Tayler Reid has a sneaking suspicion he’ll arrive at the start-line of Sunday’s World Triathlon Cup opener in Napier in better-than-usual early season trim. Then again, he’s never felt like this in pre-season training before so doesn’t really know for sure.
For the past 12 years and 126 starts at world and continental level – in other words pretty much his entire career – Reid has remained loyal to one coach, Stephen Sheldrake.
Together, they celebrated Oceania titles through the grades and struck gold at the U23 worlds in 2018 and World Cup Antwerp a year later.
There were Commonwealth Games highs – a Mixed Relay bronze medal on the Gold Coast in 2018 and 8th place individually at Birmingham 2022 – plus a dream Olympic debut in Tokyo where Reid finished 18th.
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Among myriad other successes was a World Championship Mixed Relay silver medal in Hamburg as recently as July 2023.
But now, through a concurrence of unavoidable circumstances neither really wanted, Reid will start his 14th season at elite level (two of his 126 starts technically came in 2012) with a new coaching philosophy ringing in his ears. And he’s liking the new tune.
Like partner Nicole van der Kaay who will also race in Napier, Reid has linked with Ben Reszel, the German who already has long distance Kiwis Braden Currie and Hannah Berry on his books.
After a tiring 2024 punctuated by the disappointment of missing Olympic selection in Paris, the Gisborne 28-year-old has enjoyed his summer refresh at home and getting back in the saddle.
“I think training’s going pretty good but I’ve changed coaches so everything looks a bit different from previous years,” the world No.14 told SBR.
“In the past, the last 12 years I was with Stephen, you get a feeling of how you’re going so maybe from my perspective, it’s a bit harder to judge. But yeah, I’ve just been training pretty much by myself here at Gizzy and I think I’m rolling pretty good.
“Looking forward to finding out if that’s true.”
What’s Reszel changed up?
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Napier Triathlon Festival – Fan Guide
Sunday, Feb. 23
8:00am – Tri NZ Suzuki Series Sprint Championship – Men
8:10am – Tri NZ Suzuki Series Sprint Championship – Women
8:15am – Teams Race
9:35am – Tri NZ Junior Series Final – Men
9:36am – Tri NZ Junior Series Final – Women
9:45am – Napier Tri-er – Men
9:46am – Napier Tri-er – Women
11:15am – World Triathlon Cup Napier – Women
1:15pm – World Triathlon Cup Napier – Men
2:30pm – Medal Ceremony & Prize Giving
Watch live on TVNZ+
ELITE WOMEN – Coverage Starts 11:05am
ELITE MEN – Coverage starts 1:05pm
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“Yeah, it’s hard to explain how different is, but really enjoying it,” Reid said, revealing he’ll bounce up in distance from Napier to contest the Ironman Pro Series opener at 70.3 Geelong on March 23.
“I think we’ve been balancing prepping for Napier and also prepping to do a 70.3, three weeks after, so that’s quite a bit of a change. Everything’s really specific to me, where I’m at with my build, so it’s been cool.”
It wouldn’t matter what shape Reid turned up in, he’s determined to atone for his “terrible, terrible start” to last season when he was 12th in Napier.
If he can pick up from where he left off at the end of last year, that should be a cinch. Reid cast aside the disappointment of being reserve in Paris to secure a third World Cup top 5 of the season in Rome before helping tow Hayden Wilde to victory at the WTCS Grand Final in Torremolinos.
Reid’s reward in Spain was a WTCS best 7th place, matching his result at the Edmonton season finale in 2021.
“I know sometimes it just takes a while to get going like last year, a month later with Taupo [Oceania Cup 2nd] and Wollongong [World Cup 4th]. But yeah, hopefully this year I can get the ball rolling a bit earlier on.”
Reid is seeded second for Sunday, sandwiched behind world No.9 Luke Willian and rising US star John Reed.
He’s also wary of Callum McClusky, the defending champion, and a third Aussie, Brayden Mercer, who underscored his potential with victory in November’s Noosa Triathlon ahead of Reid and Willian.
Spaniard Roberto Sanchez Mantecon will be another name to watch after jetting into Napier fresh from 7th at last weekend’s WTCS season opener in Abu Dhabi.
“Luke, I reckon, had one of the breakout performances on the WTCS circuit. I’ve raced him since I was 16 years old and I’ve always known how good he is, but I feel like he hasn’t really put that onto the world stage before until last year.
“I managed to beat him in Noosa at the end of the year, so that gives me a little bit of confidence. But he’s definitely a danger man.
“Callum didn’t have a great start to his season in Abu Dhabi but obviously won here last year and he’s a really fast runner. Yeah, prefer not to see him in my group on the bike.
“Then you also have the likes of Brayden Mercer, won Noosa last year, young Australian guy, interesting to see where he’s at, he could be an asset to getting a group away on the bike.
“And also the young Kiwi guys, too. They’re probably in some decent form right now, so I feel like it’s going to be quite fun and exciting.”
