He may be currently on the sidelines after picking up an injury in his first full-distance race but triathlon legend Vincent Luis says there’s still plenty of time “to make moves” in the T100 this season.
The French great, a former two-time world champion at short course, has already shown he’s a force to be reckoned with at middle distance, with three wins to his name including IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain at the end of last year.
And he achieved a long-held ambition in July when he moved up to full to take part in Challenge Roth, where he finished fourth behind Sam Laidlow.
That took its toll though and he has ground to make up in the T100 after a 14th in the season opener in Singapore and then 11th in San Francisco.
Four more chances
Speaking on the live broadcast at T100 London when he watched Hayden Wilde make one of the all-time great sporting comebacks to win the men’s race less than 100 days after an horrific crash on the bike, Luis gave an update on his progress since Roth.
He said: “It is a bit frustrating because I started the first two races of T100 a bit on the back foot.
“I was really preparing for my first long distance, and then it’s done now. But I picked up a bit of an injury on my calf and I’m now rehabbing and next week I should be back running.
“It’ll be a tight turnaround, but fingers crossed I’ll be on the start line for Frejus [for T100 French Riviera] and then all the T100 that are following, I think I’ll make the trip to Australia and then Dubai and Qatar, so that’ll be good.”
‘I should be closer to the front’
And Luis hasn’t given up hope of being a factor in this year’s series, adding: “It’s still, I think, 18 weeks until the final in Qatar, so plenty of time to make moves.
Asked what his hopes overall are, he said: “Well, I’ve definitely picked up my bike level compared to the start of the year. I’m a lot more confident there.
“We worked on a few bits with my coach and yeah, now I should be closer to the front.
“But let’s see. I mean the guys aren’t waiting. They keep improving and we’ve seen how powerful some guys can be on the bike and how quick some people are also on the run.
“So it’s definitely not an easy game to race here. You race the 20 best triathletes in the world, so I’m jealous right now, sitting on the other side of the fence.
“But I’ll definitely be back and trying to give them a run for their money.”
