Triathlon Daily

All-star pro fields highlight Saturday’s Ford Ironman 70.3 California

from Triathletemag.com by Jay Prasuhn…

Sam McGlone versus Mirinda Carfrae? Craig Alexander against Andy Potts? Throw in a Michellie Jones, Steve Larsen and Bjorn Andersson for good measure? Any way you slice it, the 2008 North American race season opens with a bang at Oceanside 70.3. No more California Dreamin’; the season is on.

The 70.3 North American spring opener, to be held Saturday in Oceanside, California, just north of San Diego, begins with a 1.2-mile sheltered but chilly swim in Oceanside Harbor, a hilly 56-mile bike through Camp Pendleton Marine Corps military installation and finishes with a 13-1-mile run along the Oceanside waterfront.

The pro start list reads almost like a world-title event. American Andy Potts, USA Triathlon’s ITU and non-Olympic Triathlete of the Year and the reigning 70.3 world champion, is back to defend his title from a year ago. Taking him on is a deep field: 2006 70.3 world champ Craig Alexander of Australia is slated to start. Swim/bike powerhouse Bjorn Andersson of Sweden aims to make waves, as does fellow bike specialist David Thompson. Add perennial 70.3 podium finisher Richie Cunningham of Australia and last year’s third-place finisher Lewis Elliott of Scottsdale to the mix.

The race also has two former pro cyclists in its ranks. Massimo Cigana, the recent winner of the Laguna Phuket Triathlon, was a teammate of Mario Cipollini with the Italian Mercatone Uno squad six years ago.

But the bigger name making his return to the pro ranks is American cycling legend Steve Larsen, a former NORBA national mountain-biking champion, Giro d’Italia participant (with Team Motorola) and the 2001 Ironman Lake Placid champ. If he has his swim in order, he’ll certainly look to make his mark on the bike, likely taking on Andersson and Thompson at the front of the race, hoping to make things interesting for the balance of the field on the run.

The women’s race is equally as laden with talent. Reigning Ironman 70.3 world champ Mirinda Carfrae of Australia takes the start against the 2007 runner-up at both the Hawaii Ironman and the 70.3 world champs, Canadian Samantha McGlone, who won this race in 2005. How about Michellie Jones, who won this race in ‘06 and looks to use the race as a build-up to the April 13 Ironman Arizona?

The rest of the field is stacked as well. Great Britain’s Leanda Cave takes the start, as will Erika Csomor, the newest Team TBB team member who is also using the race as a hit-out for Ironman Arizona. German Katja Schumacher and Canadian Sara Gross round out the rock-solid women’s field.

A welcome change for race day is the promise of warm, sunny weather. While the day will likely start cool in the mid- 50s Fahrenheit, forecasts call for a high of 69 degrees, a far cry from the grey, rainy and chilly weather the race has historically seen in years past.