After being hit by a car last weekend during Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells – he was leading nicely and followed the ‘leading car’ on his bike – the girlfriend of Vincent Luis now expresses scathing criticism of Ironman. According to Taylor Spivey, the organization’s leading car made a big mistake by deviating from the course and as a result the Frenchman was then hit by another car driver. “For what people pay at Ironman, the organization and safety really needs to be much better,” Spivey told Planetatriathlon.
During the race, a situation arose where a traffic cop allegedly led the leading car – completely out of the blue – off the course. Luis was then not only hit by a car, but would have also been told that he would probably receive a five-minute penalty for going off the course. It didn’t come to that, but the Frenchman was already crashed and had to continue his race in a battered condition. Spivey, herself a top triathlete and following the race from close by, was already posting on social media that Ironman made mistakes.
Afterwards, she continued. “It’s bizarre how often this kind of things happens at Ironman races. Especially during the pro races and with the leaders in the race. For what people pay, the organization and safety needs to be a lot better than we keep seeing now. The people who are responsible for the safety of athletes shouldn’t put them in danger.”
