Talking Triathlon

It's a big one this week.
 Three major retirement announcements drop almost simultaneously.
Joe Skipper calls it a day after a career that included ten full-distance wins, finishing his final race on home roads in Norfolk at Outlaw Holkham.
Patrick Lange announces his farewell tour, targeting one more Kona this October and a final race at Challenge Roth in 2027.
Dame Flora Duffy, four-time world champion and Bermuda's Olympic gold medallist, confirms she is stepping away after injuries made it impossible to train at the level she demanded of herself.
We also cover the late postponement of Ironman 70.3 Versailles, pulled just days out due to a heatwave and concerns over a cyanobacteria bloom in the swim venue.
After the break we recap WTCS Hamburg, where Matt Hauser made it three straight wins on that course by outsprinting Vasco Vilaca, and Leonie Périault took the women's race. France then completed the weekend with a thrilling Mixed Relay World Championship win, booking their automatic LA2028 Olympic qualification spot.
Then we look back at Alex Yee and Cassandre Beaugrand stepping onto the Diamond League track in Monaco, where Beaugrand smashed the French 3000m record by 30 seconds in a stunning run.
We recap Ironman 70.3 Swansea, where Harry Palmer made it three wins in a row in a race full of drama, and Lizzie Rayner took her first Pro Series win after race leader Mika Noodt crashed out.
We close on Challenge Roth, where Sam Laidlow set the fastest ever full-distance triathlon time to defend his title, and 24-year-old Swiss athlete Alanis Siffert produced one of the upsets of the year to beat Lucy Charles-Barclay and Kat Matthews.
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This week Belinda Granger joins as guest co-host, bringing her perspective from inside the commentary box and from her role as pro liaison at Challenge Roth.
We spend a big chunk of the episode talking through the 2026 WTCS season with Belinda, covering Beaugrand's continued dominance, Vasco Vilaca leading the men's standings, what Alex Yee's DNF in Quiberon means for the rest of the season, and what it's actually like to call these races up close.
Then we get into Ironman Frankfurt, where Casper Stornes backed up his Kona title with a win over Gustav Iden in a race shortened to a 125km bike and a half marathon due to extreme heat, with Antonio Benito Lopez rounding out the podium.
The back half of the episode is all Challenge Roth, and with Belinda involved in the race it's about as good an insider preview as you'll get. On the women's side, Lucy Charles-Barclay and Kat Matthews headline as the two to beat. On the men's side, we dig into whether Kristian Blummenfelt can deliver, and where Sam Laidlow and Patrick Lange fit into the picture on one of the fastest courses in the world.
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To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon
To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2 
Or check us out on Social Media: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon
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You can follow Belinda at https://www.instagram.com/belindagranger

div]:bg-bg-000/50 [&_pre>div]:border-0.5 [&_pre>div]:border-border-400 [&_.ignore-pre-bg>div]:bg-transparent [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8"> _*]:min-w-0 gap-3 standard-markdown"> We open with a full recap of WTCS Quiberon, where Cassandre Beaugrand was in superb form, putting the race to bed as soon as she kicked to beat Tilda Mansson. In the men's race, Dorian Coninx outsprinted Vasco Vilaca in a thriller reminiscent of his 2023 title run, while Alex Yee was forced to DNF. We also break down the Mixed Team Relay, where France completed a clean sweep of the weekend, winning comfortably even without Beaugrand in the lineup.
After the break, we cover Ironman 70.3 Elsinore, where Marten Van Riel made it six wins from six in 70.3 racing this year, setting a new course record alongside Kat Matthews, who ran away from the women's field for victory. Both results lock in important qualification slots heading toward the 70.3 World Championships. 
We close with previews of two of the biggest races coming up: Ironman 70.3 Nice, where the final women's slot for the 70.3 World Championships will be decided, and Ironman Frankfurt, where Casper Stornes, Gustav Iden, and a long-awaited season debut from Magnus Ditlev headline the men's European Championship field.






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To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon
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We open with news that Olympic champions Alex Yee and Cassandre Beaugrand are heading to the Diamond League, with Yee racing the 5,000m and Beaugrand the 3,000m at Monaco on July 10, marking Yee's first Diamond League appearance since 2019 and a first-ever start for Beaugrand. Then we cover Taylor Knibb, who claimed her second US Pro Road Nationals time trial title in Charleston, continuing her run as one of the most dangerous dual-sport athletes in the world. We also break down the announcement that Chattanooga will host the Ironman 70.3 World Championship again in 2027, locking in a new five year agreement with the qualifying cycle kicking off on July 5.
After the break, we recap Ironman Cairns, where Nick Thompson and Penny Slater both picked up maiden Ironman wins, with Slater inheriting the lead after Regan Hollioake was forced to retire with a torn hamstring while well clear on the bike. We then run through Happy Valley 70.3, where Trevor Foley finally got the better of Sam Long in their fourteenth head to head meeting, and Paula Findlay ran away with a dominant women's win.
We close with a preview of WTCS Quiberon, breaking down the start lists and storylines heading into the men's and women's races this weekend.
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To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon
To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2 
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We open with an update on Jelle Geens, who has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his femur that has put his season on hold, including his pursuit of an Ironman World Championship qualification slot. Then we get into Lionel Sanders, who has confirmed he is working again with Mikal Iden after a difficult stretch dealing with RED-S and injury. Sanders is leaning into the Norwegian method as he targets Kona 2026.
The big story of the week is Ironman Hamburg, where metal shards were deliberately spread across the bike course in the Kirchwerder area, causing an estimated 400 punctures and forcing more than 100 age groupers to DNF. Police have launched a formal investigation. Despite all of that, the pro race went ahead and Solveig Løvseth took her fourth consecutive full-distance Ironman win, holding off Laura Philipp by just over a minute to claim the European Championship title.
We then recap T100 San Francisco, where Rico Bogen backed up his 2025 win with another dominant performance, going early on the bike and never looking back. Hayden Wilde, dealing with illness, had no answer for him.
We close out looking ahead to Ironman Frankfurt on June 28, where Gustav Iden and Casper Stornes lead the field, and Magnus Ditlev finally makes his long-awaited 2026 season debut, plus a look at other upcoming start lists.
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To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon
To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2 
Or check us out on Social Media: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon
You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85
You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14