Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2016 i Triathlon Plus

RACE THIS THE BEST PLACES TO TEST YOURSELF DETAILS What The Foxlake Night Tri When Saturday 24 September (approx 7.30pm) Where Foxlake Adventures Wakeboard Park near Dunbar, East Lothian “COME AND do something spectacularly stupid,” say the organisers of the UK’s only night time triathlon. After getting all 86 racers home alive at the inaugural event last autumn the organisers are back for another go. The location is the picturesque Foxlake Adventures Wakeboard Park, near Dunbar, East Lothian, complete with lakes and woods, not that you’ll see much in the dark, says Durty Events owner and race organiser Paul McGreal, a former GB age-group triathlete and experienced adventure racer (durtyevents.com). Continuing the light-hearted atmosphere racers can earn time “credits” with beers in transition (you can knock up to 90 seconds…

After months of training in the dark, de-icing your socks and fixing punctures, the summer race season is almost here. So it’s time to dust off your triathlon shorts. Providing you’ve been training throughout winter, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy a successful 2016 season right from the word go. The advice here will show you how to do that. We’ll teach you how to avoid classic mistakes so that you perform brilliantly from your first race, right through to the last. No more taking half a dozen events to get into the swing of things – this is the season where you start as you mean to go on.…

OBJECT OF DESIRE How bad is your data obsession? For those serious about crunching the figures, the Verve InfoCrank has to be a major contender, not least because it champions accuracy above all else. The fact that this little know brand is already the power meter of choice for British Cycling should tell you that, when it comes to marginal benefits, this is something special. Integrated into both left and right cranks the Verve InfoCrank measures power in the stiffest area of transmission, eliminating the small inaccuracies that other manufacturers have to accept. It uses ANT+ protocol to easily link live data to your head unit, and the batteries are quick and simple to change in the cranks. Although initially tricky to install as it requires a complete bottom bracket,…

Notes and key The Race List AT THE TIME of going to press, some race details were yet to be confirmed. Before entering a race, or if you can’t find your favourite event here, please contact the organisers for the most up-to-date information. Distances given are: for triathlons, swim/bike/run; for duathlons, run/bike/run; and for aquathlons, swim/run. Swim distances are in metres up to 999, then kilometres. Bike and run distances are in kilometres unless otherwise stated, with ‘M’ denoting distances are in miles. MAY SATURDAY 21 MAY SNOWDONIA SLATEMAN TRIATHLON Distance: various Llanberis, Wales, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 4UR alwaysaimhighevents.com SATURDAY 21 & SUNDAY 22 MAY NUFFIELD HEALTH ETON SUPERSPRINTS Distance: 400m/21.2km/5km Eton Dorney Lake Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 6QP humanrace.co.uk SUNDAY 22 MAY PORTHCAWL STANDARD DISTANCE TRIATHLON Distance: 1500m/40k/10k Coney Beach,…

THE BIKE TEST Bikes on test TREK EMONDA ALR 5 £1,100 GIANT DEFY 1 £899 AOMORI .003 £1,000 Tech talk Alloy In bike terms, this refers to aluminium alloys normally in the 2, 6 or 7000 series range. Bottom bracket The bearings that the chainset spins on. Cassette The selection of different sized cogs (11 in the case of 105) that slide onto the grooved freehub barrel on the back wheel to provide different gears for climbing, cruising or sprinting. Chainset The cranks and chainrings that turn the chain round when you press on the pedals screwed into their tips. Dual pivot Brake design that uses two pivots and longer overlapping calliper arms to increase leverage and power compared to a single, central pivot design. Mech Abbreviation of gear mechanism…

WHAT IS THE PLATEAU EFFECT? Look at someone who is new to triathlon. With the correct training frequency this athlete will improve very quickly and they will see big speed and strength improvements in a relatively short space of time. Then, the improvement rate slows down and the athlete plateaus as they continue on the same training pattern and routine. To repeat an old adage: if you continue to do the same things, you’ll get the same results. A training cycle on repeat will only bring improvements for a certain period of time, before your body adapts to the training and you plateau. OVERCOMING IT Change your training cycle every six to eight weeks, using each cycle to place a different focus on your improvement. Look at your training in…

In recent years, the focus of front crawl swim technique has gone from the emphasis of reaching and stretching at the front of the stroke to high arm speed/cadence. Both techniques can result in over exaggeration of the stroke, which has a detrimental effect on swim speed and stamina. The reaching and stretching at the front of the stroke can result in many people over gliding, causing elbows to drop and dead spots in the stroke to appear, breaking up momentum production and rhythm. Conversely, the most recent trend of developing a high cadence with the arms, featuring an early catch at the front of the stroke, has resulted in many triathlon swimmers missing out the front and back of the stroke. This has the appearance of the arms acting…

