Triathlete Blummenfelt wanted to win the 2028 Tour, but: "If I had been good in Paris, I would be a cyclist now"

It was really planned for July: 30-year-old Norwegian triathlete Kristian Blummenfelt, winner of the 2021 Olympic triathlon and record holder of the Iron Man, wanted to switch to cycling—and not just like that, no, but to compete for the top spots in the Tour de France. A few months later, he and his entourage withdrew their decision, which Blummenfelt now talks about in detail for the first time.

Let's return to July for a moment. In the hectic pace of the Tour de France and the Olympics, we suddenly caught a striking message from Norway. Alexander Bu, Blummenfelt's highly acclaimed coach, announced to TV2 that the athlete would focus on WorldTour-level cycling before 2025.

Bu envisioned it all. "We will not cycle to retire but to make a difference. In 2026, we already want to ride the Tour de France. In 2027, we should already be able to go for stage wins. Otherwise, it will be hard to do something magical in 2028. In 2027, we will test ourselves, and then a year later, we will go for the yellow jersey," sounded very ambitious.

Blummenfelt, who reportedly has a very high VO2 Max, longed for the competitiveness of cycling. "I have more drive for that than doing a record test in the lab. Of course, if you break lab records, you can take on others. But the moment you compete with a rival and see him snap like a rubber band makes me feel unbeatable."

Victor Campenaerts already knew Blummenfelt and his coach Bu and shared his opinion at Het Nieuwsblad about the outspoken ambitions at the time. Mentally, they do not know their equals. "If you think I am a professional idiot... Well, I can guarantee everyone that I don't even come close to their heels. I have spoken to many athletes and trainers but never encountered anyone like them," the Belgian said.

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Rumors of switch to cycling did not help Blummenfelt at Olympic Games in Paris

All those good intentions were expressed in July, even before the Paris Olympic triathlon. There, Blummenfelt could not compete for medals, much to the disappointment of himself and his coach. The schedule was rearranged, and instead of cycling, the Norwegian team is focusing on the 2028 Los Angeles Games. "We failed. When you finish 12th in Paris, you have missed out on the project of coming back to shorter distances. That's the harsh reality," Bu said.

Blummenfelt himself reflected on it for the first time in the Rich Roll Podcast. "We mostly looked at opportunities that would arise, but it didn't help my performance in Paris. I wanted to leave the triathlon with a good performance. If I had performed well in Paris, I would have been a road cyclist. 'You shouldn't be afraid of challenges, but I want to finish triathlon well," said Blummenfelt, who doesn't see himself ending up in cycling again. "It was now or never. After Los Angeles, I'll be 34 years old."

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