PTO and World Triathlon Align for Massive Triathlon Weekend

Good morning everyone,

Last night was a great reminder for me of the power of community. I was able to reconnect with a triathlete friend here in Arizona; Mary. Leading into the Olympics I spent a few weeks home staying with Mary between races. Mary and her husband Todd were exceptionally kind and hospitable to me during an extremely stressful period, and I am always grateful for their support during that time. Here’s to another year of racing, and meeting incredible people through sport.

In today’s edition:

• PTO announces European Open alongside World Triathlon event 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

• How Renee Kiley helped overhaul the PTO World Rankings ✅

• What is torque? And will it make you a better cyclist? ⚙️

Thank you for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

ONE BIG THING

PTO European Open will Vamos a la Playa in Ibiza

What is it: The Professional Triathletes Organization (PTO) has announced the third race in its 2023 World Tour will be held in Ibiza, Spain. The professional event will be held alongside World Triathlon’s extensive 2023 Multisport World Championships Ibiza. 

• The athletes will compete over the PTO middle distance which includes a 2km swim, 80km bike, and 20km run (100km total).

Why it matters: The PTO now has a fully confirmed third event for their flagship World Tour. Given it is being held in Europe it will no doubt attract an incredibly competitive field.

• In a similar fashion to the recently announced PTO U.S. Open, the event will take place alongside a large, mass-participation multisport event.

• In the US Open’s case, their event will be held in conjunction with the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships.

Tempo’s take: It’s no coincidence that the recently announced PTO Open races are being held alongside events with huge age group presences. The amateur athletes who will be in Ibiza and Milwaukee will have an unreal opportunity to watch the best athletes in the world live, and the PTO receives a massive injection of atmosphere from the spectators.

• In last year’s U.S. Open in Dallas, there was compelling racing, but barely any spectators (the 40C/100F temperatures definitely didn’t help!).

World Triathlon (WT) already has a partnership with Super League Triathlon for the upcoming Arena Games series. So we should keep an eye on the continued coziness between WT and the upstart PTO. Clearly, there are mutual benefits to working together, and this Ibiza crossover event could signal the beginning of more dynamic and innovative racing partnerships.

NEWS

🏁 Kids (almost) race free: USA Triathlon has announced its new Youth and Junior Premier Membership. The one-time $25 price is valid through an athlete’s 18th birthday. The membership comes with a suite of benefits and is designed to reduce costs to help athletes remain in the multisport community. [Team USA]

🎓 Idaho lets go: Registration is now open for the 16th annual Bengal Triathlon held on April 14-15 in Pocatello, Idaho. The event is a capstone project for students in Idaho State University’s Department of Human Performance and Sport Studies. It’s April in Idaho…so thankfully, the swim will be held in a pool. [Local News 8]

☘️ Irish eyes are try-a-triing: “The biggest try-a-tri event in Ireland” will be held on April 23 at the Aura Leisure center in Letterkenny. The event is safe, inclusive, and the flattest course in all of Donegal. It’s a great opportunity for an early-season test or a first-ever triathlon. [Donegal Daily]

🌺 Original Iron: 45 years ago 12 athletes finished the original Hawaii Ironman on Waikiki beach, and this year they will be inducted into the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame. The inductees will be honored on Thursday, Aug. 3 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a part of the 2023 USAT National Championships. [Team USA]

TEMPO EXCLUSIVE

The PTO Ranking System was Bad, Renee Kiley Helped Fix It

Renee Kiley is a professional triathlete from Australia who has podiumed at Ironman Hamburg and Ironman Cairns. She spoke with us about her experience as a member of the Professional Triathletes Organization Athlete Ranking Committee, and how they worked together to build an improved and more transparent ranking system.

Why were you so passionate about improving the rankings?

A combination of my passion and love for the sport, my personality - needing to thoroughly understand things, and a desire to contribute or add value in a positive way to my peers and their careers. This sport is difficult enough without the stress of an unfair ranking system. I am not the greatest athlete, but I am a student of the sport and have an extensive business background. I don't mind speaking up and felt I had the skill set to have an impact on this project.

Was there ever a significant point of contention amongst the working group? How did you eventually come to a solution?

I would say the "(race) time" component was probably the one thing we deliberated on and debated about the most. We were really split on it for a good 6 months. I was a huge proponent of the time thing but even I changed my mind a couple of times! And it was only when we started modeling the 2022 race results extensively that we realized that adding time was a third "protective" measure that we could use to ensure the points were awarded fairly and avoid anomalies slipping through the net.

What kinds of skills did you have to draw on through this process?

The ability to collaborate with others, and probably most importantly to stay completely subjective throughout the process. Not once did I ever think or even look at how the new system might benefit me personally. It was all about staying at arm’s length, considering all points of view, and the different abilities of athletes.

Read the full article and learn,

• The critical flaws in the previous rankings.

• The biggest improvements in the ranking system.

• What Renee learned through the extensive process.

FAVOURITES

🥇 Go, Jess, Go: After a difficult 2022 filled with injury and setbacks, Olympic gold medalist Jessica Learmonth looks to be close to a return to competition. Always a presence at the front of World Triathlon Championship Series events, there is no doubt she will make a serious impact upon her return. But where will she make her return? [Tri247]

🏊‍♀️ Trailblazing team: In this episode of the IronWomen podcast, hosts Haley Chura and Alyssa Godesky speak with the first HBCU (Historically Black College or University) NCAA Triathlon team. Find out what it took to grow the team and the roadblocks that came with the pandemic. [IronWomen podcast]

🔧 Training torque: According to Google, torque, as it relates to cycling, is the rotational force applied to the pedals during each pedal stroke. And according to a study in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, it may have a better relationship to performance than cadence. Time to to torque down on some intervals! [PubMed]