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T100 Ibiza: Undefeated Champions and a Glimpse at Future Growth

How T100 will calm antsy investors, don't ruin your recovery this way, and one gel to rule them all!

Author

Matthew Sharpe
October 01, 2024

TOGETHER WITH THE FEED

Good morning everyone,

This past weekend I jumped into a local 5k and remembered what it was like to hurt a lot over a shorter time! It was a blast. And it reminded me how fun the atmosphere is at well-run local events.

And, surprisingly, my legs weren’t too beat up the next day - no doubt due to the thick-soled pair of super shoes I competed in. I believe these shoes have been an absolute gamechanger for running performance and recovery.

  • Does anyone remember when our running shoes used to resemble ballet slippers? My poor calves definitely haven’t forgotten!

In today’s edition:

  • 🏁 T100 Ibiza features undefeated champions and a glimpse at future growth.

  • 😲 How you might be ruining your recovery.

  • 💍 And is this the one gel to rule them all?

Thanks for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

Headshot of Matt Sharpe

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

Undefeated Champions and a Glimpse at Growth as T100 hits Ibiza

T100

What is it: Known for its incredible beaches and nightlife, this past weekend the island of Ibiza played host to an endurance party as the fifth stop of the T100 Triathlon World Tour rolled into town.

  • Race winners Martin Van Riel (BEL) and Taylor Knibb (USA) were king and queen of the dance floor - and remain undefeated in their T100 campaigns.

Men’s race: Out of the swim it was a close group of over ten athletes including Van Riel, Sam Laidlow (FRA), Mika Noodt (GER), Alistair Brownlee (GBR), and Rico Bogen (GER).

  • After an eventful bike that featured an early missed turn by Van Riel and Laidlow, plus a rare drafting penalty that was administered to Brownlee, there were five athletes who entered T2 together including Van Riel, Laidlow, and Noodt.

Early on the run, it became clear the race would be a battle between Van Riel and Laidlow as the two had a clear gap on the rest of the field. Meanwhile, Brownlee was coming back into the race with a vengeance.

  • With only a few kilometers to the finish Van Riel put in a devastating surge to drop Laidlow. The Belgian was able to cruise to the finish and take his second T100 victory in as many starts. Laidlow would finish in second, and Noodt had his best-ever T100 finish as he ended up in third.

Showing visions of his former self, Brownlee would battle his way into fourth.

  • 🥇 Martin Van Riel (BEL)

  • 🥈 Sam Laidlow (FRA)

  • 🥉 Mika Noodt (GER)

Women’s race: In the swim, it was a suite of Olympians including Taylor Spivey (USA), Flora Duffy (BER), and Taylor Knibb (USA) who were pushing the pace at the front. India Lee (GBR) and Sara Perez Sala (ESP) made it a group of five who exited the water together.

  • They were over 90 seconds ahead of a group that included Anne Haug (GER), Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), Paula Findlay (CAN), and Olympic silver medalist Julie Derron (SUI).

Early on the bike Knibb was tearing up the course and had over a minute ahead of her next competitor, Lee, after riding less than a third of the bike! Behind athletes like Findlay, and Derron were doing what they could to limit the losses.

  • Derron would even received her own drafting penalty. Costing her another precious minute at the penalty tent.

  • As Knibb entered T2 she had an astonishing gap of over 3 minutes to Lee.

With the run progressing it was clear Knibb would be breaking the tape and remain undefeated in 2024 T100 races. But behind her, the race was anything but over. Lee, who had a three-minute gap to Derron at the start of the run, was seeing her lead completely erased by the lap. The Swiss athlete would steamroll past her on her way to another silver performance.

  • 🥇 Taylor Knibb (USA)

  • 🥈 Julie Derron (SUI)

  • 🥉 India Lee (GBR)

Gunning for growth: The weekend also showed how the T100 plans to grow its event offerings and drive revenue for its antsy investors. Although only 452 athletes participated in the 100km age group triathlon, the event also featured an open water swim that saw well over 200 athletes participate.

  • At the popular Singapore and London T100 events, athletes had the option of competing in duathlons of various lengths, and shorter sprint and super sprint triathlons.

  • And, the season-ending “event weekend” in Dubai is set to have over 10,000 athletes compete in the 100km and sprint distance triathlons, as well as a 5km “Music Run.”

But will these growth tactics be enough to put the T100 in the black, and keep the investors engaged? Hopefully, there is enough time to tell.

Does an "event weekend" with multiple unique races appeal to you?

