Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2016 i Triathlon Plus

WHITE NIGHTS, blood-red skies and round-the-clock sunshine play a starring role in this spectacular iron-distance race. Racers can look forward to a very early start, setting off for the swim in Lake Vasara, Gällivare, at the stroke of midnight. Despite the northern locations, water temperatures in Lake Vasara are a balmy 16-20 C degrees for the 3,860km swim. However air temperatures will vary from 10 degrees (night time) to 20 degrees C in the daytime. The simplest bike route ever (just one right turn at 40km, then straight on till dawn) to Ritsem means racers are surrounded by snow-capped mountains and world heritage wildlife with the chance of glimpsing reindeer, moose and even bears. Finally, the 42.2 km run towards Stora Sjöfallet promises spectacular lakeside and mountain views. Getting there…

Aflight, then officials and helpers everywhere as they came through the airport. Signs, voices shouting, smiling; everywhere the colourful uniforms of the volunteers. “Come here; stand there; do this; just wait a minute please.” On the coach next, looking and pointing along with being looked at and pointed at. Athletes, different accents, Portuguese words, smiling, gesticulating, waving, shouting again, smiling again. Queuing for accreditation for the village, queue for this, queue for that; meal tickets, passes. And then they were through, into the village. Small blocks of fl ats in the residential section, not unlike a new, modern housing estate in a British commuter town. The British team together side by side with the Venezuelans, Mexicans, Swiss; the Northern and Southern hemispheres mixed in the world’s melting pot that is…

Bikes on test MERLIN CORDITE ULTEGRA £1,399* PLANET-X EC130-E RIVET RIDER £1,499.99* FUJI TRANSONIC 2.7 £1,199* Tech talk BB30 Bottom bracket design based around oversize bearings and a 30mm (rather than conventional 24mm) diameter axle. Di2 Shimano’s electrically operated shifting system that requires specific battery mounts in/on the frame or inside the seat post as well as wiring holes on the frame. Direct mount Gears or brakes that are bolted directly onto the frame for greater stiffness and operating accuracy than a separate mounting bracket Direct sales A brand that is only available direct through the distributor or their own shops rather than a local independent bike shop. Flush fit Clamp or other fixture embedded into the surface of the frame to reduce drag. Open mould A frame design that…

£1,199* (full price £1,499) evanscycles.com Can Fuji deliver an impressive performance at cost? WE TESTED the Transonic 2.5 as a Four ride preview earlier this year and really liked it, so including the even more affordable 105 equipped 2.7 in this test was a no-brainer. FRAME AND FORKS The great news is you’re getting the same aero sculpted frame shape as the rest of the Transonic range. That means while the 2 series bikes use a more affordable C5 rather than C10 carbon fibre mix that adds a bit of weight, it looks the same to the wind. It’s a comprehensively shaped chassis too. The direct mounted front brake is embedded into the top of the tapered leg forks, which flow smoothly into the broadly rounded down-tube and equally fat…

Race pace judgement without technology is vital in triathlon, especially when it comes to the run. You need to manage your own fatigue and ultimate ability, so you can arrive at the finish line without blowing up. Many of us rely heavily on our gadgets for a race strategy that relies on pacing, but what do we do if they don’t work on race day, or if we don’t have access to these gadgets? Race pace or threshold interval sessions are an ideal opportunity to work on your ‘feel’ for your running pace. These sets are split into your individual target race distance, to help you learn to feel your pacing with each race requirement. WARM UP: 10mins • Easy running, regular stretching as appropriate to individual needs • Increase…

Swimming in triathlon involves a lot of time spent at your critical swim speed; the speed that you can hold before lactic acid begins to build up in your muscles and inhibit performance. As a result, it’s a valuable intensity in which to train and race – allowing you to maximise your aerobic capacity without burning out before the bike and run stints hit hard. Maintaining your ability to function at this level while at the same time perfecting your open water ability is a great multitasking skill to be able to perform. Here’s one of Ocean Lake Tri’s favourite sets that’ll help you perfect your skills at your critical swim speed, including deep water starts and turns. WARM UP: 400m (change stroke for 1 length every 4th length) MAIN…

THE BEST PLACES TO TEST YOURSELF DETAILS What: DATEV Challenge Roth When:17 July 2016 Where: Roth, Germany Fancy it? Sunday 9 July 2017. See challenge-roth. com for details THE RACE AT A GLANCE Organised by: Challenge Family Starters: 3,173 Finishers: 2,931 Weather: slightly cloudy, no wind; 22 degrees Distance: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run Goodies: Medal, finisher T-shirt, backpack, cap, Erdinger glass Distinguishing Features: One of the oldest and biggest triathlons in the world with 180,000 spectators lining the route and carrying cyclists along Beer Mile and up Solar Hill in noisy Tour de France style WINNERS Jan Frodeno 7:35:39 (new world record) Daniela Ryf 8:22:04 I DID IT! REPORT FROM THE FRONT LINE ANDREW OGLANBY Age 37 From Dearham, West Cumbria. Finish time: 11:19:47 I…

