With the hectic race schedule Kristian Blummenfelt has set for himself in 2023, there was always a slim possibility that he wouldn’t be able to resist a shot at reclaiming his Ironman world title in Nice.
But having raced two PTO Open events, the Paris test event, the Ironman 70.3 World Championship and even Super League Triathlon in Toulouse within the past month – and despite the Norwegian travelling to Nice – he once and for all ruled out racing on the French Riviera on Sunday.
“With the amount of preparation I’ve done, I know I can’t do it,” the 29-year-old PTO-ranked No 1 said.
“It’s a very challenging bike course and very different to Kona, I can’t just turn up here and race, I need two or three months to dial in because I want to know the course inside out.”
An unlikely winner?
Without Blummenfelt or his compatriot and reigning champion Gustav Iden in attendance, returning three-time winner Jan Frodeno, two-time victor Patrick Lange and new Challenge Roth course record-holder Magnus Ditlev are taking top billing.
However, Blummenfelt believes that Australian Cameron Wurf, the former rower turned Ironman triathlete who now rides for pro cycling team INESO Grenadiers – and who turned 40 last month – could be the man to beat.
“Cam Wurf is looking like a strong contender. If he’s going to be on the podium in any world championship it should be this one,” Blummenfelt said.
Wurf, who lives and trains in Andorra and spends the bulk of his time training in the Pyrenees, is a former bike course record holder in Hawaii, where his best result was finishing fifth in 2019.
Having turned to long-course triathlon in 2016, he's been renowned for competing in multiple events each year as well as combining it with his pro cycling duties.
This year, though, despite still competing in four Ironmans, Wurf hasn’t raced since June – a fourth place in Ironman France on much of the same terrain as will be ridden on Sunday.
Kristian on Lange and Frodeno's chances
Blummenfelt is also in agreement with Iden that Lange has a strong chance of success.
“Apparently he is a good descender, and is light so will have weight on his side as well,” he added. “He didn’t perform too well over the 70.3 distance here in 2019, so it will be interesting to see if he can pull it out.”
He’s less convinced about the chances of Frodeno – another Andorra resident, like Wurf – who has said that Sunday will be his last race whatever the result.
“If Jan wins it will surprise me. He got dropped on the hills on the bike by Jonas Schomburg in Andorra [70.3] and I guess there will be more guys being more aggressive on this course than Andorra, and he won’t be able to catch up on the descending.
"But he’s been in form and he smashed me in the US Open. It would be impressive if he takes that win.”
Eager for a return
While Blummenfelt might be taking a rare weekend off racing as he flies to Spain ahead of the World Triathlon season finale in Pontevedra, being in Nice has whetted his appetite for when the Ironman World Championship returns in 2025.
“Looking at the course, with the memories from 2019 [the Ironman 70.3 worlds where Blummenfelt finished fourth], it’s definitely given me motivation,” he added.
Sunday’s race will be the first time an Ironman World Championship has been contested outside North America following the organisation’s decision to split the men’s and women’s venues between Hawaii and France – at least for the next four years.
“Long term I think it’s great to have different venues. The only thing is whether it’s good or bad to split the women and men, and so we will see this year how sustainable it will be.”
Kristian the Unstoppable
Blummenfelt and Iden were speaking at the launch of a short new anime-style film released from shoe sponsors On.
Called Tri-Kings, it re-envisions Gustav the Great and Kristian the Unstoppable as they're turned into Viking warriors of old and take on gods, giants, and monsters in the Japanese animation style.
Top image credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images for Ironman
