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Whales, Wins, and World-Class Racing Sees T100 Victorious in Vancouver
T100 Vancouver, unproductive underfueling, and fastest tire width
Matthew Sharpe
June 17, 2025
Good morning everyone,
After finishing last month’s 70.3 St. George in shambles, it was nice to finish this weekend’s 70.3 Boulder emboldened! I ended up fourth on the day after putting in a solid all-around performance.
I don’t know if I have any profound takeaways from the race. St. George I felt like I was constatntly playing defense. While in Boulder I had some moments of offence in each discipline - pushing at the front of the swim and setting a strong pace, attacking the start of the bike with the race winner, and shifting gears in the run to drop a competitor.
Defense can be necessary, but offense is a lot more fun!
It was also fun seeing so many familiar faces on and off the course. And meeting new friends!
Racing-wise, I’m not sure what’s next. In the meantime, I’ll be leaning in to more Tempo business.
In today’s edition:
🇨🇦 Whales, Wins, and World-Class Racing Sees T100 Victorious in Vancouver
🪫 Why underfueling could be sabotaging your success.
🛞 And is there a fastest tire width? (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
Whales, Wins, and World-Class Racing Sees T100 Victorious in Vancouver
What is it: This weekend saw the T100 Triathlon World Tour touch down in Vancouver for the third stop in the global professional triathlon series.
And unlike the podium disruption in San Francisco, Vancouver saw two T100 heavyweights on top.
Men’s Race
Swim: Morgan Pearson (USA) charged to the front, leading a tight pack of four that included reigning T100 champ Marten Van Riel (BEL).
Hot on their heels was a nine-man chase group including the full T100 San Francisco podium;🥇 Rico Bogen (GER), 🥈 Jelle Geens (BEL), and 🥉 Mika Noodt (GER).
Sam Long (USA), just six days removed from his Eagleman win, trailed by 4:35 - his podium hopes all but evaporated.
Bike: Bogen struck early, eager to repeat his San Francisco solo show. But the pack was wise to his game and kept him in check.
By halfway, a front quartet had formed: Bogen, Van Riel, Noodt, and Kyle Smith (NZ), with Geens lurking behind.
Drama hit late in lap three as Noodt was slapped with a 1-minute drafting penalty - he rejoined just as the chase pack surged past.
Still, Bogen held T2 by a thread - 7 seconds over Van Riel. Noodt clawed back to 23 seconds behind, and Geens stayed dangerous only 38 seconds back.
Run: Geens exploded out of T2, flying past Noodt and hunting the leaders. And by lap two, he’d turned the leading Van Riel/Bogen duo into a trio.
Then, the gloves came off. The Belgian teammates dropped Bogen and went head-to-head.
But Geens had another gear. Van Riel cracked. And Geens soared to the finish and his second T100 victory.
🥇 Jelle Geens (BEL)
🥈 Marten Van Riel (BEL)
🥉 Mika Noodt (GER)
Women’s Race
Swim: Fresh off her Eagleman domination, Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) stayed hot, powering to the front of a lead pack of six.
Close behind: Taylor Knibb (USA), Jessica Learmonth (GBR), Maya Kingma (NED), Taylor Spivey (USA), and Holly Lawrence (GBR).
Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) sat 2:30 back, while San Francisco winner Julie Derron (SUI) trailed by nearly 3:30.
Bike: This time, Knibb wasted no time - charging to the front with Learmonth holding tight.
The Olympic silver medalist wasn’t backing down, and the two leaders began crushing the field.
And Canadian hopes were dashed early when Paula Findlay was hit with a drafting penalty.
halfway through, Knibb and Learmonth were storming ahead. Charles-Barclay was nearly 3 minutes back, Derron over 5.
By T2, the front two had opened a chasm: 4+ minutes to Charles-Barclay, 6 to Derron.
Run: With her T100 streak snapped in San Francisco, Knibb came to Vancouver on a mission - and this time, nothing was stopping her.
She pulled away from Learmonth with every mile. But behind them, Derron was flying.
As Knibb cruised to redemption, Derron reeled in Learmonth and snatched silver in the final kilometer.
🥇 Taylor Knibb (USA)
🥈 Julie Derron (SUI)
🥉 Jessica Learmonth (GBR)
Tempo’s take: For the T100, a lot was on the line with this race. A well-executed event could see Vancouver become a crown jewel in the startup series.
But a miss could see the “no-fun city” turn them away - or worse - drive a high-level race venue into the arms (and revenue) of IRONMAN.
But it was swim-bike-success for the T100. The professional races were compelling, the age group events were well-subscribed and well-executed.