Whether you’re a seasoned triathlete looking to improve your time, build on your general strength and conditioning or a sprint novice hoping to gain better stamina and endurance, this bespoke circuit offers a full body workout including strength and conditioning, lower body, upper body, core, heart rate maintenance, stamina, and cardio; all of which are great cross-training tools to enable you to pace yourself throughout any triathlon. DURATION: 45 mins Work/rest ratio: W: 90 sec R: 30 sec x 2 rounds HR zone: 65-70% Maximum Heart Rate Focus: Stamina. Steady heart rate maintenance Intensity: Moderate If you do not have a heart rate device, you should feel reasonably comfortable and be able to maintain a very short conversation. WARM UP: Pulse raiser: • Skips, high knees, heel kicks, jumping jacks…

Morton’s neuroma is the most common of the benign neuromas that can develop in a foot. More simply put it is a build up of fibrous tissue around a nerve in the ball of the foot usually between the second and third, or third and fourth toe. It is the result of a complex change in biomechanics of the foot, irritating the nerve and causing a variety of symptoms including pain, tingling/numbness between the toes or the feeling of a small stone being in your shoe (but not actually being there). It can affect either one or both feet. Common risk factors include wearing pointed shoes, chronic foot issues (bunions, flat feet etc) or repetitive impact exercise like running. impact exercise like running. Symptoms are likely to get worse as…

1 FIRST RIDE It’s particularly easy to get a comfortable set-up straight off the bat, but be aware that Ceepo’s sizing comes up compact. The size M Ceepo has a 520mm top-tube, while there’s adjustability in the solid Deda bars. The carbon seatpost and accompanying wedge are particularly easy to adjust. It responds well to pedal and steering input, and boasts a stable ride all-round. 2 FAST RIDE On balance, it’s fair to say the Venom wouldn’t be our first choice for a sprint tri, mostly due to its Shimano RS010 wheelset; durable but not racy. Their budget Ultrasport tyres don’t offer the least rolling resistance possible, either. However fitting your own set of race wheels to this frameset (available separately for £1,500) would create a cracking race bike. 3…

£1,399* (full price £1,999) merlincycles.com A trusted brand, but will the Cordite impress our testers? MERLIN HAS been selling direct at great prices for over two decades as well as running a ‘proper’ bike shop at their Lancashire HQ. But does the explosively named Cordite deliver a dynamite performance on the trail? FRAME AND FORKS The Cordite is a conventional all-rounder chassis rather than overtly aerodynamic. Features like the slim, wind cheating fork and internalised cable routing keep it efficient at speed. The bold black and red graphics accentuate features like the stiffening ridges down the length of the fork and the dual diameter head-tube. This creates a shelf that extends upwards and backwards along the sharp edged top-tube and then down into the slim A-frame seatstays. The chainstays swell…

As race day gets closer you will need to start thinking about your nutritional plan as much as your race plan; especially for those racing longer distances. An ineffective nutritional strategy can impact on your performance, therefore negating a lot of the hard work you have put in to get you to the start line. To help you formalise that plan, you need to practise; experimenting to find out what works for you individually;. THE FACTS The latest science suggests that we need to consume 1g of carbohydrate, our body’s preferred energy source, per minute of exercise. A combination of glucose and fructose can help aide carbohydrate transportation and uptake in the body, and increase potential intake up to 1.5g per minute. THE ADVICE Therefore, in training, try to use…

Running effectively off the bike is a huge challenge for many triathletes. As easy as it is to train brick sessions, assuming that simple back-toback sessions will ease your transition is only half the story. At Ocean Lake Tri, we perfect our muscular transition from bike to run by incorporating intensive transition sessions. This session employs some muscular transition activation strategies, which will simulate as much as possible the running action for the last couple minutes on the bike to activate different muscles, which you will need for the run leg. To do this we reduce cadence to around 80rpm but maintain power output. Then, a shorter than usual run stride with higher cadence for short period follows, which again activates the run muscles as quickly as possible, allowing you…

WHAT RIO OLYMPICS WHEN 18 AUGUST 2016 WHERE COPACABANA W hen the triumphant, exhausted Brownlee brothers reached out for each other on the finish line of the Rio Olympics, the world’s media was desperate to know what was said. “We’re not quite sure who said what,” said Alistair. “But basically it was ‘we’ve done it.’” And they certainly had. The unbeatable siblings from Leeds had achieved the impossible – defending and bettering their achievements from London 2012. Alistair had claimed a rare place in triathlon history, not only as the first athlete to win two gold medals in the triathlon event, but the first to do so at successive Olympic Games, while Jonny had bettered his bronze from 2012 to claim silver. Their victories left fans delighted and fellow athletes,…

