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LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- The six elite triathletes representing Team USA at the 2006 ITU Triathlon World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland have had a chance to go over the course and are set for Sunday`s showdown with the world. But one word has become the mantra around town -- especially when talking about the bike course. That word is "challenging."
"To win, it will take a good all-around athlete, someone who can swim with the front group or close to the front group," said National Teams Coach Cliff English, whose athletes are among 83 men and 78 women competing for world titles. "On the bike we have 14 climbs total, two each lap. It`s going to be someone who has done their homework, done the training on this type of course. Obviously, it will take a pretty fast 10k, but it will be even for everyone. No one is going to be able to float through that bike course; no one is going to have an easy ride."
Luckily for the Americans, they have done their homework.
"Everyone has known the course well in advance. We`ve had a good scouting report since March. Everyone has had a great idea of what we were preparing for. We`ve been training on courses similar to this back home in Colorado Springs," said English. "Most of the team came here earlier in the week and had a good change to take a look at the course. Everyone is ready. We`re really well prepared. Probably more prepared than we have been in past years. So we`re looking to have a good race. We are going to give it a good go out there."
Hunter Kemper (30, Longwood, Fla.) is the current World No. 2 and the top-ranked American, but he is still looking for his first World Championship medal in seven tries. "I feel excited about it. It`s a good, challenging course. Of course on the bike, the hills are pretty steep, seven laps. So it`s going to be a really hard bike course. But I`ve been on the course, and I`m excited about it."
On the women`s side, Laura Bennett (31, N. Palm Beach, Fla.) has medaled in the past three Championships and is hoping to keep the streak alive on Sunday. "I think it`s going to be a really tough course. Hopefully it will be dry. That would be ideal. But if it`s wet, you still deal with the conditions," said Bennett. "But two days out you just rest and try to relax as much as possible. The day before, you try to go through the three sports, maybe 20 minutes of each, get the blood flowing and then put your legs up for the rest of the day."
Bennett may have to take a break from her rest on Satuday, as she will be out on the course cheering on her father, who will be taking part in the Age Group World Championship. "We`ll go out there, maybe watch him on the corner on the bike. Get in his face."
For Kemper, his view of the age group race will most likely be from the comfort of his hotel room. Kemper, like Bennett, likes to get in a about 20 minutes of training in each discipline the day before a day, but spends most of the day relaxing. "I`ll see them coming by," said Kemper. "I`ll be there in spirit, for sure."
Sunday`s race won`t be the first for Jarrod Shoemaker (Cambridge, Mass.) at a World Championship, but it will be his first on the senior elite level. Last year`s U23 World Champion has moved up a level and is excited about the step up in competition. "Basically there are no holes. The field is amazing," said Shoemaker. "The course is tough, very tough. The first hill is a killer. The second hill is a nice, sit-in climb. It`s about 500-600 meters long. Whoever wins this race, is definitely the best racer. We`ll see what happens.
"It`s obviously a beautiful place. I`ve really enjoyed swimming; the water is crystal clear and you can see about 15 feet down. So it`s just a beautiful venue. I`m enjoying the experience and having a great time."
Senior Elite Roster Men Brian Fleischmann (28, Jacksonville, Fla.) Doug Friman (31, Alameda, Calif.) Hunter Kemper (30, Longwood, Fla.) Andy Potts (29, Princeton, N.J.) Jarrod Shoemaker (24, Cambridge, Mass.) Joe Umphenour (37, Bellevue, Wash.)
Women Bennett (31, N. Palm Beach, Fla.) Sarah Groff (24, Boulder, Colo.) Sarah Haskins (25, St. Louis, Mo.) Becky Lavelle (31, Los Gatos, Calif) Julie Swail (33, Irvine, Calif) Rebeccah Wassner (30, New York, N.Y.)
The weekend`s racing kicked off with the junior elite, physically challegend, and age group races on Saturday and concludes with the U23 and senior elite races on Sunday.
Source: USA Triathlon.
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