Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2015 i Triathlon Plus

JESS LEARMONTH Age 26 Day job Elite triathlete Career highlights 3rd, 2014 Madrid ETU Triathlon European Cup;3rd, 2014 British Sprint Triathlon Championships; 1st, FrenchGrand Prix-Metz; 5th, elite race at Blenheim Triathlon, 2013 FROM A YOUNG age I swam for City Of Leeds Swimming Club. Once I quit at the age of 16 I had a long break from exercise. I dabbled in football for a few years before turning to cycling and triathlon after an injury put a stop to football. I did a charity triathlon at work. I loved it and decided it was time to get fit and do some more! My first race was a mini triathlon organised by work. I borrowed my dad's bike and took it way too seriously! I did well in local events…

FAMED FOR its football, friendly inhabitants and of course, the Fab Four, Liverpool has been gaining a reputation as a tri destination forthe last two years, This summer, triathlon returns to the city's historic waterfront as Tri Liverpool welcomes 1,500 triathletes back to its docks. With the action condensed into a day of racing, rather than spread over a weekend as it originaliywas, there will be plenty going on for athletes and spectators alike. Every ability level is catered for, with distances ranging from 'beginner' (400m/lOian/2.5km) to sprint (7S0m/20km!Skm) up to the full Olympic distance (I.Skm/40km/l0km). There's also a sprint relay option for any nervous newbies wanting to get involved. The racing begins with a swim in the Wapping and Queens Docks before the long, wide bike loop takes competitors…

You've spent months now slogging it out in your local swimming pool, getting stronger and improving your front crawl technique, and now it's time to get outside and start your open-water training. You might be wondering how all that swimming up and down neat lanes is going to translate into open-water speed, but don't worry. Everything you've done is relevant - you just need a bit of fine-tuning in open water to make yourself as race ready as possible. THE SLOW LANE = RACE STARTS One of the trickiest skills to master for a tri race is the deep-water stan, where you'll need to float as horizontally as possible at the start line waiting for the klaxon to sound. If you haven't practised sculling in the pool, the easiest way…

“You’ve got to do it wholeheartedly, no gimmicks – it’s about hard work” As Simon Router crossed the line at Dorney Lake with his team-mates last summer, you could have been forgiven for thinking he'd won the Olympics rather than a relay triathlon. But for Simon, 38, the victory was not about beating others. He'd lost 6Skg in the run-up to reaching that finish line, having finally decided that 180kg was just too much for his Sft 7ins frame. "I was so heavy that we didn't have any scales that could weigh me," he says. Simon had never been small-though he was a good sportsman - but years of hard work as a music teacher and musician leaving little time for healthy meals meant he gradually gained weight. It wasn't…

£2,300 bianchi.com “With a shorter head-tube than the other bikes here, the Bianchi has a lower, more connected to the ground feel” CLASSIC ITALIAN bike manufacturer Bianchi makes a whole range of road bikes including several in the comfort oriented C2C range. The direct equivalent to the other bikes here - the carbon-framed Infinito CV Ultegra - costs a cool £4,100 though. That means we decided to look at the distinctively smooth Sempre Pro Ultegra to see how mileage friendly a more racey option can be. FRAME AND FORKS Bianchi might have made its legendary name with steel bicycles since 1885 but its current carbon frames are as up to date as anyone's. The Sempre Pro uses a mOllocoque moulded mainframe to give particularly smooth lines that flow from the…

£2,599 giant-bicycles.com THE ALL new Defy Advanced Pro is a beautifully minimalist, lightweight all-day disc bike but its ride character is more about cold efficiency than friendly float compared to the other 'comfort' hikes here. FRAME AND FORKS With its bold block of red on black colourway, the Defy is a striking looking bike straight away. The OverDrive 2 front end with its oversized fork top and matching stem plus 86mm wide PowerCore bottom bracket build a very stiff and race bike light frame. The top-tube, seat-tube and seatpost use a flat backed 'D' section designed to let them flex to absorb shock. The seatstays are particularly flat to allow vertical flex but splayed wide to stop side-to side sway with the disc brake tucked neatly into the bottom corner…

Good swimming technique is so crucial, and so lacking in so many of us, that it's easy to focus almost exclusively on that and ignore the need to build power into your ever-improving front crawl stroke. We're not going to suggest that you abandon all those drills, but building up the strength you need to swim faster is as simple as adding a few minutes of exercises to your day or swapping in a few lengths of different strokes to a session - so why wouldn't you do it? Here are five straightforward ways to start building up your swimming strength. 1 PUSH-UPS A few years ago we asked lronman world champion and super-swimmer Leanda Cave how to get stronger at swimming, and push-ups was her first response. We all…

TRIATHLON WILL REACH a wider audience than ever this summer thanks to the expansion of Triathlon England's GO TRI scheme, a series of beginner-friendly, low-cost events aimed at welcoming new participants to the sport. First piloted in 2013, GO TRI is designed to provide an easy-access route into triathlon, with distances starting from 100m swim, 2.5km bike and 1km run. During 2014, more than 150 GO TRI events were organised throughout the UK. This summer the series will expand and a new website, gotti.org, offers potential triathletes a useful portal for information on the series and the sport, as well as an area to log training and share experiences. Rob Bishop, Triathlon England's GO TRI Events Manager said: "Triathlon England recognised the need to introduce an entry level option for…

