Steve Larsen retires
by Dan Empfield, 12.31.03 (www.slowtwitch.com)

We've never before interviewed anyone twice. But if there's a person who deserves it two times, it's headliner Steve Larsen. His first interview with Slowtwitch is below, and his second one (we're not yet prepared to say his last one) is below.

Steve Larsen speaks
by Amy White, 11.29.01 (www.slowtwitch.com)

By now, everybody in triathlon should know the Steve Larsen story. The two-time national NORBA champion in mountain biking, a road cycling teammate of Lance Armstrong in the Motorola days, an Xterra winner.

The guy who showed up at his first road triathlon, Wildflower, this year and stormed the field during the bike ride, turning in the day's fastest bike split and hanging on during the rugged run for a fourth-place finish against a class field. The winner of the Vineman half-Ironman. Winner of his first Ironman, in Lake Placid. And, of course, the guy who made up a good-sized deficit on the bike in wicked conditions in Kona to hold the front of the race until mile 10 of the marathon, ultimately ending the day in ninth place.

There were hints that he’d be good at this triathlon thing last year: He won the Xterra Half Moon Bay, beating Xterra and mountain biking legend Ned Overend by almost a minute and leaving Mike Vine, Kerry Claussen and Wes Hobson in his wake, too.

Larsen’s biography, though, is well-covered ground these days. He lives in Davis, California—the same Davis, California where Dave Scott logged so many miles during his dominant years in Kona. He started cycling at 13 and most of his experience was on the road, although he is better known recently as a mountain biker. In addition to life as a professional athlete, he has a wife and two young children and runs a bike shop, Steve Larsen's Wheelworks.

We thought it would be fun to talk to him about some bike-specific topics, like how he arrived at his racing position and what kind of advice he offers age-groupers who come to his shop.

"The first person who set me up on a bike was Greg Lemond, who always had an exceptional position," Larsen said. As a veteran of road racing, time-trialing was familiar ground for him, and as he sought to refine his position for triathlon he found himself looking at that position for guidance. He was, after all, a national champion in the time trial as a junior and partnered with Armstrong in team time trials during his roadie days.

"I knew what a good position was," he said, so when he began looking into setting up a bike for triathlon racing, the only question he had was would he go with what he knew or opt for something a little bit more forward and open through the hips. In fact, he spent every triathlon he raced this year—Wildflower, Vineman, Lake Placid and Hawaii—in a slightly different position. And it seemed to make no difference in his performance relative to the rest of the field, he said.

"The times didn't change much, but I was definitely more comfortable with a position more in line with my road position—a little further back than most triathletes," he said. "I've been sitting in that position for 20 years; that's what's comfortable to me."

His position for the bike ride in Kona was the most laid-back of the four, he said, adding that he doesn't keep track of seat angle in a specific way when setting himself up.

"It was laid back enough that it allowed me to get my seat where I wanted in relation to the bottom bracket," he said. "It was my time-trial position—much further back than a typical age-grouper, but still slightly forward of a regular road position. I feel more powerful the lower I get and the more aero I get. I definitely strive to get as low and aero as I can."

Larsen says his saddle height and cleat placement remain fixed whether riding road or tri. As for the relationship between his saddle and handlebars, Larsen says he may appear stretched out on the bike just because, at 6'-1", he's got a relatively long torso and long arms.

"I have to have the front end of the bike a little lower," he said. "In my case, I'm relatively lower just to accommodate the length of my arms."

For Kona, Larsen opted for the Carnac road shoes [Quartz] he'd done the bulk of his long training miles in, although he also used the company's triathlon shoes
[TRS 5} for racing this year.

"I approach the cycling leg of a triathlon as if it's a cycling race," he said. "I'm not riding the bike to get to the marathon. Not everybody can take that approach. For the majority of people the object is to finish. You also have to keep that in mind when you're setting people up on their bikes."

For age-groupers who come into his shop, Larsen says the Kestrel Talon and its reversible seatpost has been a real winner this year. Typically, he said, he sets athletes up in a more traditional road position and then gives them the numbers so they can make the changes for triathlon racing.

"If someone wants the full aero setup, we certainly have that in our shop," he said. "But even on a bike like the Cervelo [which he rode at Lake Placid], I still sat in a fairly laid-back position relative to the competition."

Larsen also advocates doing the bulk of bike training on a road setup and then adding the tri bike into the mix maybe once a week until a few weeks before race time.

"I would rather set them up as a road rider and have them adapt to the aero position," he said. "I encourage people, if they have the option, to train on a conventional road setup and race on an aero setup."

