Men's Olympic triathlon spoiler

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Tuesday at 6 a.m. Double check cos I don't seem to get much right these days
Cheers :)

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Brownlee power Incredable brothers
Another gold and bronze for the Brits
Cheers :)

[verticaldoug]

riding a 59m 40k then following it up with a 29m07s 10k is pretty unreal.

[rice rocket]

riding a 59m 40k then following it up with a 29m07s 10k is pretty unreal.

Draft legal though on the bike ride...

Is it the same course as the women's race? If so, a 24 mph peleton on a flat course is pretty slow.

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Draft legal though on the bike ride...

Is it the same course as the women's race? If so, a 24 mph peleton on a flat course is pretty slow.

I think the bike split was more like 49 or less minutes believe me they were flying
Cheers

[rice rocket]

Oh 49. 49 is pretty different from 59. :)

[verticaldoug]

Oh 49. 49 is pretty different from 59. :)

get real guys. it is 17 swim, 59 bike 29 run.
all are fast.
all the blood is in your arms when you start the bike.
go too hard on the bike, you can' t run
29 10k is fast.

tell me when you want to do a bike/run brick if 25 is slow.

[rice rocket]

So it's 59 minutes?

59 minutes for 40k is 25.2 mph. In a peleton, I'm pretty sure that's slower than some Cat5 crits I've been in where most were *barely* pedaling for 95% of the course.

[oldguy00]

I'm pretty sure the course was fairly technical, lots of turns.
And, running a 29 minute 10km is ridiculously fast on its own, never mind after a swim and a bike!!

[PQJ]

get real guys. it is 17 swim, 59 bike 29 run.
all are fast.
all the blood is in your arms when you start the bike.
go too hard on the bike, you can' t run
29 10k is fast.

tell me when you want to do a bike/run brick if 25 is slow.

All are fast, yes. But to my mind a 59 min 40k by elite-level athletes in a short (for endurance athletes) Olympic event is pretty pathetic, and following it up with a 29 min 10k (which is impressive, no doubt, if you're a college runner) isn't all that impressive.

[oldguy00]

...and following it up with a 29 min 10k (which is impressive, no doubt, if you're a college runner) isn't all that impressive.

Seriously? Have you ever done a triathlon?

FWIW, the winning 10km time at the 2012 US Olympic trials was 27:25. So to do a 29 in a tri, pretty damn impressive in my book.

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I used to do 59 minutes I did a lot of triathlons twenty five + years ago
And these guys are way beyond what I used to be able to to do
I was a swimmer I find it very hard to believe they went that slow drafting in a pack old guy that run is insane fast I agree
Cheers IMHO

[fiamme red]

To use LANCE's description of Olympic triathlon, it's a "shampoo, blow dry, and 10km foot race."

You can be the best swimmer in the race and it won't make any difference at all, because you'll get swallowed up by the pack on the bike. It really comes down to the run.

[MattTuck]

I did not watch this event, but my understanding of draft legal triathlons is that the key goals are don't get dropped on the swim, stay in the lead group on the bike, try to win it during the run.

There isn't a lot of incentive to push the bike leg, knowing you're taking the whole field.

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In the old days 32 minutes was super like mark Allen run
I used place high in local races with a 37 to 38 minute 10k about an hour on the bike and twenty minute swim . If I got 2:05-2:10 I was happy
Cheers

[katematt]

There isn't a lot of incentive to push the bike leg, knowing you're taking the whole field.

Unless of course you can't run, then a breakaway becomes necessary but almost impossible.

Seems to me the drafting aspect of this event is rubbish.

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Unless of course you can't run, then a breakaway becomes necessary but almost impossible.

Seems to me the drafting aspect of this event is rubbish.

It would be better as a Duathlon IMHO
What is the point of the bike now?
Cheers

[odin99]

So it's 59 minutes?

59 minutes for 40k is 25.2 mph. In a peleton, I'm pretty sure that's slower than some Cat5 crits I've been in where most were *barely* pedaling for 95% of the course.

the course was actually 43k not 40k. I guarantee that few cat5s could keep up with the brownlees on the bike.

[OnceFast]

So what is the point of making the bike leg draft legal? Is it deemed to make it more suitable for televsion? It clearly negates the effect of the bike leg and encourages team tactics in what I thought was supposed to be an individual sport. Any chance they go back to the original format?

[Mark McM]

So what is the point of making the bike leg draft legal? Is it deemed to make it more suitable for televsion?

My understanding is that drafting was made allowed to make it more interesting for spectators (television or otherwise).

Remember, the Olympic triathlon is administered by the ITU and run under ITU rules. The ITU is a professional sports organization, whose interest is in attracting sponsors (and sponsor dollars) to the sport. So it is therefore in their interest to do what they can to make the sport entertaining to spectators, to increase sponsor exposure.