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TRAINING PLAN: RACE A HALF-IRONMAN IN JUST 12 WEEKS!

P104 FULL 2020 RACE CALENDAR HEALTHY GO FASTER CAKES P85 P72 HOW TO BOOST YOUR SWIM KICK

UERING Q N O C O T E ID U G ’ S R E BEGINN THREE SPORTS IN ONE

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e l n w o r B HIS HOW 2020 COULRDYBEET BIGGEST YEA

£2K ROAD BIKES

AERO ANALYSIS

TRAIL PIONEERS

Top training and racing rides from Canyon, Giant and Ribble

We search for the fastest aero road helmet for tri

How Inov-8 are leading the way with graphene tech

THE MINDS BEHIND THE GAINS

It goes without saying that to make a great product you look to feedback from great athletes, but here at HUUB, we know you need to ask those difficult questions, seek out the answers others daren’t ask, and explore the results to ensure we deliver on our goal... SPEED!

HUUB’s Fellowship of Speed is a collective with one focus - MAKING YOU FASTER. A combination of athletes, aerodynamicists, hydrodynamicists, biomechanists, physiologists, and world champions who bring a whole new thinking to making products faster.

DEAN JACKSON

PROF. GREG WHYTE, OBE

FOUNDER - HUUB

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EXPERT & OLYMPIAN

PROF. HUUB TOUSSAINT

DR JON PATON

AMSTERDAM UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

AERODYNAMICIST & GROUP LEADER - VORTEQ SPORTS

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DAN BIGHAM

COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS ENGINEER & MANAGING DIRECTOR - TOTALSIM

AERODYNAMICIST & PRODUCT DESIGN ENGINEER - HUUB WATTBIKE & RIBBLE PRO CYCLING

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HEAD OF CYCLING - HUUB DESIGN & RIBBLE PRO CYCLING

SPORTS ENGINEERING & PHYSIOLOGY - NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY

JOHN MERCER, PhD

HELEN JENKINS, MBE

KINESIOLOGY & NUTRITION SCIENCES - UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA

WORLD CHAMPION TRIATHLETE & MULTIPLE OLYMPIAN

contents START P10 TH E BIG P I C P12 STATE OF P LAY P14 QU ICK SCI EN C E P15 W HY I TRI P16 220 TRIATH LON AWA RD S KI T ZON E P40 KIT ZONE P46 A ERO ROAD HEL M ETS P5 1 TRA N SITIO N BAGS P5 4 INOV 8 P6 0 £2,000 ROAD BIKES T RAI N ING P72 SWIM P74 BIKE P7 6 R U N P7 8 TRA IN ING P L AN P8 5 NU TRITIO N P8 8 AS K T HE D O N KN OWHOW P100 FU EL ING T HE BASE P H ASE P101 BRIAN FOG ERT Y P102 KIT G UI D E P104 RACE CA LEN DA R R EGULA RS P18 FAO 22 0 P3 8 SU BS CRIB E P92 H OW WAS I T FO R YO U? P114 WEEKEN D WA RR IO R

20 THE QUEST

FOR GLORY With Tokyo and Kona on his rader in 2020, we caught up with Ali Brownlee before his biggest year in tri to date

KIT ZONE TRAINING KNOWHOW TURN OVER FOR MORE i 4/

/ April 2020

46 AERO ROAD

ON THE COVER

STEVE SAYERS

HELMETS

We take nine lids to the wind tunnel to find the best option for tri race day

SUPERCHARGE YOUR TRI

27

How to make the move from singlesporter to triathlete in 10 easy steps

27

33

THE STRONGER SEX?

33

HIT THE TREADMILL… BUILD SPEED

76

STEVE SAYERS

JAMES MITCHELL

How to make your indoor training more effective this spring for big summer performance gains

ON THE COVER

KATHI HARMAN

We look at the how and why behind women closing the endurance gender gap

STEVE SAYERS

BUNS WITH BENEFITS!

85 GETTY IMAGES

Four veggie recipes: beetroot brownies, avocado chocolate cake, courgette muffins and carrot cakes

76

85 April 2020 /

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T5 AIR CARBON

TURN TO P TO SUBSCRIBE TODAY! MARCUS DAVEY/DOYNTON HARD HALF

Helen utilising the well-known ‘aeroplane arms’ technique to try and avoid falling in the mud (again) in the Doynton Hard Half

FROM THE EDITOR...

“Dry mud. Wet mud. Cow mud...” As descriptions of race courses go, this wasn’t the kind of environment usually experienced by us triathletes, but it’s the tagline gleefully embraced by the organisers of the Doynton Hard Half, which I found myself doing a couple of weeks ago. During the 13 miles of trail running, there were hills, mud (and slurry) up to the knees, rivers up to mid-thigh and a chap dressed as the Grim Reaper marshalling mile 10. Yikes. As we look forward to getting back to triathlon racing soon, I hope you’ve been having as much fun as me cross-training and trying something new, so that you enter your 2020 races stronger and fitter than ever. Let me know what’s worked for you and if you’ve found tri gains in the most unlikely of places!

