Scott Powell

Strategy at a Glance

The goal is a strong, complete race across all three disciplines.

You have the swim ability and bike fitness to put yourself in a good position. The largest uncertainty is the run, particularly how the hamstring responds as the day develops. The bike needs to be ridden strongly enough to use your fitness without allowing group dynamics, steep climbs, or repeated power spikes to compromise the run.

• Swim efficiently within a good group.
• Ride the opening and climbs with discipline.
• Let other riders make their own mistakes.
• Fuel before the technical descent.
• Begin the run below the level you believe you can sustain.
• Give the hamstring time to settle.
• Progress only when the body gives you permission.

Primary Anchors

These numbers establish the general neighborhood of effort. Do not chase individual readings. Look for patterns over time.

Athlete-Specific Execution Factors

The bike is not a group ride

Your cycling experience is valuable, but some group-riding instincts are not useful in a triathlon.

• Do not accelerate repeatedly to hold a wheel.
• Do not answer another rider’s move automatically.
• Do not turn a climb into a competition.
• Do not chase power lost while descending.
• Do not protect average or normalized power at the expense of the run.

The athletes around you qualified too. Their power, pacing, climbing ability, and appetite for risk are not instructions for you.

The hamstring changes the run strategy

The conservative opening is designed to give the hamstring time to accept the loading. Build into the run from below. Do not begin at the top of an effort and wait for the hamstring to force you backward.

This race is part of a larger build

Your fitness is moving forward, but the full result of the consistency you are building is still ahead of you. Success in Nice means producing a strong, composed effort. It does not require forcing a particular finish time.

Swim Execution

Swimming is a strength. Use it to establish a good position without creating unnecessary fatigue. Seed yourself confidently, locate swimmers capable of moving at a strong pace, and allow the group to provide speed.

Establish · 0–300 m

• Begin calmly and expect contact without reacting emotionally.
• Establish your stroke and begin identifying useful feet.
• Do not burn energy fighting for a marginal position.

Group Phase · approximately 300–1,500 m

• Stay close enough to receive a meaningful draft.
• Sight deliberately without disrupting rhythm.
• Change groups only when the next opportunity is clearly reachable without a costly solo effort.

Do not leave useful feet simply because you could swim slightly faster alone.

Return · approximately 1,500–1,900 m

• Confirm the exit line.
• Maintain rhythm as the group compresses.
• Prepare for an organized transition.

Cue: Strong position. Minimal cost.

T1

• Move with purpose, but remain organized.
• Complete each task once.
• Get settled before leaving transition.
• Do not carry championship urgency into the opening kilometers.

Bike: The Big Picture

Mapped course: 93.3 km / 58 mi · 1,247 m / 4,090 ft of climbing

The Athlete Guide also uses 90 km/56 mi in some places. Use course landmarks rather than relying entirely on the distance displayed by your computer.

1. Establish without getting drawn into early racing.
2. Climb efficiently without accumulating avoidable cost.
3. Descend safely while accepting limited fueling opportunities.
4. Re-engage smoothly for the return without chasing average power.

Power is your primary metric. HR and RPE tell you what that power costs. A normal power reading at an abnormally high cost is not a target to force.

Bike: Rust-Shedding Protocol

Use this only if the legs remain flat while HR and RPE are otherwise normal.

First attempt

• Complete two controlled accelerations of approximately 10–15 seconds in a safe, uncrowded section.
• These are purposeful accelerations, not maximal sprints.
• Return completely to planned output and reassess.

Second attempt

• If the legs remain flat but the effort still feels physiologically normal, repeat the two-acceleration protocol once.
• Return to planned output and reassess again.

If the second attempt does not work

• Temporarily under-ride and allow the legs time to come around.
• Do not keep stacking accelerations.

If power feels unusually expensive by HR or RPE, do not presume rust. Reduce the effort and respond to what the body is telling you. If the protocol works, return to the plan; it does not increase the climbing ceiling.

Cue: Wake the legs. Do not spend them.

Bike: Section by Section

0–10.2 km / 0–6.3 mi
Exit Nice and Establish

190–200 W

• Settle, begin fueling early, and obey the narrow no-overtaking section around km 4.
• Do not chase groups. Let power develop naturally.

Settle first. Race later.

10.2–15.2 km / 6.3–9.4 mi
Montée des Pugets

General: 205–220 W · Steep pitches: 220–235 W · Transient ceiling: ~245 W

• Remain seated, shift early, and protect cadence.
• Allow power to rise only as much as the gradient requires.
• Return promptly to the normal range and release pressure over each crest.

The ceiling is not a target. It is the upper boundary for brief, unavoidable terrain demands.

Cross the pitch. Do not attack it.

15.2–26.6 km / 9.4–16.5 mi
Build to Col de Vence

195–205 W

• Re-establish controlled pressure and settle your breathing.
• Complete scheduled fueling before the sustained climb.
• Do not follow riders who surge through the rolling approach.
• Assess whether the legs are functioning normally and use the rust protocol if appropriate.

