Nelson Mandela Bay triathlete Alessandro Fanicchi believes his second-place age-group finish at Ironman 70.3 Durban provided an important indication of where he stood ahead of this weekend’s World Championship in Nice, France, on Sunday.
The 19-year-old has adapted his training to the demands of the challenging Nice course, with a particular focus on the bike and improving his ability to run strongly after a hard ride.
Fanicchi said his Durban performance also raised his profile and provided valuable opportunities ahead of his biggest test yet.
“It was very necessary for me because it gave me access to many new competitors, and also put my name on the map as a person who can perform under pressure, especially with Mossel Bay and Durban,” he said.
“It’s put my name on the map quite nicely with the two second-place finishes.”
The biggest adjustment to his programme came on the bike, with Fanicchi moving from the flat and fast training used for Durban to the hills awaiting him in Nice.
“We mainly changed the training with the cycle, going from flat and fast to hilly, because this is quite a difficult course,” he said.
“We focused quite a bit on the bike and the run.
“The run is definitely the point where I needed to improve a lot, especially with pushing hard on the bike and trying to run my best off of it.”
To address that weakness, Fanicchi and coach Lucie Zelenkova incorporated several brick sessions into his programme, helping him become accustomed to running after demanding bike efforts.
“We put in quite a few brick sessions just to get the body used to how it should feel,” he said.
The build-up has also coincided with his matric examinations, with Fanicchi completing his preliminary exams just hours before travelling to France.
“I wouldn’t say I am quite stressed, rather nervous,” he said.
“Especially with me just finishing with prelim exams today [on Tuesday], it’s really put a spanner in the works [in terms of the training and school work balance].
“I was able to push through, and I am definitely looking forward to it and can’t wait to see what I can do at this next stage.”
Fanicchi will share the Nice course with professional triathlete Jamie Riddle, one of his biggest inspirations.
He hopes to meet Riddle during race week, with the possibility of getting a run in together and capturing some videos.
The trip will also be a significant personal milestone, with Fanicchi travelling and staying alone for the first time.
“I won’t have that support system, but I think it’s a very good experience I need to get used to,” he said.
With his 20th birthday falling on September 12, Fanicchi will also get the chance to support the women’s race before taking on his own world championship challenge.
He paid tribute to the sponsors, friends and family whose support made the trip possible.
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