Helen webster, editor

THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T MISS THIS MONTH Brownlee 2020 To Tokyo or not to Tokyo? On p20 Alistair reveals his upcoming race plans, Ironman learnings and his new approach to training.

Leading ladies Women are closing in on men when it comes to endurance race results.

On p33 we look at why they excel at longdistances events.

Graphene dream Stretchy, lightweight and durable – discover how this new allotrope is transforming sports tech, and what it can do for your running (p54).

April 2020 /

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THE BEST TRIATHLON KIT REVIEWS We take gear testing seriously – you need to know that the kit you buy will help you reach your goals in all three disciplines and work as hard as you on race day. Our test team is made up of experienced triathletes, cyclists and runners who test each product that appears in 220 to the max during training and racing, rating it honestly for performance and value.

JACK SEXTY

A triathlete since blowing his student loan on a bike, sub-2hr Olympic athlete Jack moved to Ironman at Lanzarote in 2016.

Favourite winter sun destination?

“Without a doubt, Girona in north-eastern Spain. Plenty of hills and not a car for miles.”

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/ April 2020

HELEN WEBSTER

220’s editor made the move from marathons to tri seven years ago.

Happiest when in the open water, she also competes in swimrun.

Favourite winter sun destination?

“I visited Nevis in the Caribbean last winter and would love to go back to race there.”

MATT BAIRD

With 1 years of testing for 220, features editor Matt knows what works and what doesn’t in tri.

He moved to Ironman in 2018.

Favourite winter sun destination?

“The Azores are a magical place and the only thing you’ll be sharing the roads with are cows.”

JAMES WITTS

With a sports science background, former 220 editor and author James Witts knows his stuff when it comes to product quality.

Favourite winter sun destination?

“Calp near Alicante on the eastern Spanish coast is very good, especially for cycling.”

WANT MORE? VISIT

why 220?

We’ve been helping triathletes go faster for 30 years. When the magazine launched in 1989, the way to estimate your

TRIATHLON.COM

TRAINING PLANS FOR EVERY RACE Whatever your race goal in 2020, we’ve got the training plan for you. Head to 220tri.com now to download for free.

DOWNLOAD THE DIGITAL EDITION

maximum heart rate was to subtract your age from 220.

The team behind the mag wanted you to know that they’d help you achieve your athletic potential, so they incorporated ‘220’ into the title to reflect that.

The method for finding your max heart rate may have changed, but our promise remains the same.

ENJOY YOUR FAVOURITE MAGAZINE ON YOUR TABLET Get all the great advice and expert reviews from the print version of your favourite tri magazine on our digital edition.

FROM THE VAULT ISSUE 36 We love the dramatic lighting of this classic 220 cover, boasting pro triathletes Steve Burton, Robin Brew and Richard Hobson and a backdrop lifted from the Top of the Pops studio in 1983.

Brew’s son Tom meanwhile – now a top triathlete himself who we recently met in Lanzarote – will be gracing our performance pages as a model over the next few months. Turn to p46 to see how 2020’s helmets compare to the class of 1992 on the right.

ON SALE july 1992

FOLLOW

@220Triathlon

/220Triathlon

@220triathlon

April 2020 /

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DIVE INTO THE WORLD OF TRI

10 /

/ April 2020

the big pic

The pro women fire away from the start line at the 13th Ironman 70.3 South Africa in Buffalo City. After a 1.9km swim at East London’s Orient Beach, the UK’s Emma Pallant was fifth out of T1. She clocked a 2:33:01 on the 90km bike to exit T2 in first, but a fleet-footed Flora Duffy ran a 1:20:37 21.1km to take the win with 2mins clear.

CHRIS HITCHCOCK/IRONMAN

April 2020 /

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DANIEL SEEX

PROS BUCK UP THEIR GAME TIM HEMING

Cutting through the spin of tri to address the issues that matter, Tim is a sports journalist who has written extensively on triathlon for the national press.

A billionaire philanthropist’s investment in long-course racing promises a prosperous future for Ironman athletes, but how long will it last?

‘A race of superhumans’. That’s how the Professional Triathletes Organisation plans to market its rebirth, hoping that the outside world will finally sit up and take notice of its enduring superstars in a combative, live arena. Haven’t we heard this before? Fiftyeight 220 Triathlon issues previously to be precise, when this column addressed the launch of the PTO and its ambitious proposal for a team competition, the Collins Cup, playing on cross-Atlantic rivalries as triathlon’s answer to golf’s Ryder Cup, It was underpinned by a desire to give pro long-course athletes more control of their own sport, to force a sea-change in governance so they’d enjoy a larger share of the spoils and not continue feeding from the scraps off Ironman’s table. Since then? An aborted plan to run the Cup alongside Challenge Roth, as its initial softly-

“To survive beyond being a short-term flourish it needs to reach new audiences” 12 /

/ April 2020

softly approach was supplanted by public snipes at Ironman’s debt-led model, citing tennis, golf and even darts, as the athlete-centric pro sports models to follow.