THE BEST PLACES TO TEST YOURSELF YOU DID IT DETAILS What The Harlech Triathlon When 3 April Where Harlech, North Wales Fancy it? Next event: Keswick Mountain Festival keswickmountain festival.co.uk THE RACE: AT A GLANCE Sprint triathlon and 2016 National Sprint Duathlon Championships Triathlon: Starters: 201 Finishers: 200 Duathlon: Starters: 43 Finishers: 43 Weather: Mild; light wind, late morning sunshine and a few drops of early light rain. Temperatures 7º rising to 15º Distance: 400m swim; 21km bike; 5k run Goodies: Slate medal, free bacon butty and hot drink Race age: 15 years Distinguishing features: 200 cliff step climb to finish line inside the 13th Century Castle Keep WINNERS Triathlon Phil Ellison 1:02:06 Helen Marshall 01:10:34 Duathlon Dylan Griffiths 1:05:50 Jasmine Bowyer 1:15:35 I DID IT! REPORT FROM THE FRONT…

This water carrier quote was made famous by football manager Didier Deschamps in reference to Eric Cantona, one of football’s biggest stars in the 1990s and best known for his revival of Manchester United Football Club. Even with my limited knowledge of football, I know that Eric Cantona was at the forefront of football prestige. His role in leading his team to premiership victory; he was an instrumental piece of the puzzle in creating the powerhouse that became Manchester United. So how is this football-related quote relevant to triathlon? Because, in my eyes, to use a similar adage, behind every great person lies a team of great people. No one can claim success is a sole venture, and if they try to they are blinkered or deluded. Eric Cantona was…

ACHING JOINTS AND MUSCLES Calcium may be the main player when it comes to bone building, regeneration and joint flexibility but that’s only part of the story. To ensure the calcium derived from your diet is efficiently absorbed into bones and joints you also need to attain and maintain good levels of the minerals, magnesium, copper, zinc, boron and manganese, vitamins C, B6, D3 and K2 and Omega fats. It’s a lengthy list and it’s all too easy to get tied in knots in a bid to ensure you pack them all into a day. Here are a few meal and snack suggestions that encourage good levels of many or all of the above, and take the pain out of the process. FOOD FIX: ● Super breakfast: Two Omega 3-rich…

FAST FOOD TO FIX YOUR BODY FUEL YOUR RACE Bloodwise Blenheim Palace Triathlon entrants get 25% off Mindful Chef in the build up to the event. WHITE FISH is generally high in protein and minerals depending on the source. It is low in fat, carbohydrates and saturated fats and cholesterol. While not an oily fish, it's a great addition to any healthy diet and pollock is no exception. Pollock is an excellent source of low fat protein that provides good amounts of amino acids – the building blocks of all of your protein structures including haemoglobin in the blood, enzymes, muscles and all cells. Fish is a grade 1 protein of high biological value. This means itʼs a complete protein, which provides all the essential amino acids (that cannot be…

RIBBLE AERO TT BRAND NEW BIKES PUT THROUGH THEIR PACES “Deep-section wheels might not be the quickest off the mark, but once rolling at speed they carry it well” 1 FIRST RIDE The sharply shaped forks, aerodynamic frame tubes give the impression of aggression. Rolling downhill allows a huge amount of speed to be picked up, then carried into the valley floor, although a gale force crosswind unsettles the 50mm deep section rims. The bike urges you to churn a 53-12 gear for as long as possible, such is the comfort provided by all three contact points. 2 FAST RIDE Although there’s comfort in abundance, the Aero TT can also hustle with the best of them. With a stout, 120mm head-tube and a further 30mm of spacers, it’s easy to…

Developing leg strength/power on the bike is very important to help increase cycling speed. A great way to do this is by using the overgearing technique. THE THEORY Overgearing is like doing weights training in the gym, but is even more cycling specific as you are actually on your bike developing the exact muscle fibres used for cycling, which will increase your strength, power output and efficiency when on the bike. The bottom line is, if triathletes put out more power by turning a larger gear with a similar cadence to their normal gearing, it will result in faster speed. At Hampstead Tri, we ride certain routes on a regular basis which gives us a relatively stable platform to compare our efforts out in the real world. ON THE ROAD…

Navigating the transition area can be very tricky. And with races around the country becoming bigger each year, the bigger the transition areas become too. Transition is a skill that if practised well can save a lot of time and stress. A smooth transition is the key to setting you up for a great bike or run leg. With your aim to get through transition as smoothly and as efficiently as possible, it can be daunting when most events only allow you to set up your transition area on the morning of the race. Follow these steps to help you navigate the transition area and ensure you have a smooth and speedy transition. ARRIVE EARLY Firstly, get to the race venue about two hours before your race start time to…

