's an opportunity to sort of step back a bit and rebuild or just keep racing and race through it and and use this season as a sharpener so that next year he can Yeah, it's gonna be interesting because obviously we know that he he wants to still target the T one hundred, plus he wants to get points, ⁓ he wants to do WTC S, but he also knows that his health right now isn't where it needs to be. So he was talking talking to me about this this disconnect that he has right now where one day might be amazing and then the next day completely different and there's just no continuity that he's got in training. And he he has a a great guy that he sees, ⁓ his doctor, who's also his swim coach. And I think they're gonna they're gonna try and get to the bottom of it. And I think the biggest problem with athletes now, and it's becoming more and more of an of an issue, is racing while they're still sick. And we know that he raced T 100 San Francisco when he still was sick. Maybe not maybe not really badly sick, but enough That I think it's just put him in a bit of a hole and it's a little difficult for him to get out. And we're talking about percentages here, but I think when you're racing at that particular level, you cannot afford to be even one percent off your game or your and a and and what it ends up happening is w is with their immune systems just become like punching bags. And I think right now he just hasn't been able to get himself he's he's better, he's not sick anymore, but I don't think he's his immune system or Or his fitness is where it needs to be to be to be competitive. Particul I mean, he was already coming in at behind the eight ball in short course because he'd been in T one hundred distances ⁓ training. So I think now not just is he behind in the training and in the in the sharpness that's needed needed, but he's also his immune system just isn't where it needs to be either, if that makes sense. Hayden's dog obviously has a very bright future in the sport, which is nice to see. That's the second dog related incident in two weeks. In one week. All right. So from Chile to Hamburg, we got dogs on camera. And I'm I'm all for it. I we've had more dogs. Strategic meetings ⁓ over the last month and that that was the that was the way forward, we thought. Get viral. Bring dogs on. Who doesn't like a puppy? You know? It's like who doesn't like a puppy? Lexi's star of the show now, but ⁓ it's almost unfair to everyone else's walkout. Like if you're bringing in a live prop, like you obviously or one, you know, someone else might have been practicing for two weeks to get their moves right. It's up the ante, that's for sure. Yeah. Just when you think Porgial is nice. For those listening that haven't seen it, then yes, do watch the athlete walk out for the mixture. ⁓ and it's Lexi, is it? That's Lexi. Lexi did not want to roll over, did she? But didn't she didn't want to do it. She she wanted a treat for her her hard work. And I tell you, until she got that treat, she wasn't she wasn't having any part of it. You gotta get paid before you go on camera. Almost suddenly she did it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I love it. ⁓ all right. So before we hit the standings, let's go on to the women's race where Lisa Turch had a brilliant swim once again in Hamburg out with Bianca Seregni and Fanny Zalai, who was on debut. ⁓ showing what An amazing swimmer. She is, but she was then left hung to drive for the start of the twenty kilometre bike, ⁓ before being reeled in by the chasers at the start of lap three. Few attacks from the likes of Tanya Neubutt and Therese Forsinger, but didn't stick. ⁓ thirty-two athletes together into transition. Kathy Shar and Beth Potter right at the front. Tilda Moonson. Sorry. Moonson. Let me try that again. Thank you. Moonson. Moonson. Moonson. She was last out of that of that group. Sun. The aggressive hand gesture. ⁓ Yeah, but then Leone Perrio did once again f I guess she was about seven hundred metres into that run and unleashed ⁓ absolute full gasp for four K to the tape, which basically was a very good test for Lisa as to how long she could stay on. And I think it was about another two K after that, wasn't it? Yep. It was impressive. Yeah, she hung with her though, and Leone was Absolutely fly. It didn't look for a as soon as Leone came to the front, which is which was up the uphill. So you come out of transition and then you go this like long uphill. As soon as she came round, because she actually had to go round round the cones to go around everyone. And that's when we were like, I was like, ⁓ that's the end of that. It's dumb deal. It's a done deal. Clicks, and you can just sense in her entire being that she's like exactly okay. This is what I this is me. Go. ⁓ Yeah. It looks impressive. Very excellent. I wish I could do a Leone Perio impression, like of her English, because it's just so excellent. Like as soon as she goes to the front, I'm like, ⁓ we get to talk to her at the end. Exactly. Yes. It's the best. It's the best. Because like it's just so unassuming and quiet and happy. And you just watch her and she's just such a killer out there on course. And then she's just so laid back afterwards, which is awesome. So but she she had that look in her eyes that like She knows that she can do the job. And she did it in front of Cassandra Beaugrant. And if you outrun Cassandra Beaugrant and you go back to that same place again, you're like, this is there's no Cassandra. Here's it up. I'm winning this. I've got it. and but like to go further back, ⁓ some serious swims and then some s a serious swim from Fatty's lie, and then to go and tell Lisa Tirsch to do some work on the bike, which I thought was excellent, and echoed all of our thoughts, I think. But Lisa Lisa, as usual, was like, No, I don't think so. And you she said that afterwards. She's like, I'm gonna do what's best for me and and and whatever. And and fair enough. And then so off she went. The front, which is awesome, because I mean, she's just Fanny's just growing in confidence and and and knows that she can mix it at the top level. And she did do the mixed team relay last year there, but to be in a WTCS race and be in the lead and to be able to swim bike your way to there. And she didn't have a bad run either. It it just shows that she's now top team. She's now you know, she's gonna walk away going, I belong. I belong here. So she is legit. ⁓ It does sound like she used to get absolutely sort of terrorized by pre race nerves that she's obviously overcome somewhat. ⁓ Well, I mean, that comes with maturity and with age and having a great team around her. I'm sure her dad obviously is there every step of the way helping and It's exactly she she's progressing exactly as you'd expect someone of of such excellence to to progress. And it it it I can't wait to see another two years, obviously once LA comes around, ⁓ to see the steps that she takes between now and then as well. Because to come out with such confidence to to lead her very first WTCS race. It's I mean, there are not many athletes that that would Have the gumption to be able to do it and she did it with no problem at all and still hold on for a top ten finish was amazing. Amazing. It's not even that she led it. If you're a great if you're an Uber swimmer, eighteen year old, you