More recently there was even a rejected bid to buy Ironman after the M-Dot brand launched a failed floatation that saw shares hemorrhage from $8 to $5.16 on the opening day. While it was met with short shrift by Ironman it hinted at the PTO having some real financial bargaining might.

And that’s what has come to pass, because the PTO is back, this time promising the revival of the Collins Cup, and offering more collective prize money than the sport has ever seen. The financial heavyweight of a backer is Mike Moritz, a 65-year-old billionaire businessman born in Cardiff to German Jewish refugees, who resides in San Francisco, and has recently become the new sponsor of the Booker prize.

Moritz’s initial stake, thought to be around $12.5million, including a total of $2million for the Collins Cup, means Jan Frodeno, as the highest ranked male, would take away

state of play

$125,000 just for turning up, compared to the $120,000 he collected on winning the 2019 Ironman Worlds.

Should Frodeno also compete in the PTO’s proposed new Pro Half Distance Championship, and still top the rankings come year end, he’d ensure a minimum payment of $325,000.

Moritz’s sole condition was the top 20 pro’s on the PTO rankings sign up, but given athletes benefit from 50% share of any profits it wasn’t a hard sell.

While it changes the immediate landscape, to survive beyond being a short-term flourish it depends not just on the calibre of the events but on reaching new audiences.

The PTO expects to turn a profit by year three, but endemic sponsorship and amateur racers signing up won’t achieve this – live broadcasting rights are the holy grail and it’s something triathlon has never been able to crack.

From Kona webcasts to Chris McCormack’s made-for-TV Super League format, no-one is putting their hands in their pocket to pay for coverage. The PTO hopes to change this by better coverage and making superstars of their superhumans. But to do so, they need a lot more people to watch this space.

THANK YOU FOR VOTING US YOUR CHOSEN WETSUIT AND TRISUIT BRAND OF THE YEAR.

ZONE3.COM

DANIEL SEEX

RECONSIDER ICE BATHS FOR POST-SESSION RECOVERY Research finds post-exercise cooling could do more harm than good 14 /

/ April 2020

Immersing in icy water’s been a common post-exercise recovery strategy for years, the idea being that it decreases tissue temperature and bloodflow and so reduces inflammation. However, a recent body of evidence suggests it can do more harm than good. Cue a recent study by a team including protein guru Luc van Loon of Maastricht University.

Twelve healthy males performed a leg-resistance exercise before immersing both legs in water for 20mins. However, one leg slipped

into 8°C waters while the other enjoyed 30°C. They then consumed a drink containing 45g carbs and 20g protein, so they could take muscle biopsies to examine muscle protein synthesis rates. What did they find? Muscle protein synthesis rates were much lower in the cold-water limb than the warm limb, and muscle conditioning was impaired in the cool group. Van Loon concludes that you should reconsider cooling as a recovery strategy, but we’d suggest it’s still fine for racing and certainly in the heat.

quick science

why i tri

“INVICTUS WAS A HUGE MOTIVATOR” Following a brain haemorrhage, it was swimming that set former Army triathlete Alex Dewar on the road to Invictus…

ALEX DEWAR

Alex Dewar, 39, won four medals at the 2018 Invictus Games in swimming and cycling. The former warrant officer from Ripon, Yorkshire was discharged from the British Army after suffering a brain haemorrhage, which left lasting damage to his speech and eyesight. Now, the PE coach enjoys sharing his tri knowledge in coaching. He lives in Ripon with his wife and four children.

Four years ago, I was out training on the bike, about 10 miles from home, and that’s when it happened.

It felt like I was seeing blood. I started to feel a bit weird and there was sharp pain. I took my glasses and helmet off, thinking a stone had chipped me, but I couldn’t find anything. I couldn’t get my helmet back on – I just couldn’t work out how to do it. Amazingly, I rode home one-handed, holding my helmet in the other hand. As soon as I got through the door I collapsed. About seven hours later someone found me.

I have aphasia, which is to do with speech. I’ve got permanent vision loss in the top right sides of my eyes, which is quadrantanopia – it means although my eyesight is completely normal, the messages aren’t getting passed back to the brain. And epilepsy is the third part of my disability.

From what I’ve been told about the early stages of recovery, the nurses asked me to look at the clock and tell the time. I couldn’t because I didn’t know how a clock worked. I didn’t know who I was and I didn’t recognise anyone – it’s daunting when I look back and think about

“Swimming took my mind off the pain, it was a huge turnaround” that. I think I was the lucky one – everyone else knew how it was affecting me, whereas I don’t remember anything.

Before I fell ill I’d raced triathlon for the Army triathlon team. So as I recovered, I convinced the therapists to let me exercise and they let me go to the pool. I did the first length and it felt so relaxing. It took my mind off the pain by just concentrating on my stroke. It was absolutely perfect for me – a huge turnaround point. The therapists asked me questions and I came up with the answers instantly. I found things easier, so they agreed that every day I could have a couple of hours for exercise.

