Vincent Luis’ talent was never questioned. Since his 2nd place finish in Hamburg in 2014, we knew the young Frenchman had the stuff to infiltrate triathlon’s actual hierarchy of champions. Following his 2nd place in Abu Dhabi, Luis chose Cape Town as his go to olympic distance race. Trimes, always grateful to the athletes who give us some of their time, got a first hand account of the race from Luis.
What’s your take on a 750m swim in an olympic distance triathlon?
I really don’t have an opinion. We don’t know the details that led to this decision. Your first thought is that it will completely change the outcome of the race, and in the end you realize that that’s not necessarily the case. Last I heard, the decision was taken following an unfortunate incident in which and AG athlete deceased that morning during the swim.
Were you preoccupied by the shortened swim?
Not one bit. The best way to win a race is to hold as many cards as possible, and to use them intelligently. If you bank on the race going a certain way, you’re giving yourself a chance to fail if things unfold differently. You have to be ready for the worse, and hope for the best really..
Your take on the bike..
We were riding pretty fast and there wasn’t much dead time. The gaps coming out of the swim weren’t big enough to make a difference on the bike, especially considering the bike course started with a long straight away.
Did you think an attack on the bike was even possible?
The whole pack seemed to be on top of things when we approached the technical parts of the course around the stadium which somewhat limited the risks of a group getting away. Afterwards, in the straightaways when we were going 45-50, it would have been pretty hard to manage an attack without compromising your chances on the run.
Alistair stormed out of T2, as usual…
I didn’t even notice who was leading the way out of T2. I must have been in 8th, 2 seconds back and I absolutely had to be with the leaders at the turn around 800m in to the race. We ran the first k in 2:46.
And how did it play out after?
I felt the tempo ease up a little after the first lap and I could see that my competitors were struggling a bit. It was time for me to step up and show that I could take the lead. Javier eventually accelerated and I struggled a little bit, but I was able to hang on. It’s a bit of a shame because I’m faster than him over the last 600m, but it was too late at that point. In WTS, the final time isn’t important. It’s the placement that counts so you do what you have to do to break your opponent. The simplest way to do this is by attacking.
This is your second podium this year. Are you relieved that it’s over an olympic distance race?
Absoluetely. This is good news, but I’ve known I’m capable of it for quite some time.
What did you think of Alistair’s return?
We’re starting to know him. This isn’t the first time he plays the old ‘returning from an injury’ card. We know that if he’s there, he’s ready to go.
What’s next?
Nothing is set in stone, but most likely London, Hamburg, Rio, Stockholm and Chicago.