can lead and you can lead the first lap of the bike and then you just get shelled at the back. ⁓ but that's not she dictated. She dictated. No. She dictated and it was amazing. Yeah. ⁓ But like it it's very easy w I suppose when you're like fourteen, fifteen and you're like the next wonder kid. So she raced Super Tri when she was fifteen. And and I was involved in Super Tribe. I'm still involved in Super Tri, but back then I remember them saying people saying, ⁓ you shouldn't give her this platform. Like she's not ready. She's too young. She's racing against athletes that are like just so accomplished, right? And she's too young and it's gonna get And that was that was a ⁓ I suppose it an issue that w everyone took very seriously, right? Is this actually right? And there was lots of discussion around it. But sh it's like she's got a twenty-five year old head on her shoulders. And was that from the beginning? She never really got rattled. She didn't change one bit. She her yeah, her dad's very involved and and guiding us through all of it or whatever, and he's there for every single thing. And sh and people are like, Well, I hope she doesn't like, you know, discover poison booze and just disappear off the because she's so good, like that has does happen, right? Of course. ⁓ normal. ⁓ but no. I mean she's just continued on an incredible path. World Cup winner, ⁓ and now WTCS top ten, there's not much left for her go to. Like Yeah, it's cool. LA's gonna be And to be thinking that she will be you know, that she's targeting LA at all, that she could very well be a massive player at the front of that race early on. And I mean she's gotta be I remember Tilda in Paris was one of the youngest Olympic starters ever, wasn't she? Yes. ⁓ and I think before that Cass probably in In Rio, but yeah, there's not many that ⁓ that will be doing that at at the age of twenty years old. Twenty. No, yeah. I mean there might be twenty year olds in the race, but they'll be from like ⁓ Ghana or something. we won't see them. They might have there was a few athletes that didn't even make it up the scene. Yeah. You know? But like to be to to be at the front is ⁓ is is very impressive. And we're gonna have some kind of race because those athletes that we talk about a lot, like Cassandra and Leone and Spivey and Lombardy and all the time. They're still gonna be great then. But all these other athletes from underneath are gonna be two years of extra experience. Like you're gonna have to be really, really good to be anywhere near the top ten when that race comes around. Hmm. Yeah. Respect obviously to Lisa Turch, like we said, for not just hanging on for as long but also holding off Tilda Moonson. Good. Thanks, man. ⁓ Yeah, Lisa a as she said in her post race, preps probably not ideal. Coming in from Boston quite late, I didn't even realise that she was still studying. She must be kinda she was already No, I didn't either. Yeah. Long past PhD level, I think. So Yeah, yeah. She need think what she's up to now. ⁓ yeah. Tilda completing her medal of every colour so far this season. ⁓ And actually Taylor Spivey gave her a hell of a run for a money down to the final as far as the height differential and two two things, Doug, ⁓ that I loved that I took up from the from the finish of that. One was your interview with Tilda and I loved that she wasn't satisfied because that that's that was a that was ⁓ the interview of a champion. Yes, you know, she still was up there and she was competitive, but she knew that she'd stuffed up her transition and she had. And she wasn't happy about it. And I loved that. And then on the flip side, we look at someone like Taylor Spivey, and I know we keep rattling on about, you know, Mrs. Consistency, but I'm sorry. Phenomenal. Like she is just every race, she is there. She's not off the bat. You look at look at some of the men's, like we talk about Miguel Hidago. One minute one race he's there, the next minute he's nowhere. She is there every single time. And it's and this was obviously her her best result of the year so far, but I just love ⁓ think about how long this woman has been in the sport and she still gives a hundred percent every single time she lines up. It's it's unreal. I love watching her race. She's gonna be fifteen years older than she's fifteen years older than Tilda. How old's Tilda? Twenty. It was two thousand and four, wasn't she? Twenty two. Twenty two, ⁓ well pff okay. So maybe twelve years old. I think what's Taylor's what, thirty four, I wanna guess. I wanna say thirty four. Could be could be maybe not quite. Yeah. ⁓ I might be doing a disservice there, but you're a hundred percent correct. She's been in the game a long time. Yes, ⁓ she has, and she'll I think she'll still be there. I mean, who who's gonna deny her a spot in LA? Crazy. Yeah. I don't know. I don't think anyone is going to. I mean, Gwen could even be in LA. Can you believe that? That's amazing. But for Tilda is what was interesting to me is that the reason she was so disappointed, I think, is because remember Actually during the week, Doug, you interviewed Tilda and and said and she she was unhappy because in the first race, well, in Yokohama, she could dictate the speed and she was there. In ⁓ the next one, Hibron, she had to chase. And that's why she didn't have the legs to sprint with Cassandra. And to put herself in that position again, I think was very frustrating for her. And I think that once she gets everything correct, what what will be hap What will make her happy and Hampers and her team is that if she can get everything correct, she has all the athletic weaponry to dominate a race. Definitely. And run away with it. But if she makes little mistakes, she can the fact that she can make a mistake that cost her like t fifteen or eighteen seconds and then run back to third just shows you how good she is. But it is annoying, right? Because you've got it all there on the day, but you just make a mistake or whatever. The same as Morgan Pearson in the mixed team relay, like ⁓ could signing Taylor Sparvy to another fourth for the weekend. Yeah. Don't even. ⁓ God. ⁓ and when I saw fourth, I thought, ⁓ anyway, he shouldn't be fourth. ⁓ God. I reckon it's all fueling her. It's all fueling her and she's gonna flip and fly into LA. ill thought out theory that the taller you are, the slower you're gonna be through transition. It's like a flamingo, right? Balancing on one leg, trying to get your trainers on. If you're shorter nearer the ground. Easier. ⁓ it happens to the best of us, you know. And like Morgan's coming back and he hasn't done a WTCS race a whole year. You could tell. I mean that was a perfect indication. You could tell straight away that he'd been he'd been out of the game for a little while. I mean C one hundred, he could sit down, you could put some socks on, you can have a meal, you know take a few photos and then off you go. And then he can run three fifteen pace for eighteen K's or whatever and then win. It's not like that here. Nope. I tell you what Oli Conway didn't really do for me what what he's what I thought he was gonna do. Like, I mean, what do you think of back to Samakand and the way he ran there? And granted that's over ten kilometers, but he just he got gapped straight away by Lehman and Conix and he never came back. And that