World Triathlon Champs Australia Race Debrief with Coach Peter Ep 116

Coach Chris interviews Coach Peter after his recent return from World Triathlon in Australia with stories from the Olympic distance and his first draft-legal sprint, plus hard-earned tips on qualifying, logistics, and racing smarter. We break down training shifts, strict transition rules, and why pack riding changed his view of speed and strategy.

• how to qualify for nationals then worlds 
• travel tactics for two bikes, airline fees, and choosing the right case
• draft-legal strategy
• wetsuit-legal swims and cold-water prep
• clean transition rules, mounts, dismounts, and shoe choices
• training pivot from 70.3 to faster tempos 
• bike power differences solo versus in the pack
• run execution, lap management, and age-group results
• balancing coaching, family travel, and race schedules
• future targets in Nice 70.3, Spain Worlds, and Hamburg Worlds and why location matters

See the pics here: https://www.theenduranceedge.com/racing-age-group-triathlon-worlds-in-australia/

🥗💪🏃‍♀️ The 28-Day Nutrition Gut Reset is designed for active people and athletes who want better digestion, steadier energy, and stronger recovery heading into the new year. You’ll get expert guidance, simple structure, and live support three times per week. We start January 1st. Enrollment is limited and closes January 5th. Learn more at theenduranceedge.com/reset. 

Chapters

• 0:00 Worlds Trip And Lost Day On Strava
• 4:18 Draft-Legal Racing Explained
• 5:10 Two Bikes, Travel Logistics, And Gear
• 8:20 Driving Left, Reversed Brakes, And Crashes
• 9:11 How Worlds Qualification Works
• 13:06 Training Shift From 70.3 To Speed
• 16:49 Swim Conditions, Safety, And Wetsuits
• 21:43 Transition Rules And Mount Strategies
• 24:58 Competition, Motivation, And Future Worlds
• 29:06 Bike Course, Pack Tactics, And Handling
• 34:51 Run Courses, Results, And Age-Group Standings
• 39:03 Finish Line, Expo, And Team USA Moments
• 43:23 Packing Bikes Faster And Travel Cases
• 46:43 Sydney Adventures And Local Color
• 51:11 Re-Qualifying, Roll-Downs, And Big Goals

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 1:01

All right. Welcome back to the Find Your Edge podcast. I am here with Coach Peter, who just returned from Worlds. So was like, we have to talk about this because it was in Australia.

SPEAKER_00: 1:14

Yep.

SPEAKER_01: 1:15

Yeah. It's kind of a long trip.

SPEAKER_00: 1:17

Uh you know, it's uh as I told everybody, the space-time continuum was not in my side when it came to Strava for that that two days.

SPEAKER_01: 1:27

So wait, what happened?

SPEAKER_00: 1:30

So we left on Saturday. Uh-huh. We left on Saturday, October the 11th. And you you and I both know that I don't like to take days off during the week or during the year.

SPEAKER_01: 1:40

So, like And let's be more specific with days off. Not days off of work, days off of training.

SPEAKER_00: 1:46

Yeah, training, yes. So Strava is King. So we left on Saturday out of Raleigh at I think it was like three o'clock or three thirty. And we get into Walling, or we got into Sydney Monday the 15th. So Sunday the 14th just went just disintegrated. There was no Sunday. Um, so like the only day off on my Strava right now is Sunday the 14th because I didn't have a Sunday.

SPEAKER_01: 2:15

Yeah. Peter is one of these people. Um, and we give him health word all the time in our coaches meeting, um, mostly because we're jealous, or maybe I should say more specifically, um, Carly and myself. I'm I'm dragging Carly under this bus right now uh because we don't happen to have these beautiful recovery genetics. So we're permanently jealous.

SPEAKER_00: 2:38

In until I get tested for those genetics, like I will just say that I'm okay.

SPEAKER_01: 2:42

Yeah, I I think you probably have uh have a leg up there for sure. Um all right, so mostly you are like a half and a full Iron Man kind of guy. So let's be more specific. This was world's first sprint Olympic, yeah?

SPEAKER_00: 2:59

Yes. So Thursday was the standard or the Olympic, which is on the border of what I'm comfortable with from a speed standpoint. And then Friday was anxiety-producing sprint draft legal, not just a sprint, but a draft legal sprint, which in talking with my son and a couple other people, it was just red line and see what happens. And and that ended up being the most fun that I had the whole trip was just the draft legal portion of things.

SPEAKER_01: 3:28

So uh so basically, like ITU.

SPEAKER_00: 3:31

ITU.

SPEAKER_01: 3:32

Yeah. Um, okay, so let's why not? Let's talk about that because that is draft typically, um, at least in the United States, uh, and non-ITU races, you cannot draft, and they are generally pretty strict about it, like you will get penalized for it. And this is like this is like, let's go. We are drafting all the way, and you were on a different bike setup too.

SPEAKER_00: 3:59

So I I was one of well, we had there was 400 of us. So there's about 400 US athletes there. And I think the nice thing that that USAT did was like they set up like age group captains. So like in the 40 to 49 age group, um, there was like three of us, me not being one of the captains, but like they set up a group chat. We did a meetup, I think, Tuesday morning, and we're all talking about bikes and stuff like this. And and one lady, her bike was still in Dallas come come Tuesday morning. So I think she had to borrow somebody's bike to do the race. I ended up taking both my tri-bike with a disc, and then I took my road bike for for Friday. So I was one of the few that didn't rent or did not bring just a road bike with clip-ons for the the standard distance. So, like my Delta agent was super cool and and only charged me a hundred dollars per bike as opposed to more, which is great. But a lot of people did did only bring one was this a hundred dollars both ways or a hundred dollars per way, a hundred dollars per way per bike.

SPEAKER_01: 5:04

Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_00: 5:06

Um, so I I think I was in the minority that took two bikes to accommodate both races, but like at the end of the day, I would rather travel with my bikes and not have to do anything, but it worked.

SPEAKER_01: 5:20

Yeah, yeah, that does sound generally unusual. Although um traveling internationally is not like new to you.

SPEAKER_00: 5:27

It's getting and I'm not saying it's getting easier, but it's getting it's getting more enjoyable, especially going from English to English as opposed to English to French or English to German, but we're we're making it work.

