May 27, 2023
2016 Rio Olympic Champion, Gwen Jorgensen, returns to the World Triathlon circuit competing with Katie Zaferes and Taylor Spivey. Alex Yee, Hayden Wilde and Kristian Blummenfelt will battle it out on the men's side. Plus Mad Gravel, Bike to Work Day and more!
Show Sponsor: UCAN
Generation UCAN has a full line of nutrition products powered by LIVESTEADY to fuel your sport.
LIVSTEADY was purposefully designed to work with your body, delivering long-lasting energy you can feel. LIVSTEADY's unique time-release profile allows your body to access energy consistently throughout the day, unlocking your natural ability to stay focused and calm while providing the fuel you need to meet your daily challenges.
Use UCAN in your training and racing to fuel the healthy way, finish stronger and recover more quickly! Use the code 303UCAN for 20% off at ucan.co/discount/303UCAN/ or ucan.co
In Today's Show
- Endurance News - Rick Hoyt passes at the age of 61; Pro Races This Weekend (WTCS Cagliari [Cal-a- ree]and IM Brazil)
- What's new in the 303 - E-Bikers Ride Much Farther and More Frequently; Planning for Bike To Work Day Colorado
- Video of the Week - None
Endurance News:
By Sara Smart, CNN
Rick Hoyt, the man who was pushed in a wheelchair by his father in 32 Boston Marathon races, died Monday morning.
Hoyt, 61, died due to complications with his respiratory system, according to a family statement posted on The Hoyt Foundation’s Facebook.
“It is with profound sadness that the Hoyt Family announce the passing of our beloved brother and uncle, Rick Hoyt this morning,” the Hoyt family said in a statement Monday. “As so many knew, Rick along with our father, Dick, were icons in the road race and triathlon worlds for over 40 years and inspired millions of people with disabilities to believe in themselves, set goals and accomplish extraordinary things.”
Rick, who had cerebral palsy that left him a quadriplegic, and his father, Dick, who passed away in March 2021, ran their first Boston Marathon in 1980 with a custom racing chair for Rick, according to the Boston Athletic Association and became fixtures in the race until their last as a team in 2014.
The father and son began running in races in 1977 when Rick told his dad he wanted to participate in a 5-mile race to benefit a lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident, according to the Hoyt Foundation’s website.
Rick Hoyt was a 36-time Boston Marathon finisher, according to the marathon race organizers.
“Rick Hoyt will always be remembered as a Boston Marathon icon and for personifying the ‘Yes You Can’ mentality that defined Team Hoyt,” the Boston Athletic Association said in a statement. “We are fortunate to have been able to call Rick a friend, mentor, pioneer, and Boston Marathon finisher.”
The father-son duo completed more than 1,000 marathons, duathlons and triathlons, according to the Team Hoyt website.
Plenty of notable moments for Chattanooga's Ironman 70.3, world’s
largest since pandemic
by Jim Tanner / Correspondent
3,051 athletes competing in Sunday's race, which consisted of a 1.4
mile swim in the Tennessee River, a 56-mile bike section that took
competitors into North Georgia, and ended with a 13.1 mile
half-marathon run along the Riverwalk and through North
Chattanooga.
Sunday's turnout in Chattanooga was the largest field in any Ironman 70.3 in the world since the start of the pandemic in 2020, a sign that racing is returning to normal and continues to grow, race Director Drew Wolff said.
"That's a testament not only to the fact that people are coming back out to race, but that they're coming out to race in Chattanooga. We just love being a part of this community," Wolff said.
With no professional men's field competing Sunday, the first across the finish line was Canadian pro Paula Findlay, one of the world's top woman triathletes. She was runner-up in last fall's Ironman 70.3 World Championships and is ranked No. 4 in the world in the latest Professional Triathletes Organization world rankings.
Findlay, who finished with an unofficial time of 4 hours, 9 minutes and 44 seconds, said cooler temperatures and a breeze on the course was a benefit during her race.
American Danielle Lewis was second with a time of 4:15:02, and South Africa's Jeanni Metzler was third, finishing just 35 seconds behind Lewis.
Sunday's cooler temperatures also made life easy on the more than
1,000 volunteers throughout the course and finish area.
Chattanooga 70.3 Pro Women's Results
Olympic medallists Jorgensen and Zaferes ready to heat up the action in Cagliari
What not so many could have guessed is that the pristine beach of Poetto, in Sardinia, will see the 2016 Rio Olympic champion Gwen Jorgensen lining up against the best of the best triathletes of the world for the first time in over six years on what promises to be an epic battle this Saturday.
World Triathlon Championship Series Cagliari: Preview, schedule, stars and how to watch
The World Triathlon Championship series returns to Italy on 27 May, where reigning world and Olympic champions will be competing in the picturesque location of Cagliari's Poetto beach.
By William Imbo
One year after Italy held its first stage of the World Triathlon
Championship Series (WTCS), the competition is returning to Bel
Paese, this time on Cagliari's Poetto beach in Sardinia.
The Championship Series, which has been used to crown an annual world champion since 2009, will now hold its third round of the 2023 tournament after previous races in Abu Dhabi and Yokohama.
