Xavier Le Floch Claims His First Ironman Title

Kevin Mackinnon caught up with the men's winner of Lotto Ironman Malaysia

Going into this year's Lotto Ironman Malaysia race, it would have been logical to predict that France's Xavier Le Floch would likely claim third place in the competitive field. Third is a spot he's all too familiar with. There were two third place finishes at the ITU World Long Course Championships in 2005 and 2003. In 2005 he finished third in Monaco and, you guessed it, third at Ironman South Africa.

Nothing could have been further from the truth on the hot day in Langkawi in February, though. A patient race strategy through the ride, followed by an impressive run, netted the 33-year-old his first major title.

“It’s my first big victory,” said Xavier Le Floch after the race in Malaysia. “In a long race it becomes very much a mental battle. It’s all in the head.”

Le Floch found himself riding with a group of men through the bike, and contrary to what he’s experienced in the past, he felt remarkably comfortable.

“I was very calm during the bike,” he said. “I stayed in the first or second position. I was very confident. I felt peaceful on the bike – the people behind me seemed to be working so hard.”

“Normally the bike isn’t my best discipline,” he continued. “This winter I trained a lot of things in my training – it helped. I changed my position, my bike shoes, my bike.”

All those changes obviously helped. Coming off the bike, he told his family and friends that he felt that this could be his day. He patiently cruised towards the front of the race, leaving former champion Bryan Rhodes in his wake and gradually catching up to Australia’s Mitch Dean. Once Le Floch took the lead, all that was left between him and his first Ironman win was a determined charge by Andrew Johns, one which Le Floch answered by picking up the pace himself.

Now it’s off to Kona, where a “top ten would be fantastic,” Le Floch said just minutes after his big race. Based on the way he dealt with both the challenging conditions and the competitive field in Malaysia, a top ten at the Ford Ironman World Championship sounds pretty realistic.

You may contact Kevin Mackinnon at kmackinnon@ironman.com