SPEAKER_01: 5:41

Cool. And so did you have to rent a car to like carry all said bikes?

SPEAKER_00: 5:47

Well, yes, we got a minivan.

SPEAKER_01: 5:49

I was gonna say, that's uh that's a lot of a car.

SPEAKER_00: 5:52

The the two bikes barely fit in the back of my full, not I don't have a full-size SUV, but it fit in the back of my Volkswagen Atlas with Tetris, but in the in the minivan, it actually worked out, and it was actually it was actually a cool minivan, it was a diesel. So down there, a lot of their cars are diesel. So we had a Kia Carnival Diesel minivan, and I only turned the windshield wipers on less than a half dozen times thinking that was the turn signal. Because everything's on everything's reversed, everything's switched. So, like we they I I made I got made fun of in New Zealand because every time I tried to make a left or right hand turn, I would turn on the windshield wipers. So um it was less than five, I think, that I got chastised for this time.

SPEAKER_01: 6:40

Yeah, okay, not bad. Although you were mentioning in our coaches' meeting last week about how um if you were to rent a bike, there's a little snafu.

SPEAKER_00: 6:52

A little just just a tick.

SPEAKER_01: 6:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 6:55

So lo and behold, if you rent a bike in the southern hemisphere, the brakes are reversed. So I have to think about it. So the front right hand rear.

SPEAKER_01: 7:06

That's that's like imprinted in my head.

SPEAKER_00: 7:08

And now it's it's left, rear, right, front, but the shifting's the same. So shifting's the same, but the brakes are reverse, which is a little different, wonky, but like that's that's the other reason because I would probably forget and I would go over I would go over the handlebars. Did you see did you see any racks? Um, I'm trying to think. The the Olympic one, there was a pretty bad one that I think they took somebody out on a spinal board.

SPEAKER_02: 7:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 7:36

Um but I but it was a is a it was a weird place to do it because we had cross traffic. So it was like we just went into like a little community park, did a loop, and came out, and like either somebody dropped the bottle and they they hit it and ran over it and and fell. But like that was that was the big one for Thursday, and then Friday we watched the end of the the sprint, and there was a few people that had uh gaping holes in their tri-suits and nice little road rashes on their shoulders and and arms. So the only good thing about going in the age group that I did, we were the first age group to go in the water, so there wasn't a lot of traffic on the bike to cause issues like that. So that was one good thing.

SPEAKER_01: 8:18

Yeah. Um so qualification. How did you qualify?

SPEAKER_00: 8:26

So uh you have to well, there's a it's a two-part process. So one, you have to do a sprint or Olympic distance during the course of the year, and uh I believe if you finish in the top 30% of your age group at those races, say White Lake Sprint, White Lake Olympic, or any of the those that are sanctioned, you'll get an email from USA triathlon saying you qualified, which I would say the vast majority of people do get that email.

SPEAKER_01: 8:54

And then the next And that is qualifying for nationals.

SPEAKER_00: 8:58

That's qualifying for nationals. Yeah. And then you go to nationals, which um I qualified back in when they had it in Atlantic City last year, two years, last year. And qualified in Atlantic City, and I think you have to be for automatic qualification, you have to finish it's top in the Olympic, it's the top, I think it's 18 and the sprint, it's the top 11 in your age group, and then that's guaranteed that you'll get your spot for for worlds, and then if people ahead of you don't take it, it'll roll down to I think for the Olympic it'll roll down to maybe 30th place, and for the sprint it'll roll down to 18th. So maybe it's 22 and 11 or something are guaranteed for the two races, and then you have to finish high enough in your age group, and then if you want it, you'll get another email that says, Here's your email, you qualify for worlds, we want your hundred bucks for your spot fee. So the spot fee you have to pay, I think it's a hundred dollars per race that you do, and then 90 days later you'll get a um uh a coupon. Like a registration fee, a registration code, and then you have to pay the world championship entry fee. So it's it's not it's holding your spot for USAT, but then it's also paying the regular registration, which it's I I'd say it's a normal registration.

SPEAKER_01: 10:25

I figures well you you have Iron Man brain, like you think that normal registration is like multi-hundreds of dollars.

SPEAKER_00: 10:33

It is definitely not, hey, we're Iron Man to go to France, it's 900 bucks 30 seconds after you take it. It was it was more realistic. I think it was like maybe 200 bucks per race or just a little bit under. So it wasn't outrageous.

SPEAKER_01: 10:47

Um, but I more expensive than a traditional Olympic or sprint, but not as expensive as a half Iron Man Iron Man event. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Uh so worth it from that perspective. You just made it up in the in the flying bikes over and back.

SPEAKER_00: 11:04

It's a wash, it's a wash right there. So I'm yeah, we're good.

SPEAKER_01: 11:07

And your lovely wife comes with you, which is amazing. She's like your like permanent Sherpa.

SPEAKER_00: 11:14

Well, we're traveling the world on my legs is how we describe it. And okay.

SPEAKER_01: 11:21

And it's a Peter Cation.

SPEAKER_00: 11:23

It's a Peter race cation.

SPEAKER_01: 11:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 11:26

So it it and we're both educators, so it's like we both had to take a week off of work. Um her flex her schedule is a little less flexible than mine. So where teaching in the college setting is like, here's some here's some online assignments, please make sure you do them. And then I've got a great staff from the cross country side, so they they did that, and the kids, my athletes enjoy the fact that I'm still racing and still training at whatever age I am. So it makes me feel young and and it so it they they enjoy it. They like watching and try and tracking me.

SPEAKER_01: 12:00

That's so cool. So speaking of training, how different was your training for your typical events versus for this? Was the was this like a bit of a channel change? Or because I know you you generally have a pretty heavy training volume. So talk about that too.

