Antonio Benito Arrives in Nice Very Much Under the Radar. He probably Shouldn’t Be …

Antonio Benito races at T100 London. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

He’s the fastest man in Spain, ranked 10th in the PTO world standings, the current World Triathlon Long Distance world champion and is T100 contracted. He also finished second this year at IRONMAN Texas, and he’s a nice guy to boot. Antonio Benito has been one to watch—and not just on his lovable and down-to-earth YouTube videos—after a breakthrough season in 2024. He can swim with Sam Laidlow, bike with the front pack, and has the foot speed to finish strong, as he did at his maiden IRONMAN victory at Vitoria-Gasteiz, passing Laidlow at 38 km to take the win with a 2:37 split. If things go his way in Nice, he’ll be up there with the best of them.

Take us through your Nice prep. How has your training been going? 

The truth is that the training for Nice has gone quite well; it’s been around nine to 10 weeks where everything went perfectly, without any issues. Unlike Kona last year, this year we decided to prepare for Nice at home, in Lugo, since we have the mountainous area there, which more or less allowed us to replicate the characteristics of the Nice course and prepare in the best possible way.

This photo and all below courtesy Gines Diaz

How has racing the T100 as a contracted athlete played a role in your season? Is Nice your number one goal?

Nice, of course, has to be an ambitious goal, and I think that’s how the preparation has been. The first part of the season we focused a bit more on T100, and then, from the Long Distance World Championships in Pontevedra onwards, everything has been aimed at Nice. So yes, it is the number one objective. We will also try to finish this year in the top 10 in the T100 to secure a contract for next year.

It’s your first time racing the world championships on the Nice course. How has your approach been different to Kona?

Yes, it’s my first time competing in a world championship in Nice. In Kona we focused a lot on managing the heat, doing heat training, and working much more on flat sections. For Nice, we’ve tried to do more technical training circuits, with long climbs, short climbs, and especially descents, because I think that’s the key to this race. So that’s been the main difference.

Have you changed your bike set up specifically for this race? Will you be using any new equipment?

We’ve made a few small adjustments, but we’re pretty much taking what we’ve used throughout the season. The only change is the front wheel: instead of using spokes, we’re going to be a bit more conservative and go with a 50 wheel. We’ve also made a custom cockpit with my sponsor, Unico, a lighter setup than the previous one.

You were 20th in Kona last year and posted the 3rd fastest swim right behind Laidlow, are you looking to repeat that strategy?

I hope not to finish 20th, but I do want to take advantage of the swim to stay at the front with that group that can create a break. From there, we’ll see depending on sensations and numbers, trying not to push too much, so we don’t end up like last year finishing 20th.

Who do you have your eyes on, and where do you think are the key points of the race?

There are big names that everyone already knows, but then there’s also a long list of athletes who can rotate within that top 10. I think the key to the race is to try to save energy on that climb, because otherwise it can get really long. Then you need to arrive strong for the marathon, which is 4 x 10.000 m, out and back, very flat, where I think if you still have strength, you can run very fast. So the goal is not to empty ourselves on the bike and to try to run as fast as possible.

Can you take us through your nutrition strategy?

On the bike I’ll try to take in around 140 grams per hour, between solids, gels, and liquids with Ultradrink in the bottles. On the run I’ll try to get close to 80 to 90 grams per hour, all with Ultradrink gels and Sportgels, which are a bit more watery and easier to take in while running.

Your YouTube videos have become increasingly popular, has there been anything unexpected from that project? 

With YouTube it started because my brother was really excited about it, and I also think it’s a good way to connect with people, with sponsors, and to show a bit of what our day-to-day life looks like. In the end, I think people watch because we show ourselves just as we are. Whenever we can, though it’s sometimes difficult with so much training, travel, and everything else, we like to keep sharing and improving this kind of content.

Anything else you want to say?

I want to say thank you to all my team, sponsors, and the people that came to Nice to help me and watch the race. On Sunday we’ll go out and give it everything.

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