I’d done 20-odd years in the Army and I got to where I wanted to be – warrant officer class 1. It was devastating to be discharged in 2018 because I didn’t know what I could do in life. But I look back now and it opened up so many different doors, including to my current job as a PE coach, and I love that side of life.

I was at my physical peak at the time of the injury, and I knew I’d never get back to that level. That was a blow and took some time to get over.

Invictus was a huge motivator during my recovery. It was always about recovery for all individuals, and it was a true honour to be part of that, especially being in Sydney!

Over the years I’ve gained enough experience and knowledge on racing that it’s nice to pass on to other people – that’s the positive part of it. I’ve always said ‘everything can be done’, it’s just working out how to get around things.

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AWARDS E C D N U O N WINNERS AN

T

he year 2019 proved another phenomenal 12 months for our sport, with outstanding performances across all distances.

October’s Ironman World Championships in Kona were full of excitement, with Jan Frodeno winning his third full Ironman world title in a record-breaking time, fellow German Anne Haug taking her first Hawaii win after a phenomenal marathon run and GB’s Ruth Purbrook scoring age-group honours.

From Perranporth to the Celtman via London and Leeds, it was another mighty year for the British racing scene. The 2019 edition of Ironman Wales

especially was another classic from Tenby, with the 1,876 finishers producing countless emotional stories in front of triathlon’s noisiest fans.

While over with the brands, Cervélo once again led the way in two-wheeled innovation courtesy of their PX range of tri bikes.

HOW YOU VOTED We asked you to vote at 220tri.com for the athletes, races and products that made your tri year. And the final results are now in! So, without any further ado, we give you the winners in the 2019 220 Triathlon Awards (for runner-ups see 220tri.com)…

MEN’S ELITE TRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR

ALISTAIR BROWNLEE

FEMALE PARATRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR

LAUREN STEADMAN

WOMEN’S ELITE TRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR

LUCY CHARLES-BARCLAY

MALE PARATRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR

GEORGE PEASGOOD 16 /

/ April 2020

0 AWARDS 2019

20 TRIA OUTS NDI

TI

N

YOUTH TRIATHLETE (21-YEARS-OLD AND UNDER

ALEX YEE AGE- ROUPER OF THE YEAR

R PURBR

H RACE OF THE YEAR

IRONMAN WALES COACH OF THE YEAR

ROB WIL Y TRI CLUB OF THE YEAR

TEAM OXYGENADDICT INNOVATIVE PRODUC OF THE YEA

CERVÉLO PX RUN SHOE BRAND OF THE YEAR

ASICS BIK BRAND OF THE Y R

CERVÉLO WETSUIT BRAND OF THE YEAR

ZONE3 TRI-SUIT BRAND OF THE YEAR

ZONE3 RETAILER OF THE YEAR

WIGGLE

April 2020 /

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FA0 220 Your emails & pictures

Aftersufferinga pelvisinjury,Linda bouncedbackquickly tosmashthe Lanzarotehillsona trainingholiday.She credits herquick recoverytoher e-bike training.

WINNING ATTITUDE

star letter Got an opinion to share? Then email us at fao220 @220triathlon.com

After taking part in sprint triathlons and a couple of ‘bridging distance’ tris, I’ve signed up for my first 70.3 distance race in June. But I want people who are new to triathlon to know that you don’t need to spend a fortune to compete.

For example, I’m riding a secondhand, five-year-old Cube Peloton bike with £14 clip-on aero bars and a £20 wetsuit, both from eBay, and a £50 tri-suit, which was a Christmas present. In my last race of 2019 I won my age-group!

So, for all those who are thinking about taking part in their first triathlon but are put off by the cost, I say it’s about how hard you can and want to go, not about how expensive your bike is – you still have to pedal it! Peter Steel 220 replies: Too true, Peter, tri isn’t, and shouldn’t be, cost-prohibitive.

With a little time and research, you can find some great-value kit that will see you through to many a finish line!

BOUNCING BACK I’m writing to say how amazed I am at the difference riding an e-bike has made to my cycling performance. In just three months, without really trying, I’ve become stronger and faster.

I’d been training hard for the 70.3 World Championships last

WRITE IN AND WIN! 18 /

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STAR LETTER WINS

A PAIR OF SWANS VALKYRIES WORTH

“Don’t be put off by the cost of triathlon. It’s not about how expensive your bike is – you still have to pedal it!”

September, when a fracture to my pelvis following a cycling accident, prevented me from competing.

I’d just ordered a gravel e-bike (Ribble CGR AL e) with the view to having some fun doing off-road cycling during winter, and I found that by lowering the seat and fitting ordinary peddles, I was able to get out on the road again.

At six weeks, I raised the seat, fitted my cleats and continued to ride it. Being only 13.5kg, it was a dream to ride. Keeping up with my buddies up the hills was no longer a problem, and I still had energy to race them hard on the flat.