Elite results Top 3 men 1. Tim Reed (AUS) 3:49:53 2. Leon Griffin (AUS) 3:50:23 3. Cameron Brown (NZL) 3:51:18 Top 3 women 1. Meredith Kessler(USA) 4:20:11 2. Gina Crawford (NZL) 4:23:32 3. Amelia Watkinson (NZL) 4:26:17 WHEN18 JANUARY WHERE AUCKLAND, NEWZEALAND WINNERS TIMREED(AUS)3:49:53;MEREDITKESSLER(USA)4:20:11 THERE WERE some familiar faces at Ironman 70.3 Auckland, which doubled as the Asia-Pacific Championships for the distance this year. For Aussie Tim Reed,it was third time lucky as he bettered his eighth and fifth place previous finishes with the top spot on the podium. Coming out of the water, he'd been trailing by a minute behind host nation athlete Dylan McNiece, but he hung on to the lead pack on the bike and was able to stay in touch through T2. Reed took to the…

TOP RACERS routinely contort themselves into whatever shape gives them the lowest drag in the wind tunnels and end up riding sketchy handling aero bikes and painfully deep section wheels to try and get as aerodynamically efficient as possible. There's no denying that a proper aero bike and tri-bars will potentially get you from T1 to T2 faster than anything else either. The vast majority of riders at most longhaul events are just there to try and complete the bike leg feeling as fresh and fatigue free as possible. A comfortable, confidence inspiring bike is also a great companion for the heavy training loads of spring of if you're mixing your tri events with some long-distance sportives or just enjoying epic days out. Right now there's as much technology being…

£2,500 evanscycles.com THE ITALIAN phrase for long distance events might give the BMC it's romantic sounding name but it's being forged on the epic, cobbled farm road races of northern Europe that makes this Swiss machine such an outstallding blend of smoothness and speed. FRAME AND FORKS BM C is never shy of a structural statement and the Granfondo is no exception. The full carbon forks are angled at the tips before deepening dramatically at the crown. Vast geometric head-tube, down-tube and chainstays contrast with a skinny seat tube and flat wishbone seatstays. Unlike the GF02 the GFOl gets BMC's top Tuned Compliance Concept Pure carbon with full carbon dropouts. Dual Transmission integration means both mechanical or electric shifting can be seamlessly catered for and the front brake hose disappears…

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'tfind your favourite event here, please contact the organisers forthe most up-to-date information, Distances given are: fortriathlons, swim/bike/run; for duathlons, run/bike/run; and foraquathlons, swim/run, Swim distances are in metres upto 999, then kilometres, Bike and run distances are in kilometres unless otherwise stated, with 'M' denoting distances are in miles, MARCH SUNDAY 1 MARCH FROSTY AQUATHLON Distance 400/5; 800/10 Venue Inspire Littlehampt on Pool, West Sussex BN16 2NA Price £22 BTF/ £25 Non -BTF tuff-fitty.co.uk INTRTRI ST DAVIDS AQUATHLON Distance TBC Venue Plascrug Leisure Centre, Aberystwcyth, Dyfed SY23 1HL Price TBC intrtri.co.uk GO TRI AQUATHLON CANNOCK Distance 250jlM Venue Chase Leisure Centre,…

Everyone loves spring, but triathletes more than most. The days are longer, lighter and warmer, just in time to start building up your training volume and working in some speedwork ahead of earlyseason races. All this extra training ought to make us stronger, but sometimes it has the opposite effect, putting a strain on our bodies and causing us to succumb to illness just when we should be peaking for our first races. Of course, planning in careful and gradual increases in training, as well as plenty of genuine rest and recovery time, is the best way to ensure you don't become ill, but you can also use a sensible diet to help shore up your natural defences. Recent research from the University of Aust ria has shown that probiotics…

There is a saying in swimming: "It's not about how many metres you do, but what you do with those metres". With this in mind, we designed this six-week plan to make you a faster swimmer. However, it'll require a different approach to most of the other training plans we publish. You can't afford to follow the sessions blindly and expect to improve. You'll need to engage your brain during every swim and you'll need to do some homework too. Running and cycling are cardiovascular activities, with some crossover training benefits. It's not quite the same with swimming though. There are studies that compare age-group triathletes with masters swimmers, indicating that triathletes generally have significantly higher oxygen uptakes (or V0 2 max scores) but are significantly slower in the water.…

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GET YOUR MONTH OFF TO A FLYER BRITISH TRIATHLON has confirmed the three events that will make up this year's British Triathlon Super Series, the points-based competition that allows Britain's best athletes to compete against the best in a home setting. As has become traditional, the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research Blenheim Triathlon will start the series on 13 and 14 June; action then moves on to Tri Liverpool, the newest event in the series, and the only one to be organised by British Triathlon rather than through events company [MG, which takes place on 26 July. The finale will be at the London Triathlon on 8 and 9 August, which will also play host to the British Elite Standard Distance Triathlon Championships, previously held at Liverpool…

