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Champions and contract carnage at Dubai T100 Grand Final

Champions and contract carnage at Dubai T100 Grand Final

T100 Tour wraps up in Dubai, unlock your hips for better performance, and should you be taking creatine?

Matthew Sharpe
November 19, 2024

Good evening everyone,

Apologies for the late email today. The past few days my wife and I were in New York City attending an event put on by her sponsor and we took the opportunity to enjoy some non-triathlon activities!

And while there I couldn’t help but reminisce about my race at last year’s New York City triathlon. It was surreal getting the chance to race through Central Park, and I hope the race returns next year so other athletes can have the same experience!

In today’s edition:

🏆 Champions and contract carnage at Dubai T100 Grand Final.
🧘‍♀️ Unlock your hips for a new level of performance.
🧠 And should you be taking creatine? New research says yes!

Thanks for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

Have a triathlete in your life who can't stop swimming, biking, or running? Fire this off to them. Forwarded from a friend? Sign-up for free.

ONE BIG THING

Champions and Contract Carnage at T100 Grand Final in Dubai

What is it: This past weekend, the T100 Triathlon World Tour athletes hit the course for the season's final race - the Dubai T100 Grand Final.

Atop the podium it was a pair of familiar faces; Taylor Knibb (USA) and Martin Van Riel (BEL) who took the wins and became champions of the inaugural T100 Triathlon World Tour.

But the podium wasn’t the only prize as the athletes pushed themselves to the limit in a battle for massive 2025 T100 contracts.

Women’s race

Surprise swim: it was a larger than anticipated group out of the water with short course stars Flora Duffy (BER), Taylor Spivey (USA), and Julie Derron (SUI) up front alongside Knibb.

Surprisingly, ace runner Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) was also in the front pack which brought an early plot twist to the race.

Knibb rides away: After a slow T1 Knibb found herself powering away from the field after the first lap. And after an almost-penalty, she would enter T2 with a significant gap of 2:46 over a group that contained Derron and Gentle.

Watch: Knibb almost receives a costly penalty

Further back Duffy and Spivey were losing ground and would be swallowed up by athletes like Kat Matthews (GBR), and Lucy Byram (GBR).

18km coronation: Although the temps were high in Dubai, Knibb stayed cool and crossed the line with plenty of time to her competitors. It was a historic win that saw her stay undefeated in T100 events in 2024 and take the very first T100 series win.

Meanwhile, a battle was ensuing between Gentle and Derron. Shockingly, with a few kilometers to the finish, Gentle stopped to walk and Derron was able to pull ahead for silver, the Australian would continue on and take the final spot on the podium.

🥇 Taylor Knibb (USA)
🥈 Julie Derron (SUI)
🥉 Ashleigh Gentle (AUS)

Contract conflict: Although the podium was settled, the athletes were still battling for every point in the hopes of finishing in the top 10 and earning a six-figure contract in next year’s T100 season.

Strong Dubai performances from IRONMAN World Champion Laura Philipp (GER) and Lucy Byram (GBR) saw them finish in the overall top ten and will see them earn lucrative contracts for next season’s T100 World Tour.

Meanwhile, Taylor Spivey (USA), Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), and Anne Haug (GER) will be hoping an invite for next year’s Tour will arrive in their inbox.

Final women’s 2024 T100 rankings

Men’s race

Swim solidarity: The 2k swim saw minimal separation between the athletes as a large front pack of thirteen athletes exited the water together which included Van Riel, Rico Bogen (GER), Kyle Smith (NZ), and Alistair Brownlee (GBR).

It was a disappointing swim for Magnus Ditlev (GER) who found himself over 3 minutes back of the leaders. Sam Long (USA) was another minute back of Ditlev.

Cycling selects: Early on in the bike a lead group established itself which included Van Riel, Bogen, Smith, Brownlee, and Frederick Funk (GER). They would enter T2 together with almost two minutes to the next athlete; Magnus Ditlev.