WTCS Cagliari competition schedule
Saturday 27 May
WOMEN'S RACE
09:30 Athlete’s Lounge Check in
10:00 Transition Check in
10:00 Swim Warm up
10:50 Athlete line up
11:00 Women’s Start
13:10 Women’s Award Ceremony
MEN'S RACE
13:45 Athlete’s Lounge Check in
14:15 Transition Check in
14:15 Swim Warm up
15:05 Athlete line up
15:15 Men’s Start
17:20 Men’s Award Ceremony
All times are local
WTCS Cagliari athletes to watch
The first round of the 2023 WTC saw British athletes earn gold in both races, with double Olympic medallist Alex Yee and Beth Potter winning the men's and women's sprint events, respectively.
Sophie Coldwell (GBR) won the second round race in Japan, and currently sits in first place in the women's WTCS rankings courtesy of her win in Yokohama and second-place finish in Abu Dhabi.
2020 bronze medallist Hayden Wilde (NZL) currently sits in 6th place after triumphing in Yokohama, but it is Vasco Vilaça (POR) who tops the leaderboard after finishing second and third in the first two races of the series.
Tokyo 2020 men's champion Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR), who has been competing in Ironman events over the course of the last year, took part in his first race of the 2023 WTCS in Yokohama, finishing 8th; he is currently ranked 14th heading into Cagliari. Reigning world champion Leo Bergere (FRA) is currently ranked third overall.
On the women's side, reigning Olympic champion Flora Duffy (BER) won't be taking part in the race this weekend, but Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) is expected to participate; the Briton is in 7th place overall.
What is the 2023 WTCS Calgliari course?
WTCS Cagliari will follow the Olympic racing format: a 1,500m swim over two 750m laps, 10 bike laps of 3.8km each and four 2.5km run laps to complete the race.
What's New in the 303:
Mad Gravel https://madgravel.com/hemi/
E-Bikers Ride Much Farther and More Frequently Than Regular Bikers
They are not 'cheating,' but are serious transportation.
By Lloyd Alter
People used to complain that using an e-bike was "cheating," which I thought was dead and gone, writing a post two years ago, "Let’s Stop Even Talking About E-Bikes Being 'Cheating'" Yet as this recent tweet demonstrates, it is still happening.
I have tried to make the case that e-bikes are often used differently than regular bikes, that people use them more often and go much farther, and have quoted a study which finds that e-bike riders get as much exercise as riders of regular bikes because they ride farther. Now a new study, "Do people who buy e-bikes cycle more?" gives us real numbers, and they are huge. Not only that, but the e-bikes are replacing cars more than they are replacing bikes.
The researchers, Aslak Fyhri and Hanne Beate Sundfør, studied the before-and-after habits of people who bought e-bikes in Oslo, Norway. The e-bikes were Euro-style pedelec designs, which means that the rider has to pedal for the motor to run, there is no throttle. They compared these results to a group who were interested in e-bikes but had not yet purchased them, asking the questions:
If buying an e-bike is related to a larger change in total cycling kilometers than short term access
If buying an e-bike is related to a larger change in cycle share than short term access
If the study outcome is dependent upon the choice of the comparison group.
The Dramatic Results
The people who bought e-bikes increased their bicycle use from 2.1 kilometers (1.3 miles) to 9.2 kilometers (5.7 miles) on average per day; a 340% increase. The e-bike's share of all their transportation increased dramatically too; from 17% to 49%, where they e-biked instead of walking, taking public transit, and driving.
The researchers call this the "e-bike effect," but worried that people might be riding so much because they just bought the bike and there is the novelty of it, so they are using it a lot, similar to what happens when people buy fancy gym equipment. They discounted this because in fact, people rode their e-bikes more the longer they had them; "it confirms previous findings indicating that people tend to go through a learning process where they discover new trip purposes for where to use the e-bike."
But Norway isn't the USA
Many in North America will likely suggest that this is Scandinavia, it's different. In fact, the researchers note that Norway doesn't share the Danish or Dutch use of bikes as transportation, and in Oslo, the cycling shares are low.
Norwegian cycling culture has been dominated by recreational cycling for the last few decades. Hence, the context of Norway to a certain extent can be compared with that of the U.S, where the few studies that have hitherto been published indicate a mode shift from cars to cycling following from e-bike access.
The authors conclude:
E-bikes are increasingly turning into an essential part of the urban transport system, and can be an important contribution to reducing environmental impact from transport by shifting people away from motorized transport....We find that the increased cycling is not just a novelty effect, but appears to be more lasting. Our study thus indicates that policy makers can expect a positive return of policy measures aimed at increasing the uptake of e-bikes.
If we really want to see a permanent uptake in the use of e-bikes, we need policy measures that provide a safe place to ride and a secure place to park. Then e-bikes can truly take their place as part of the urban transport system.
I also believe that this study puts paid to the question of whether e-bikes are "cheating." E-bikers are going so much farther, so much more often, that it's clear that they are being used differently. They are not just an easier bike to ride, but are being used as a replacement for cars and transit. And after all, who is cheating here?
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Put some joy back into your commute! Join Way to Go and thousands of Denver-region residents for Bike to Work Day this summer. Register to swap a ride in your car for a ride on two wheels on Wednesday, June 28, and help improve air quality. Sign up and be automatically entered into a drawing to win prizes including a Tern e-bike!
Video of the Week:
Women's Triathlon - Rio 2016 Replay | Throwback Thursday
Closing:
Thanks again for listening in this week. Please be sure to follow us @303endurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment. We'd really appreciate it!
Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!