SPEAKER_00: 12:17

It's it's been lighter than I thought because I I didn't do an Iron Man this year, so I I scaled back when I when I deferred out of Maryland. So I did Augusta three weeks before. So I was in half half mode all the way through Augusta, and then basically the last I think the two weeks or three weeks leading up to worlds, I just did a couple weeks of Olympic stuff. So just faster tempos, nothing really changed on that. Maybe some different bike stuff, but like I'm not gonna get any direct benefit of major changes, and now I'm going to do Hain City, so now I'm ramping back to 70.3 for 70.3, and and next year's gonna be a pretty big year's nothing, nothing different, just I'm to that point of the season to where I'm feeling really fit, I'm I'm feeling good. Um, I do tempos with my assistant coach on Thursday mornings, so we've gone, and I don't look at the watch, he goes, Coach, you realize what that mile was? I was like, No. He's like, you just did like three, six, thirty miles in a row. I was like, okay. So it's I'm getting to that point of the season where it's like I'm ready to roll a good one.

SPEAKER_01: 13:23

Um, but we're also in that point of this of the cross-country season where it's championship season to where so physically you're feeling good, but like mentally you have a different like game to play with your athletes.

SPEAKER_00: 13:37

It's it's going back and forth. So like I'm like, I know I need to be in the pool, but I can't do it because I've got athletes in the office, or I know I need to be on the bike a little bit longer, but we're traveling. So like it's I've got enough fitness in the bank that a week or two or a workout here or there is not gonna be detrimental. In Heane City, I've already qualified for Nice. Hain City is really just my son's racing, so we figure it'd be a cool time to to race against each other and see where he's at. And then I go, I literally do the race and I fly out to our annual coaches convention like that day out in Texas. So it'll it'll be a busy little day, but I it'll be fun to race with my son.

SPEAKER_01: 14:18

So so who gets to take the bike? Where who are you sending that back with?

SPEAKER_00: 14:22

We're doing a one-way car, and so my wife is gonna drop me off at the airport, and I think we're gonna fly her home. So she might fly home with the bike, or I might take it to Texas, and I'll just fly with the bike back and forth.

SPEAKER_01: 14:35

Wow. You guys are like old pros with this uh traveling with the bike now.

SPEAKER_00: 14:41

If I can get this new bike vault thing, it's gonna make my life so much easier because I just have to take off the pedals and the wheels.

SPEAKER_02: 14:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 14:47

And I don't have to do anything with the cockpit or anything with the seat. So it's just like throw in the box, strap it in and good to go. So like I'm eagerly anticipating a delivery, hopefully in the next you know, month.

SPEAKER_01: 15:00

Yes. So stay tuned. We might have a new bike container partner. So what are you using right now?

SPEAKER_00: 15:08

Uh I've got a Sikon hardcase or whatever that is.

SPEAKER_02: 15:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 15:13

Um and then Bike Vault was really cool. They go, hey, we're uh I'm an old bike box Allen dealer. I will send you one of our bike box alens to take the world. So like I took a bike box allen, which they are they are not cheap. And I'm actually But if you do it enough, you know, I mean like anything else, right? It's it's it's bomb proof. Like it's it's great. It's um I took off the pedals, the wheels, and just pulled in my extensions on my aerobs, and that was all I had to do. So like super super cool, super convenient. It's just a just a wonky size. It's it's not flat. It's got the flares for your aero bars and your cockpit and everything else. But like you can put you can put up to three wheels in it, and you can put a disc wheel in it and stuff like that. So I'm it's it's nice. It's a lot easier than it's a lot easier than the Sycon case where I have to take off the whole cockpit, take off the seat, take off this, wrap everything. So yeah, if if anybody has the means to for a bike box, Alan, I I'm doing a believer so far.

SPEAKER_01: 16:25

Yeah, that's really cool. Okay, so we gotta get back to the race. First of all, was it wetsuit legal?

SPEAKER_00: 16:30

It was, but both races were wetsuit legal.

SPEAKER_01: 16:33

Yeah, and did you go wetsuit both races?

SPEAKER_00: 16:35

Oh, I did. Oh, yeah. For sure. Always, okay. For sure, always.

SPEAKER_01: 16:39

Yes. Of the three sports, which one like what's your descending order of strongest to needs improvement?

SPEAKER_00: 16:47

Uh we'll just go reverse order. So best is I think the run, bike is is is good, but not the run, and then swim is always gonna be a work in progress.

SPEAKER_01: 16:56

Swim is always a work in progress. Okay, so you went for the wetsuit because like what what how wetsuit legal was it?

SPEAKER_00: 17:03

It was uh they did everything in Celsius, so I think a degree or two. So I it was even the pros. So is a wetsuit legal for the pros and the the T100? Yes, the T so all races were were wetsuit legal.

SPEAKER_01: 17:19

So maybe like low 70s and Fahrenheit, something like that-ish.

SPEAKER_00: 17:23

Yeah, I think theirs is like 70, 74, 75, so maybe a degree good degree cooler than um Iron Man, but there were there were a couple hardy souls that that chose not to do it, but those were very few and far between.

SPEAKER_01: 17:38

Yeah. I mean, how cold was it to you? Like, did it feel chilly?

SPEAKER_00: 17:43

It was it was chilly, but like the the pool here at school, they they keep it pretty cool for the the girls. So like swimming here at at at Pembroke and then getting in the water there was was it was not too different. So it's not the YMCA.

SPEAKER_01: 18:03

Um but it yeah, you're not going to the 80 plus year old uh aquafit.

SPEAKER_00: 18:08

Yeah, but it was a little bit of a shock, but it the the bigger shock was it was really cool because along the coast there's the the sea pools that are fed by the ocean.

SPEAKER_01: 18:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 18:22

And so we we went and it was free, which is super cool too, because I like free stuff. And that was I did not wear a wetsuit or a swim skin or my lava shorts, and it was just me, my little speedo, and a drag suit. And uh after about 1,500 meters, because it was a meter pool, I was I was a little smurf. I was I was blue. There was old people getting in and just doing their thing, and I was like, oh my gosh, but I'm uh I'm just a little guy, so didn't have quite the insulation that some of the other people there did. Um but it was it was it was cool. Like uh the the water was definitely colder, but I'm glad I did the wetsuit. And I I have a sleeveless and a full, and I took the full just to be safe.

SPEAKER_01: 19:09

And did is that what you raced in? Yeah, yeah. Okay, nice. Okay, so full suit. How was visibility in the water? Like, where did they have you guys?