I had a cycling holiday in Lanzarote planned and was apprehensive about not having my e-bike, having decided to take my TT bike. Imagine my surprise when I flew up the hills! I was definitely stronger and faster than I had been just prior to my accident.

I’ve tried to analyse what made such a tremendous difference in so short a time. Firstly, on morning rides, I could take it really easy before I was properly warmed up and equally at the end

of a ride. So, an effective warm-up and cool-down for every ride was now possible.

Next, there was cadence. It was rarely possible to maintain cadence living in Dorset with a hill around every corner – until the e-bike. I could now spin up the hills and maintain a cadence of 80-90rpm throughout most of each ride.

Also, most training programmes recommend a 20/80 ratio between ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ riding, however you like to measure it. Again, with the hills in Dorset this was rarely, if ever, possible. Linda Ashmore 220 replies: A fascinating case study, Linda. Good luck with your 2020 programme. It will be interesting to see how you get on!

A HELPING HAND Thank you for the latest copy of 220 Triathlon. We’re annual subscribers to the magazine and can’t wait for every issue to arrive. We find the buyer’s guide very helpful and the variation of articles interesting, with inspiring stories.

My wife only started competing in triathlons at the back end of 2018, starting with sprint distances.

We subscribed straight away to your magazine and, as mentioned above, it’s helped us along her journey. In 2019 she qualified for the GB age-group team in four events: two ITU races and two ETU races, so we have a few trips this year, including a trip to Canada.

We hope 2020 is another fulfilling year and you can be assured a copy of 220 won’t ever be far from hand. Tim Kirvan-Rodgers

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FEATURE

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QUEST f GLORY

THE OLYMPICS. THE IRONMAN WORLDS. POSSIBLY THE . TITLE. MARKS THE BIGGEST YEAR IN ALI BROWNLEE’S STORIED CAREER. IN A EXCLUSIVE HE TALKS UP HIS CHANCES OF AN UNPRECEDENTED FEAT… WORDS TIM HEMING IMAGE MARK METCALFE/GETTY IMAGES

listair Brownlee is a two-time Olympic champion and the only athlete to ever retain an Olympic triathlon title. He’s also the guy who “crawled” along the Queen K in the Ironman World Championships last year, trailed in 44th in his one World Triathlon Series outing in front of a home crowd in Leeds, and got shown a clean pair of heels by a Norwegian upstart in his ongoing quest for a first Ironman 70.3 World Championship crown.

Yet the 31-year-old sits across the table with a cup of tea – having finished wind-tunnel testing in the high-tech surroundings of the TotalSim engineering hub in Silverstone – and explains how he plans to go full throttle for the unprecedented challenge of winning both the Olympic Games and the Ironman World Championships in 2020. (We suggest that given it’s not until late November in New Zealand, he might as well have another stab at that elusive 70.3 world crown too.)

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Brownlee hasn’t won a World Series race since 2017 in Leeds, his only WTS victory of an Olympic cycle in which Spain’s three-time world champion Mario Mola has stood atop the podium on nine occasions. But to some extent – and how much we shall see as this intriguing year plays out – this is a case of damn lies and statistics, because injury has kept the Yorkshireman sidelined for long periods post-Rio, he’s put more focus on non-drafting formats, and 2019 wasn’t quite the disaster it appears above.

“Last year I raced everything, from an ITU World Cup sprint, to Olympic distance, to half and full Ironman – and won at every distance. I think that’s quite cool,” he says. In fact, it’s more than cool, it’s unprecedented. For all the versatility of the likes of Spain’s Javier Gomez or Switzerland’s Nicola Spirig, no triathlete has previously topped elite podiums in all four formats in the same calendar year.

Brownlee’s Ironman win in Western Australia in December also resulted in stopping the clock at

BROWNLEE EXCLUSIVE

FEATURE

GETTY IMAGES

Brownlee racks his bike in Kona; below, at the 2018 Ironman 70.3 Worlds

7:45:21, a small slice of redemption after his combustion in Kona. It showed he’s getting to grips with the distance, and it earnt him a guaranteed return to Hawaii, but more of that later.

ALL TO PLAY FOR First, potentially, comes Tokyo in July, the lure of a fourth Olympic Games and this time two medals with the additional prospect of the team mixed relay. “I’ll try to qualify,” he says. “This time last year I wasn’t going to go to the Olympics. I’d had a couple of years of injuries and I didn’t think it was possible. In the year since, I’ve been injury-free and done a bit of racing in all different formats.

“Two things have made the difference: having confidence in my body and enjoying the training has been important; and the second thing is a change in attitude. I would’ve previously said I’d only go to the Olympics if I could be competitive to win, whereas now I’m saying I’ll take one step at a time. I need

presents a course and conditions that, at facevalue, suit Brownlee less than previous attempts.

If Beijing 2008 came a year too early in his development, then London’s cool temperatures and vociferous home crowd, and Rio’s kicker of a hill that had to be climbed GETTY IMAGES eight times on the bike leg, played into his hands. The Tokyo city course is flat and proved so hot and humid that the women’s run leg was halved for the 2019 test event. This summer’s races have already been moved twice to earlier time slots in the scheduling.