was it th that was in the mixed team relay, but also he didn't have the run that he wanted to have. No ⁓ or the swim. ⁓ I mean, there's you know, another good example of someone who by his own admission trains what he his coach says is too much, right? He says he's always pushing what. his coach says he should do. This is his first full season at the top level and maybe he's reaching that this point and things are just cooking a bit too hot and he's pushed it a bit too early and then that becomes a big learning curve, right? And and he just needs to he pr maybe he needed something like this. Obviously he was taken pretty ill after the meat street as well. So that was incredible essentially as a result of that. So ⁓ yeah, hopefully he's he's doing much better, but it it could be that physically he's just he's just rinsed himself. Do you think like for those athletes like Hidalgo and Conway, like you can you can have a massive off season, you can keep training and and then you can get through the first few races, but then your body just starts to run out of long term energy. Yep. And then you start to like like flogging a car for the first fifty thousand Ks and then it continually breaks down and it doesn't cope with it anymore. And this is that time of the season where people if they haven't measured their efforts Like because, you know, in long horse, you know, Belinda, like you start to you some people say you can only really peak once in a whole season and have the absolute A race one time. And now we're asking these guys to like they're gonna jam WTCS in, they're gonna do the European championships, they're gonna do a World Cup here and there, and they're gonna they're gonna jam a couple of World Cups in instead of doing Abu W 'cause it was postponed. So maybe they've raced more and and now they're starting to bottom out. Yeah. No, I agree. I definitely agree. No. just rounding out the women's finishers then. Beth Potter sixth. ⁓ another one who said that yeah, her legs just escaped her. Again, that could have been she was fresh down from altitude, wasn't she? Whereas like a houser had had a couple of weeks, she was yeah, well, obviously very fresh down to the whole bike situation. An emotional flipping roller coaster of a of a ride into that with losing the bike and everything that yeah, could have been big relief, spur you on, or it could have just been emotional drainage from Having to go through a bloody cross continental chase to get your bike. So in when you come down from altitude, right? The day before. You've either got to do it the day before or like a couple of weeks before. Am I wrong, Belinda? I mean, I've never come down from altitude to train. I'm I've been at altitude before. Again, again, it depends on the individual athletes. Some athletes ⁓ do better when they come down right before a race. Others, it's no good. And then someone like Matt obviously he's done it before, he knew that he needed to come down a couple of weeks, get back to sea level. But it's a very individual thing. And you don't try it for the first time before a race. You make sure you know. I think with Beth, it wasn't so much that she came down just before. I think it's it's the stress that came with the whole bike incident, bikes getting stolen. There's no way that that couldn't play on your mind. I mean imagine flying to Hamburg thinking I'm not gonna have any of my gear. I'm not gonna have my bike shoes, my helmet, my kit. my bike and there's a good chance that I'm gonna be borrowing all this and I'm gonna be on some random bike for race day. And then last minute y they find the bike, it gets there. But the stress that comes with that, you can be the most calm, cool and collected athlete in the world, but there's no way that you can deal with that without it taking something away from you. And we talk about percentages and for a race like Hamburg, I'm I'm sorry, there's no way she can say it didn't affect it, but I it had to have. It had to have. Yeah. No, I would have imagined so for sure. She's still at the top though. Sh she's still at the top. Yeah. Well I mean she's now at the top. Yeah, exactly. I love this. I love this system where you're like, okay, Jean LaHaire can not finish first or second, and she can be at the top, but Tilda Manson can finish first and second, and she's fifth. And then Beth Potter can come down and she finishes sixth and then goes to the top above La Haire, who only finished eighth. Right? So Because people at like and now we're all ⁓ we're kind of at the system where everyone's done four, like everyone near the top has done four. So we get a proper look at what it actually looks like. And now it's like up to the others who've done three who are like twelfth or fifteenth to launch themselves up into the into the thing. But the women are bit more consistent with their number of races that they've done. The men are a bit more all over the place. Yeah. Yeah. So after London I think we're gonna have a pretty good idea of who's gonna be in the mix when we get to Ponto Vector. I agree. Mm-hmm. ⁓ yes, just before rankings. But yeah. Roxana Slupec, seventh on the course that she broke her scat pillar last year. Hell of a comeback. ⁓ absolutely delighted, as was her coach Paolo, obviously, and Fanny Dilly snuck in the top ten there, ninth place, having said before that sh you know, optimistically she was gunning for a fifteenth to twentieth place. So smile on her face said it all. So yes, Beth Potter to the top of the rankings, three thousand five hundred and twenty seven points. ⁓ and then only forty points separate Jeanne La Hare, Lisa Turch, Gilda Monson, and Lisa Perrio. So that is tight. That like you said, shows the consistency. ⁓ and Cassandra Bogrand lurking in tenth with two scoring races, thousand points from each. ⁓ London coming. Is Cassandra going to London? Yeah. ⁓ I claim. If she wins London, suddenly this, ⁓ I'm not really trying to win the world title situation as yeah, ⁓ a hundred percent. You might just ⁓ we're just ⁓ we just happen to be in Wei High anyway this week. So I may as well just pop in and do the race. 'Cause I was already holidaying in Way High. 'Cause I don't really care about this. But seeing as that I'm here, happy I may as well do it. Yeah, my air miles topped up, so I thought I'd go and I holiday here in Wei High every year. You guys didn't know that? Great place to holiday. What am I? It's a great resort town. I don't mate, I don't even know if it's near the water. I'm assuming it's got to be near some water. Beautiful. Is it on the coast? Yeah. It's very it's pretty tropical there. I can't remember. ⁓ actually, I can remember. There's palm trees along the promenade. I do remember, yes. Doesn't look like China to me. At least the places that I've been. Anyway, I've driven driven us down a cul-de-sac there, sorry about that. No, but it's true. But if this is what Cass needs to do to take the pressure off, I'm all for it. I I it's funny. I you know, as commentators, we're not supposed to have favorites and I know we're not. You've got twenty. Dude, you've got so many. Like if you are not one of Bolinda's favourites, like they could have a support meeting and there'd be like six chairs in a circle. And it'll be people who haven't been mentioned as one of Belinda's favourites and there'd