The press came in large numbers to meet several top professional triathletes. Among them: Eneko Llanos, Carrie Lester, Annabel Luxford, Victor Del Corral, Fred Van Lierde, Alessandro Degasperi.
Bib number 43 is called first to the stage. It is Carrie Lester.
10th at the World Championships in Hawaii, she won the Embrun Triathlon.
Accompanying her is a triathlete who excels in Iron Man 70.3, having won the European Championship in the category. Her name is Annabel Luxford. Both are applauded.
Next, several gentlemen are called for various roles. First, the second place finisher in the men’s category of the Iron Man 70.3 and Lanzarote.
Alessandro Degasperi.
Then comes the Spaniard Eneko Llanos, who participates in the Olympic distance twice. He recently finished 2nd at the Iron Man Claggenforth.
Applauded, they are quickly joined by the three-time winner of the IRONMAN Nice (2011-2012-2013), and 2013 Iron Man world champion, Fred Van Lierde. He is applauded in turn.
Finally, the winner of the 2016 edition joins them: Victor Del Corral.
The conference begins.
Fred is questioned about his presence at the Iron Man in Nice and his preparation for his second Iron Man a bit later. He quickly responds negatively. For Fred Van Lierde, the Iron Man in Nice is only at the end of July, while the one in Hawaii won’t come until October 14. So he still has plenty of time to prepare. For him, this race can serve as preparation for his next one in Hawaii, a kind of benchmark.
He is then questioned about his duel with Victor Del Corral for the Iron Man victory. Once again, he responds negatively. For Fred Van Lierde, one should always focus on oneself; the rest will depend… Each race is different, everyone has their chance.
Victor Del Corral is in turn questioned about his possible duel with Fred Van Lierde. He also thinks the same as Fred Van Lierde. There are 30 athletes at the start, each with their chance. He wants to remember that the race will be beautiful and challenging.
Alessandro Degasperi is then questioned about his bike choice, which turns out to be different from some participants. He replies that if he had the choice of several bikes from his sponsor, he chose one that was lighter, more aerodynamic. A bike more suitable for all these climbs and descents.
It’s Victor Del Corral’s turn again to be asked about his strong point in this race. He responds that it is a very technical bike course and that there could be wind over the last 45 kilometers.
Eneko Llanos also has his question, having just finished 2nd at the Iron Man Claggenforth. He feels good, ready, even if he admits not really knowing the race.
It is then the women’s turn to be asked questions.
First, Carrie Lester about her participation in the race. She responds that with her boyfriend, they participate in a lot of races, mainly in Switzerland. This time, Nice was well positioned on the calendar. They had never done it before, so they set the goal of doing this race.
Annabel Luxford also answers the question in her turn. She has wanted to run Nice for a long time after having done many races around the world. It is a race with a big challenge, new opponents, new risks. It is a race with a beautiful climate, a warm audience. She is nervous before discovering the race.
The two athletes are questioned about their friendships and their competition in this Iron Man. They respond that they are friends. They have seldom competed against each other in such races. Annabelle comes from Brisbane, while Carrie comes from Melbourne.
The subject changes. One of the athletes is questioned about the world record and the possible new world record being set during the edition. A record that the athlete is not targeting.
The temperature is then brought up to the five triathletes. Each has his nutrition plan, respond the triathletes one after the other.