Ditlev was on pace to catch the lead group, but he unfortunately suffered a mechanical issue and lost significant time to the leaders.

Watch: Bike issue plagues Ditlev’s race!

Run for dough: Early on the run the podium was beginning to take shape with Van Riel, Bogen, and Smith running together for the first 6km. Brownlee was further back in fourth, but still within striking distance.

At just over halfway Van Riel and Bogen would drop Smith, and the two would duel for the win. With 2km to go Van Riel unleashed another pace injection, which dropped Bogen and allowed him to take the win and the overall series crown.

Bogen would finish in a strong second place. But behind him, a battle was brewing as Smith began to wither in the Dubai heat just as Brownlee was surging. In close proximity to the finish Brownlee caught Smith, then hit the the deck.

Watch: Brownlee falls hard on the run.

But the Brit would not be denied as he regained control and claimed the final spot on the podium - his first in the T100.

🥇 Martin Van Riel (BEL)
🥈 Rico Bogen (GER)
🥉 Alistair Brownlee (GBR)

Contract carnage: With strong performances in Dubai Mathis Margirier (FRA), Frederic Funk (GER), and Pieter Heemeryck (BEL) finished in the top 10 of the T100 rankings and will be back on tour in 2025.

Unfortunately, athletes like Sam Laidlow (FRA) and Jason West (USA) will have to wait and see if they will be invited back to T100, or if their time on tour is up.

Final men’s 2024 T100 rankings

Tempo’s take: After brutal racing in Dubai we now have our first T100 World Champions. And even with an underwhelming start to the T100 season in Miami that saw coverage woes and star athletes skip out, the series was able to build through the year and end on a high.

Executing a global events series on multiple continents with the expectation of world class broadcasts and athlete experiences is incredibly difficult.

So based on our observations, and subscriber feedback, we’ll give the 2024 T100 Triathlon World Tour a B-. But how will they have further success in 2025 and beyond? Here are a few suggestions:

Undercut IRONMAN - Now that the T100 has decided it’s an events company, it needs to deliver consistent, exceptional, and value-oriented experiences for age group athletes. In the most-engaged poll in Tempo history athletes overwhelmingly said that T100 could compete with IRONMAN…if the races are priced right!

Since IRONMAN is in the early stages of positioning itself as a premium lifestyle brand, the upstart entity could undercut its larger rival.

Competitiveness, above all - After a year of experimentation, it’s time for the T100 to get serious about the competitiveness of its races. Select contracted athletes were able to find success over T100 and IRONMAN events, but many appeared to be using their T100 contracts to subsidize a season focused on the IRONMAN World Championships.

2025 is a fork in the road for T100. Continue to pay athletes to peak for a competitor’s offering, or invest more in those who are all in on the startup’s success.
This could result in a few stars skipping out, but that just means they weren’t really in to begin with!

Do you watch T100 races to see certain athletes compete?

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FAVORITES

🧠 Crucial creatine: Creatine is one of the most interesting supplements of the moment as more research shows it isn’t just good for athletic performance, but also cognitive function and your brain’s health. So should you start taking it? Find out here. [The Guardian]

🧘‍♀️ All in the hips: Want to get the most out of every run stride and pedal stroke, and give yourself the best chance of staying injury-free? Then keep your hips moving well with these key mobility drills! [FourHourBody]

🏆 The pain of success: Exercise-induced pain is that burning in your quads as you push hard into your pedals during hill reps. Or the lung-busting effort during a hard run on the track. So what’s the best way to manage this pain and get the most out of yourself during these workouts? Check out this informative infographic on how to best manage exercise-induced pain. [YLM Sports Science]

🦉 Night training tips “See and be seen” is probably the most important piece of advice for running at night. Four other important tips that can make your night training a success are here! [REI]

💸 Financial woes: In recent years USA Triathlon has struggled to overcome financial difficulties that were exacerbated by the pandemic. So have they been able to right the ship? Or will the organization be facing a financial mutiny? This deep dive breaks it all down. [Slowtwitch]

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