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TOGETHER WITH THE FEED

Is This the One Gel to Rule Them All?

What we liked:

✅ 50 grams of carbohydrates per serving.

✅ Highly absorbable 2:1 ratio of glucose/fructose. 

✅ Unsurpassed value.

Matt’s review:

I first stumbled across the Carbs Fuel Original 50g Energy Gel about a year ago. And since then it has become one of the most important staples of my training and racing. I can think of a few long bike rides where an emergency Carbs Fuel turned an impending blood sugar bust into a glorious final few miles. 

“Carbs” and “Fuel” - on both counts this gel delivers flawlessly.

  • At 50 grams it is in the upper echelon of carbohydrates per serving.

  • A 2:1 ratio of glucose to fructose allows your body to absorb every crucial carb while also minimizing GI stress. 

  • And the neutral flavor, with a touch of sweetness, goes down well during moderate and intense training. 

But the key reason the Carbs Fuel gel is an elite option for fueling your training and racing?

Unsurpassed value. 

  • At 2$ per gel, the gel is almost half the cost per carb compared to the next competitor. 

Our only critique? The gel doesn’t have much electrolytes. So, for a comparable gel with more electrolytes take a look at the SIS Beta Fuel gel.

So if you’re looking for an energy gel that is heavy on the carbs and light on the wallet, then we highly recommend the Carbs Fuel Original 50g Energy Gel.

PS: The Feed just introduced its newest innovation - Feed 1st - a program that gives you unlimited free shipping, 5% Feed cash on purchases, personalized water bottles and so much more! Join now for only 99$ a year!

FAVORITES

😲 Recovery ruined: If you’re looking to get the most out of every training session - don’t skip the post-workout fueling! A new study has shown that next-day training performance declined significantly when delaying post-workout carbohydrates. Why exactly? The answers in this deep dive might surprise you! [Physiologically Speaking]

🍇 Snacks for days: Speaking of fueling. Knowing what to snack on during the day can help you feel and perform your best. These 10 snacks are great options for fueling, and help promote excellent gut health! [Eat This]

⏱️ Injury recovery: You’ve just picked up an injury. So how long will it keep you from your regular training routine? This handy chart provides healing times, and key treatment methods for popular injuries. [MillaCoach]

🧊 Cool head, hot performance: You may have recently seen top triathletes and marathon runners wearing a futuristic-looking headband at the Olympics. The headband’s goal? To keep you cool during intense exercise. But how does it work? And are the innovative cooling properties enough to improve your performance? [Outside]

🗣️ Triathlon jargon: Bonking, CdA, and swim skin are just a few examples of the extensive list of triathlon jargon. Are there any in this list that you don’t know? [TRI247]

REEL TIME

The exact type of bad wasn’t specified 🤣🤣🤣

YOU SAID

Here’s what Tempo readers had to say about whether they think T100 athletes should exclusively race the series.

Reader: The IM brand is too big in the age group world for the pros not to race those races. Their sponsors view them as marketing vehicles and doing well at the exact same race as an age grouper is far more likely to create brand affinity and drive sales than an athlete doing well at a race that most age groupers aren't doing. PTO would need to be a way bigger player in age group event participation before pros could be exclusive to that.

Reader: This would enable healthy competition between brands with all of them improving their product and it will also allow the athletes a wider range of choices and time within which to race successfully and remain uninjured.

Reader: I think it is important to stay connected to the wider community, and that doesn’t inherently discredit one series or another. But I do feel like for this inaugural year, at least from an outside consumer perspective, the T100 brand has taken a hit. It feels like there are always big names missing from the start line. I don’t think there’s much teamwork between series, it’s more a battle to see who can attract the big names, and it shows.

Reader: Non-exclusive, but PRIORITIZED

Reader: The athletes need to have and protect their free agency. The most important move the T100 can make for 2025 is up the contracted athlete number to 25 with 5 wildcards for each gender.

Reader: That’s what a contract is. Hold them liable and don’t pay if they don’t race. Injury aside of course. For the situation like Sam, it’s an insult to his contract and he shouldn’t have one if he chooses to for who a race to race another event.

RACE WEEKEND

IRONMAN Chattanooga

After Hurricane Helene devasted much of the U.S. Southeast, the decision was made to cancel the swim and instead have a time trial bike followed by a marathon.

Sam Long (USA) took the win by a mere 20 seconds over Cody Beals (CAN). And Sarah True (USA) ran her way to a comfortable win.

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