26.6–36.3 km / 16.5–22.6 mi
Col de Vence

Base: 205–215 W · Steeper portions: 220–235 W · Transient ceiling: ~245 W

• Climb predominantly seated and use gearing rather than muscular force.
• Stand briefly only as a positional reset or when terrain requires it.
• Let stronger and less disciplined climbers go.
• If the base range becomes unusually expensive, reduce output.

Climb like a triathlete.

36.3–44 km / 22.6–27.3 mi
Summit to Coursegoules

• Release climbing power, restore speed without forcing watts, and fuel while terrain allows.
• Around km 42, stay right through the sharp, narrow Coursegoules Bridge section and do not cross the white line.

Release. Fuel. Prepare.

44–57 km / 27.3–35.4 mi
Technical Descent

• Ride your own lines and brake before corners.
• Expect deceptive corners, variable road surfaces, and riders with different risk tolerances.
• Do not follow a local rider into a corner at a speed you did not choose.
• Do not protect average power or attempt complicated fueling.

Your line. Your speed.

57–75.5 km / 35.4–46.9 mi
Brief Rise and Continued Descent

Brief rise: approximately 195–210 W

• Re-engage smoothly and use the rise as a fueling opportunity when safe.
• Do not attack the rise to pass riders.
• Return to descending mode when the terrain changes.

Re-engage without chasing.

75.5–93.3 km / 46.9–58 mi
Flat Return to Nice

Initially 195–205 W · Up to 205–210 W if composed

• Resume purposeful pressure only after settling and fueling.
• Do not chase average power lost on the descent.
• Account for wind, complete final fueling, and respect the return no-overtaking section.

Bring the run to T2.

T2

• Slow the process down mentally and complete each task cleanly.
• Stand tall and assess the hamstring.
• Begin with a short, quick, controlled stride.
• Do not accelerate out of transition.

Run: The Big Picture

21.1 km / 13.1 mi · 123 m / 404 ft gain · two loops

The primary challenges are the cost brought from the bike, exposed sun, possible coastal wind, limited run durability, and the hamstring. Build the run from below.

The first 5K is intentionally conservative. Power walk every even-miled aid station from the beginning.

Run: Section by Section

0–5.3 km / 0–3.3 mi
First Outbound

9:45–9:15/mi

• Begin at the slower side, use a short and quick stride, and do not bank time.
• Track whether the hamstring is quiet, stable, or progressively worsening.
• Power walk every even-miled aid station.

Give it time.

5.3–10.55 km / 3.3–6.55 mi
First Return

Approximately 9:15–8:55/mi if earned

Progress only if the hamstring is quiet or stable, mechanics remain normal, and the pace develops naturally. Accept directional differences caused by wind.

Build only with permission.

10.55–15.8 km / 6.55–9.8 mi
Second Outbound

Approximately 9:15–8:45/mi

• The wide range is intentional. Let actual cost determine pace.
• Continue the even-mile aid-station walks and maintain the short stride.
• Hold if the hamstring is stable; slow if discomfort or mechanics worsen.

Slow bleed.

15.8–21.1 km / 9.8–13.1 mi
Final Return

Race what remains. Empty the tank without putting the hamstring into trouble.

• There is no pace target.
• If the hamstring is stable and mechanics remain intact, progressively use what is left.
• If effort changes your mechanics, back down immediately.
• Do not confuse emptying the tank with ignoring the hamstring.

Use what is available.

Aid-Station and Hamstring Protocols

Every even-miled aid station

1. Power walk purposefully.
2. Take the planned gel and enough water to wash it down.
3. Reset posture and stride.
4. Begin running smoothly without accelerating abruptly.

Precision 1000 is primarily an electrolyte drink, not a meaningful carbohydrate source. Run carbohydrate must come from gels or another part of your established plan.

Mild and stable

Continue conservatively, keep the stride short and quick, and reassess at the next aid station.

Increasing discomfort

Slow down, deliberately shorten the stride, extend the next aid-station walk, and reassess.

Altered mechanics or sharp pain

Stop running, walk, and determine whether continuing is sensible. Forcing pace while compensating is not strong execution.

Fueling, Hydration, and Cooling

Your established fueling system remains unchanged.

Bike

• Begin early and stay on schedule through the opening and climbs.
• Move scheduled intake slightly earlier before the technical descent without overloading the gut.
• Resume intake on the brief rise around km 57 and after the descent ends around km 75.5.
• Aim to urinate once on the bike or enter T2 needing to go.

Run

• Use every aid-station walk to fuel and hydrate deliberately.
• Take gels with water and do not count the electrolyte drink as carbohydrate.
• Begin cooling before you feel overheated if conditions require it.

Race-Day Decision Rules

Championship Mental Execution

The plan should support your judgment, not replace it.

• You do not need to hit every number.
• You do not need to respond to every athlete.
• You do not need to prove your cycling strength on the climbs.
• You do not need to know the final run outcome during the first 5K.
• You do need to remain controlled enough to keep making good decisions.

Controlled. Composed. Slow bleed.

Quick-Reference Race Card