SHOPPING LIST 3medium potatoes, total weight allout 450g 1 carrot, sliced or chopped 2tbsp slinflower oil 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 sticksof celery, finely chopped 450g British turkey steaks, cut into small pieces 25g plain flour 700mlchicken stock 100g sweetcorn kernels 100g frozen peas 300mldouble cream Salland pepper 2tbsp chopped fresh parsley NUTRITION Serves 4 Preparation and cooking time 35 mins Per serving 717kcal, carbs40.4g, protein 35.1g, fat 46.4g 1 Peel the potatoes and cut into small chunks, Cook with the carrot in a pan of boiling water until tender. Drain, move the carrots to one side, and mash one quarter of the potatoes, leaving the rest in chunks. 2 Heat the oil in a large pan, add the .: onion and fry over a low for…

Feeling ready to commit to time in the pooL? You might not be ready for coaching - though I can't recommend it highLy enough for bringing on quick improvements in swimming. But for now you can have a go at some drills to start improving your stroke. You'LL find pLenty of information on swimming drills at triradar.com, compLete with iLLustrations, and if you're determined not to have any coaching then you shouLd certainLy expLore You Tube for demos. MeanwhiLe, here are four exercises from coach Doug HaLL to heLp you get the basics of front crawL right. BODY POSITION Maintain a flat, streamlined body position. Kick on your back with arms by side (fins optional) and experiment with your head position; your head is a massive weight that can be…

There are plenty of poolbased triathlons in the UK (necessary in our climate), but for many people the challenge of swimming in open water is part of what triathlon is about. The reality, though, can be very daunting. Most of us like to imagine caLm, cLear water on a beautifuLLy sunny day, but often it's dark green Lake under overcast skies. Just as you need to get your head in the right pLace to start swimming in a pooL at the outset, so you'LL need to work on your mindset before you commit to open-water swimming, to avoid putting yourself off for life. Here's how to tackle some common openwater worries. FEAR OF THE DARK Lack of visibility is a real problem for some people in lake or river swims…

WHEN25 JANUARY WHERE BUFFALOCITY,SOUTHAFRICA WINNERS MATTTRAUTMAN(RSA) 4:04:35;JODIESWALLOW(GBR)4:30;53 Jodie Swallow's fifth consecutive victory in South Africa, her training base for much of the year, headed up a podium full of British women at Irolllnan 70.3 in Buffalo City. Swallow's performance was masterful from the outset, as she set her customary blistering pace on the swim to take the lead by two minutes, with fellow Brit Emma Bilham next into Tl and Lucie Reed (CZE) just behind. Out on the bike the chase pack also included Britain's Susie Cheetham and South Africa's Lynette Van Der Merwe. Her compatriots Andrea Steyn and Jeanni Seymour were in the next group along with recently-ulrned-pro Parys Edwards (GBR). Swallow forged ahead on the bike in searing temperatures, only building on her lead, which had increased to…

£2,500 specialized.com PROBABLY THE most obviously 'comfort' optimised bike on our test in a cosmetic sense, Specialized's dedicated cobble gobbler is a super smooth yet surprisingly fast ride if the orthopaedic ride position works for you. FRAME AND FORKS The curved arch of the top-tube and the super skinny flat seatstays combine with translucent Zertz elastomer blocks set into windows in the rear stays and deep slots in the back of the fork legs that create the signature smooth ride of the Roubaix, which should make it perfect for our long-day-out test brief. There's another Zertz block set into the dog-leg kink at the top of the skinny 27.2mm seat-tube too. Otherwise the deep chainstays, large bottom bracket and stout down-tube are all about efficient power transfer. Internal routed control…

My very good friend, Mark Fewell (commentator at Sydney Olympic Games) totally hits the spot when he says that "the primary role of anyon-site annOlmcer is to provide colour, entertainment and information on the athletes and event to the crowd". And again, "There is no greater compliment than for people to say that an event had a great atmosphere". Commentators, like athletes, have egos and to be race commentator for a major event - Europeans, Worlds, lTV World Series, Commonwealths, Olympic Games - is parallel to a triathlete being selected for one of those major events. It's almost the same process and criteria as well; do well at a local event; go to Regionals; dowell, go to National 15 Championships; do well, go to Europeans; do well, go to Worlds;…

Been training hard this winter? Or have things not quite gone to plan? Either way, we'd lay money on you being ready to add a bit of speedwork into your bike training by now. You should be gradually increasing your riding volume with a long ride on the weekend (anything from an hour for sprint racers up to three or four for long-distance athletes). Down the week you need to add in some strength and speed work. We've come up with six simple sessions to pick and mix so you can easily to build your fitness. 1 KILLER COMMUTE Instead of your usual dawdle to work, make the ride interesting and build up fitness while you're at it with this bike fartle k, Take the first 10 minutes easy (zone…