REDISCOVERING JOY: REFLECTING AND LOOKING FORWARD WITH ARTHUR HORSEAU
The New Year gives us the opportunity to reflect on our season and look forward to the next. For pro triathletes, that means assessing your performances, your training, and your equipment, and laying out plans for how you can improve.
The newest pro on the Quintana Roo roster, Arthur Horseau, joined us after a stunning 2023 season, where the young Frenchman won IRONMAN Lanzarote, Embrunman, and placed 6th at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice.
Arthur Horseau (left) with fellow Quintana Roo athletes Matt Hanson and Jenna and Miguel of Freestyle Tri.
Arthur’s 2024 season, however, didn't go quite to plan. He hit a high point in June with a 2nd place finish in IRONMAN Austria, but he also DNF’d at Miami T100, IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz, and the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships. It all culminated with a heartbreaking DNF at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona.
After more than 35 years in the sport, we’ve experienced our fair share of success and disappointment, so we know how down Arthur must have felt when he ended his season with a DNF in Kona. It’s also why we’ve committed to sticking by him and supporting him as he rebuilds himself for the 2025 season. We know what Arthur is capable of, and the most important thing for any athlete, pro or amateur, isn’t how you performed your last race, but what you learn for your next race.
A Look Back at Arthur Horseau’s IRONMAN Kona
After finishing 6th in Nice the previous year, Arthur came to Kona with high expectations. Racing on the Big Island, however, is a bit different than racing on your home turf.
“It was my first time racing in Kona,” Arthur said. “This Island has something magical. It really feels different than anywhere else I’ve raced. The conditions are so tough with the heat and humidity. There is also something with the sun. It just hits you and slowly cooks you down. You really have to be in your best condition to perform there.”
Arthur went to the Big Island 4 weeks prior to the race to get acclimated to the tough conditions. Unfortunately, the long trip from Europe took its toll and he explained that he never felt like himself during his time in Kona. A week before the race, he actually felt ill enough to withdraw from the race. He even messaged our team asking if we knew any doctors on the island.
After a short round of antibiotics, he felt well enough to reenter the race and try his luck. When I saw him at bike drop-off, he looked in good spirits, but it was clear he was nervous about his Kona debut. I had hoped that we might see a miracle. Maybe I’d get an incredible story about Arthur pushing through illness to finish the biggest race of his career. It wasn't to be though. Not long after he rode onto the Queen K, a photographer sent us a photo of Arthur pulled over on the side of the road. His race was over.
“My race went terribly from the start to when I had to pull out,” he said. “I was empty from the beginning of the swim. My body had nothing to give me. It was my slowest swim ever but I was motivated to get on the bike and see how it would go but the symptoms remained the same.
“This sport is so beautiful when the stars align, yet so brutal when nothing goes right. There was no miracle in [the] race; in a way, I’m glad I tried, even though I’m inevitably disappointed to have had to drop out, exhausted.”
Soon after getting the news, Arthur sent us an incredibly apologetic message. He wanted to fight to the finish, but simply couldn’t. I teared up a bit reading it, because I’ve been there myself, and it’s a crushing feeling. You don’t just feel like you’ve let yourself down, but like you've let everyone supporting you down as well.
How do you console someone after such a defeat? Our athlete manager and photographer Jay Prashun knew exactly what to say: “We’re here to support you through it all. Proud of you, Arthur, and excited for the future of your career!”
Rebuilding for 2025 Means Rediscovering Joy
Since Kona, Arthur has been hard at work preparing for the 2025 season. Is he adopting a new training strategy? Is he revamping his diet? Is he becoming more disciplined and detail-oriented? Yes, all of those things. But the biggest thing Arthur wants to improve is his mindset.
“I might have learned more during a month on the Big Island than during my whole pro career,” Arthur said. “I had the chance to witness some amazing battles and inspiring performances that finished late into the night. What a privilege it is to push our bodies to their limits. This is probably what brings me the most happiness. I need to rediscover this joy.”
Joy is key. What’s the point of suffering if you don’t love what you’re doing? There needs to be a reason, beyond winning, to do it in the first place. We compete in triathlons because we love the sport. We love pushing ourselves. We love becoming better than we were before. It sparks joy. But as a pro athlete, when your livelihood depends on results, that joy is easy to lose. Ironically, without joy, results become harder to achieve.
No matter what, you gotta love the grind...
In his quest to rediscover joy in the new year, Arthur has adopted a new motto: “Tot va bé.” Translated, it roughly means “everything is fine” or “all is well.” There are a few ways to interpret this, but I see it as Arthur becoming more process-oriented rather than results-oriented. Instead of stressing about outcomes, he’s starting to focus more on the things he can control—training well, eating well, and living well. Then, if it’s meant to be, it will come.
Overall, it seems to have led to a positive change, because this December, Arthur has been much healthier and happier than he was a few months ago in Kona.
“The search for balance has been my guide following my Hawaiian journey,” Arthur said. “Today, as we say here: Tot va bé. In training, I’m possibly having my best month of the year, both in terms of sensations and raw data.”
Arthur isn’t just working on improving his mind and body, but his bike setup too. He’s been experimenting a lot with the "superman" riding position, different bottle placements, and switching between 1x and 2x drivetrains. This has driven our Lead Product Engineer, Brad Devaney, a bit crazy, but it just shows that Arthur is an athlete that cares about the details.
“I like to tinker a lot,” Arthur explained. “Maybe too much if you ask Brad! I am always thinking about trying to get the best out of my position and components. I definitely want to try to optimize it more for the next season and hope I can test a few ideas in the wind tunnel or on the track with Brad.”
How many triathletes do you know who can do a stoppie on their race bike? Arthur loves to train hard, but he loves to have fun on a bike even more.
“The V-PRi is also just such a great bike. There are no compromises with it and that’s definitely what you need when you have to go as fast as possible. The fact that everything is integrated is a game changer. I can easily refill the hydration system during an IRONMAN and then don’t have to move too much from my aero position. I feel confident on it!”
Arthur’s biggest target next year is the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice. “I really want to bring the best version of myself,” he said.
We’re proud to have Arthur on the Quintana Roo team. He embodies everything we love about triathlon. He’s dedicated, determined, and constantly pursuing self-improvement. I wish him luck and hope he hangs on to his sense of joy, no matter how 2025 goes. Tot va bé, Arthur!