SPEAKER_00: 19:19

So they did for the it was it was based in a cove, like a little merino. So we started and finished in the cove, and for the Olympic, we actually went out of the cove and did a like a little loop and came back. And then I think towards the end of the day, it was getting choppy. So, like the later races, the the elite under 23s had some severe chop in the water, and then for Friday morning, we were the first age group. Um, they actually pulled everything into the cove because it was too dangerous to go outside of the the breakers, and we did like a I would call it an M. So we went out, came back to the shore, and then went back out and then came back in. So very similar to like a Heen City, how they have theirs set up. Um and they they held the race up.

SPEAKER_01: 20:07

Like on like a beach area, little beach.

SPEAKER_00: 20:09

Yeah, we didn't have to do the we didn't have to do the Aussie exit, but they brought the buoys in close enough that we just kind of went went around the buoys and then went straight back out. Um and it was only 750, so it wasn't too bad. Um But being the first age group, they were like, Do you understand the course? Do you understand the course? We're like, Yeah, I'm just following the dude in front of me. Like, I don't have to worry about it in it. So that was good, and I think World Trial Fine was super cool in in gauging things and adjusting things based on the surf and the chop from a safety perspective. Um, and I don't think I've ever seen that many uh water safety people in a in a race before. So it was it was pretty good.

SPEAKER_01: 20:49

That's awesome. Yeah, yeah, that's really cool. Um, and then transition. How uh different or similar was that to what you're used to?

SPEAKER_00: 21:01

Um I'd say it's it's it's no different. Um the only difference is based on their technical rules, is it had to be a more clean transition than what we would normally be used to at, like, say Wilmington. Um so like you couldn't even put a towel down. So if you had a towel down on the ground, they would rip it up and throw it in a pile, and you lost a towel. And I was like, man, you go through the pile of towels like as you're going through transition and walking through the days, like, that's a world championship towel. That's a world championship towel. Oh, I have that towel. I'm glad I didn't bring it out. But we're getting three different answers. Like USAT said yes, nobody said anything, you can have it. And then the morning of we're asking technical people or the referees are like, hey, can we have it? Can we not have it? She's like, Yeah, you can have it. And then over the loudspeaker's like, no, you can't have it.

SPEAKER_01: 21:52

So we're like, so confusing.

SPEAKER_00: 21:55

Confusing. So like it's it was a long enough transition. They had carpet down, you're running on the grass, so it wasn't having a towel wasn't wasn't necessary, but it would have been nice to at least get the the sand and the the grass off your feet before putting your socks and your shoes on, but not a it's a normal transition.

SPEAKER_01: 22:16

Cool. So are you a flying mount, dismount with shoes on or off? Oh that was two questions, actually.

SPEAKER_00: 22:25

If if I tried to do that on the tri-bike because I got a rear cage, uh I probably would would eat it every time. So I'm a I'm a shoes on stopping after after the mount line for the try for the when I'm using the tri bike and just doing that. And then for the for the sprint race, I'm a shoes on flying mount and and dismount guy.

SPEAKER_01: 22:48

Okay, so shoes on the bike, flying mount, or shoes on shoes on my feet, uh-huh, and then flying mount.

SPEAKER_00: 22:55

And then flying mount, and then I will take my feet out of the shoes and put them on, and then flying dismount um on the sprint, or if I don't have a rear cage attached. I think I'm not cool enough to do the the the rubber band trick.

SPEAKER_01: 23:12

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's I mean, that's kind of where I'm going with that, right?

SPEAKER_00: 23:15

Because my son can do that. I I don't practice that enough, and my transitions are okay.

SPEAKER_01: 23:22

When you dismount, have you ever lost a shoe?

SPEAKER_00: 23:25

I think once. I think I I think I lost it at like three little pigs one year.

SPEAKER_01: 23:28

Yeah. Don't what pedals do you have?

SPEAKER_00: 23:30

Uh speed plays.

SPEAKER_01: 23:32

Really?

SPEAKER_00: 23:34

I'm impressed. I'm a I'm a speed play ride and die guy.

SPEAKER_01: 23:37

Yeah. Oh, I do I also am speed play. But maybe my feet are big, and maybe this is when I had longer cranks. I have definitely lost some shoes because they could, you know, they come out so easily. And then I'm like, well, what was the point of that? Because I just you know yard sailed it.

SPEAKER_00: 23:52

I've I've scuffed them more because they they'll they'll turn and I've run over them. But like, yeah, I think Atlantic City, I did the flying mount, flying dismount, and then I was like, Well, what the hell? When in when in Wollongong, you gotta do the the thing.

SPEAKER_01: 24:05

So like totally, yeah. So what was the what was the competition like? And then we'll get to the bike in the run. Yeah, yeah. But you know, speaking of like international athletes, like did you were you able to talk to anybody? Like what you know.

SPEAKER_00: 24:18

I am I'm an introvert by nature, so like we rode the course twice, so like I think uh Tuesday and Wednesday we did course preview and met up with a guy from like England or or New Zealand, and we just talked as we're going through their course. And I don't know, like it's there was 16 or 1800 Australian athletes, so it was like a four to one. It was four Australians to every one American.

SPEAKER_02: 24:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 24:48

So when you're when you're in the race, you're like, well, where's everybody else? Like everybody else here, yeah. Um but like from a competition standpoint, I think it's it's cool to to judge yourself or view yourself against what we would consider the best in the world. And obviously you choose to go. Like you can there was probably some people better than me that that chose not to go, but I think from a competitive standpoint, it was like it's super cool to say, okay, well, I'm I'm better than these 10 Australians, or I'm whatever my age group, or whatever in the division, and whatever overall. And I think it's I think it's just cool because I was never I was never a great high school or collegiate athlete, but I'm enjoying this age group rebirth, so to speak, um, as I have time. And I think just the longer I stay with it, I think the more fun. When I'm not having fun and I don't feel myself driven to to maybe qualify for a world's team, I'll I'll stop. It's still there. It's it's cool. Like I told my wife, it's like she's like, would you do it again? I was like, yeah, like I've already qualified for Spain for next year, but I'm not we're not going to Spain, we're gonna go to Nice because I want redemption at Nice. Okay, and then Nice will be a half.

