Sam Laidlow’s build-up to his IRONMAN World Championship title defence in Kona hit a devastating and unexpected bump in the road this week.
The 25-year-old superstar saw his ‘pain cave’ in the south of France destroyed by fire, damaging his road bikes and ruining motorbikes, turbos, TVs, tools and memorabilia.
Laidlow, who claimed the IRONMAN World Championship title with an epic victory on home soil in Nice last September, shared pictures of the devastation in a post on his Instagram account. On the post he spoke of the sadness at what had happened, but also his gratitude for the way family, friends and the wider triathlon community had reacted.
Laidlow on ‘pain cave’ fire
He said: “Life has a way of throwing unexpected challenges our way…
“Yesterday morning, our garage was hit by a fire that destroyed our “pain cave”.
Following a lot of sudden rain our air compressor went up in flames (motor short circuit).
Most of the road bikes have minor damage (lightly smoked) as they were completely the other side compared to where the fire started. 4 of the 5 motorbikes we had in there however are properly melted, along with turbo’s, tv’s , tools and a lot of trophies and memorabilia we’d kept.
“It was a tough day, especially while remaining focused on Kona prep. But in moments like these, I’m reminded of what truly matters. My family is safe, and for that, I’m incredibly grateful. Everything else is just material, and while it’s a shit way to start the week, it’s nothing compared to the love and support that surrounds us.
“The messages and offers of help we’ve received have been extremely kind, and I can’t thank you all enough.
I’m also incredibly grateful to my amazing team and sponsors for their unbelievable support in such a short time. You’ve all made it clear that you’ve got our back!
“Now I just need to get this polluted black smoke out of my lungs with a long ride in the Pyrenees.
“We’ll rebuild, we’ll refocus, and we’ll see you at that kona finish line 🔥
Kona next for Laidlow
Laidlow of course is now just weeks out from his title defence on the ‘Big Island’ of Hawaii. Two years ago he had truly announced his arrival as an elite force by finishing second in the 2022 IRONMAN World Championship, splitting the two Norwegian greats Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt.
His most recent race showed he is hitting form at the right time once again, as he produced an impressive victory at T100 London at the end of July.
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