Larsen also believes that comfort and a good position are the first elements triathletes—especially those new to the sport—should seek when bike shopping.

"People are spending money on the wrong things," he said. "Body position on the bike is much more important than which set of bars or which set of wheels or which bike you're on. I rode a stock bike at Wildflower, but that bike allowed me to achieve the body position I was looking for."

Larsen recently traveled to San Diego and did bike fits as part of an Ironman broadcast fundraiser for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. He knows his views are somewhat outside conventional wisdom about bike fit for triathletes.

"I wasn't trying to come in and say this is the way it's got to be," he said. "I think you always have to be open-minded enough to change your way of thinking."

Larsen said he hopes he can act as an ambassador from the sport of cycling and introduce some of the ideas he's honed over a 20-year cycling career. "Maybe that'll be my role—to educate people on how to enjoy the cycling aspect of triathlon," he said. "I'm a retailer, but more importantly I want to see people get more out of their cycling experience."

As for next season, Larsen said he's definitely going to be a full-time triathlete: "I love the people in triathlon; I love the challenge of learning two new sports."

The only race that is firmly on his schedule so far is Wildflower, and he'll be traveling to that race with the new triathlon club based out of his bike shop. And, of course, he wants to improve on his finish in Hawaii. "That's the race that matters to me," he said. "I don't feel like I raced anywhere near the level I was capable of."

In retrospect, Larsen says the culprit for the stomach troubles that plagued him during the later stages of the race may have been salt water ingested during the swim. "I'd never swum in salt water, and certainly not very salty water, and I swallowed a fair amount of it," he said. "I was pretty violently sick to my stomach not just in the race but the day after."

Of the race, he said this: "I didn't want to just make a statement on the bike and not make it to the finish. I know I had an impact on the race. The results show who was the most patient."

And he adds this: "You've gotta throw down and leave it on the course. … If I had it to do over again I wouldn't have done it any different."

Steve Larsen retires
by Dan Empfield, 12.31.03 (www.slowtwitch.com)

I can't say it was unexpected when Steve Larsen announced his retirement earlier this month. Larsen is used to winning and getting paid for it. He hasn't been winning lately, though it's only over the past several months that this has been the case. His big cash sponsor, Pearl Izumi, pulled the trigger on his sponsorship, and that has been printed (perhaps inaccurately) as the reason Larsen has decided to give it up. The "it" he's given up is not, according to him, professional triathlon, but professional sports altogether.

SLOWTWITCH: You moved to Bend. I must assume you moved there with an eye toward continuing your training in a place you'd find it most conducive. Now that you're retired, do you still consider it the right place for you and your family?

STEVE LARSEN: There is no question that Bend is a great place to train. I enjoyed winning many big races while we were here from 1995 to 2000. Moving back, the biggest draw was that Bend was a place that we wanted to live whether I was racing or not. It is conducive to a lifestyle I want to share with my wife and children. And as great as the training is here for me as a pro, it pales in comparison to what it offers in retirement.

ST: There are plenty of athletes who retire, but still race at a fairly high level, at a time and place of their choosing. Rob Barel and Jim Riccitello come to mind. Would that be something we'd expect from you, just without a full set of sponsors and a full season's schedule? Maybe at Xterra races?

SL: The sponsors were there if I wanted to continue. But in spite of some misguided perceptions, it is not the money that motivates me. Otherwise I would have continued half-hearted as long as I could cash checks. For me, the motivation has always been in doing the work that ultimately allows me to perform at my best. Currently that motivation has shifted to new challenges, and I wasn't prepared to cheat myself or my sponsors in pursuit of a few more paychecks. Of course, I love the competition so it is impossible to say I won't race at that level again, but as of now there are no plans.

ST: what is the future of Steve Larsen's Wheelworks in Davis?

SL: We are in negotiations with a few people, and expect to sell it shortly. It was a great couple of years, and we resurrected the shop that I began my career in. But when we decided to move back to Bend, we knew we would sell. That type of business can only succeed with a motivated, always-present. owner. We will do everything we can to leave it in good hands, and I believe it will remain a phenomenal place to shop and hang out.

ST: You're a natural for broadcasting. Getting into the business end of cycling seems less likely, as you'd have to live in a place you might not like. What's next?

SL: I will be starting a career in commercial real estate here in Bend. I hope to be involved in responsible development of this community. One plus of having traveled far and wide is the chance to see some great towns that have continued to grow while maintaining the character that brought you there in the first place. Hopefully, I can play a role in that here. But my experiences in a wide array of sports will hopefully not go to waste. If the opportunity presents itself, I would love to try broadcasting. I could lend an interesting perspective, if anyone wanted to listen.