Starting immediately, all new users must be approved by a moderator (due to spam issues). #sworry
You can dismiss this message by clicking the little 'X' in the top right this box.
If you are a pro triathlete, please
click here to DM AaronWebstey for access to the 'Pros-only' private forum. Don't forget to include your real name, and a link to pro race result would be great if you're a 1st-year pro.
Podcast with Olympic Gold Medalist Simon Whitfield | TRS Triathlon
Podcast with Olympic Gold Medalist Simon Whitfield | TRS Triathlon
In this podcast Ben talked with one of the greatest triathletes in history, Simon Whitfield. They talked about the Olympics, meditation, doping and Lance.
Read the full story here
Comments
I also enjoyed hearing the voice of the guy clicking like on everyone's posts @AaronWebstey.
And this is the kind of petty back-stabbing that I see in triathlon all the time. The attempts by industry insiders to circle the wagons and keep out new talent, because they fear for their own positions of power.
Note that this is very different from paying deference to those who have earned respect. I'll forever respect and support someone like Bob Babbitt, even if one day he's no longer awesome. And I respect Macca as an athlete and an entertainer for what he's done over the years, but I no longer respect him as a businessman.
While it's true that TRS hasn't been around long enough to have a long-term track record, that's no reason to badmouth it. If Ben turns out to be a flash-in-the-pan, then we'll all move on to something else. But currently TRS is by far the highest entertainment in triathlon, and that's all I need to decide to tune in each week.
This whole shutting-down-new-talent thing has got to stop. The old white men at Tri Business International do it, and then wonder why there are so few women engineers working for bike companies to, say, design a better seat for women. Or so few women race directors. Etc., etc.
It's a shame to see someone like Macca go down the same path of fear and exclusion. Chris, man up and accept that you have competition in the tri entertainment niche. Don't use your power and influence to try and cut a newcomer down. You come across as a bully.
Twitter nonsense: @AgeGroup_Home
I sat in my office until 8pm last night listening to the show, laughing my ass off. As others have already said, I think the Macca issue was handled well.
I think Simon enjoyed that interview as much as @TheRealStarky did. Amazing that this was the first time in a long and distinguished career that anyone had asked him anything personal about doping.
Personal SQW anecdote: A few years ago Simon put up an Instagram of his kids using something in his kitchen that I thought would be great for my little girl. I had no idea what it was/where to get it, so I sent him an email. I wasn't really expecting to hear back (he had no idea who I was), but about 20 minutes later he replied with a nice message that included the brand info., where to get it etc. Simon is good people.
He's just this guy, ya know?
Do you know who I am?
Very nice handle on Macca, as a public person I wanted you to respond like this because of how much it shows that you give a damn about the sport more than yourself (even though you should give a damn about yourself as well).
I also liked how you talked to Simon about what it's like to be human, not coach post triathlon and the like.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm an angel with an incredible capacity for beer
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sports are interesting like that. Especially when you were a professional at the top of the game. Still, you reach a point where your time has passed. The great thing is that SQW has mostly avoided that. He's been able to move on, doing other, productive, and interesting things.
But still, it would've been much more fitting (and probably a little more heartbreaking) to have seen him at the front of the race in 2012, hanging with the big boys, him, followed by Jan, gathering what's left of their flagging strength and giving one last charge, one last move to show that the young guns that while they may be old, they are not willing to go quietly into the night.
I'm sure a lot of them has thought this way. No doubt crowie has in one of his last kona attempts. I feel like losing, in this situation, is a little bit more cathartic for the Athletes. At the very least, they know that they've given it their all.
This has gone massively off topic, but bringing it back now, I'm glad that Simon is so at peace with his exit from triathlon. In a way, it gives me comfort that I too, can have an easy transition from something that has been my focus since I was 11 years old.
(To be clear: I wish I were half as talented on air as you are.)