SPEAKER_01: 26:05

No, Nice will be a half, okay, and then half and then Spain is 70.3, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 26:10

Spain, um or is that also Olympic and do this, like the words. Yes, okay.

SPEAKER_01: 26:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 26:16

I got the email that I think in 2020, 2027, it's in Hamburg, Germany.

SPEAKER_02: 26:23

Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_00: 26:24

So as soon as I said the word Germany to the wife, she's like, Oh, we will go and you will qualify because we're going back.

SPEAKER_01: 26:30

I freaking love her. She is she is like she does not let up on you. It's not like, oh honey, I'm so sorry you had a bad day.

SPEAKER_00: 26:39

And then she's like, oh darn, I have to register for three more halves, and I have to we have to go back to Wisconsin to to race nationals again.

SPEAKER_01: 26:48

Oh and you have like a time frame you have to finish things in, otherwise she's gonna get bored and and hungry, right?

SPEAKER_00: 26:54

Well, she she thoroughly enjoyed both races because she's like, I'll see you in two hours and 15, 20 minutes. And then she's like, We got the rest of the day due to to do whatever I want. I was like, Okay. And then Friday was even better because like you'll be done in 65 minutes. I was like, Yes, I will. Uh-huh. And and then we did whatever on Friday. So, like, she she definitely enjoys the fact that I'm not out there for 11, 12, 13 hours on certain days, and that we can actually enjoy the the locale that we're in.

SPEAKER_01: 27:26

Yeah. And I am assuming that this is not you, but you're, you know, if she's like, hey, let's go hike this thing or go, you know, if there's any sort of physical exertion in your sightseeing, it sounds like you just are gonna have to suck it up, whether you could do it or not.

SPEAKER_00: 27:42

She it was it's funny because we stayed like 200 meters from the finish line and like 300 meters from the transition. So it's the closest I think we've ever stayed to to a place, and the place was like super retro, super cool. We were getting probably she was averaging 12 to 15,000 steps for that whole week. And so while I was getting, I got more obviously because the the events, but like she's like she's she's walking uh whatever the 10,000 steps equates to. So like she doesn't have to do any other physical activity outside of just us walking back and forth and back and forth.

SPEAKER_01: 28:20

It is a lot. I don't think some people expect that uh supporting a racer takes uh uh takes a bit. It takes a bit. Like you're we're walking all the stuff all over the place.

SPEAKER_00: 28:31

And it's it's no muscle meant because I think we had to walk a mile and a half from the parking lot to transition like back and forth, back and forth. So I think that those couple days we were walking like three to four miles just to to drop off stuff, which is we're like, yeah, well, let's not do that again.

SPEAKER_01: 28:46

Yeah, no, I know that's where you're gonna have to bring two bikes, one as like a cruiser for her, and the other one as a year.

SPEAKER_00: 28:54

Little e-bike, little scooter things, and just put everything.

SPEAKER_01: 28:56

Totally. You get her a bell and everything. Tracy is a lovely woman. I hope I'm not making her sound terrible. She's your like partner in crime in all of this. That's so cool. It's amazing. Okay, so we're gonna rewind and get back to the bike. What was the bike course like?

SPEAKER_00: 29:15

Um, Olympic was three laps.

SPEAKER_01: 29:19

Okay. Did they all use the same course?

SPEAKER_00: 29:21

All use the same course.

SPEAKER_01: 29:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 29:23

Um, and then I think the the sprint was two laps, just slightly shorter, totally closed off, no traffic.

SPEAKER_01: 29:30

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_00: 29:31

Um, we rode on the left hand side of the road for obvious reasons. And which means, for those out there in in TV land, you actually have to pass on the right.

SPEAKER_02: 29:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 29:41

So you you're you're riding on the left, passing on the right, which I got in trouble too when I did Roth because I passed on the wrong side. Um whoops. But I I enjoyed the penalty in Roth? No. Or did you oh okay? You just gotta official yelled at me because some guy was coming off the shoulder and I passed him on the wrong side. He they yelled at me. I was like, ah, okay. Speak only.

SPEAKER_01: 30:06

Um but no getting yelled at in German is like Yeah, that's a little different.

SPEAKER_00: 30:15

Little different. So totally closed off course for for the bike. I haven't even looked to see what the elevation game was, but I overheard some of the guys on the bike uh on Friday morning setting up our transition that it was like a thousand feet of elevation, but it was like super flat and then some punchy stuff, which I I enjoy the punchy stuff. Um it's like, oh, I am fit, I am good.

SPEAKER_02: 30:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 30:42

So the the Olympic was was was good. The sprint draft. I think it was super cool because, like, yes, we were the first wave, so there wasn't a lot of people to draft off of, but when you when you make that one 180 at the end of the bike course and you look back and you're like, oh, there's a group of 20 Australians coming to get. You and then they get you, and you go, Well, you just tuck in, and that was the coolest part. It was just like, and told I told my wife and my son, I was like, You don't know how fit you are until you get in a group like that, and you they st we start rotating out, and then like you look up and you're at the front of the thing of the field, and there's a group of four or five guys right in front of you. So you go, Well, I'm a I'm an American, so I'm gonna do it. And I just bridge the gap and bring everybody with me.

SPEAKER_01: 31:29

Nice.

SPEAKER_00: 31:30

So that felt really cool to be strong enough to kind of bridge to the next group or the next group. I look down and it's the 60-year-old group. So I was like, Oh crap.

SPEAKER_01: 31:40

We won't judge.

SPEAKER_00: 31:41

We will not judge a slightly slower group, and then like I tuck in behind them thinking they were going fast, and then everybody else just goes straight by me. I was like, Well, and so then you you stick your elbow out or whatever, and you just slide in and keep doing what you're doing.

SPEAKER_01: 31:55

Yeah. Um so seeing that this was a world championship race, do you feel like I mean, granted, this was your first draft legal race, but do you feel like the bike handling end of things, like people were better at bike handling than perhaps they otherwise would have been?

