Taylor Knibb delivered another commanding performance to win IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside, shattering the course record in the process.
And this was just a week on from her victory on the other side of the world at T100 Gold Coast in Australia.
The American star was once again in a class of her own, pulling clear on the bike before backing it up with a controlled run to secure victory by a significant margin over reigning IRONMAN World Champion Solveig Løvseth.
Not quite “wire to wire”
But while it may have looked like total control from the outside, Knibb was quick to point out it wasn’t quite as straightforward as that.
When it was put to Knibb that she’d led all the way, she pointed out: “I did not lead wire to wire. Victoria [Lopes] kindly led the swim… and then someone came up on the inside with 200 metres to go.”
Even transition had its challenges.
“I messed something up with my helmet, so it was kind of just sitting on my nose and blocking me the whole time. So things to work on.”
Bike power the foundation
As has so often been the case, the race was effectively decided on two wheels.
Knibb revealed she had gone into the race with a very specific – and ambitious – plan.
“I told my coach [Dan Lorang] I really wanted to set a really good 60-minute and 90-minute bike power because I feel like this is a great course you can do it on.”
That approach paid off emphatically as she raced away from the field and put the race virtually out of reach before T2.
Aggressive run target
The plan didn’t stop there, with Knibb also targeting a specific pace on the run.
“I wanted to average 3:40 per K on the run, which I was doing for about the first 16k, but not the last part.”
In the end, the closing stages required a fight – especially with the course biting back late on.
“My wheels went off… with like 2k to go I was like, oh, and there’s a headwind and we were going uphill.”
Even so, the bigger picture was clear – a willingness to push limits, even off the back of recent racing.
“Sometimes you just have to go out and try. If you blow, you blow.”
With another dominant win secured and a course record to her name, it’s clear that approach is paying off.
And with IRONMAN Texas up next, Knibb’s aggressive early-season form suggests there will be lots more to come.
