Talking Triathlon

This week James sits down with Kristian Blummenfelt.
They start with how he's approaching 2025, including Nice and 70.3 Worlds, before looking ahead to Ironman New Zealand in 2026 and the early season races in Geelong and Oceanside.
They get into 20m drafting and the current Ironman Pro Series standings, before talking through T100 vs the Pro Series and how he's trying to balance both.
Ironman Texas is a big focus, what he expects there and what comes after, including how 70.3 Worlds 2026 and Kona fit into his plans.
They finish with bucket list races and whether winning the Tour de France is something he genuinely thinks about.
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Sam Laidlow has kicked off a proper debate around TUEs, pushing for transparency and launching a petition to make the information public. We weigh in with our thoughts on TUEs in pro triathlon.
At T100 Gold Coast, Taylor Knibb is back doing what she does, taking the win ahead of Jess Fullagar and Imogen Simmonds, even with the field already starting to thin out.
Geelong 70.3 was ridiculous. Kristian Blummenfelt ran 1:06 to beat Jelle Geens and Hayden Wilde in a crazy, genuinely entertaining race. Kat Matthews was just as solid on the women's side and never really looked under pressure.
Oceanside 70.3 is next and the start list is stacked. Blummenfelt lines up again alongside Gustav Iden, Casper Stornes and Jonas Schomburg, while Solveig Løvseth, Paula Findlay and Taylor Knibb headline the women's race.
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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
You can donate to Tim's Marathon here: https://melbmara2026.grassrootz.com/beyondblue/tim-ford

We kick things off with The Ultimate Triathlon Raffle, where James is closing in but still needs another £500, so the prize list has stepped up again.
Lucy Charles-Barclay potentially racing the Commonwealth Games leads into a wider conversation, before we touch on Sam Laidlow's marathon.
At 70.3 Dallas, Lionel Sanders is back to winning, which is impressive in itself, but even more so given he managed to lose 40 seconds in a 350m swim and still take the race.
In Lanzarote, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Laura Lindemann and Sophie Evans were all back racing, which is a good sign as the short course season builds.
T100 Gold Coast continues to take hits, with Julie Derron now out, and we run through what's left of the women's field with Taylor Knibb, Jess Fullagar, Natalie Van Coevorden and Ellie Salthouse.
Geelong 70.3 has quickly become one of the races of the weekend, with Kristian Blummenfelt lining up against Hayden Wilde and Jelle Geens.
And then there's Oceanside 70.3, where the start list is stacked across the board.


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 ENTER THE ULTIMATE TRIATHLON RAFFLE: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/james-bale 
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
You can donate to Tim's Marathon here: https://melbmara2026.grassrootz.com/beyondblue/tim-ford

We start with an unusual story involving Brayden Currie after he had an incident with a cow.
From there we review Ironman New Zealand, starting with the broadcast before getting into the racing itself. In the men's race Trevor Foley took the win ahead of Pierre Le Corre, while Kristian Blummenfelt had a tough day that could now put his Ironman Pro Series campaign in a difficult position.
We then move to the women's race where Kat Matthews delivered a dominant performance to take the win ahead of Hannah Berry.
Attention then turns to the T100 Gold Coast where injuries are already starting to affect the field, with Ashleigh Gentle, Kate Waugh and Lucy Byram all withdrawing from the season opener.
We finish with the announcement of the Geelong 70.3 start list which has quickly become one of the most interesting races of the weekend. Kat Matthews is back on the start line again, while in the men's race Kristian Blummenfelt will line up against Jelle Geens and Hayden Wilde.
For 50% OFF the entire Huub range of goggles use the code "goggle-50" at https://huubdesign.com 
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
You can donate to Tim's Marathon here: https://melbmara2026.grassrootz.com/beyondblue/tim-ford

We start with the full Challenge Roth start list which just keeps getting stronger. Laura Philipp has now been added to the women's field, setting up a potential showdown with Kat Matthews in what could quickly become a race against the Ironman world best time. The men's field has also been bolstered with the additions of Sam Laidlow, Rico Bogen, Jonas Schomburg and Patrick Lange, creating a lineup where the pace could be pushed from the start.
Lionel Sanders is back doing Lionel Sanders things, saying he is once again all in on Kona and describing the race as his Olympics as he builds his season around October.
From there we run through the full T100 Gold Coast start list which now includes short course athletes Jess Fullagar and Nicole van der Kaay stepping into the series.
We finish with Ironman New Zealand in Taupo. Kristian Blummenfelt leads the men's race but the field also includes Mike Phillips, Kyle Smith and Pierre Le Corre. On the women's side Kat Matthews headlines the race.
For 10% OFF the entire Huub range use the code "Talkingtriathlon10" at https://huubdesign.com 
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
You can donate to Tim's Marathon here: https://melbmara2026.grassrootz.com/beyondblue/tim-ford