be like six or eight athletes and they'd just be like, What well and they'd be talking about being left out and be feeling lonely and what did I do to Belinda. Anyway, mention one of your two hundred and seventeen favourites. Go for it. But but I must admit there's something about Cass. She's an absolute enigma. I mean, obviously she's a phenomenal athlete. So it's it's no wonder that we all love and worship her because she's brilliant, but I don't know, there's just something about her and watching her run, obviously, in Monaco and just seeing what she produced there and watching her off the race course as well, she's unreal. And so if this is what she needs to do, to just take the pressure off a s a smidge so that she can perform at her best, then I'm I'm all for it. And if that means saying that she doesn't really care if about the world title this year, which, you know, I think secretly down she ⁓ she does. But good honour. I think it's great. She kn she's I suppose it's more a case like she she wants it, she doesn't need it. She doesn't need it the same way she did before she didn't have it. ⁓ and there's a slight difference. But like you said, I i it was it was what she did in Monaco and then it was everything around it in Monaco from the what you can glean from social media, obviously, but I was just loving all those little vignettes of ⁓ little t tasters of what life was like around the whole race, whether it was official stuff or just hanging out or just posing on a wall somewhere looking cool. She's gone she's just gone up a whole nother I agree. Yeah. Sorry. Two things. First thing, Doug, do you reckon what what would happen, do you reckon, if you or I just took a series of photos of us l up against a wall, just wearing our coolest shit and just like just looking a bit disinterested. And then just we can we can but try. I think we should try. Like a carousel. Here I am. I'm pulling on my shoes. Like I'm here. I haven't got any shoes on, but pulling on my shoes, you know, and suddenly I'm like lacing up and I'm looking in the middle distance. And can you imagine the comments that would happen? I will do it, right? Okay, if this podcast gets ten thousand downloads, I will post a carousel of myself in black and white. Okay. Looking off into the distance. And then I'll be like, and then I'll put a little camera symbol and I'll put some like cameraman. name and and tag him in. It'll just be me. No, no, it was just a toys myself. He create an alter ego for that. But okay, and second more important thing that's not ridiculous is that I bel I think that Cassett like this is a moving year for Cassandra, like in a lot of ways. And not just not just professional way. I think the I think what we're seeing in the professional realm of in terms of her going off and side questing three national records now. Is a reflection of a personal shift that she's having that is and another reflection of that is how much more content she's putting out. ⁓ that is a lot more intimate or authentic to her. Yep. And I think that taking those steps and having that kind of content that's around those things that she's doing that's not the world trathon thing, 'cause she's very much a bubble person, right? She's like she stays within the bubble of the world triathlon, she dates other athletes, she's in the bubble, but but she now she's out and she's doing other things. And I think that and also the documentation of that is a reflection of a shift personally. And I'm not saying she's growing up because that's not necessarily correct. But it's more that she is growing in confidence about who she is. Yeah. To ⁓ to to go off and do these things and potentially fail. And and then also but also to show people who she is. And I think like You know, her English has gotten better and she's getting older and she's just becoming more confident with who she is. Because I think in that when she was a kid, she's one of those people that always won everything. And I think winning was the only thing that was important. You know she wasn't. And now she's like, nah, I'm me. It's cool to just be me and then maybe not do maybe not win and it's not the things that drove her in the first period of her life I think are starting to fade off a bit. And now she's doing what she actually wants to do. So I think that's a dangerous thing. Like that's just she might have a ceiling that is higher than what we've even seen so far and she's already the Olympic champion of World Cherokee. So you know, the next four three or four years might yeah, that might even be more successful than what we've already seen. Because she's a more complete person mentally. And like we say that she carries her own remote control. Well, I think she's figuring out where the buttons are on that remote control and which buttons to push. in order to do what she needs to do, which is like jump in and win. When she's won two races and she's only just jumped in and gone again. So ⁓ look out, man. Like London. Boy, if she wins London, we're like they're all in they're all in big trouble. Yeah, totally. Lovely. Well you've just narrated the ⁓ video montage for leading it to Pontevedra there, Will. So nice one. Thanks for that. Very good. Yeah, you are so welcome. Thanks for sending me the script. and for Alex Yee, obviously an amazing experience and I think for what felt like a a great place at the start of the race sort of melted slight s slightly in the heat by the sounds of it. But ⁓ you know, he will have certainly taken a huge amount out of that race as well, if not necessarily quite the result that he was looking for. He will offer It depends what result he was looking for. You know? Like it dep like I yes, the result on paper is not what he was looking for, but What result is he looking for out of doing all of this stuff? That's the question. He wants to learn and grow and and challenge himself and I think he's doing that. And I think the return to WTC S hasn't gone like what he hoped it would. No. But it's all part of a learning process for him and I'm really impressed by how he frames it. Like he was interviewed straight after that race and he's just like was talking about he came here for a challenge and he came here to learn about himself and he's the same for the trial final stuff. So I mean The framing that he has mentally, I think, is the most impressive thing for me, if if the results haven't been there. It just shows you as well how hard WTCS is. Yes. It's not a it's not a refuge for single discipline athletes anymore that couldn't quite make it. It's the opposite. It's crazy. Crazy. No, fully. Fully. ⁓ and it's Vasco that sits on top of the rankings with a f 1300 point buffer over Miguel Hidalgo, who I mean that was obviously largely due to Another unfinished race. Yes. So I don't know if we cleared that up. He was DSQ'd for not serving his penalty that Hayden also served for altering the sticker on their bike. ⁓ so both received a ten second penalty for that. Did you get any more information about that? Because that's like they get told that I mean, I'm assuming they get told that in the briefing. I but they've been to a million briefings and they're probably not really a hundred percent paying attention, or maybe it wasn't mentioned, or it was just it's in the rule book. But They must have done