SPEAKER_00: 32:13

There was people that that were in the same boat as me, is like they had never done a draft legal or they they and I I trained 99% by myself. So, like for me to get out there and do a group ride like this, like that doesn't happen. So a lot of people were a little weary of of handling and stuff like that. And the nice thing is when you were we were going into the corners with a group, at least the couple groups I was with, they're like, just hold your line. So you had people like basically telling you what to do, telling you just hold the line, hold the line, hold the line. So, like, and that was kind of cool. That was I talked to a couple people before the race or during the week, and they're like, Well, this is what you probably should do, and and and that. So, like, I was taking cues, and then just when you get in there, you're like, you gotta trust yourself and just put yourself in a position to where you're not not gonna put yourself in a position of getting in a crash. Because my son has a coach who also coaches an under-23 elite female that did the under-23 race. So I was I was picking his brain and and her brain about like, hey, what should I expect? How do I attack this and everything else? So, like that was that was kind of cool to get a little bit of insight from from them.

SPEAKER_02: 33:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 33:27

Which fun fact if I sent you the picture of my son's coach, you probably couldn't tell me or him because we both were freaking doppelgangers for that's amazing. It's it's super crazy. Like the scruffy beard, the earrings, the no hair, we're about the same height.

SPEAKER_01: 33:43

I was like, oh my gosh, Ian, why like I know you like me and all, but like to to be I know to to duplicate my my hair? Come on.

SPEAKER_00: 33:53

So yeah, that it was it was super cool, but like we looked at him and my wife looked at each other. We're like, oh my gosh, that is my doppelganger.

SPEAKER_01: 34:01

That is so crazy, so cool. All right, so bike sounds like it was fun and different and kind of a crazy experience. Did you do you have power numbers from all that, or are you able to like look and see like how what your power was when you were pulling, what your power was when you honestly were drafting.

SPEAKER_00: 34:19

I haven't looked at either data file from either race.

SPEAKER_01: 34:21

That sounds like a fun one for us to do tonight, is what I'm hearing you say.

SPEAKER_00: 34:25

I don't I it it was I think I had the bike computer on, I've got to prefer one that has like time speed, lap power, uh-huh, and then I think distance. So I was looking more at that, and I could tell that when I was by myself, obviously the power is up a little higher, but then like you you get in a group, you're like, oh damn, my my watts are only like a hundred and and hundred and eighty watts when when I was first on the bike, it was like FTP plus.

SPEAKER_01: 34:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 34:56

So um, but yeah, if you want to look at that tonight, we can we can pull that out.

SPEAKER_01: 34:59

Yeah. Um, all right, so we got through the bike and then run. How was the run? Like, what was that all like?

SPEAKER_00: 35:06

Run was congested for a little bit of the Olympic because we went from the main road to like a bike path and they just split it.

SPEAKER_01: 35:14

Oh, right. So you go how many total athletes do you know the total athletes for each race that you did?

SPEAKER_00: 35:21

I I want to say it was like I want to say for the Olympic, it was it is like maybe like two or three thousand. But it was it was not small, it was all age group-wise, and I was like right in the middle. So like it was that, and I think there's maybe I think they said the sprint was a little bit bigger or about the same size, but I think they said there were like six thousand athletes total cool between the two. But like the run was I got done with the 10k, and I was like, okay, well, where's the other half? So that's that's the that's the 70.3 in me going, okay, I'm I'm warmed up. Yeah, like I'm ready to go.

SPEAKER_02: 35:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 35:54

Like I I went like 40 42 minutes, which was which is good.

SPEAKER_02: 35:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 36:00

Um and just worked through the field. And then I think for the the sprint, sprint was three laps, so it was about a mile a lap. And they put us by age group in the transition. And so, like, the one guy that was to the left of me, he's like, Oh man, you passed me on the the run yesterday. It's like you were flying. I was like, Yeah, I was just waiting for the other six miles. Like, I don't it was fine, it was you know, whatever. And then the guy to the right of me had got me by a couple minutes on Thursday. So like we come out of transition and I'm like, I'm I'm second off, I'm first first or second back in transition on the bike, but I couldn't put my shoes on in transition. So I lost a little bit extra. So the guy that I'd beaten on Thursday got me by like, I don't know, 30, 40 seconds in transition. So I'm just I'm chasing and having having fun. And I get I get him, and then I work up to the next guy and I I get him. So I got the two Americans that were ahead of me, and the one guy goes, Oh man, I think you were like probably second American in the in the age group. I look at the results and like he he was the first American, so I got him. So I was the top American in the 40 to 49 in the sprint race, and then I think I was the fourth American in the age group for the Olympic distance.

SPEAKER_02: 37:19

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 37:20

So super cool. And there was like I think 12 or 13 of us per race.

SPEAKER_02: 37:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 37:24

Um, and I think I had the the second fastest runtime in the age group of the of the Americans.

SPEAKER_01: 37:30

Yeah, cool.

SPEAKER_00: 37:32

I'll I'll take that.

SPEAKER_01: 37:33

Yeah, I know. When was the last time you did a 5K?

SPEAKER_00: 37:36

Three little pigs in June.

SPEAKER_01: 37:38

Okay, all right. So it was also attached to a sprint.

SPEAKER_00: 37:41

It was not just I am I am very apprehensive of doing a 5k by itself only because like I'll be like, well, where's the bike and where's the swim? Like, I need to.

SPEAKER_01: 37:51

I know it's weird. Yeah. And then you're like, I where's my stuff?

SPEAKER_00: 37:56

Where's where's my stuffs?

SPEAKER_01: 37:57

Where's my stuff at? All I have is a pair of shoes. What the heck? Um, how's the finish line? Like, and that whole like I don't did they have like an expo? What what was like the overall race experience once you were like done?

