Pierre Le Corre became the fourth frenchman to reach the podium in a world series event (Vidal, Hauss, Luis) this weekend in Auckland. Although this exploit may just be the beginning for Le Corre, it will undoubtedly go down as a defining moment in his development. The former World U23 Champion (2013) took the time to answer some of our questions.
A reassuring performance?
Regarding the race in itself, I’m a little surprised by my result.
My roommate in Australia graciously gave me a minor pulmonary infection. Even if he told me it would do me no harm, I cussed him out all week long. I think he wasn’t so wrong afterall.
Your game plan on the bike was… To wait it out? To be passive? To dictate?
Considering my recent health issues, the game plan was to wait it out on the bike. I stayed at the back of the breakaway at the beginning of the race, but then I figured that it was a shame to be part of the breakaway and to just sit back. So I started to take my share of pulls.
How did things play out on the run?
When I saw Johnny take off, I was hesitant to try and bridge the gap. I knew the 10km would be long and I opted to wait for Gomez’s return. I suggested that we work together, which we did for the first 8km.
Mythoughtprocesswasthat if thetwoof us succeeded in bridgingthe gap toJohnny, andby a strokeofluck I wassidebysidewiththemwith 300m to go, then I had a chance towin. We weren’t able to bridge the gap andGomez gave me a tasteofhisabilitieswith a progressive accelerationoverthelast 1.5km.
Aukland is a very particular course. There’s a certain muscular-endurance factor that doesn’t seem to appear in other races. Heat and humidity withstanding, It’s probably the only course where runners tend to cramp up at one point or another during the race. The race boasts an impressive amount of DNF’s.
Is there room for error on this course?
As a race course, Auckland is the full package. You not only have to be strong in all three disciplines, but you have to also be able to follow one up with the next effectively. With 19 turns/lap, it’s a pretty technical bike course which requires a high skill level. Some of the guys weren’t able to take their pulls because they were spending too much time and energy trying to stay with the group coming out of the turns. As for the run, you not only have to be a fast runner, but you have to be able to withstand the muscular fatigue I talked about earlier.
What does this mean for your Olympic Games goals?
From what we’ve been told, Auckland is the course that resembles most the one in Rio. Having success in an olympic distance race is also a game changer for myself.
I know that I’m capable of having success and challenging for the win from time to time (ie : Nice), but the next step for me is to consistently produce these types of results.
Any regrets?
It’s in my nature to be eternally unsatisfied. I expect a lot of myself and I know I still have many things to improve on if I want to reach my goals.
What’s next?
My focus now will be on preparing for Gold Coast and Cape Town. These events should be a good indicator of my form.
Thank you Alex for taking the time to talk to me. I admire your desire to not only comment on races, but also to understand them.