70.3 Ironman World Championships, St George
Just as we’re getting over the Ironman World Championships in Kona three weeks ago we are returning to St George for the next major championships of the year. This year's 70.3 World Championships will be back in Utah after a successful debut year in 2021. The testing course will be made harder by the addition of cold temperatures which are forecast for at least the morning on both race days.
The race starts with a 1.9km swim in the Sand Hollow Reservoir, a single lap course which finishes next to the start line. This is followed by a technical bike course, 90.1km in length, which takes competitors around the south end of Sand Hollow Reservoir before turning north, then west towards the more technical part of the course. The final 30km of the bike starts with a relatively steep climb (Snow Canyon) of some 1000 feet over 10km before dropping back down on the final 20km of the bike course. Finally, the 21.1km run takes the athletes on a two-loop course with two 500-foot climbs and descents to test the legs in the final stages.
Both pro races take place this Friday and Saturday, kicking off at 7:30am local time respectively followed by age groupers (2:30pm BST time).
As for contenders, it’s hard to look past last year's winners Lucy Charles-Barclay and Gustav Iden who will be looking to use Kona as a springboard for more top results. However, having raced only three weeks ago it will be interesting to see if they come in with form or not.
The Passion Fit team who we have supported for a number of years now will be out in force in St George looking to capitalise on an amazing year of results. Amongst them is newly pro athlete Lydia Dant who will be competing in her first women’s pro World Championships.
Given the testing nature of the course, Parcours #thinkwider aero range is the perfect wheel choice for race day. All three models have been designed from the ground up using #thinkwider technology, developed following the results of in-depth scientific studies carried out in association with the Sports Engineering department at Nottingham Trent University and Dr Steve Faulkner.
Offering maximum aerodynamic benefit while maintaining handling stability, the Chrono Max (83.6mm deep), is Parcours’ fastest ever front wheel. Developed specifically for a 28mm tyre, the Chrono Max is also tubeless-ready and disc-brake specific. Saving over 4W versus Parcours’ previous generation front wheel, the Chrono Max handles like a shallower rim profile thanks to the #thinkwider technology, allowing it to maintain the handling stability of the older 77mm model, despite the extra rim depth and increased straight-line speed. This makes it the perfect option for the athlete seeking outright performance and speed, without compromise. To match with the Chrono Max is the first full carbon rear disc wheel to be truly optimised for wide tyres, the all new Disc2. The Disc2 saves over 120g over our previous disc wheel, making it the ideal choice for riders wanting to maximise their aerodynamic capabilities.
The Parcours #thinkwider range is race tested on the course following the Ironman World Championships in May this year where Kyle Smith led the race into T2 alongside Laura Siddall and Fenella Langridge racing to 6th and 7th respectively.
This time around, the Parcours team won’t be out in St George but we will be cheering our athletes on from the other side of the pond and can’t wait for the fantastic racing weekend to come!