‘Pasty brothers from Yorkshire cannot cope in the heat’ is a hackneyed appraisal, but the Brownlees and extreme temperatures have tended to go together like oil and water. While Alistair was

WAGNER ARAUJO

“Every challenge brings opportunity,” he says. “I could say heat doesn’t suit me, or I could say: ‘Well, it makes it a really hard two-hour race and grinds everyone down, so it’s not a really quick running race like it was in London [2012]’. That would be a worst-case scenario. This is an opportunity to get it really right in the heat.”

Brownlee running away from the opposition straight out of transition used

“TWO THINGS HAVE MADE THE DIFFERENCE: HAVING CONFIDENCE IN MY BODY AND ENJOYING THE TRAINING HAS BEEN IMPORTANT; AND THE SECOND THING IS A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE. I WOULD’VE PREVIOUSLY SAID I’D ONLY GO TO THE OLYMPICS IF I COULD BE COMPETITIVE TO WIN, WHEREAS NOW I’M SAYING I’LL TAKE ONE STEP AT A TIME” to put myself in a position to qualify first and then get to the start line.”

Although Brownlee would be 32, it’s still a year younger than Hamish Carter when the Kiwi won in Athens in 2004, and two years junior to Kate Allen, who represented Austria at the same Games and is the oldest women’s Olympic triathlon champion. However, even if the mind and body are refreshed, Tokyo still

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famously stricken on a hot day in Hyde Park in 2010, and suffered on his first trip to the lava fields on the Big Island in October, he even more memorably aided his brother Jonny over the line in Cozumel in 2016, winning plaudits for sportsmanship across the world.

Undeterred though, he believes Tokyo’s predicted conditions could work to his advantage.

to be a regular sight. Close to his best, in a 10km track race at Stanford University in 2013 he ran 28:32mins and hinted at trying to qualify for the England team for the Commonwealth Games. That pure footspeed will be hard to rediscover. As Brownlee has changed as an athlete, so has triathlon evolved. Not necessarily to be faster, but with more depth. Now Mola, French world champion Vincent

BROWNLEE EXCLUSIVE

Luis, Australia’s Jake Birtwhistle, Britain’s Alex Yee or almost anyone can emerge from the pack – there were seven different winners in the eight WTS races last year, and the Tokyo test event produced a completely different podium as well.

TWO LARGE ASTERISKS If Brownlee makes the Games, his best chance of success rests on the race being as hard as possible and being part of as small a front group as possible – probably including brother Jonny – into T2. While it has always been the tactic, it now might be a necessity. This race is as wide open as any Olympic tri in recent times.

There are two rather large asterisks, though. Firstly, that Brownlee can prove his worth to Team GB, and secondly, that there’s even a starting berth for him, because currently Britain’s men only hold two of a potential three spots in the individual competition.

Despite Britain’s women being blessed with an inordinate depth of talent, with six triathletes in the requisite top 30 of the Olympic qualification rankings, the men only have Jonny Brownlee in 11th.

Going into 2020, Yee sits in 32nd and Tom Bishop in 37th, and having not raced enough ITU events, Alistair is too far back to have an impact. Athletes compete to win spots for their nation,

GETTY IMAGES

not individually, so Alistair is looking to Bishop and Yee racing well in early summer to secure the places, before selectors make a final decision at the end of May. Much rests on Bishop, who remains in contention himself, and has committed to racing the first WTS event in Abu Dhabi before chasing points in World Cup races in Mooloolaba, Australia and New Plymouth, New Zealand, before heading to WTS Bermuda.

“A lot of British males have their eye on that third spot,” 28-year-old Bishop says. “I’m not denying it would be tough if it doesn’t work out, but I’m harsh on myself. If I don’t perform how I want, I don’t deserve to go, even though I might qualify the spot.

“I genuinely think I can be good enough to make the team, but it will just be a very tough team to make, and it all depends on how GETTY IMAGES Alistair can turn himself around, how Alex holds up and if Ben [Dijkstra], Sam [Dickinson] and Gordon [Benson] can lift their level as well. It’s all to play for.”

Brownlee is confident the British men will gain their full quota for the Olympics.

“I’ve talked to the powers that be and there seems to be

a pretty good plan in place,” he reveals.

As for his own plans. “Before June there are two fairly warm Olympic-distance races, Bermuda and Yokohama.

I must race well in one or both of those and show what I can do, and if it goes well, great, it’ll be full steam to the Olympics, and if it doesn’t, I’ll be doing long-distance stuff.”

“THAT’S SPORT” With no designated selection race, it’ll come down to the discretion of the selectors under performance director Mike Cavendish. While Jonny Brownlee didn’t have a vintage season in 2019, winning just one WTS race in Edmonton, he remains by a distance Britain’s most consistent male performer. While 220 understands that British Triathlon has nominated triathletes for

Alex Yee is one of the triathletes in contention for a Tokyo 2020 spot

April 2020 /

/ 23

FEATURE

Brownlee swaps his wheel after puncturing on debut in Kona, where Jan Frodeno (below) took top honours

KORUPT VISION

KORUPT VISION

Hayes and Benson – support athletes to try and help the Brownlees make the podium – and winning qualification points could be seen as an extension of this.

