The last weekend of August saw me join some 850+ cyclists in tackling the 2 day cycling marathon that is ‘Ride the North’. For those that don’t know much about this event, it’s an annual, superbly organised 2 day cycle event starting from Inverness and ending (this year) in Stonehaven, via a first day stopover in Elgin. The cycle route stats alone make for some impressive or daunting reading! Total distance covered 177 miles, coupled with a total ascent of around 12,000 ft (3,658 m) – that’s the equivalent of cycling up Ben Nevis nearly 3 times or Box Hill 16 times!

Day 1

An early cloudy but dry Friday morning start in Inverness greeted the massed. Cyclists were set off in bands of 20+ at timed intervals and with a call to the start line. I duly commenced my 2 day epic at 08:22 hrs.

A slight rain shower went largely unnoticed and thankfully the weather improved and sunny skies remained throughout most of the route to Elgin. Some of the later climbs were long and arduous, notably Garbole which topped out at nearly 1,600 ft and some 5 miles long!

The welcome sight of Elgin and the Glen Moray distillery getting ever closer spurred me on to the finish of day 1. A complimentary ‘wee dram’ or two at the end of day one was the perfect pick-me-up!

 Day 2

A windy but sunny morning in Elgin and a repeat of the day before saw me getting ready to set off at 08:22 from the distillery. The main ‘highlight’ of the morning was to be the infamous climb up the Cabrach, a long winding stretch with a couple of steep testing pitches. There were many who got off and walked but glad to report that I managed to puff and pant my way up. In fact I didn’t walk any of the ascents!

Climbs and head winds combined to make it a long and tortuous slog to Torphins, but with a decent descent and a nice little pit I began the final section knowing that in a couple of hours or so it would all be over in Stonehaven. The finish line came into view on the sea front where masses of spectators greeted us enthusiastically as we crossed the finish line wearing the widest smiles possible.

I’d done it!! – 177 miles ridden over 2 days across Scotland’s North East scenic and testing hilly countryside in mercifully great weather conditions, a great challenging event and incredibly well organised. I thoroughly recommend it!

Veteran World Champs Triathlete Qualifies for Team GBR on Last Year’s Success

Although my qualification campaign for the world championships has been very uneventful this year, having pre-qualified at Edmonton, it has made for something of an unusual season.  Over the past few years I have represented team GB at Aquathlon, Sprint and Olympic distance races and in turn the qualification races have provided me with a schedule of events to keep me focussed on my training as well as pointer to how I am getting on.  However, this year it has been quite different and far more relaxed than normal – so keeping my fingers crossed it all goes well in Chicago.  Finally, I’m looking forward to catching up with the many Viceroys that have done so well this year

3 Golden Rules for Qualifying for Team GBR from Second time qualifier Mike Essex

Competing in Edmonton in 2014 was one of the best experiences of my life but this year was going to be different. I knew I would start a new job in May 2015 so was going to be difficult to get the time off to go to Chicago and I also felt that I wouldn’t be in the shape I wanted to be in. Also fancied something different and as the swim is my weakest discipline there was an obvious option…..

So, I decided to have a crack at qualifying for the 2016 euro sprint duathlon championships. The duathlon qualifiers are really early, usually March so have to start proper training in November and through Christmas (exactly…….). I signed up for the clumber park qualifiers in March 2015 which also doubled up to be the national duathlon championships. I was injury free and was running in PB territory so knew I was in with a chance. Continue reading →

Lucy Collins- The First Viceroy to Suggest that striving for GBR qualification is a mid-life crisis?? but better than a fast car or running off with the milkman!

I decided to give qualification a go last winter as a push to get me back to proper fitness after three or so years of sporadic training after having Emma, our daughter.  I also turned 40 this year so never a better time as I’d be the youngest in my age group.  I would need all the help I could get!  I didn’t tell anybody I was going to attempt it as was convinced it would never happen, but at least I might get faster and better anyway.   I did tell the other half who blabbed to his best friend from school- Garry Palmer- who just happens to have a PhD in physiology and sport science and is a coach.  One very generous Christmas present from Garry and I have done great coaching in place to help me work training around work, Emma and occasionally seeing Nick! I started getting faster, but was still a fair bit off the gains I needed.  So, my 40th birthday party was a beautiful TT bike- the times started tumbling!  I have been accused of a mid life crisis, but I reckon it’s better than a fast car or running off with the milkman. Continue reading →

Wonderwoman Colette Qualifies for Team GBR in Both Europeans and Worlds

I did my first triathlon in 2013, like most people I thought it would be just the one, just to see if I could do it. Little did I know back then that one race would end up being a mild obsession with all things carbon and lycra…

I joined Viceroys soon after and inspired by some of the club members let myself believe that maybe, one day, I too could race with GBR on my bum.

