T100 London Preview
The fourth of nine events in the T100 series. Starting in Singapore, then San Francisco and Vancouver, we now head to the UK and London.
The same location as 2024, athletes will swim in the Royal Victoria Dock, the London O2 arean as back drop. Two 1km loops with an Aussie exit right in front of the crowds. Before a flat fast course on the bike. 8 x 10km laps with tight 180deg turns at either end. The run then returns to the water, and athletes run 6 x 3km laps alongside the Royal Victoria and Royal Albert Docks, in front of the ExCel centre. With transitions and the finish being inside the ExCel it creates for a unique experience and a cauldron of noise, that echos around with packed fans cheering.
The women’s race has probably the best line up of all the T100 races so far. The match up everyone wants – Taylor Knibb (USA) v. Julie Derron (SUI) v. Kate Waugh (GBR) and add in Jess Learmonth (GBR), Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) and Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), oh yes and Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) making her T100 debut.
Knibb, Derron and Waugh have all won one race this year in the series. Waugh won on debut, and by the largest victory in a T100, in Singapore at the start of the year. Then in San Fransisco it was Derron, Knibb and Waugh in that order. In Vancouver, Knibb then Derron and Waugh didn’t race. Waugh has recently come 6th in the WTCS Hamburg. But what we did see was Jess Learmonth getting better and better with each race – notably riding away with Knibb in Vancouver and only being caught by Derron in the last 1km of the run. This was off limited run training for Learmonth. I’m interested to see with Lucy Charles-Barclay in the mix at the front how that may change things. Then don’t ever discount Ashleigh Gentle. She’s maybe not been as prominent this year over the distance, I think perhaps a combination of the other women getting better, and racing tactically differently to make it harder for Gentle. Also, perhaps with a coaching change, just not quite finding the full flow. But she is still one of the best over this distance, and is the defending London T100 Champion from 2024. Georgia Taylor-Brown is making her debut in the T100. She raced and won, Ironman 70.3 Bahrain at the end of last year. Since then she took a bit of a back seat from racing, not quite sure what she was doing this year, but did return to racing at WTCS Hamburg with a very respectable 14th. Whilst she claims she’s not been training much leading into Hamburg (although did also compete in some gravel races), I’ll be interested to see if the effects of Hamburg and perhaps a couple of weeks of good specific training.
From a Parcours perspective, Hanne De Vet (BEL) has a Wild Card to race. De Vet has been balancing her physio studies, exams and placements with training and racing. She won The Challenge Family, The Championship in May, and had a 6th at Ironman 70.3 Swansea, but has the potential to have a great result in London. 
The men’s series, like the women’s has had a different winner each race. Hayden Wilde (NZL), Rico Bogen (GER) and Jelle Geens (BEL) all taking the tape in different races. All three on the start list for London, although Wilde coming back from a horrific crash earlier this year, so we are unsure what form or if enough time for him to be back at the top of his game and the front of this race. No, 2024 T100 London Champion, Sam Laidlow (FRA), who is focusing on the Ironman Pro Series and the World Championship, but second place from last year, and Parcours athlete Kyle Smith (NZL), will certainly be looking to go one better in 2025. Since T100 London 2024, Smith has finished 4th or 5th in his races, the rest of the T100 series, and then the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. These are stellar results and performances in these fields but I’m sure Smith will be wanting to get back up on that podium, or even better still, get that illusive win in a T100 race. 
In the men’s race, South African Jamie Riddle is likely to cause a stir at the front. One of the best swimmers, he races full gas from the gun, and will be putting the rest of the field under pressure. He was 5th as a Wild Card in San Francisco, and then 5th at Ironman Cairns, where he went for the win and left it all out there. Expect similar in London.
Leo Bergere (FRA), Antonio Benito Lopez (ESP) and Panagiotis Bitados (GRE) could also all be in the mix.
Get set for some fast and furious T100 racing in London!
The Parcours team will be in London over the weekend. If you see us, come and say hi!
