Quebec’s Xavier Grenier-Talavera earned a career-best second place finish at the ITU Clermont CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup last weekend. The national development team member is ready for his second ITU race of the season in Sarasota this weekend. TMC caught up with him.
Congrats on your podium finish in Clermont. What does that result mean to you in terms of your overall season?
Thanks! Its a pretty good start to the season, as my main objective for this season is performing at the U23 World Championships. Its a good amount of ITU points, points that useful in order to move up in the ITU ranking which will help me get in more important races, as World Cups or World Triathlon Series races.
How was your experience in Clermont?
Its been my fourth time racing Clermont ITU continental cup, so it’s starting to be known territory! We started pretty fast in the swim, which paved the way for an 8 man breakaway on the bike with a lead between 30 and 40 seconds during the four laps. We worked together pretty well, which helped us enter T2 with a 27 second lead on the chase pack. We started the first run lap fast but controlled, but seeing that our lead was diminishing rapidly, I went to the front to try and stabilize the time gap. This succeeded, so me and Kanute battled it to the line, but he finally outsprinted me in the final 1 or 2 hundred meters.
Photo Courtesy of Xavier Grenier-Talavera
What are your main triathlon goals this year?
My main goal is to perform at the U23 World Championships, and I’d like to take part in a couple of World Cups (and hopefully some WTS races) in order to get some good results and experience.
What are you studying? How do you balance school and triathlon training?
I am presently in school, at Concordia University in Montreal, studying for a Bachelors in Commerce with a major in Accountancy. I’m only taking one online course right now, as I’ve been away since the end of January, but I’m planning on taking 3 or 4 courses for the Autumn semester. Balancing training and studying is obviously difficult, but I really appreciate being at school as it helps to bring some variety, instead of thinking of triathlon 24/7. I feel like it helps me to perform to my maximum.
Are you aiming to make an Olympic team?
Everyday, I’m working hard in order to achieve my dream of making a major game’s team! It’s with no doubt one of my goals in my career as a triathlete.
Which of the three sports is your strongest?
It really depends on the day! I’d say I’m a pretty balanced triathlete.
Where do you train and what does your weekly training look like right now?
I train in the Montreal region, mainly in Côte-Saint-Luc in the winter and in Coteau-du-Lac in summer. In a normal training week, I train between 20 and 25 hours, and up to 35 hours in big training weeks. I am presently coached by Kyla Rollinson.
