This week we start with a big result for Maya Kingma, who has won her first professional cycling race. After previously talking about triathletes trying to make the jump into cycling, it's a result that feels genuinely significant.

We then move to Lucy Charles-Barclay, who has undergone surgery, and where that leaves her as she looks ahead to the rest of the season.

From there, the conversation turns to Lionel Sanders. Lionel has suggested this might be his final Kona, which has led many to wonder whether retirement could be closer than expected. As always, even a small comment from Lionel quickly becomes a talking point.

We then shift focus to racing in the southern hemisphere, starting with Challenge Wanaka. With both the pro series and T100 kicking off in the south this year, Wanaka is well placed to benefit from that early-season momentum.

Next up is the Ironman New Zealand start list, where names like Kristian Blummenfelt, Kat Matthews, and Kyle Smith give the race real weight.

We finish the episode by looking ahead to the T100 Gold Coast, and what this season could have in store as the series continues to take shape.

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We start this week with Maya Kingma. On a previous episode we were talking about triathletes trying to become cyclists, and Maya is proof that it can actually be done. We dig into her move, why it matters, and what it says about crossover potential at the very top end of endurance sport.

From there we go deep on the Professional Triathletes Organisation acquisition of Challenge Family. We break down the pros and cons, not just for professional racing but for amateur athletes as well, and try to separate hype from reality.

The biggest question hanging over the deal is what it means for Challenge Roth, and whether a T200 distance could realistically emerge. That opens up a wider discussion around market power, monopolies, and how much consolidation is too much for the sport.

We also look at what this means for Ironman. Will they react, or will they sit back and use the situation to their advantage?

We finish by stepping back and asking a bigger question. If you could design the ideal professional triathlon race setup from scratch, what would it actually look like?

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To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon

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This week on Talking Triathlon we start with a recap of Challenge Sir Bani Yas, where Jonas Schomburg took the win in the men's race and Katrine Græsbøll Christensen claimed victory in the women's. We break down how the race played out and what it told us about early season form.

We then turn to Hayden Wilde after he said he had multiple professional cycling contracts on the table, and discuss how realistic that claim is and whether elite triathletes could genuinely step into the professional peloton.

Jelle Geens has also said he wants to win Kona, and we dig into why he might be exactly the type of athlete who could make that leap successfully, along with what would need to go right for it to happen.

The episode finishes with a deep dive into Supertri's newly announced 2026 format. With sprint races folded into mass participation events and a single standalone Grand Final, we talk through our disappointment with the direction of the series. That leads into a broader discussion about the uncomfortable reality facing the sport, that triathlon has struggled to monetise broadcast, costs continue to rise, and amateur athletes are increasingly frustrated with how expensive the sport has become.

For 10% OFF the entire Huub range use the code "Talkingtriathlon10" at https://huubdesign.com

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This week on Talking Triathlon we ask the big question behind the episode title: can Kristian Blummenfelt win Kona? We dive into Kristian's extraordinary VO2 numbers and discuss what they actually tell us, whether they translate to Ironman world championship success?

We also cover the rebrand of the Bianchi Pro Triathlon Team, with Bianchi stepping in as title sponsor after replacing BMC, and what that means for podcast hosts who have already ordered a Bianch TT bike. From there we discuss Ironman's new 20 metre draft zone rule and while we think it is good for fair racing, it will be bad for broadcast and fans of the sport.

Looking ahead to the weekend, we preview Challenge Sir Bani Yas with a strong field including Pierre Le Corre, Emil Holm, Henri Schoeman, Fenella Langridge, Natalie Van Coevorden and Ellie Salthouse. We also recap racing from Qatar, where Brad Weiss took the men's win and Rachel Klamer claimed victory in the women's race.

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This week on Talking Triathlon we are back and take stock of where the sport sits heading into 2026. We start with what we noticed over the break, running through the triathlon headlines that shaped the off season and set the tone for the year ahead.

We then look at the updated PTO World Rankings and the impact of changes to how they are now measured. With the rankings now closely tied to the T100 series, it is no surprise that the athletes who raced and won the series are sitting at the top, with Kate Waugh and Hayden Wilde both ranked world number one. We also question how legitimate the rankings are now and what they are really designed to represent.

From there we look ahead to 2026 as a whole, talking through the major race series, what we are most excited to see unfold and what we hope the sport delivers over the next twelve months. We break that down across Ironman, WTCS, T100, Supertri and Challenge, discussing how each series is shaping up and where the big storylines could emerge as the season gets underway.

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This week on Talking Triathlon we close out 2025 with our final episode of the year. We start by breaking down the T100 Grand Final in Qatar before diving into one of the biggest stories in the sport, the proposed merger between the PTO and World Triathlon and what it could mean for the future of professional racing.

From there we unpack the massive changes announced for Supertri in 2026 and share our thoughts on where the series is heading. We then turn our attention to the 2025 Podcast Awards, handing out our end of year honours including Female Triathlete of the Year, Male Triathlete of the Year, Racing Moment of the Year, Non Racing Moment of the Year, Race of the Year, the Lionel Award, WTF Moment of the Year and the Most Exciting Moment of the Year.

As we head into a four week break, we are not disappearing completely. We will be releasing bonus episodes every week on Patreon during the off season, so there will still be plenty of Talking Triathlon content to keep you going until we return in 2026.

Thanks for listening throughout the year and we will see you on the other side.

To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon

To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2

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This week on Talking Triathlon we start with Alex Yee's unbelievable 2:06 marathon and what it means for the sport. We talk about how performances like this show that triathletes are not just competent across three disciplines but genuinely world-class athletes. We also ask the big question: should Alex consider focusing on the marathon for LA 2028?

From there we head to La Quinta 70.3 where Lionel Sanders made his long-awaited return, Sam Long took the win and Kirsten Kasper impressed in one of her first real attempts at the 70.3 distance. In Bahrain, Vincent Luis delivered another outrageous run that made us question why he thinks he should retire next year, and Georgia Taylor-Brown continued to look better every time she steps up to middle distance.

Ironman Western Australia gets some brief but deserved attention, including a strong showing from Lotte Wilms.

Then we dig into the T100 Grand Final picture. The men's title looks almost locked up with Hayden Wilde, while the women's race remains wide open with Lucy Charles-Barclay, Kate Waugh and Julie Derron all still in realistic contention heading into Qatar.

We also look at the newly announced T100 2026 season schedule and discuss whether we think the series will genuinely follow through on the plan next year.

To close out the episode, we give our nominations for the 2025 Podcast Awards.

TT PODCAST

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This week Tim is back and finally gives his thoughts on all the drama that unfolded at T100 Dubai. We then move to the big news of the week, with Vincent Luis announcing that 2026 will be his final season and Els Visser set to retire this weekend.

But the headline story is Lionel Sanders. With Lionel confirmed to return at La Quinta 70.3, we talk through what we can expect from his comeback, how competitive he can still be and what his future in the sport realistically looks like from here.

We also preview a stacked Bahrain 70.3 featuring Vincent Luis, Vasco Vilaça and Georgia Taylor-Brown, before turning to Ironman Western Australia where Nick Thompson, Mike Phillips and Matt Burton headline the men's field and Fenella Langridge, Els Visser and Lotte Wilms lead the women's race.

To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon

To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2

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You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85

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