Active Expert: Gale Bernhardt
Previous Next
Gale Bernhardt
in response to: Jesse@Active
It was an interesting race to watch. There were times the pace was really high, then the entire peloton was soft-pedaling. I haven't seen such an extreme in ITU racing. I kept shouting at Matty Reed to get off the front. I know he was trying to make something happen, but I think spending so much time pulling cost him on the run. Jarrod was literally at the back of the pack for the whole bike. Coming into T2, he was probably 30-40 seconds off the leaders, simply due to position. I would have liked to have seen him move up into the front 1/4 of the group.
Kemper, uncharacteristly, was in the front and in good position. I just think his depth of fitness was lacking due to struggling with injuries.
The run at the end was fun to watch. Frodo just gutted it out. I think the high expectations on Gomez became too much - sometimes it's good to be an underdog.
It was great watching the two leaders off the bike congratulate each other as they came into T2. I love the teamwork aspect of ITU/Olympic triathlon, especially on the bike. I think it adds a dimension to the sport that most of us age-groupers will never experience.
Granted they got caught on the run, but it was a worthy effort.
You could see by the expressions on their faces at the end of the race that these guys were definitely giving it their all. That Gomez would be dropped out of medal contention in the last several hundred meters was surprising. But when it comes to the Olympics, I'm sure just thinking about a podium spot gives some people wings (looked like it for Whitfield).