A talk with Pro Matt Palmer before the IM Lanzarote

I had the opportunity to sit down with Matt Palmer just days before he will once again face the course that delivered both triumph and heartbreak last year.

For those who followed the 2024 race, Palmer’s performance was nothing short of spectacular—until it wasn’t. He crushed the bike leg with blistering efficiency, overtaking the entire pro field to lead the race and setting a new Lanzarote course record (04:35:24) in the process.
I am eager to hear more about his expectations to the race this year:

Q: Hey Matt, how are you? Are you feeling confident going into the race this year, and will we see another course record this year?
“I’m feeling great. I’ve been dealing with some injuries earlier this year and invested a lot of time in the pool, so I hopefully won’t get out of the water alone this time. I won’t promise to break the record from last year—the focus is putting together a better race overall. After last year’s stomach issues, I’ve really dialed in my nutrition strategy. I still feel like I have a lot to prove to myself, so I’m just really excited to be back on ‘the rock’ which feels like another home to me.”

Q: How have you adapted your training for Lanzarote’s challenges?

“We’ve focused on building a good threshold whilst also focusing on ironman intensity. We’ve been doing ironman simulation sessions on the bike where we’re mixing ironman watts with threshold to mimic the course here in Lanzarote.”

“This year another focus point has been on nutrition and hydration. The temperature, wind and the long race time make this even more important here. In the ironman block up to the race, race energy/electrolytes and nutrition have been used in a lot of the sessions.”

Q: What mental strategies do you use for Lanzarote’s winds and climbs?

“For the climbs and the wind there is no way around it. You have to prepare to go hard on the climbs but then you get the reward of some rest on the descents. It’s the same for the wind, at some point you will change direction and get a nice push instead of fighting against it.”

Q: What’s your mindset going into this race?

“Going into the race you have to treat the course and conditions with respect, but it is also a course that needs to be attacked in some sections. The course can really be broken up into some good and well defined segments, so it’s just about ticking these off one by one.”

Q: What specific equipment choices have you made for this course?

“Being comfortable on the bike is a must, to deal with the wind and longer bike split when compared to flatter faster courses. Having a cockpit where you feel locked in can help with control and comfort. Also having a slightly lower profile front wheel can help with stability in crosswinds on the course. Hydration set up is also an important part of the gear setup, having enough fluids on-board whilst not losing anything aerodynamically is also very important. The run course is also a challenge with the wind and heat, so a light colored suit and shoes could also be a benefit in keeping core temperature down.”

Q: Which section of the course do you think will be most decisive?

“With a course like this it’s all about keeping enough in the bank during the bike leg to execute a good marathon. This could be in how you deploy your efforts on the bike to keep the momentum going and ‘flatten’ some of the rolling sections, and being comfortable on the descents to recover after a threshold push on the climb.”

With that we end the interview here. I am personally looking forward to follow Matt’s race this year and cross my fingers for a new bike record 😎

If you want to know more about the gear Matt is using for this years race, check out his Gearhub profile.

An image from last years bike split from Matt’s Instragram