This Saturday, Taylor Knibb returns to the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, kicking off a championship season unlike that of any other triathlete.
Racing 70.3 Worlds in Nice, France and the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona four weeks apart? Tough. But many pros will take on that challenge. Taylor's adding one more.
A week after 70.3 Worlds, she'll be in Montreal, hammering 39.9K against the best cyclists on the planet in the individual time trial at the UCI Road World Championships. It’s an honor and a challenge no other pro IM triathlete is taking on.
We chatted with the 3x 70.3 World Champ and 2x Olympic silver medalist a few weeks before the championship extravaganza began, as she drove to have pizza at her dad’s house in Boulder. What was she thinking about? Read our conversation below.
What’s top of mind for you heading into these championships?
My puppy! I have 25% ownership of this puppy [Portuguese water dog, Isla]. My boyfriend has the other 75%, so I only have the front left leg. He’s racing in Toronto, so it’s the first time I have a stretch of her on my own. It’s actually been great, because I’m only thinking about her, really. Every training session, the clock starts, and I’m thinking, ‘Hey, you only have this amount of time, you gotta be back!’ She’s a great distraction.
I’m loving training. I’m loving being home right now because I traveled a lot this summer. It’s shocking Nice is in two weeks.
How are you dividing these three races in your head?
When I think about all of them, I get stressed out, so it’s just one thing at a time. The big one’s Kona, that’s the focus. The others I’m excited about for other reasons. I get to do them all!
The biggest stressor is the bikes – managing them, and getting them all set up and ready. I’m getting a new bike for Kona. I got a new bike for time trial worlds. For the time trial, you have to have two bikes set up, and it’s a different bike from what I’m using in Nice and Kona. So I’ll race a different bike each time, which is a little odd. It makes it a little bit more high maintenance. But that’s who I am. I’m pretty high maintenance.
I have a bodyworker. His nickname for me is the Ferrari Chainsaw. Because like a Ferrari chainsaw, if you get it working perfectly, it’s amazing – it’s incredible! But to get a Ferrari chainsaw in perfect condition takes a fair amount of work, so… It’s not just like an axe where you just sharpen and go. It’s a little bit more dialed.
Did I hear you say you don’t have a place to stay in Kona yet?
I still don’t have my Kona accommodation booked. It’ll happen or it won’t. I’m not really stressing. All good.
Everyone always says you should have someone who books your travel, books your stuff. For accommodation, I’m ok with other people booking it. But for my flights, I like to be the one to book it. Because I’m going to look at the quickest, best flight path. I have agency and choice, like ‘I chose this.’
Because travel’s going to suck. You can’t say you’re going to have a travel day across the world and something’s not going to go wrong or be tired by the end. Something's gonna happen. So if I know that this was the best option, I can live with that. These were the options, I made this choice.
Is there something you wish fans knew about you that they don’t?
A lot of people come up to me and be like, ‘I’ve done 15 IRONMANs!’ or ‘I’m from Mexico city!’ and I’m like, OK, what’s your name? People don’t always introduce themselves. It’s weird. They know me but I don’t know them. So I wish people would introduce themselves with their names.
What are you most excited about at each race?
For Nice, I’m really excited to do a 70.3, honestly. I'm excited about the course. I’m a little nervous about the bike course and the descent. But I’m actually really excited for the run. The time trial, I’m excited to see where I stack up against the best women in the world. It’s a little longer than most time trials, so I’m hoping that helps me a little bit. And then Kona’s Kona. I hope I get to the finish line this year.
Us too!
I’m also really excited, honestly, for both the men and women to be back in Kona. I’ve never raced Kona with both. I’ve only raced the two women’s Konas. I feel like the men just add a lot of spice and fun!
We're so proud to support Taylor as she takes on championships season, and all the athletes brave enough to toe the start line.
