Few athletes in triathlon challenge conventional pathways quite like Taylor Knibb.

Olympic-distance podiums, middle-course dominance, long-course impact – and now a growing pull towards elite cycling – her career arc has never followed a straight line. According to her coach Dan Lorang, that isn’t a lack of focus. It’s the point.

“She doesn’t want to be in one box,” Lorang explains. “That’s not really how she sees herself. For her, there are a lot of adventures out there that she wants to explore – and she wants to try to be the best she can be in them.”

That mindset is shaping Knibb’s current season, which is deliberately split between triathlon and cycling, with different goals across different disciplines rather than a single, narrow target.

And the next two weeks see her start her triathlon season – as strong favourite to take the wins at T100 Gold Coast this weekend and then IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside seven days later before putting a clear emphasis on returning to short course for a range of WTCS races.

A split season – by design

Knibb’s interest in cycling is no secret. She competed in the Olympic time trial in Paris in 2024, and while the result didn’t reflect her ambitions – conditions that day were brutal – the experience only reinforced her enthusiasm for the sport.

“She really likes the cycling environment,” Lorang says. “She likes the discipline of the time trial. And in general, she likes to explore different things.”

Rather than treating cycling as a detour, Knibb and her team have framed it as part of a longer-term project – one that keeps multiple doors open rather than closing them.

“That’s why we said, okay, let’s have an eye on 2028 and see if she can qualify for both the time trial and triathlon,” Lorang explains.

The result is not a simple dual focus, but a genuinely complex performance puzzle.

“It’s not saying we have cycling and long-distance triathlon,” he says. “It’s also short course, middle course – different disciplines. That’s what she wants to do.”

Possible – but is it world-class?

Historically, elite sport has frowned on this kind of range. The assumption was clear: specialisation wins medals.

“In the past, we would say it’s not possible,” Lorang admits, when asked about Knibb returning to WTCS-level racing after success over longer distances. “Now we know it’s possible somehow.”

The key word, he stresses, is somehow.

“It’s possible to compete, possible to be there. But is it really possible to be world-class? To fight for the podium? That’s what we have to see.”

That uncertainty is not a deterrent for Knibb – if anything, it’s part of the attraction.

“It’s more about trying to see what is waiting there for me,” Lorang says. “Trying something new.”

A challenge, not a shortcut

Crucially, this is not a casual experiment. Lorang is explicit that the plan only moved forward after detailed, honest discussion about the risks involved.

“We agreed on this only when we said it’s a challenge,” he explains. “We know from the beginning it’s not the normal way you would do things.”

A conventional route would be far easier to manage.

“If you say, ‘I want to win Kona’, then you build middle-distance races towards that. That’s much easier to plan,” Lorang says. “This one is really hard to plan, really hard to execute.”

That difficulty is precisely why it appealed.

“We talked about the pros and cons, the risks and the chances,” he adds. “And then we decided to try.”

Importantly, flexibility is built in.

“We are completely aware there could be a point where we have to change it,” Lorang says. “But now we are on the track, and we try to go that way and see if we can go to the finish line – or if we have to change the route on the way.”

All in, all the time

Beyond the strategy, what stands out most to Lorang is Knibb herself.

“She’s full into it – with all her emotions, with everything,” he says. “She doesn’t hide anything. She’s really pure when she gives interviews, when you talk to her, when you work with her.”

That openness, he believes, makes high-risk planning possible.

“You always know what you’re dealing with,” he explains. “There’s a lot of respect for each other.”

And while Knibb’s athletic range is remarkable, it’s her commitment that leaves the strongest impression.

“She loves the sport,” Lorang says. “She really lives it. The dedication, the feedback, the communication – and the team around her – it makes it fascinating to work with her.”

Whether this multi-discipline approach ultimately delivers podiums across all fronts remains to be seen. Even Lorang admits the unknowns are significant.

But for an athlete unwilling to be defined by a single box, the uncertainty is not a weakness. It’s the challenge.

And there’s just been a great T100 interview with Taylor ahead of the Gold Coast race where we hear about the relationship with Lorang and the rest of her support team from her perspective. It’s well worth a watch and is embedded below…