that every race. No, they didn't cut their number down. So that's where we had it wrong. We were told that they'd cut the number down. So obviously they get they get a sheet of stickers, and on these on this sheet is their n their helmet stickers and the sticker for the bike. And Hayden said, like he's done in many other races in the past, without an issue, is they get a s ⁓ a separate not a separate extra sticker for the helmet. And they use that on their bike. So they 'cause it's smaller and that it doesn't overlap the corners of the C Foast. Precisely. And it's never been an issue in the past. ⁓ whether they were t I wasn't at the briefing obviously, so I don't know what they were specifically told there. But that it was not a matter of cutting it down. It was a matter of that they used the spare helmet stickers as their bike post sticker and they didn't use the actual bike post sticker. But where Hayden said he had an issue with it is when they when he put his bike in and obviously when they enter transition with their bikes, that is when the officials actually take a look at them and nothing was said. ⁓ and so he just thought everything was fine. And it wasn't till later on I don't know the timeline drug exactly, but obviously it wasn't officials have obviously gone around and looked at the bikes after they've been set up and that's when they've seen that these two men have used the incorrect sticker. For their bike sticker. And that's for got the term. That is a tough one. I mean, hmm all right. I'm I don't know enough to pass judgment on that, but that's that's No, I don't either. It only in as much as you would be kicking yourself for ⁓ being in that position once it was found out, I guess. Yes. Would be one take. Silly silly penalty to have to to have to take, yeah. Yeah. ⁓ all right. So yeah. Miguel Hidalgo sits in second in the series at the moment and I guess with quite a lot to reflect on. He's up he's got three scoring races. Ricardo Batista in third, Henry Graf fourth, and then yeah, Hauser Ala Cassandra, I suppose, sitting in seventh on two thousand points. And yeah, it's gonna be Fasco mission to try and stop him in London. I don't look at them, they're just sharking their way in from the back. We're just sneaking down there with a perfect 2000, but not like just don't look at me. Don't look at the ⁓ do this. Nothing to here. Nothing to see here. There's no decimal points there. Don't pay any attention to what I'm doing. You just keep going about your business and I'll see you when we get to Spain. But it's no big deal. Everything's fine. That's what they're doing. Well, I love it. You gotta get Matt to come out and say, I'm not really worried about the world championship. We're just taking it day by day. I don't think that's happening, is it? Wow. Yeah, so individuals check, Hamburg mixed relay always was gonna be fireworks. ⁓ congratulations to France for guaranteeing their team on the on the start line for LA. Not that you wouldn't imagine that was a foregone conclusion already, but you can imagine that it's just a nice one to get locked in as well as your first world title since twenty twenty two, right? Which having gone for so long as the team to beat, it had been a bit of a bit of a fallow period. Yeah, I mean the craziest thing for me was when I I hadn't when I we were commentating, I hadn't looked at an updated results. Obviously we've got the timing ticking over and I hadn't seen that Australia had fallen off well, not fallen off the timing, but were so far down I didn't even think to look that far down, but thank thank God Will did. And just was like obviously devastated. It was crazy to think that the defending champions, the world champions, were had had a mishap so early on and I mean obviously something went drastically wrong with Rochelle. I haven't I haven't been given an update so I don't know exactly what happened to her. We know that she she was ill. I'm not s sure exactly what, but it would have been such a massive blow. And I'm sure Rochelle is feeling bloody awful right now. Because it's the biggest issue, isn't it, when you do a relay team that you're not it's you're not just in charge of yourself. You're you you're responsible for three other people. So I'm sure it was devastating for her. And Yeah, I I I feel for it right now because I'm sure right now she's not feeling particularly great about it all. No, but I do think she's actually also not just I mean, they're still running tests on her. I think it was a bad like medical incident, wasn't it, that that took her out there. Having We never got I watched it back. Like looking looking so I watched back the f like her flying mount out of transition. Solid. Off she went. Really strong. Looked fantastic. ⁓ but yes, the the word is and and saw it on the Oz team social that, you know, everyone needs to be thinking of her in her recovery. So ⁓ I can only imagine how she's feeling the poor thing. Hmm. Well she spent like good two days in hospital doing tests and then not knowing what it was. She just said I lost feeling in the swim, which is very bad news. Yes of of all the places to have a problem. ⁓ stumbled through transition, jumped on the bike, had no strength, watched my power drop, vision went blurry, body shut down. Passed out, passed out and woke up in the ambulance. Like that's very bad news. So, but she was I've talked to her via Instagram and she was like quite positive about it, but just that she had to have heaps of tests basically. And then as of as of one hour ago, I mean we're recording this on Wednesday at lunchtime. She had an MRI and she's out of hospital. it she just said there are a few things that could have caused the incident. Our focus here at the hospital was to clear the major concerns, which are clear. ⁓ and then she's just on her way to hand in her timing chips, which was still on her body in the hospital. ⁓ so she fell off the timing mats because her timing chips went to hospital with her. ⁓ but the the major things are clear. Which is good and bad, right? It's good obviously, but like you wanna get when you go to hospital, you wanna be like, ⁓ it's this. But it's not necessarily always like that, but but she's out, which Is is good news. So ⁓ that's scary stuff, right? Because that goes beyond the the realm of our sport and then into like actual human, you know, problem problems, right? So we've seen these things happen before. So but it was crazy to see them drop off and I and I think the group would have noticed that they dropped out and then suddenly, you know, they know that the world champions are not there. Although, even though they're world champions, I wouldn't say they were favourites coming into this race. No, no, I agree. But definitely a force to be reckoned with, there's no doubt about it. But the French for me were favourites and they had the most to gain, being favourites and coming in, although the Germans as well. And we saw the athl I mean we said it halfway through the race. Be very hard to count out Great Britain, France, and Germany were just a class above everyone else in in the race, right? Let's for me personally, Hungary were unreal. Unreal. I was having a chat with Marta Kropko and by the way, another one of my favorites. I'm sorry. She might even be in the inner circle because it's kind