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GET YOUR MONTH OFF TO A FLYER IT WAS A scene to melt the hardest of hearts: a victorious but empathetic Helen Jenkins consoling a sobbing Jodie Stimpson at the Gold Coast finish line. The long-running battle for the final slot of the women’s Olympic triathlon team was finally over and, sadly, there could only ever be one winner. Standing on the start line, both athletes knew the next two hours would be lifechanging. Stimpson was fired up from two successive wins at Abu Dhabi and Mooloolaba (which, unfortunately, didn’t count towards selection) and a yearning to make the Olympics after disappointment in 2012. Jenkins, on the other hand, insists she had long given up hope of ever making Rio and, after years of injury, just…

WHAT DISCOVERY WORLD TRIATHLON CAPE TOWN WHEN 24 APRIL WHERE CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA FANS AND RACERS are used to seeing the tri-colours of Team GB on the podium of this iconic ITU event and this year’s sprint was no exception. The unstoppable Non Stanford not only snatched gold confidently, but hinted she had far more to offer in terms of winning performances. Flora Duffy (BER) struck out ahead from the off on “probably her best race to date”. She later explained on Twitter that her tactical “great swim” (which involved taking a different line to the rest of the field) was down to South African athlete Dan Hugo, “Starting far left = sheltered from the ongoing current,” she tweeted. The solid cyclist held her lead throughout the bike leg…

SECRETS OF SUCCESS ON A ROLL JACQUI SLACK Age 33 Occupation Former firefighter now elite athlete Home Splits time between Australia and Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Career highlights Representing GB at elite and cross triathlon; 4th at the World Cross Championships last year; top 10 finishes in Xterra and World Cross Championships; nine Xterra World Tour race victories; Asia Pacific Tour Champion 2015; winner Windsor Triathlon 2012 I STARTED swimming for a local club aged eight and reached national standards by the age of 14. However, after injuring my back lifting weights it took a year for doctors to diagnose slipped discs. By then I’d had too much time out to return. After school, I worked in a leisure centre and supported colleagues at the Bala Triathlon doing a relay. Seeing these…

WHAT CHALLENGE FUERTEVENTURA WHEN 23 APRIL WHERE PLAYITAS, FUERTEVENTURA, CANARY ISLANDS GBR’s Will Clarke was chuffed with his second place finish, just 35 seconds behind winner Andi Boecherer, and hopes it’s the start of his best season ever. Clarke said later his performance at Fuerteventura has brought his “confidence back where it needs to be to be successful in this game. This was a training race and a process goal for me heading into Ironman Brazil next month”. However, it wasn’t easy. After an impressive performance on the bike (last year, he never made the lead pack) he had to battle fatigue on the run. But after easing back and reviving himself with coke – and water tipped over his head – he was soon firing again on all cylinders,…

Sometimes just pure passion and emotion is enough. Add in total commitment, pride and an absolute need to do it, to do that thing that makes you tick, that makes you the person that you are. The Finnish have a word for it, and that word is “sisu”. There is no immediate translation into the English language but it roughly equates to a mixture of: “never say die, “guts and determination”, “tough it out”, “lay it on the line”. I’m sure you get the picture. It’s something that can’t be coached from the literature, analysed from past videos or calculated by looking at the stats from training sessions. It’s just that special something that takes you beyond excellence into a new level of performance; perhaps outstanding gets close but it…

LOOK AFTER YOUR SUIT DO Put your suit on slowly and carefully to avoid damage and allow adjustment. Correct positioning of the arms and legs (pull towards the body) means more room in the trunk. Use a towel or mat on rough ground. DON’T Put a suit on when you or the suit are wet because it will stick to your body and you’ll need more force to get it on, resulting in finger nail nicks and potential tears. Plus it will be impossible to get the right fit. DO Take care with sharp fingernails, rings and watches – especially when pulling the suit up over the hips and shoulders. Wear cotton gloves for extra protection. DON’T Hang your suit on ordinary hangers or wire coathangers. Opt for wetsuit-specific hangers…

ABOUT THE CLUB Our club philosophy is to train as a team to get the best out of each other, with an inclusive atmosphere for triathletes of all abilities, which helps give the club its friendly and family-like atmosphere. That’s not to say the club is without high performers. Two club members have qualified for Ironman World Championships in Hawaii for 2016 and 2017. We also have a number of members who have represented GB at age-group level and we will have a few who will be competing in the European and World Triathlon Championship this year including Daniel Bingham, Sion Parry, Lisa Festerling, Brit Tate, Alex Marzec and Nick Brough. Hampstead Triathlon Club was the top ranked UK club in the Ironman Tri Club program for 2015, and the…