SPEAKER_00: 38:12

Um finish line was cool. So like what you see in the T100 races is is what we what we came down. So the only difference between like the elite, the elite under 20s and 23s and the T100s um and the the whatever else they did was we didn't get the blue carpet for transition. So we got the regular transition based on the size, but we got to finish on the blue carpet and the semi-stadium, so they brought in some portable bleachers and stuff like that. So it was super cool. So when they finished, so Tim Yout, who's the chief development officer, I think, for the worlds and stuff like that through USAT, it was him and somebody else as you came into the finish line. So they're like, Are you finishing? And I was like, Yeah, we're finishing. And they give you like a little American flag to to finish down the shoot with, and that was super cool. Um, he's like, they're like, they sent you an email the night before the first race. Like, if you're in a dead finish or sprint with whoever else in front of you, do not worry about picking up the flag. Now, if you're if you're by yourself and you're just cruising along, definitely pick up the flag, but do not pick up the little American flag if you're in a sprint finish for placing. So um, no, that that was the cool part, is like you saw it during the expo and and everything else. Um, so that was that was cool. It's like I outside of Iron Man, it's probably one of the cooler finish lines. Um Nationals does a good job. Yeah, because they'll have the blue the blue carpet as well. Expo was was normal. I it's nothing nothing fancy, just a couple different like nutritional people that you we don't see in the States. I picked up a collapsible foam roller from Brady. Interesting, so that was super cool because it just it folds flat like that, yeah. And super portable. So like the guy was like, Yeah, the people just throwing their bike cases because it's flat and and everything else.

SPEAKER_01: 40:01

So I've been the foam roller is very inconvenient to travel with.

SPEAKER_00: 40:05

So but yeah, like other than that, it was your typical, you're you're corporate sponsors, and the the parade donations was was pretty cool too.

SPEAKER_01: 40:14

Aw, that's so neat.

SPEAKER_00: 40:16

So they they lined you we got a big picture of Team USA, so like all 400 athletes, we got a picture in front of the lighthouse there, and then they line you up by country, and obviously Australia being the host, they were the last. But it was cool. It was that was the cool thing because you're walking in and the street is lined with with supporters and everything else, and it's just like in the Olympics. Just you walk in and party expo, they had uh a stage and they did a little welcome ceremony, and then they the the cool part was they had an aboriginal guy do like a traditional smoke dance or um smoke ceremony to like give give credence or or give back to the the water, the wind, the earth, and and everything. So that was that was kind of cool.

SPEAKER_01: 40:58

Yeah, it's really cool. You'll have to um whatever pictures you have, we'll have to do like uh put them all in the blog for this if you've got any good pictures.

SPEAKER_00: 41:08

I I did the one photo dump from the races themselves, and then I need to do another one from like just the extra stuff from either parade nations or you know, just our little sightseeing to Sydney and and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01: 41:23

Yeah, because after the race was done, you and your wife like did some cool stuff, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 41:28

We well, I don't know break breaking down two bikes is is fun.

SPEAKER_01: 41:33

Oh yeah. I know okay, so do say briefly, like how long does that take you? And granted, this is two, but for um this new case will be easier for you to break down.

SPEAKER_00: 41:43

The new case will be super easy. So like the road bike, not that I have to take off a lot. Road bike is probably like 20-30 minutes, and the tri bike probably like 10 to 15. The hardest part is is really just taking off the pedals and without a work stand, it's a little hard to take off the tires and and put the little whatever the chain stay keeper thingy on that. But I've I've gotten pretty good with as much travel as we do. So like I think with the new case and the bike back, Salon, I can probably have both done in more than an hour. Now my my tri-bike is still sitting in the work stand at home because I've not put the put everything back together. But the road bike is road bike is together and actually in my office because I wrote it, I wrote it Monday and I'll write it Friday.

SPEAKER_01: 42:26

So nice, nice, very cool. Um, yeah, so where'd you guys play afterwards?

SPEAKER_00: 42:32

Saturday was our day to go up to Sydney. The race went right by the hotel. So like I had to go out to the traffic control people. I was like, hey, um, I'm staying right here. Can I get out? He's like, Yeah, as long as you get out before the first race starts. We're like, say no more. I was like, how about getting back? He's like, Well, we got the T100 and we got they do, we're doing a 5K rock and run. So he's like, Well, if you come back by after eight, you're probably gonna be good. So we got back at seven and we had to park off site and then then pay for we didn't pay for parking and then to bring it back to the hotel. So we went to a wildlife park 30 minutes north of where we were staying, and we got to see the the traditional, we got to see the koalas, the kangaroos, the they had a red panda, the dingos were sleeping, so the dingo did not eat my baby, but you know I was waiting for it.

SPEAKER_01: 43:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 43:22

Um, but no, like you could go straight up to the kangaroos and you could feed them because you could buy like little kangaroo feed, and I got a couple pictures of a kangaroo with his Joey, and they were they were eating. So like they were both and they were both eating. So super cool. So that was for my wife. So you have to that was okay.

SPEAKER_01: 43:42

Yeah, uh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 43:43

Because her kids wanted pictures of all the cool animals.

SPEAKER_01: 43:47

Oh, her like school kids, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 43:49

Her third graders go, take pictures of all the animals, Mrs. Orange.

SPEAKER_01: 43:52

Because I was gonna say, your kids are older.

SPEAKER_00: 43:55

They can tell us. And then come to find out, like, they got some pretty venomous uh snakes there. I think number one most venomous snake in the world is like in not where we were, but like like mid mid mid-land, mid-outback.

SPEAKER_02: 44:14

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 44:15

We're like, you can just keep that there. And they had a freaking American alligator in the reptile thing. I was like, why do you have an American alligator when you guys have crocs?

SPEAKER_02: 44:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 44:27

So I was like, but crazy. So we did that, we did that for a couple hours, and that was fun. And then we drove into Sydney, and traffic in Sydney was Rawley on steroids, I would say. But it was a Saturday, so that was part of the problem. But we got there, we parked right right at the opera house. And we parked at the opera house, got some good pictures of the opera house, the harbor, um, and and walked around and they did a a really cool like live or outdoor fair or yeah, whatever you call it, market. Open air market, and that was cool. And my my wife was wearing a care bears t-shirt. And so at one vendor, she goes, Is that a care bear shirt? And my wife goes, Yeah. She's like, Oh, I love the care bears. Come to find out, like, we're all of the same age, and we're all like going through like all the classic cartoons. So, like, she was stopped by two other vendors about her shirt.

SPEAKER_01: 45:27

How's her care bear shirt? That is hilarious.

SPEAKER_00: 45:29

Instead of blending in, like, we're just that traditional American couple just walking around with yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 45:34

Were you wearing like an Iron Man shirt or something like that?

SPEAKER_00: 45:39

I was wearing one of my zoot Hawaiian shirts.

SPEAKER_01: 45:42

So I was gonna say, I'm sure you were wearing something racist.

