Active Expert: Gale Bernhardt: Assigning Podium Spots and Triathlon Olympic Team Slots

Support | Event Directors & Organizers

Browse Community

Active Expert: Gale Bernhardt

Previous Next

Assigning Podium Spots and Triathlon Olympic Team Slots

Posted by Gale Bernhardt Apr 19, 2008

While it is really tempting to begin assigning the third Olympic team slots to a handful of athletes based on a mathmatics equation, in a World Cup race and a big money race, such as Des Moines, many things can happen to change the outcome of the team.

Pre-race illness, injury, overtraining and race day crashes are a few of the variables that make the Des Moines event interesting. There is no sure bet.

Vegas? What are the odds?

Add a comment Leave a comment on this blog post.

Apr 19, 2008 4:23 PM Reply

Jesse@Active

I can't wait to watch these races on TV. (According to the slowtwitch coverage, the women will be on 5/4, the men on 5/18. Not sure what channel, though probably NBC.)

I think the big factor for Des Moines will be, as you put it Gale, the "big money race." This will mean more pros racing to win. Since these athletes make their living by winning races, will those Americans that are already Beijing-bound be competing? How would that affect race tactics?

Apr 19, 2008 5:27 PM Reply

Gale Bernhardt in response to: Jesse@Active

My guess is that the already Beijing-bound athletes will race for the prize money. I think it will be a race of Olympic-caliber quality for that reason (money). There is enough time between the two races that top athletes can great races at both events. That written, race tactics will be much more of a factor in Des Moines - in my opinion.

Also, it's great for the sport that race directors are stepping up their game to offer big money at these events. Kudos to them.

Gale Bernhardt's personal blog on triathlon, mountain biking, road cycling, running, "for women only" stuff, running with a dog and other issues in the endurance sports world.

View Gale Bernhardt's profile