of like a it's kind of like a pyramid scheme, Belinda's favorites. Like you can come in at the bottom and be one of the favorites, but if you favorite it enough, you get to ascend to the next level where there's a smaller amount. And then eventually in the top of the triangle is Marta Kropko. ⁓ Cassandra. Yeah, I don't know. Like Kropko's definitely Martin the whole Kropco family's in there. In inside Kropko family, let's be honest. They're at the top of the pyramid. Matt Howser's in there a hundred percent because she's biased. ⁓ I'll come up with some more. But to be fair, Marta's probably at the pinnacle, the top the pointy top. And fair enough, she's so smiley, I get it. ⁓ I love her smile. I just We were stoked. We were stoked for Hungary. I wanted them to win. Okay, I'll say that now. I wanted them to win too. What a team though, and such a young team, though. ⁓ brilliant. It just scary to think how good they're gonna be. Well, they just all swim so well. And then someone told me the reason that they swim so well is because if you're like Paul Lee as a child, they just chuck you in the water. You're like, ⁓ you asthma, get in the water and start swimming and that's how you're gonna fix it. So there must be many asthmatics in Hungary because they're all just Uber swimmers. Like Chongor Lehman, who's a great swimmer, was the worst swimmer in that team. And that is outrageous. All three of the others are ⁓ and that this shows you you have to swim well to win a mixed team relay world title. Like it's even more important than the rest. It's like Matt Houser was twenty four seconds behind last year, swam that entire thing out and ⁓ and got out of the water ⁓ in the front or near the front. So yeah, you can't afford to have a bad swimmer, even if it is only three hundred meters. No, exactly. Well, I guess Matt Stapley's swim like Fully pulled G B into the mix. Fanny's swim likewise for hungry. Unbelievable. S Seth Ryder's swim swam like eight seconds back into that three. Let's be honest right now, Seth Ryder and Max Staple. Mixed really ⁓ aficionados. They are phenomenal. Those two men, ⁓ you'd be an idiot to lead them out of the team because they are unreal. Every time they just I think Seth Ryder had the fastest time of the day. Did he? Certainly the second leg. I don't know about second fourth. Because you can only Well, you can't compare second and fourth, can you? I think I'm gonna start calling him the pain sponge. He just loves it. He's just sponging up all the pain. He's just like, Give me your pain. I want the pain. I wanna make it so hard on myself. I love it. I just love it. And then Max Stapley, mate, do not do not ever media train Max Stapley. Like yeah, everyone else like, Yes, for sure, it was very good to be here and I'm so happy to win Silver and he's like And then you get some backstory. Pick me, pick me. I got a world championship medal. I'm I'm stoked. You know, you're like, ⁓ good on your champ. Like, I love it. I love it. He's just himself an unapologetic. We're gonna medal. Yes. I love him. It's great. Yeah, it was good. It's like you need those characters, man, in a sport and like and to be fair, like, yes, they came third, but he's a world championship medalist now, and that's a big that's a massive deal. That's a ma massive deal for him. And also he's like, and don't forget me for Paris. I'm like, mate, I get what you say, but you haven't quite nailed it. I think he's a bit more eloquent than that. Well, come on, geez. Yeah, no, I no, yeah. He's actually very eloquent and and and very he loves the spotlight and very outspoke well well spoken. And I and I love that from him, and he's probably got a future in the mic behind the microphone too. But he knows how important it is for him and in that great Britain team. To be part of a team that can take them to a a a world championship podium because it's going to be very hard to get into that team when the when it comes down to it ⁓ in two years. Exactly. Hungary, on the other hand, have their teams. So don't they just I thought, I mean, I thought Chong was catching him. I was like, This is it, that Hungary are gonna be world champs and Krotko's face is actually gonna like rip with the size of the smile. But fair play to Dorian Connix, man, he he gets it done when he needs to get it done. Like he's having a real second coming, Dorian Connix, in the last few months. I'd I'd love to see that too. And and and that's a great that is a great team. That is a great team. They didn't make a single mistake. You know, they didn't have a single bad leg or a single bad transition. They just all nailed it. And that's what they needed to do in front of this field. They did it in Kibbron and they won by a country mile, but here they had everyone who who that like they had everyone. Everyone was there. ⁓ except for Australia at the back end and they didn't make a mistake and they deserved it. Totally. Totally. and yeah, the relay had followed the first ever Pariseries Hamburg, which I mean the athletes were all stoked to be able to let rip on a course that they had, you know, seen, watched for many years. yeah. Big win for Martin Schultz at home. That meant a huge amount. So cool. And it Anu Francis, I think it was her first series, yeah, was her first series win. ⁓ and to do it there, ⁓ obviously chuffed and then a cast of stars really from Susanna Rodriguez and Dave Ellis to Grace Norman, ⁓ Alexis Hong Honkin Kong, ⁓ Lauren, yeah. Yeah. So yeah, all basically got the I mean there was the the chat was it was their favourite course since Paris in terms of like atmosphere and they said the noise was unreal. and So yeah, be great. They're obviously a big taster for them for what's to come next year when Hamburg hosts the world champs. ⁓ right on. So after all of that, I guess, yeah, that is a a little look ahead to London. That's gonna be stop six of the tour on the what, twenty fifth of ⁓ July. So line ups. I mean it's basically everyone once again currently we have Hauser, Hidalgo, Velasa, Hayden and Alex ⁓ on the start list. Good. The return. Are we actually gonna show that though? Are we gonna see that? Come on. Can only go by one see that. Let's wait. No. Hayden being the one that you're thinking Hay Hayden is the ma main person who I think might not do it. Basco might not do it. Alex has to come back and do it. I mean, it's in London. I mean, surely, surely. I'm barring injury. I imagine everyone else is there. But I'd love to see air all the five biggest dogs in the yard together. Yeah. They're all coming from different levels of form or whatever, but it's still good to see them all for the first time, actually, all of them together. Just like the same was great to see Hayden come back and be in his New Zealand kit again and do his thing, even if he didn't quite have the swim or race that he wanted. It was still Amazing. I'd love to see them all there. So we can only go, I suppose, off what's on the list right now, Douglas. Exactly, William. ⁓ and the women have our last three world champs, Cass, Beth Potter, and Lisa Turch. Julian Vermylan is back. Jan La Hare, Taylor Manson, Taylor Nibb currently on start list, also racing Edmonton this weekend. Taylor Spivey, Emma Longfall. I forgot about Taylor Nibb. Georgia Taylor Brown, Jess Fuller, Tilly Anima, Olivia Matthias, Sean Rainsley. This women's field is legit. This is this is the women's field that we've wanted. Wow. Everyone. