Matt Bottrill warmed up for Sub7 and what he calls “one last chance” at the very top level with a course-record relay victory at the Outlaw Half in Nottingham on Sunday.
The coach and time trial specialist rode the bike leg (in a best-of-the-day split of 2:05:11) as part of the winning Team Riot Racing / Team Bottrill combo which stopped the clock on 3:48:09.
And next up is that showdown in Germany after he was named as both overseeing and riding in Team Blummenfelt.
Against the clock
The Pho3nix Sub7 Project, powered by Zwift, sees Alistair Brownlee and newly-crowned IRONMAN World Champion Kristian Blummenfelt – plus their pacer teams – go head-to-head.
The groundbreaking attempt to go faster than seven hours for the full Ironman distance will take place at the Dekra Lausitzring motor racing circuit near Dresden on June 5.
Speaking after his Outlaw Half success he said: “We’ve got three weeks now until Sub7 and starting the project my goal was never to ride in the team but we’ve done quite a few test events and I’ve been quite strong doing it.
“And it’s just given me a motivation to have one last chance at that level of racing. I’m old now – 45 at the end of this month – so to do something like Sub7 will be nice.
“It’s not just about the power, it’s also about the communication between riders and you also need someone to make the call if things go wrong and that’s where I can step in.
“We’re not just going to turn up at this event, the preparation we’ve done [means] we’re going to be ready to put on a good show and hopefully break Sub7 – and win it at the same time.”
