#120 - Is Lionel Sanders Retiring?
From Talking Triathlon by Tim Ford
February 20, 2026 · 1h 1m · Episode 120
About this episode
The episode discusses recent triathlon news including Maya Kingma's cycling victory, Lucy Charles-Barclay's surgery, and speculation about Lionel Sanders' potential retirement.
This week we start with a big result for Maya Kingma , who has won her first professional cycling race. After previously talking about triathletes trying to make the jump into cycling, it's a result that feels genuinely significant. We then move to Lucy Charles-Barclay , who has undergone surgery, and where that leaves her as she looks ahead to the rest of the season. From there, the conversation turns to Lionel Sanders . Lionel has suggested this might be his final Kona, which has led many to wonder whether retirement could be closer than expected. As always, even a small comment from Lionel quickly becomes a talking point. We then shift focus to racing in the southern hemisphere, starting with Challenge Wanaka . With both the pro series and T100 kicking off in the south this year, Wanaka is well placed to benefit from that early-season momentum. Next up is the Ironman New Zealand start list, where names like Kristian Blummenfelt , Kat Matthews , and Kyle Smith give the race real weight. We finish the episode by looking ahead to the T100 Gold Coast , and what this season could have in store as the series continues to take shape. For 10% OFF the entire Huub range use the code…
People in this episode
Host: Tim Ford
Topics covered
- Lionel Sanders retirement
- Maya Kingma cycling win
- Lucy Charles-Barclay surgery
- Challenge Wanaka
- Ironman New Zealand
- T100 Gold Coast
Keywords
- Lionel Sanders
- Maya Kingma
- Lucy Charles-Barclay
- Challenge Wanaka
- Ironman New Zealand
- T100 Gold Coast
- triathlon news
Sponsors
Huub
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- #127 - Oceanside 70.3 Catch Up and Crazy Ironman Texas Start List · April 10, 2026 · 1h 2m
- #126 - Kristian Blummenfelt · April 4, 2026 · 1h 4m
- #125 - TUEs in Triathlon · March 27, 2026 · 1h 3m
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