SPEAKER_00: 45:45

Not blending in, definitely sticking out. Yeah. Oh my god. They had they had some huge yachts there in the harbor, and I guess there was a couple weddings, so you saw like wedding and everything out. So it was it was super cool, and you had one of the Disney cruise ships docked there. It was just super cool because like you go to the other side of the harbor and then you look at the the opera house from the other side, it's just it's just cool. Very neat. You see it, and you're like, man, that is that is pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01: 46:11

So did is by you doing worlds in Australia, is that an automatic birth to Spain, or do you have to re-qualify?

SPEAKER_00: 46:20

I think you have to re-qualify because so I did so worlds this year was based on Atlantic City in 24.

SPEAKER_02: 46:28

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00: 46:28

I raced age group nationals in Wisconsin in August, which got me to Ponta Vedra, Spain for 26. So I'll have to do back to Wisconsin in 26 to qualify for Hamburg in 27.

SPEAKER_01: 46:43

But this year Wisconsin was a bit of a mess.

SPEAKER_00: 46:47

It was a bit of a mess. But kudos to USAT because they did refund, I think, all in I've got don't put it out there, but I got I got two refunds. So they re- every they refunded everybody's. Wow. They refunded sprint, and then I got a second one, I think, for the Olympic. So like it was wow, I was only expecting the one, and somehow it's that paid for your bikes to get to Australia.

SPEAKER_01: 47:10

So cool, right?

SPEAKER_00: 47:12

Cool. And then based on world championship team status, then it you get like extra emails for extra events. Like I'm technically I just put a spot fee in for the Dohawk cutter race in December, but I thought it was 26 and it's 25, and I've already and I've gonna do Hain City. So like I just I just blew a hundred bucks on that. Yeah, I didn't read the email close enough. But then like I got an email yesterday or a couple days ago that they're pushing for the Abu Dhabi race, I think for 26. So once you get in the cycle of of qualifying for different worlds teams, like then it opens it up for different world championships, whether it's T100, which is the Qatar race for December, or whether it's um, I think the world multi-sport in Abu Dhabi. And and so like it's it's cool, and there's people that have done 40 world championships.

SPEAKER_01: 48:12

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 48:13

And I'm just like, oh my gosh. And they're also 60 plus years old, but like that's a big thing, I guess, in USAT is like you get recognition or pinned, quote unquote, for each each world championship after I think four or five that you do. So like it for some people it is a huge deal.

SPEAKER_01: 48:31

Yeah. I mean, it's kind of like collecting medals, right?

SPEAKER_00: 48:36

Or or whatever it is that whatever it is you do, and and and and so like it's not something I want to do every year, but depending on where the world championship is, I can see myself like obviously Germany would be a cool place because Hamburg, Germany is where they do, I think, uh an Iron Man. And I think that's where the European Championship was this year. And when we're at in Augusta, uh a young lady next to us was waiting for the roll down, and my wife went up and was like, Hey, how is how was Hamburg? And she's like, It was the most exciting time, and the the city gets behind it, and it's just it's just it's just awesome. And I think Hamburg is like their their financial capital of the country, so like super ritzy. So like I'm I'm just a neat experience. Just a neat experience. And my wife, they were her her dad was stationed in in Germany for three years growing up, so like any time to go back is is kind of cool to do that.

SPEAKER_01: 49:34

Yeah, so cool. Might inspire me to get a road bike. Hmm, I don't know. Going to Germany might be really cool.

SPEAKER_00: 49:42

There was people doing it on on fat tire bikes and dang.

SPEAKER_01: 49:46

Seriously?

SPEAKER_00: 49:47

There's a couple like it was like a gravel bike, but like super like wide. It's like, man.

unknown: 49:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 49:53

Yeah. Yeah. Whatever floats your boat. So cool. Uh all right. So any last words of wisdom you would have for either maybe somebody who's wanting to to qualify for worlds or just traveling in general to do a race. I think or trans on for that matter.

SPEAKER_00: 50:12

I I think ask around and and just figure out things. But I think if you have the chance to go, go ahead and do it because you never know what what tomorrow is gonna do. So like I I think I'm taking full advantage of doing this, and it's just money. I I think is the big thing, is like it is it is what it is at this point. Like, I'd rather travel now and enjoy it than then have the money later on and and not fully enjoy or not be able to fully immerse ourselves in in the experience. So like I think we've got a timeline of maybe 55 is when I'll kind of like start to scale back things. But I think for the next I'm aging up next year, so 50 to 55 might or 50 to 54 might be that last like full full gas type thing. And then we'll have to do stuff my wife wants.

SPEAKER_01: 51:04

I think she's probably getting a good deal here.

SPEAKER_00: 51:07

She's getting a great deal. It's just yeah, it's it's finding things that are outside of the academic window so that we both can enjoy them. So, like, like we said all along, it's like my my main racing window is is May to August. Yeah, and it just so happens once a year I've got to travel in September or October.

SPEAKER_01: 51:28

Yeah. Crazy.

SPEAKER_00: 51:30

But Nice, nice won't be a full week. So Nice will be like three or four days. Wow, it won't be a few years.

SPEAKER_01: 51:36

Yeah, that's a that's a quick turnaround for Europe.

SPEAKER_00: 51:38

But it's also a uh what eight-hour flight as opposed to 24 hours?

SPEAKER_01: 51:43

Yes, that is kind of a big deal. Wow. Crazy. Well, thank you so much, Peter, for sharing your experience. And hopefully uh some folks got some good info out of that and inspiring them to do something neat.

SPEAKER_00: 51:58

And if and if they have questions, just my my phone number's right here.

SPEAKER_01: 52:05

Um, yeah, and anybody who wants to like race at the next sort of like competitive level. I mean, very similar to you. We're sway, you know, Coach Marty's starting that racing team. So, you know, we're the endurance edge all over uh the endurance edge jersey, all over the world. Because why not? Why not? How cool is that? Sweet. All right, Peter. Thanks, and I'm sure we'll have you on next time you go to Nice and Hamburg and all that other kind of places. So sharing your race stories. You rock, and of course, I'll see you tonight and everybody else out there. Well, uh, thanks for listening to the Find D podcast. Thanks, Peter. Yep.