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That is everyone, no? Yeah. Yeah, everyone. It's everyone. Everyone. If you are not on that list, you are not every if you're listening to this and you're not on the list, you're not part of everyone. So I'm telling you, who's not on the list? Everyone's on the list. Everyone. Everyone is on it. Every single one of them. Gwen Jorgensen's there. Yeah, there that is, yeah, that is the entire top ten. Yeah, that's impressive. GTB Yee. And Gwen Jorgensen. We did enjoy that. Well, yes. That's a little rhyming thing I did. A little pretty good. Thanks so much. Do you like my hamburger suit? Yes. My mum was like, how did you get a hamburger suit? And I'm like, ⁓ Never click on a link, mum, okay? If you don't know what's AI and what's not, don't click on any suspicious links. That's very bad news. ⁓ I love I love Pammy. She's the best. Me too. She never misses a race. Never misses a race. I love her. ⁓ no. She's like, she'll text me. She's seventy six years old. She's like, she's another one of my favourite buddy. ⁓ yeah, she's in the is she in the top of the point? She's there, right. She's right there. Up there with Marta. That's outrageous. What a that's a big moment for the McCloy family. I'm really stoked with that. Cool. yeah. So all eyes on what Cass and Hauser do in order to continue this. What kind of a course is this? What kind of a course is London? I haven't looked it up yet. I haven't looked at it yet enough. I'm only just getting over Hamburg. Like is it flat? Is it's in the Docklands, no? Like It's in the Docklands. So yeah. Victoria Dock, so it's a sprint distance. Victoria Dock, one lap. out bit of a run. I think there might be some carpeted steps involved. The bike, seven laps, is a pretty much straight out and back. It's kind of like a a loop like this. But the run. Yeah, flat. All of London's flat. Exactly. The run, two laps of eighteen hundred meters, one of fourteen hundred meters, but each one has eight hundred meters inside the XL, which is gonna be a freaking dry ed like that, you know, that kind of Indoor. What is it like? It's gonna be it's gonna be rocketing up into the low 20 degrees Celsius is in London. People will be passing out on the tube. We've not been out of the 30s for about a week. Is that right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you know it's getting hard weeks for you from Madrid, mate. It's like 450 degrees outside. The air is the sun. Well, I'm bloody freezing over here. Cold. Bloody cold. Well I say it's cold. It's what where's it currently? It's currently ⁓ thirteen d thirteen degrees. That's legit cold. Yeah, that is proper cold. Okay, so today is thirty four. Then we we drop down into thirty three, thirty three, thirty five, thirty five, thirty six, thirty six, thirty six, thirty eight, thirty eight. Come on, man. Not a cloud. We haven't seen a cloud since February fourth. It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. And that that that day was snowing and then we had spring for about four hours and then it was like, ⁓ a furnace. Look at that, mate. ⁓ my gosh. Twenty nine, twenty nine, twenty seven, twenty nine, twenty nine. Well, I'll be there, man. I can't wait to go. It'll probably start raining. It'll probably be raining in thirty. But like just to bring it back around, to go eight hundred meters on each lap, so that's three times they do, so they do one point. The last one will be slightly shorter. Slightly short slightly less. So there's two K's inside. Two K's inside? How is the XL sensor 800 meters long? It's massive. And it's air conditioned. It's gonna be anyway. To do two of your five K's inside, there's gonna be there definitely will be a temperature change. That is an actual legitimate, it's not just a ⁓ we're shooting the shit here and and discussing it. No. But that's a proper thing to consider, no? It's ⁓ gonna throw off. A potential sprint finish, timing, like yeah, nobody will be number you're not gonna be able to prepare particularly deeply for that sort of scenario, are you? I just run around inside at home. How big is your house? Have you seen how much I get paid? It's massive, dude. I'm not even a hundred percent sure where the kitchen is from here. I'm joking, it's literally right there. But there'll be lots of There'll be lots of ⁓ spectators in there. I mean it'll be a really it'll be a hot pot. Loud, screaming. Because they have a they have a T one hundred age group race the next day. Yeah. ⁓ and then and the packet pickup and all that kind of stuff is happening in when when the race is happening, right? Yeah, ⁓ so everyone who's doing it and it's sold out is gonna be there. Like and and they're gonna want to watch this thing. So ⁓ and there's sprint and Olympic distance racing and Blah blah blah blah blah, you know, it's a massive deal. So it will be packed for Awesome atmosphere. Awesome atmosphere. So I think that that'll really it it'll push the athletes so we'll get some exciting racing, that's for sure. When was the last time we had any type of a run or even finish inside? No. And there's no data for these athletes. No no one except for those who will have done a T one hundred. T one hundred, yeah. When Well who what what athlete from this field has done a T one hundred race there before? 'Cause no one else is racing the docklets because we haven't been to London since twenty fifteen, and that was in Hyde Park when the Brownlees were like at the top of their powers. No one. Mm-hmm. So no for a brand new course for everyone, and then brand new conditions inside as well, and a total lottery on what type of day it's gonna be. ⁓ there's gonna be some unknowns. So that's what that's what you want. But we want that. It's good. It's good to see. That's what levels the playing field for us, doesn't it? So Well, when you get to Pontevedra, you wanna have to you wanna have if you're gonna be the world champion, you wanna have done all of the things. You wanna win Olympic distance, sprint distance, raining, sunny, snowy. ⁓ you wanna have covered everything ⁓ in terms of like your skill set. So that's what we got. Yeah. Huge lineups then, and that is Saturday, twenty fifth July. Women out at two thirty PM, local men at four fifteen. ⁓ yeah. After which we'll have six races in the bag. Way height and Carlovari Carlovivari to go before the champs in Penn bottom. ⁓ and yeah, full day of age grouping on the Sunday in London. Good luck to everybody doing that, ⁓ as well, including you're you're in for that, right, Will? I am. I've been sick for a week or ten days. ⁓ I'm doing it I'm doing the I'm doing the thing. You're doing the thing. Yeah, but the thing, right. In my case, the thing is I can stop it out of bed. No Seriously though I haven't trained for ten days. Like I'm sweating. I'm still doing it. I'm still doing it. Okay. It's still happening. It's just I don't want to hear one excuse on that finish line, my friend. Unless you're dropping like Ollie Conway dropped at the end of that relay. I still do that. I will do that at the end of the swim. Practice your eye roll. I will do that At the end of the swim I'll get out and just hit the deck and then it'll be like a and then I'll get up