For me 2015’s main goal was getting to Chicago after gaining a place at Edmonton but having to turn it down due to work commitments and so project fast feet began (and is still on-going). Continue reading →

Mick recounts his first international triathlon age group experience:

In September 2014 I put forward my portfolio of results to the Irish triathlon association in the hope of selection for the European 2015. Much to my delight and shock in April 2015 I received the email informing me I had been selected.

After a torrid winter of repeated asthma attacks and chest infections I took to the gym like a maniac trying to play catch up on lost fitness. Unfortunately my Achilles had other ideas and despite months of cautious training nothing was working so I had to make the decision to either pull out of the champs or “go for the experience”. Thankfully my wife and brother in law- ex international GB rowers, convinced me to go as it help with my main aim.   I’m never going to be a world beater, but that was never my goal.  My goal has always been to show my kids that if you put your mind to it something you can achieve anything.  Keeping the 4 stone I have lost on my journey of finding health and fitness is my primary aim, so to be selected to represent my country in the process of this is something dreams are made of, and ultimately was not something I was going to walk away from. Continue reading →

Kevin Dargue Chats about the Dramatic ups and Downs of Qualification for Team GB

A quick comparison between the Qualifier times and my Sprint times from last year showed that with a mere 10% improvement across all three disciplines, and fairly major improvements on transition, Qualifying was achievable. With more than just a little nudge from Mark, zero investment in new kit and a new training Schedule 10% improvement surprisingly came and went very early on in the year.

I was only able to commit to two of the Qualifiers, St.Neots and Nottingham. Early morning and feeling sick with nerves (Am I selling this to you?) my support team deserted me at St.Neots in favour of a warm bed and a full, English Breakfast. It was therefore great to have a large Viceroy presence and a huge confidence boost to catch fleeting glimpses of Pink all the way around the course. St.Neots, which was not only a Qualifier event but also the British Sprint Championship, was definitely the hardest and coldest race I had done and “Never Show Weakness” was definitely spat out at several points, but mainly in the swim! My support team arrived with bacon sandwich in hand just as I crossed the finish line! Continue reading →

Tim Gray – 2^nd Highest Placed Brit in 2014 World Championships Looks forward to Chicago and Offers Some Advice to Other Wannabe GB Age Groupers

I was inspired to try and qualify for the World Championships following the 2012 Olympics. Last year was my first serious push towards qualification and I managed to get to get the Q4 position at Dambuster for the Worlds in Edmonton. Although I’d put myself up for selection, I didn’t think that I’d done enough – so when the news came through that I had, you can imagine the excitement!

In Edmonton, I managed to finish second highest Brit in my AG which meant I automatically qualified for Chicago 2015. I can remember getting the news after the race. I’d managed to finish in my target time (2.15) and had nailed one of the three all-important automatic qualification spots – there were tears, I’m not embarrassed to say! (These rules change slightly this year onwards but at least I started this season knowing that I was definitely going to Chicago) In fact, pretty much as soon as I got back from Edmonton, I started laying the foundations for Chicago with Mark’s help, following a structured training plan which I hadn’t actually done before! I set myself some clear goals for target times in each discipline over the standard distances and have been working towards these ever since with some really good results. Continue reading →

Triathlon Zero to Hero in a Year! Ironman, Sprint and Olympic Qualification for Team GB

I joined Viceroys towards the end of the 2014 Season, having just completed my first ever triathlon.  I’d decided that an Ironman was on my ‘to do’ list (as you do with so little experience) so got stuck into a winter training programme with Coach Yeoman.  In the lead up to my Ironman at the end of June there were a couple of races I’d identified as good training runs.

One of those training runs was Belvoir Castle Olympic Distance which also happened to be one of the Chicago Qualifiers – and boy didn’t I know it when all the hot shots started racking their bikes and terrifying the life out of me!  It was a HARD race and I’m not sure my long and steady training sessions had equipped me for bursts of speed, but I somehow managed to sneak home a fraction of a percentage within the qualifying time (although I would have an agonising wait for the first roll down to find out if that I’d made the GB Team for that distance). Continue reading →