And the mid-race Orca Whale appearance was the icing on top!
And according to our on-the-ground executive, Allan Prazsky:
“Immediate impressions - phenomenal. Having watched set up throughout the week, I was very impressed at the build out. The infrastructure around the event was definitely elaborate, and transformed the beachside into an Olympic-level spectacle.
On the AG side of things, we saw great uptake for both Sprint and LD events. And similar to the Pros' Day, spectators lined the cycling and run route.
From a simple straw poll of athletes, it sounded like the T100 was a hit among competitors, with everyone responding positively about participating in the event next year.
Overall, given the somewhat delayed start to the planning of the event, the event offered an incredible atmosphere and a welcome spotlight to our sport.”
Vibes were high to be sure. But after wins in San Francisco and Vancouver, the T100 now takes a two month break before resuming in London in August.
Can they keep the momentum of their Spring surge? Or will it wane as we enter a summer slump?
Are you more interested in T100 after recent races? |
FAVORITES
🪫 Stop underfueling, start performing: Are you hitting a wall mid-training? Chronic underfueling could be the culprit as it sabotages your energy, strength, recovery, and long-term health! This article provides fueling strategies that will help you maintain peak power, feel sharp, and stay injury-free - even during heavy training! [Inside Tracker]
🔥 Resist fatigue: Are you sick of watching your power fade when it counts? Fatigue resistance - your ability to hit those hard efforts after hours of effort - is what turns good athletes into race-day weapons. This article explains targeted strategies to help you improve your fatigue resistance so you can unlock real late-race strength! [TrainingPeaks]
🏃♀️ Women’s health and performance: Dr. Stacy Sims, PhD, is a renowned exercise physiologist and expert in female-specific nutrition and health. In this wide-ranging interview she explains the unique sleep needs of women based on age, why certain types of diets can be harmful for women’s health, and so much more! [Huberman lab]
🛞 Tire width performance: When it comes to tire width, could bigger be faster? Conventional wisdom would suggest no. But the folks in this video did a fascinating deep dive into tire width and performance that produced surprising results. And if you want to save watts, you might want some bigger tires! [GCN]
📣 A new coach? Some of the best triathletes in the world are hiring cycling coaches to take their racing to the next level. But should you be working with individual sport coaches? This article explains why the pros are making the switch, and if it makes sense for you! [Triathlete]
REEL TIME
As inspiring as it gets - 92 year old Hiromu Inada crosses the finish line at IM 70.3 Cairns! 👏👏👏
TEMPO TALKS PODCAST
Is Altitude Training Dead?
Who is responsible for the devastating Escape from Alcatraz incident?
And has the T100 scored a major win in its battle with IRONMAN?
We break it all down in the latest episode of the Tempo Talks Podcast!
Together with The TriDoc, we bring you the biggest stories in Triathlon,
Training tips to make you faster,
And breakdowns of the latest in sports science and performance!
RACE WEEKEND
IRONMAN Cairns
Matthew Marquardt (USA) kept his Pro Series ambitions alive with one of the most incredible race comebacks we’ve ever seen after recovering from devastating cramping in T1!
Jackie Hering (USA) also got her season back on track as she took a big win in Cairns - a strong signal for a Kona performance this fall!
IRONMAN 70.3 Happy Valley
A rainy race saw Lydia Russell (USA) take her first-ever 70.3 win!
IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder
Sam Appleton (AUS) became the King of Boulder with strong all-around performance!
IRONMAN Austria
Finn Grosse-Freese (GER) became the latest champion of an iconic race!
QUICK NEWS
Challenge Roth slots: In 2026 Challenge Cap Quebec will feature a full distance race. And the first 200 registrants are guaranteed a start at the 2027 Challenge Roth! [Cap Quebec]
Insane start list: Blummenfelt, Lange, Ditlev, Von Berg, Iden, and so many more. This isn’t a World Championship start list - but with the level of talent on the IRONMAN Frankfurt start list, it might just race like one! [IRONMAN]
IRONMAN to ESPN: IRONMAN has announced a partnership with ESPN to air their Pro Series live in Latin America and the Caribbean. Unconfirmed yet if Stephen A. Smith will provide commentary.
Inspiring athlete: From stairs to Ironman, Olive Snell’s story shows how culture, community, and small choices build unstoppable athletic resilience. Must-read inspiration. [Nine News]
Brownlee award: It was another achievement for double Olympic Champion Alistair Brownlee as he was appointed OBE in the Kings birthday honors. [BBC]
LATEST EDITIONS
Crunch time in Cairns as athletes fight for Pro Series survival!
Understand and overcome frustrating muscle knots! And long run mistakes!
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