POSITIVE THINKING

pre-selection, it refuses to say who, yet the double-Olympic medallist must be a certainty barring illness or injury.

Yee is also likely to go. While understandably inconsistent at just 21, he possesses a devastating turn of pace that makes him an intriguing prospect for future honours. Another Leeds-based athlete, he finished second in Abu Dhabi in 2019 and has a speedy 27:51 10km result to his name after winning the British 10km champs in 2018. If it comes down to a straight running race, Yee is an obvious threat.

While it might seem harsh on triathletes to win the points and see the place awarded elsewhere, as Bishop says, “that’s sport”. In the past two Olympics, Britain has deployed pilots in Stuart

24 /

/ April 2020

If the Olympics do work out for Brownlee Senior there will be 69 days from the mixed relay in Tokyo to then get it right for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, something that, to many observers, he spectacularly failed to do in 2019, trailing in 21st with a 3:13hr marathon. Brownlee doesn’t see it quite like that. “I feel I wasn’t as far off as it might have looked,” he says, “and without doing much more training in Australia I was already a lot better, and that was only the third Ironman I’d ever attempted.”

The performance in Ironman Western Australia in the city of Busselton, with its 19th-century, wooden-piled beachfront jetty, was certainly an impressive statement. Brownlee swam 3.8km in 46:29, biked 180km in 4:10:32 and then ran a 2:43:39 marathon to win by more than 10mins in 7:45:21, among the fastest times ever. And while course accuracy

and conditions make time comparisons contentious, there’s a sense he’s getting to grips with the challenges of longdistance racing, particularly when it comes to fuelling.

“One of the great things about long distance is that it’s kicked me out of my comfort zone,” Brownlee says. “You think you know about nutrition, but do you? What should you change? What should you do differently? It’s questioning a lot of those things. At Olympic distance, nutrition isn’t that important. In Ironman, it’s everything.

If you get it wrong, it doesn’t matter who you are, you’ll be crawling along the road.

“I don’t know entirely what it was in Hawaii, but a lot went wrong [Brownlee also punctured and had to change a wheel midway through the bike leg]. I don’t think the nutrition was great… and I was crawling along the road. But in Australia I got it absolutely right and until the last 10km of that race I thought I could keep going all day.

“What’s made the difference in doing Ironman well ,” Brownlee continues, “is dialling in a very strict strategy of what I’m going to eat when, and how much I’m taking on board, knowing how many grammes of carbohydrate and salt I need per hour

BROWNLEE EXCLUSIVE

and how much water, and making it a really simple equation.”

FACING FRODO AGAIN The change in qualifying format for last year’s Kona, from a points-based system to a ‘win a race and you’re in’ approach, has made the unlikely Olympic-Hawaii double possible, but it would still be an immense achievement. Gomez, who ticked off his own Ironman qualification in Malaysia, also has an outside shot at it, although the five-time ITU world champion is no longer the dominant

force he once was over Olympic distance, and his one appearance in Hawaii in 2018 was underwhelming and saw him return to short-course racing.

The most obvious challenge is likely to come from the three-time Hawaii winner and reigning champion, Jan Frodeno, Brownlee’s sparring partner in his early ITU days and for much of the bike ride in Kona last year – it’s a rivalry that has led to a few spicy altercations. “It was a super impressive race,” Brownlee says of Frodeno’s new course record time, 7:51:13. “He looked in control the whole

race. That said, I think I’ve got room for improvement and can get pretty close.”

And after that? With the Ironman 70.3 World Championships rotating annually, it’ll land in Taupo on New Zealand’s north island this year in November.

Having finished runner-up behind Frodeno in a titanic tussle in 2018 and Norway’s Gustav Iden last year, there remains unfinished business, but… “One step at a time,” Brownlee reminds us.

“My head is telling me that to attempt all three of those goals is maybe a bit much.

But my heart says, ‘We’ll see’.”

“WHAT’S MADE THE DIFFERENCE IN DOING IRONMAN WELL IS DIALLING IN A VERY STRICT STRATEGY OF WHAT I’M GOING TO EAT WHEN AND HOW MUCH I’M TAKING ON BOARD, KNOWING HOW MANY GRAMMES OF CARBOHYDRATE AND SALT I NEED PER HOUR AND HOW MUCH WATER, AND MAKING IT A REALLY SIMPLE EQUATION” GETTY IMAGES

Nice, France, 2019 saw Brownlee produce another silver at the Ironman 70.3 World Champs

April 2020 /

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Experienced athlete but new to triathlon?Thenreadon as we transform a time-crunchedrunnertoa triathlete ahead of the 2020raceseason

WORDS�MATT LUXTON��� IMAGES�STEVE SAYERS

hether you’re a swimmer, cyclist, runner or team sports athlete eyeing a move into multisport, triathlon will throw up a host of unique challenges. How do you improve in one discipline and not suffer in the other two? Increase your training load without becoming injured?

