Lionel Sanders’ Milwaukee take: Efficiency leaks everywhere
Canadian star disappointed with 11th at PTO US Open, questions whether he'll attend 70.3 world championships
Photo by:
Kevin Mackinnon
After a disappointing 11th-place finish at the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) US Open in Milwaukee last weekend, Lionel Sanders feels that he “isn’t on the same level as the top guys” and that he’s “leaking efficiencies everywhere.” In a video post recapping the race, Sanders was his typically critical self, pulling no punches on his performance and what is required to be able to compete with the world’s top triathletes.
“I swam exceptionally poorly … I need more accountability, for sure, in the technical part of the swim,” he said of the first leg of the race, which left him over four minutes behind the leaders heading into T2. “I don’t have a problem swimming hard. In fact, I probably gravitate towards swimming hard.”
Recognizing that he likely needs to work on his technique in order to be more competitive, Sanders has “rekindled the relationship” with one of his old swim coaches, Gerry Rodrigues from Tower 26.
“Moving forward I would like to have more accountability with the technical piece,” Sanders said.
On the bike, Sanders felt that he pushed “quite good power,” averaging 365 watts (372 normalized) for the ride. The problem, according to Sanders, is his aerodynamics.
“My speed to power is maybe career worst,” he said. “(I’ve) done no testing. You’re going up against guys who are operating like F1 teams.”
“The run was also disappointing,” he said, pointing out that he was about 11 seconds slower per mile than he had been for a similar effort 12 days before coming off a ride where he’d pushed harder. Sanders found himself racing among a group of five during the run, but ended up last of the bunch as David McNamee led the way in seventh.
“If you’re not really going to focus on a race, then I don’t think you should go, against the top guys, anyway,” he said. “The best I could have possibly done with the swim and the bike was seventh.”
“I know I am not on the level with the top guys,” he said. “I look at what’s going on and I just see efficiency leaks everywhere. I’ve got a great engine. I don’t doubt that I am putting out great power in the swim, equal to or better than anyone on the bike and my run, it’s no secret that it’s not the most efficient looking thing. What are you even going to these big races for until you fix the efficiency leaks? The game has progressed so far right now. You need to approach it like an F1 team.”
“Training is not the answer – what’s separating all these guys is efficiency,” he concluded.
With all this in mind, Sanders said that he’ll be “consulting” with some trusted acquaintances over the next month and working on a plan to address these issues. While initially he questioned even going to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland in a couple of weeks, he feels it might be a worthwhile venture in order to get a “data point” for future reference.”
