Race Report – Mark Yeoman – Ocean Lake Triathlon

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And so the 2015 season starts…

After an amazing 2014 season which saw me win nice races and culminate with finish 6th overall at the grand final in Edmonton. 2015 is all about building slowly for grand final in the Windy City -Chicago where I have already qualified for based on being the top British athlete from the 2014 final.

Winter has been good with plenty of hours spent in the pool, on the WattBike & running. My focus is clearly my weakness – the run so I’ve worked hard to strengthen up those legs ahead of the season.

On Saturday 25th April i dipped my toe into an icy 14degree lake in Kent for the Ocean Lake Triathlon. I settled into a steady pace in the swim but getting into the cold lake for the first time I was someone rusty and gave away a few metres on one guy. Not getting stressed he exited the water just ahead of me & as I eased out a low 10min swim which was pleasing considering the water temperature. Flying through T1 setting the fastest transition I took the lead and never looked back. I had cycled to feeling as my Garmin zoned out as I couldn’t get my cadence sensor amass the others in transition when setting up. Using the WattBike has help increase my power & cadence so I eased to the fastest bike split on a tricky course due to the windy & damp conditions. I had a little gap over 2nd and looked to settled into a nice pace on the run but with ice cold feet this was hard. On the 2nd lap 2nd place had gained but not as much as I’d presumed.  I looked to overtake those on their first lap to hide but at 4km he pulled alongside. I looked to hold close and over the final few hundred metres he put a spurt on to pip me by  9seconds. A solid 2nd place overall and good hit out to break the season in.

Two weeks to build into the first qualifier of the season where I can see who’s who’s ahead of the grand final.

Mark

Race Report – Colette Kitterhing

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If anyone wants to plan a “bucket list” early season race then I can highly recommend Cannes.

There are 2 distances, I did the “medium” 1k swim, 40k ride and 8k run (half of the distance of the “long”

Swim – My first mass sea start and with about 650 athletes gong off I was feeling very apprehensive and decided to hold back and entered toward the back. Swimming with a friend we stuck together defending each other from the masses and picking our way through the field. I was extremely happy to see so many bikes as we came to T1.

Bike – About 3k of flat and then the climb out of Cannes. Roughly 850m of climbing over the next 40k followed. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, amazing roads, brilliantly marshalled and policed for a safe, fair race. I caught 2 girls and was passed by one in the first half. At 25k the rain started and it began to get a bit hairy on the descents.  A couple of bikes in front of me wiped out on sharp bends, I decided to hold back a bit. The rain  worked in my favour, I’m not he bravest descender but clearly not as cautious as some as I managed to pass a few men 😀

Run – In to  T2 and my legs felt ok. 2 out and backs along  the Croisette.  I was not 100% sure of my position a few had passed me on the bike  I couldn’t be sure if they were male or female… Spotting a girl ahead I chased her down. I felt comfortable and was just enjoying the moment. Pleased to be passing more than passed me, then in the last 1k I pushed a bit and caught the shoulder of a guy from Monaco Tri Club who looked over and encouragingly said “stick with me” it was great help and he paced me to the red carpet.

One final push for a sprint run down the carpet and to a great medal for the collection.

What can I say, what a venue, what a race….Can’t wait till next year.

1st Age Group \ 8th Female

CK2

Zwift Island

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Today’s coaches corner looks once more at how to make those long rides on the training bike / turbo / WattBike more bearable.

In a previous coaches corner I gave you a number of ways to break up that long run alternate on the turbo trainer / WattBike when the weather means you can’t go outside. Yes you could ride outside in the wet conditions, but naturally there’s a greater risk of injury and therefore you might take the session too easy and negate the benefits of your endurance ride. At the moment you have to sign up and then wait for your invite. They are consistently adding new content and they have recently changed the island. Its free at the moment but I guess it will be subscription based at some point.

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Cold Weather Racing

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Today’s coaches corner by Peter Bell asks how we should prepare for those early races where the weather is still cold – both in the water & on the bike.

Racing in cold whether can be more detrimental that you can imagine. Your body will use vital energy to keep you warm. A reduction in the body’s temperature can as we know lead to hypothermia which is not uncommon in races where simple mistakes are made in the name of ‘hardness’. You should always have in your kit bag certain items of kit to help combat those variations in weather so that you can have a great day in the office Continue reading →

Hills & Flat Riding

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Today coaches corner is all about the merits of hills and / or riding the flats. Why and when will aid you towards achieving your goal.

Winter hills: winter is all about building that strong base. Making your legs stronger will aid you come the increase in intensity during the season. Riding hills takes practice, knowing what gear to use, what cadence range, how much power you should be generating. Either way, riding hills will make you stronger. BUT if you only ever do hills, then will lose that cutting edge which riding the faster fasts can do, (see below).

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Cycling Calls

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Today’s coaches corner is all about Calls when cycling.
The louder the better when riding. Shouting out information will give all those who are riding within group the correct information they might need to make adjustments in their riding.
Knowing what to shout and why is key to a safe and enjoyable ride. Never be afraid to shout loud – you will kick yourself for not shouting loud enough if something was to happen!

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Gearing

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Today’s coaches corner is all about gears. Simon Tacx wanted to understand more about the variations in chain rings & gear ratios.

Firstly basic terminology:
Spider: this is the five probes which spread out from the centre of the cranks. Road bikes traditionally have five to spread the load where mountain bikes typically have four due to the smaller circumferences.
Crank length: this is the length of the pedal arm from the centre to the pedal. These came range from 160mm to 175mm. Depending on the length of your length the length of your cranks will vary.
Chain rings: these are the discs which go around the pedals which generates the momentum to cycle. See below for further information. Bigger = harder small = easier
Cranks sizes: 130 or 110. This is the circumference size of the cranks rings. 130 is standard & 110 compact. If you buy 110 chain rings they will not go onto a 130 crankset and visa versa.
Rear cassette: either 10 or 11 cogs on the rear wheel. Smaller = harder, bigger = easier. The opposite to the front chain rings
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Recovery

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Todays focus for coaches corner is all about recovery.

‘Recovery‘ for most athletes can be seen as a dirty word, a sign of weakness that you can’t cope mentally or physically with the demands of the sport & training. However recovery is key to progression and success. Rest can be more benefical to an athlete than training on through which can cause more harm than good. If you are needing that rest / recovery and try to train hard, the failure of the session could affect the mind set and this is simply avoidable by listening to the body.

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