Elite triathlon is often discussed in terms of results, rankings and race-day execution. Less visible – but just as decisive – are the choices made away from the spotlight.

We started a series of features last month on triathletes coached by Dan Lorang – and it’s quite a line-up for the man who guided greats Jan Frodeno and Anne Haug through their legendary long-course careers.

We’ve got a couple more to come but this article puts the spotlight on the man himself and offers insight into what elite performance actually looks like over time: when to expand, when to hold back, when to change direction — and when to stay the course.

From Taylor Knibb’s refusal to be boxed in, to Lucy Charles-Barclay’s measured response to setbacks; from Kyle Smith’s search for consistency to Frederic Funk’s honest reassessment of where his strengths are best expressed and Laura Lindemann’s chosen time away from the spotlight to re-light the fire; from Maya Kingma’s leap into the peloton, to Justus Nieschlag’s decision to take a risk in order to keep believing – each story reveals a different side of high-performance decision-making.

Taken together, they hopefully form a portrait of modern elite sport that goes beyond wins and losses: one defined by judgement, patience, and the courage to choose the right path rather than the obvious one.

All those athletes are looked after – and in partnership with – triathlon’s top and probably greatest-ever coach. A man who combines that with not just looking after one of pro cycling’s very top teams but also his new role with Red Bull and their myriad of sports teams.

Dan Lorang on coaching – and perspective

For all the medals, milestones and world titles they shared, Dan Lorang and Jan Frodeno realised something surprising when they recently sat down together – click here to watch the video.

They had never really talked about it.

Not the pressure. Not the doubts. Not what was happening internally in the moments that defined their success.

“It was something really special,” Lorang says of the ‘Frodeno Going Mental’ podcast conversation between coach and athlete. “To be honest, we never talked about these topics before. And we didn’t really prepare. Some of the questions and talks were really new for both of us.”

That lack of preparation for the podcast turned out to be the point. What emerged was not a retrospective victory lap, but an honest exchange of perspectives – one from a former athlete looking back, the other from a coach reflecting on decisions made in real time.

“It was interesting to hear both sides,” Lorang explains. “From him as a former athlete, and from me as his former coach – how we felt in different situations, what was going on inside of us. It was a really nice journey that we went on together.”

For a partnership that delivered multiple world championships, it was striking how much was still being discovered.

From daily coaching to system-level thinking

That reflective tone mirrors Lorang’s own professional transition. Late last year, he took on a new role with Red Bull as Head of Endurance Sports within the company’s Athletic Performance Centre – a position that broadens his influence far beyond a single athlete or discipline.

He’s looked after the coaching side for what is now Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe pro cycling team for a number of years – his “full-time job” as he termed it – but now interacts with a wide range of top-level sports.

“My job is to look across different sports and also the people working there, in all the topics linked to endurance,” he tells us. “That means looking at protocols, testing, and being part of discussions with athletes and especially with coaches.”

Rather than arriving with answers, Lorang describes himself as one part of a much bigger performance puzzle.

“When athletes come to the centre, we talk together about what we can do – what kind of testing is really interesting for the coaches,” he explains. “We also have meetings with soccer clubs, talking about things like heat, recovery, hydration. I bring the endurance knowledge from the past 20 years, but always from a coach perspective.”

That distinction matters. Red Bull’s performance environment is rich in science and medicine, but coaching insight adds a significant extra layer.

“They have scientists, doctors, physios,” Lorang says. “But not really a coaching person. That is the idea behind this role.”

Learning goes both ways

Importantly, the move hasn’t pulled Lorang away from hands-on coaching altogether. He continues to work with athletes in cycling, splitting his time roughly 50–50, and helping connect team environments with Red Bull’s performance resources.

It also means his own learning curve continues in an upward trajectory.

“If you talk to people from different sports, you first see what challenges they have, how they try to solve them,” he says. “You speak about mental performance, nutrition, physios, doctors – and you start to think differently.”

The exchange is not one-directional. Lessons from triathlon and cycling can inform team sports – and vice versa.

“How do they deal with overheating in football? With hydration? With recovery after a game?” Lorang asks. “And then the other way around – is there something we can apply back into endurance sport?”

For someone who has coached at the pinnacle of two sports in triathlon and cycling, that curiosity remains central.

“It’s really nice for me to be in that position,” he says. “It’s a win.”

Progress is never linear

That mindset also shapes his view of success in cycling, where results can easily obscure the reality underneath. A strong start to the season for big new signing Remco Evenepoel, the multiple Olympic and world champion, has been encouraging, but Lorang is quick to stress patience.

“It’s always step by step,” he says. “You will have setbacks. And on the other side, it’s dynamic – a rider like him impacts the whole team.”

With Red Bull now more deeply embedded in the squad’s structure, Lorang sees the benefits of long-term investment – but not instant transformation.

“It takes time until you really see the impact,” he explains. “Sometimes it’s not about knowing what to do. You need financial support, you need people, you need the structure. That’s where Red Bull helps.”

Even then, standing still is not an option.

“You see many other teams taking big steps forward too,” Lorang says. “It’s a sport with a long history, but it’s still developing. You have to continue to move forward.”

Perspective after success

That idea – evolution rather than arrival – ties neatly back to his conversation with Frodeno. Success, it turns out, does not close chapters as neatly as people assume.

Only with time and distance could coach and athlete revisit the moments they once lived in parallel, each carrying different pressures and perceptions.

Perhaps that is the real takeaway from Lorang’s current phase: whether working with world champions, elite cyclists or multidisciplinary performance teams, the learning never really stops.

Sometimes, it just takes the right conversation to hear it properly.