Sam Laidlow may have chosen not to race at this weekend’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, but he is clearly keeping a close eye on the events in Nice as he prepares for his own race far away from the hustle and bustle of the French Riviera.
Never one to follow the crowd, the Frenchman has chosen to compete at Challenge Samarkand on Sunday, swerving the 70.3 Worlds despite having qualified through his win in Valencia earlier this year.
In a move which has since been followed by Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay and American Sam Long, Laidlow is throwing all his efforts into securing a win at Kona, even if that means giving up on his chances of what could have been a ‘home’ world title party.
Set for a trip along the Silk Road
With only four weeks between the two major finals, they have decided not to jeopardise their chances of success on the Big Island by chasing glory in France. But while LCB and Long are focusing on their training blocks, Laidlow is racing in Uzbekistan.
With the Samarkand course taking athletes through the UNESCO World Heritage Area and past the architectural highlights of the Old Silk Road, it offers more Kona-like conditions than Nice, particularly in terms of heat and exposure – but without Hawaii’s punishing humidity.
Laidlow announced his decision in the aftermath of his epic win at Challenge Roth, stating: “Challenge Samarkand marks my final stop before the World Championships. The course and conditions are exactly what I’m looking for in a final hit-out, and I’m excited to race somewhere completely new.”
While he may not actually be in France, he has certainly been messaging about it on Instagram, cheekily stating that ‘All eyes on the biggest race in triathlon this weekend. Challenge Samarkand, obviously.’ and, perhaps more informatively, ‘Good times in Nice over the years… looking forward to following along from afar. Gotta do my homework for Kona. 🤓’
Taking his Kona homework seriously
His ‘homework’ line clearly supports the premise that he is in Central Asia for one reason, and one reason only… to prepare for Kona.
The 1.9km swim takes athletes through a single lap of pure mountain water in a purpose-built rowing canal before the two-lap (86km) rolling bike route starts in the Silk Road Samarkand tourist complex and heads towards the ancient city, passing monuments dating from the 14th and 15th centuries.
Finally, the run course takes place back in the modern tourist complex, with four laps totalling 21.5km around the picturesque rowing canal, enveloping the Eternal City.
Laidlow is not the only big-name racer on show, with the Samarkand fields featuring last year’s two winners, Will Draper (GBR) and Sara Pérez Sala (ESP), as well as top British athletes Cameron Main and Daisy Davies.
The Middle Distance Pro Male race starts at 07:00 local time, with the Pro Female race getting underway five minutes later. The start time in the UK is 03:00; in Central Europe it is 04:00; on the US East Coast it is 22:00 on Saturday; in US Central Time it is 21:00 on Saturday; and on the Pacific Coast it is 19:00.
Start times in Australia are 12:00 (Eastern Coast), 11:30 (Central) and 10:00 (Western). In New Zealand, the race starts at 14:00.
