In most triathlons, fans following the livestream or standing roadside usually have a clear view of the race dynamics – who’s leading, who’s chasing, and how the field is shaking out. But for the athletes themselves, caught in the intensity of the race, the picture can sometimes be far murkier. That was exactly the case for Sam Laidlow at yesterday’s Challenge Roth.
For much of the day, Laidlow was trailing Germany’s Jonas Schomburg, who launched an early breakaway on the bike. The attack came shortly after the transition, with Schomburg powering away from the front pack – a group that included Laidlow. Around the 40-kilometer mark, Laidlow made his own move and distanced himself from the group as well, but by then, Schomburg was already 2 minutes and 30 seconds up the road.
Spectators along the course called out time splits to Laidlow, but the Frenchman was convinced he was already leading and that Schomburg was 2:30 behind him. Even in the opening kilometers of the marathon, Laidlow believed he was out front – until a turnaround point revealed the truth.
“It was actually a really, really confusing race because the whole day on the bike, I actually thought that I was first and that people were giving me splits back to Jonas, and they were getting smaller and smaller, and I was like, oh, Jonas is catching me,” Laidlow said after the race. “And so I was slowing down, thinking that I would work with Jonas, and the more I’d slow down, obviously, the more I wouldn’t catch him. Then… I saw him at a turnaround on the run and I was like, did he just cut the course or something?
“I didn’t understand. I thought he was two minutes behind, so it was super confusing.”
Despite the confusion, Laidlow stuck to his race plan – one that, by his own admission, demanded a deep physical and mental effort. His perseverance paid off. After 29 kilometers of running, he finally overtook Schomburg and actually took the lead. From there, he held strong all the way to the finish line, claiming victory at one of the sport’s most iconic races.