and I'll be like, Rhino, where's the bike? ⁓ yeah. Cheer me on. Okay. It's not to the end of the month. The other problem I have is that the only tri suit that I currently have with me is like a like a it's got a combinate it's bright purple and has leopard print on all over it. So it's like not the kind of like f I know. It's like it's why would you it's not the I I don't have them. I le I left them all. I've got like s a lot and that they're all in Australia. And I'm just like what if I'm telling you, pop and buy another one. ⁓ I'm gonna own it. Unless you've got like a world triathlon one that I can wear, but I don't want to I'm just gonna own like We might have to disown him ⁓ in a couple of weeks' time and pretend we don't Exactly. Instead I'm gonna look like Grimace. You know Grimace from the McGorrels? Yes, the McDonalds. ⁓ that's grimace is the kind of shape I'm in right now. I'm gonna be grimacing my way around for like ADK run. Yeah, it's gonna be a lot happier. Whatever he was. He's purple. He's like he's like a big purple dude like Barney the purple dinosaur. Like that's what I'm gonna look like. It's not gonna be pleasant. It he's not gonna be good to look at. I I'm on board now. I mean that I love it. It's like all over it. Well, a race is a race. I just like to race, right? I'm not gonna look great. ⁓ that's okay. That's fine. It's no problem. No, I'd cheer. Lovely stuff. All right. And before that, so this weekend, ⁓ Triast On Life.tv has the Edmonton World Cup and Mix Relay World Cup where Fanny Zalai, Taylor Nierband, ⁓ Tara Szynski will want to renew their Tizzy partnership. ⁓ Tyler Mizlechuk was the men's number one at home. Perfect. There's a man who loves to blend a WTCS in a World Cup across a year. Yeah. ⁓ Reese Vanison, Andrew Book of Chile racing there too. and that's eighteenth of July, two PM local. PM two pm local or ten pm in Europe for the men, four pm local, midnight Europe for the women. Is ⁓ is Fanny and Tyler coming back to London? Are they going to do three weeks across two continents? Because Tyler raced obviously and Fanny raced in Hamburg, then or Edmonton, and then are they coming back? Because we said everyone was there and everyone includes Tyler Mizlichuk and Fanny's lie. I'll put you on the spot. Yeah. But I don't want to commentate a race without Fanny and Tyler anymore. Especially Fanny. No. Okay. There will be no Tyler. And there will be no Fanny Zalai, which I would say is a very sensible decision for both of them. Definitely. That is all. A lot of travel and a lot of shitty time zones. So yes. Watch Fanny Zalai just win that race though, like a legend. Yeah. Yeah. That would be some three weeks. Mm. Very interesting. She's done it before. She got a hundred percent record against Taylor Nib. Yeah, exactly. So that will be that'll be a good one. All right, guys. Well, well, Belinda, thanks very much. No problemo. You are so it as usual. This is the only time of the week that anyone listens to me. That was great. I'll pay you. Well well, William, I always listen to you. I listening to But I've got three women in my house that don't listen to me one bit. One. Not at all. Not at no. No. So it's good. It's good it's good. I get I actually get feedback from you guys that's positive feedback. That's good, yeah. Positive feedback. I'm all about that. Yeah. All right. Hey, before we go, did you guys did you guys hear about Roth selling out in 15 seconds? Yeah, I saw the ⁓ Instagram thing and like Felix is there and they're all there and they're watching it and it's like, ⁓ now it's gone. Man. Huge. I was even thinking that I might even have a go. And then I was like, ⁓ it's finished. I can't have a go. ⁓ well. Well that just shows you, man. Like Yeah, just make get some good T V time in your purple leopard print and they'll make space for you. I'm sure they'll want to. They'll be asking for you. So get that get that man Will for me, he's cool. Get him off the course, you mean? We're trying to pack up. Like the barriers have to go. Like we have to reopen the roads. ⁓ But yeah, that just shows you, man, like it's a it's the race experience, the better race experiences, the whole week. It's not just the race itself. That's just the race. The race experience of it, you know, like and you guys do a such a good job of it. Celebration of the sport. Totally. But that's what happens with these iconic races. I Hamburg's a similar deal. But you know, it's something about Germany. ⁓ it's just J Germany just does it differently. It's they love it. What do they do there? And they get out for it and they know how to support it and they they come out in their Hundreds and thousands and they're not scared to to have their favourites and to cheer and I mean I've been going to Germany now since two thousand and four and it's never changed. It's never it's never been any any different. They love the sport at Triathlon and they support it. It's unreal. It's unreal to watch. It's very cool. Yeah. Hats off Felix and Crew. Well, that's why Hamburg's C fi the T fifty grand final. Exactly. I mean, you can you imagine Hamburg next year? It is going to go off. It'll be insane. The crowds will be insane. I mean, they already are, but it'll be it'll be like on steroids. I think they said eight thousand eight thousand age groupers for the open races this year, and they w they're gonna expect that plus the world champs, plus the age group world champs. So Wow. I'm going. I'm racing. Last time I had the day before the race, I had the biggest schnitzel you've ever seen. Like I was like, I'll just go and have a German schnitzel. It the day before. And it was like it was like ⁓ I can't even show you out. It was like a good thirty inches long. Like it was very long. At least. ⁓ way bigger than. ⁓ UN V XL. ⁓ I was just like, Bring me your crumbed veal. Like get your crumbed veal and bring it to me here. And they were like, Yeah, I we will do that. And then they came out and I was like, I can't race tomorrow. I can maybe not walk for two days after this, but I'm gonna take you forty eight hours to digest. I know, and you know why I did it. It was like I like afterwards I felt like one of those snakes. You know when a snake eats once a year and just eats a whole shit with a knot in its stomach? I look like a rope with a knot in it. Yeah. And that's and that's part of why I came sixty seventh or something. Seventh, yeah, well. ⁓ that and all the others. Possibly lack of training or whatever. But it was great and I would ⁓ recommend anyone to go to it ⁓ as a spectator or a f or a racer if you can, even if you did eat Forty five inches of schnitzel the day before, which you should also do. Do that five days before. Give yourself a window. Exactly. Snake digestions. Learn, live and learn. All right, guys. Bye now. Thanks. Cheers. ⁓
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The WTCS Hamburg weekend cooked up plenty of thrills and spills across the Championship Series, Para Series and Mixed Relay World Championships action. In this episode we go back into the mix, from pre-race penalties to unexplained pull-outs, transition crashes to super-sprint thrashes, as well as previewing the WTCS London on 25 July and saluting an all-time great as Flora Duffy announces her retirement.
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