Stories about the final preparation for the world’s most famous triathlon

After his victory at the IM European Championships in Frankfurt, Sebastian Kienle set his full focus on the 70.3 Worlds in Mooloolaba, Australia before the IM World Championships in Hawaii. During his final preparation for the 70.3 World Championships he stayed in Brisbane, a 1.5h drive from the race site.

“When I race abroad I prefer to arrive a couple of weeks prior to the race. This helps me to better cope with the travelling required to get there. Australia is perfect because to Kona it’s only an 8 hour flight whereas from Europe it takes you almost two days of travelling to get there.”

“It’s my first trip to Australia and I really like the people and the culture over here.” In Brisbane he stayed with fellow professional Josh Amberger. “I hosted Josh in Germany last summer. It’s nice to get to visit him at his home this year.”

“Traveling is certainly part of my job. I like to get to know new people and countries and of course it’s perfect if locals show you the good places for training or where you can get the best coffee.” Sebastian, Josh Amberger and Mark Bowstead discussing different roasts at the Crampton Social in between training sessions. 

“After 25 years in the sport, it’s important to keep things interesting. Training away from home is certainly part of that.” Long rides are easier when in company- there’s always a good laugh to share. Josh Amberger pulling a Sagan during a 5 hours bike ride. 

Some sessions, however, are better done alone. Sebastian Kienle fully focused during an interval set. It’s wrong to believe that long distance triathletes are only training in low to medium intensities. Sebastian is known for super hard bike sessions with high intensity sets and big watts. 

Let’s take a closer look at Sebastian’s weapon of choice.  For 2017, SCOTT came up with an entirely new design direction. A combination of matt grey and gloss fluorescent colors makes sure this bike gets noticed within the triathlon community and beyond. Sebastian runs SRAM’s wireless etap group set and a pair of Zipp 808 NSW with ImPress^TM decals that are printed directly on the rim to improve aerodynamics. He is also using a prototype repair kit box mounted behind the aero bottle. 

Marginal gains sum up: Sebastian has further worked on an aerodynamic body position and some details on the bike. He switched to a narrower base bar, installed a new straw on the front hydration system and changed pedals. 

“One thing that I take away from last year is that races unfold differently than a couple of years ago,” Sebastian says. “Breaking away on the bike has become more difficult. That’s why we’re figuring out some new tactics and adapting the training accordingly.” Sizzling fast runs at multiple races over various distances in the last 12 months might be a sign of a successful change of tactics. 

The forests around Brisbane have some good trails to offer. “They say its winter here but honestly, it doesn’t really feel like winter to me.”

Dirt roads offer more dampening during the run sessions and help prevent injuries when running volume is high. Once on Big Island the majority of the run sessions will be on tarmac and in steaming hot conditions. “Acclimatization in Kona is crucial, especially on the run. The first couple of sessions you feel like you’ve lost your entire running fitness.” 

An easy jog along the sea with a nice view on Brisbane to finish off the day. “Running is probably where I have the most talent,” Sebastian says. He often participates in 10k running races early in the season in Germany and has clocked 30 minutes already a couple of times. 

Sebastian is taking the swim seriously. At last year’s World Championships in Hawaii people were surprised by how close to the front group the German left the Pacific Ocean.

“Consistency is key,” says Sebastian’s coach Lubos Bilek. “He has been training often and consistently to improve his swim over the last couple of years. Training results have been very good already. It was more about proving to himself that he can replicate his training results in racing and that’s what he did lately.”

Everything went according to plan- well almost. At the 70.3 World Championships Sebastian was beaten virtually on the line by a hard surging Tim Reed. “At one stage on the run, I was maybe too sure I would win this thing,” Sebastian said after the race. “Despite missing the win, I’m happy with my fitness level before my final preparation for Kona.” 

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