HANNAH DREWETT Age 23 Home Salisbury Occupation Professional triathlete Career highs Qualifying for the GB under-23 team in 2014 and 2015; bronze at Liverpool Tri 2014; 1st Castle Howard 2014; first out of the swim at Challenge Rimini 2016 (9th pro woman overall); 1st at the Equalizer Triathlon 2016 and Castle Cholmondeley 2016 WHEN I WAS 11 YEARS old I won a swim scholarship to Kelly College in Devon. I went when I was 13, but in the end boarding wasn’t for me and I returned home after one year. It was three years before I took swimming seriously again at the age of 17. This time I concentrated on front crawl, discovering I was good over long distances. In 2011, I saw TV coverage of an ITU race at…

WHEN: 7 AUGUST 2016 WHERE: DOCKLANDS, LONDON WINNERS: DAVID BISHOP (GBR) 1:45:13 CHARLOTTE MCSHANE (AUS) 1:56:33 David Bishop had the race of his life at the 20th AJ Bell London Triathlon, climbing two places on the podium to take gold, following his third place fi nish in last year’s edition. Last year’s runner-up Liam Lloyd, who had been hoping to take this year’s title after being pipped at the post last summer by Australian Peter Kerr, missed out on a podium spot by fi nishing sixth. And in the women’s elite race it was Australian Charlotte McShane – last year’s runner up to Helen Jenkins – who took victory over GB racers including Jess Learmonth, Lucy Hall and India Lee. Many spectators had been eagerly looking forward to seeing Jodie…

Wouldn’t it be cool to overlay a video of your bike ride with your Strava stats? Well that’s what the designers at Cycliq decided. Based on their successful Fly6, a rear light with HD camera, the Cycliq 12 offers a combination of full HD camera and front light, which not only makes you more visible to other road users, it also records the action ahead. This new model has a powerful 400 lumen light, and with up to 12 different flash and brightness settings, it’s dazzling enough to light up even the darkest of roads. The lighting comes in handy when using the unit’s built-in 1080p camera, negating the need for a second device. It all attaches to the bars via a neat mount that clips around most standard handlebars,…

Let’s face it, nobody enters triathlons because they’re easy. We all accept it’s a tough sport and that aching legs are to be expected. At the same time if your legs get too sore during a race it’ll reduce you to a shuffl e when you should be running strongly to the fi nish line. So how can you avoid this happening to you? Here are three tricks to help reduce heavy legs and muscle pains, so you can swim, bike and run faster and in greater comfort. SWIM ARE YOU AN OVER-KICKER? If you have a strong and propulsive kick when you swim it could be that you’re an over-kicker. This is a common stroke issue that is characterised not only by a very dominant leg kick but a…

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. SEPTEMBER SUNDAY 11 SEPTEMBER COTSWOLDS END OF SEASON STANDARD TRI Distance: standard Ashton Keynes, Wiltshire eventslogicsw.co.uk THE 25TH DERBY TRIATHLON Distance: super sprint Etwall Leisure Centre, Derby, Derbyshire, DE65 6HZ pma-racing.co.uk CHELTENHAM TRIATHLON 2016 Distance: super sprint Sandford Parks Lido, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, sandfordparkslido.org.uk THE BRIGHTON & HOVE…

Buying hydration drinks WHAT TO LOOK FOR Packaging It sounds trivial but it was a huge factor for our testers. Sachets are great for on-the-go energy – but the priciest option. Jumbo pouches are great if the seals work and you’re going to use it all by the sell-by date. Mixing Are there clear instructions? Does it come with a scoop that fits your water bottle neck, and does it measure accurately? Finally, does the powder dissolve easily or leave lumps and sediment? Energy source Check the label for the sources of carbohydrate. Glucose, fructose and sucrose are simple sugars, quickly broken down. Maltodextrin is more complex so is slightly harder to break down but lasts longer. Extra ingredients Some drinks have extras like amino acids, protein, vitamins, and minerals…

£1,499.99* (full price £1,999.99) planetx.co.uk A versatile bike that will see you comfortably round any ride IF YOU know your cycling folklore you’ll know that a rivet rider is someone who always sits themselves right on the nose of their saddle (where the securing rivet used to be on old leather saddles). Planet-X’s aero profiled EC-130E is a much less brutal and more versatile machine than its name would suggest. Correct sizing is crucial to get a good fit though FRAME AND FORKS It’s clear even from pictures that this bike is designed to make light work of going fast. The carbon fork uses deep tips and an extended aero section that extends back slightly over the wheel to coincide with a notch in the down-tube. The hard moulded head-tube…