The first Olympic Distance race of the ITU’s World Triathlon Series - MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda - takes place on April 28th upcoming, in Bermuda. I was in Bermuda last Fall, saw the course, walked up Corkscrew Hill, which will be ascended 10 times by the Elite athletes in that race. Just my guess, but I think this was a course designed for Bermudian Flora Duffy. Flora is the equal to the best of the women in the swim and to the best runners, but it’s the bike that really sets her apart. If this course wasn't built for the exceptional cyclist she is, then it’s a happy coincidence for her!
That established, a course for Flora is a course for anyone who is a fish in the water and a hammer on the bike. Certain Americans come to mind, and I reached out to both men and women featuring those strengths. One was Ben Kanute.
Slowtwitch: You’re the man of the hour, Ben Kanute. Chattanooga. Island House [which Ben won: image above]. Now Texas. What happened?
Ben Kanute: I’ve had this in me the whole time. I’ve had some really good coaches, but I started up with Jim Vance in late '16, early '17, one thing that helped me is an emphasis on rest, letting my fitness speak for itself. I never dug myself into too big of a hole; I was able to execute my plan in every race.
ST: The ITU moves to Bermuda in a week and a half, and it seems to me that bike course was build for Flora Duffy, who is from Bermuda. Were you licking your chops when you saw the course?
BK: When the course was released we knew it would be challenging. Ten times up Corkscrew Hill [below] is challenging. What makes cycling hard, it’s a lot how people ride, their willingness to push the pace. But Bermuda, 10 times up that hill, that course won’t give people the opportunity to sit in. I tend to do a little better on courses like this. You could look to Stockholm, that might be even more technical, it tends to wear on people as the race goes on.
ST: Obviously we now know that ITU athletes are very good cyclists. That established, do you think the ITU offers world class cycling courses for its athletes?
BK: I am always for a more challenging bike course. In the time I’ve done this I’ve ridden some extremely boring courses, the trend is now toward interesting courses, a cobble section, a hill. Chris Gemmell seems to play a role in creating more interesting courses. He was a fantastic cyclist himself. The athletes like it more. Riding around a generic circle, or a lot of 180s, athletes lose their focus.
ST: Are you a better Olympic style, Olympic distance athlete than you were last year and the year before?
BK: Yes. I would say so. I’m learning new things every year. One new thing is the pacing on the run. I fell into the trap of racing out of T2 too fast, trying to hold on. This year the run pace has been much more even. I'm getting the max out of those runs. Same with the Half Ironmans. I’m becoming more confident in my process, my execution.
[The image above is of a bike race on the course in Hamilton, Bermuda, where the MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda will be contested.]
ST: Are you a better half-marathoner than a 10k runner?
BK: I would say so if you’re comparing my 10k to Mola or Gomez my half-marathon might look better, but Chattanooga, that was a 6-minute difference [Gomez 1:10, Kanute 1:16], and he has 2 or 3 minutes on me in the 10k. But I do think in the half I think I am steady, and the whole race plays to my strength. But it’s a tough question because I feel like my 10k is coming along too.
ST: Does 70.3 training suit you better, and does it suit you better for Olympic style racing?
BK: Last year was a mix of training styles. This year too. I’ve always been a strength athlete; that’s been my forte. I’ve always had my eyes set on 70.3 or longer. But I’m also suited toward Supersprint racing. For whatever reason I’ve responded to both those types of training. I responded to that last year and this. Strength training for Half-IM, Supersprint gives me explosive speed. Now we’re looking at that middle ground. Last year we did 20-hour blocs, but leading into Half races we hit 30 hours a couple of times. But this year we haven’t exceeded 25 hours.
