Nice instead of Hawaii: Patrick Lange is expecting an open race at the Ironman World Championships. Stacking low before the last duel with Jan Frodeno? Quite a few believe that the spectacular course on the Côte d’Azur suits Lange.
Patrick Lange stands on the promenade and looks out to sea. The sun is blazing, behind him a whole row of green palm trees. Anyone who doesn’t know that the Ironman World Championships will be held in Nice for the first time this year might think for a moment: everything is as usual. Hawaii. Myth. Legend.
But this time, as we all know, is different after the organizers decided to separate the race by gender and have it take place at different locations. The women in Hawaii in October, the men on the Côte d’Azur on Sunday. Next year it will be the other way around.
Patrick Lange: “You have taken away the Holy Grail from us”
Lange, who was born in Bad Wildungen (Waldeck-Frankenberg), was one of the biggest critics of this decision, which was certainly made for monetary reasons. And the two-time world champion is also sticking with it on site in Nice: “They have taken away the holy grail from us,” says Lange in an interview with hr-sport. On the one hand. On the other hand, the Bad Wildunger native is full of energy, you can feel it.
hr broadcasts live
The hr will broadcast the entire race live from Nice on Sunday from 6:40 a.m. on hr television and in the stream at sportschau.de. The competition will be commented on by Dirk Froberg and expert Sebastian Kienle. Ralf Scholt moderates, Heiko Neumann provides impressions of the route. You can also follow the course of the competition in the live ticker written by long-running triathlon champion Philip Schmid.
And there are reasons for that. Quite a few believe that the spectacular course in Nice will suit him. “On paper, of course, that’s how it is,” Lange admits, but he also adds: “The race is completely open.” And in fact the list of favorites to win is long, it starts with Jan Frodeno, the German three-time champion, who is contesting his last World Championship race, and continues through the strong local heroes from France to the Dane Magnus Ditlev, an excellent cyclist. Which brings us to the topic.
Climbs with a Tour de France character
Lange still sees the 3.8 kilometer swim in the barely wavy Mediterranean as the “easiest task”, but after that it gets wild. The cycling course leads to the area around Nice and to the foothills of the Maritime Alps. It is sometimes flat, sometimes undulating and sometimes extremely steep. A total of 2,400 meters of altitude have to be overcome, climbs with a Tour de France character that suit Lange.
Long at the race in Roth in June.
Cycling is actually not the athlete from DSW Darmstadt’s favorite discipline, but since Lange is rather lightly built compared to others, he seems tailor-made for the steep climbing sections. “Still, it’s important to stay cool and not overdo it,” says Lange, who knows the mountains from his adopted home near Salzburg and who has tinkered a lot with the bike.
Last duel with Jan Frodeno
They considered switching to a road bike instead of the time trial bike that is usual for triathlons. They tested it for a long time in the laboratory and found practically no difference. “But then everything was different during the practical test.” The time trial bike has a clear advantage, it has been made as light as possible.
In the end, Lange still has a marathon, his great strength on a flat course that he himself calls “record-breaking”. There could be a battle between him and Jan Frodeno, the two German triathlon superstars. Lange uses the fact that Frodeno quits after the race to thank the competitor in his own camp. “This competition has always driven me.”
Maybe this time too. If everything goes perfectly, it would be Lange’s third world title. This time in Nice and not in Hawaii. Even though it might look a bit similar at first glance.