Understand how to fuel your performance?

And gain confidence for that introduction to open-water swimming?

If you’re troubled by any of the above questions, then fear not. Because over the following pages, we’ve given a newcomer to tri – former runner Tomos WhitmarshKnight, 30, who’s aiming for August’s Carlisle Sprint Triathlon – their very own multisport MOT, courtesy of Matt Luxton at the Tamar Performance Centre in Devon.

Cue mindset and nutritional advice, technique analysis and guidance on how to find that elusive tri-and-life balance. Turn the page to find out what our tri debutant learnt from his day of tri conditioning…

April 2020 /

/ 27

FEATURE

FINDING THE BALANCE Matt Luxton: Understanding the background of an athlete is very important, not only from a physiological perspective but also psychological. This is an area that forms the very start of every successful coaching partnership. This conversation between coach and athlete helps the coach start an athlete-centred approach and develops an understanding of what makes that person tick from day to day. For Tomos, I gained a great understanding of his day-to-day life and how this could shape some of the conditioning and mobility that may be needed to help him achieve his goals of the Carlisle Sprint Triathlon this summer. As a coach, this information is vital.

Tomos Whitmarsh-Knight: Everyone’s always looking for the perfect work-life balance, and when triathlon training gets thrown into the mix, time is always a struggle. But sitting down and talking through my daily routine allowed Matt to offer some sound and sensible advice on how to achieve this.

2

ASSESS YOUR PHYSIOLOGY

ML: I used an ultrasound body scan to help analyse Tomos’ body composition. With his background in competitive running, he’s used to being a little leaner than he currently is.

Understanding the relationship between muscle mass, body fat and hydration on performance is an area we discussed during his consultation, particularly in relation to relative power on the bike.

From this we helped Tomos to understand how many calories he might need to optimise performance and recover from sessions. This greater understanding of the macronutrients always serves to empower the athlete to make better decisions with their nutrition.

TW-K: Matt’s advice made me realise that, as athletes, we’re always happy to throw money at the latest gear for those marginal gains when the most important aspect is us, yet we never seem to ‘MOT’ ourselves! Having done

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/ April 2020

the test with Matt, I’m now more conscious of making sure I receive the calories and macronutrients required to optimise my training ahead of my races.

3

UNDERSTAND YOUR FEARS

ML: Psychology is a really important aspect of every triathlete’s journey. Whether it’s the fear of an open-water swim, riding a bike on a road or running further than they have ever before. Tomos explained he’s very good at following through with a goal once set but, perhaps due to never having raced a triathlon, he admitted he may need help with visualisation and breaking down each element of the sport. Understanding fears can help the athlete and coach to work on specific race elements in training so the athlete feels more confident when doing them on race day.

TW-K: With this being my first triathlon, the inevitable self-doubt questions will be on my mind leading up to the event. Have I done enough? What if I forget my trisuit? What will I eat? I learnt that it’ll be important for me to breakdown each element of the sport and just remind myself that, if I’ve put the work in, everything ‘should’ go smoothly.

I’m now more conscious of making sure I receive the macronutrients required to optimise my training

SINGLE SPORT TO TRI

MASTER THE SWIM ML: For most with a background in running, swimming is the most daunting of the three disciplines. Tomos used to swim breaststroke at a club until he was 14, but hasn’t done any competitive swimming since. Swimming is a skill-based sport compared to running, so I aimed to correct his stroke at the front first. We got video footage in an Endless Pool, which helped to pinpoint easy wins for him. Key changes to swim technique after the analysis included: his thumb entering the water first instead of middle finger; starting bilateral (from both sides) breathing; and stopping Tomos breathing too far back. By the end of the session, this resulted in an improvement of 12-14secs per 100m.

TW-K: Being able to visually see where I needed to change my swim technique made understanding the drills Matt gave me a million times easier to put into practice. The time I now spend in the pool has more focus and is quality over quantity.

5

A session in an Endless Pool proved invaluable to Tomos. Changes to his swim technique, and exercises to help loosen his rolled shoulders, will take time off his race

ANALYSE YOUR BODY

ML: What’s important at the beginning of any journey, such as triathlon, is often a very individual opinion. We spend lots on our bikes and accessories, but the one variable that dictates everything is the person using them. Giving yourself permission to succeed in this sport is often about making sure you know more about yourself than you ever imagined. It can be as simple as getting a massage, run analysis, bike fit, swim coaching or dietary advice. All of which can save so much time and help to prevent injury and wasting energy.

TW-K: While doing the body analysis, Matt identified that my shoulders were both rolling inwards. This is something I’d never noticed before, but it was affecting my swimming technique. Matt gave me some simple exercises that I’m currently doing daily to stretch out and loosen those muscles.

April 2020 /

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EASY WINS WITH S&C ML: Strength and conditioning really is the fourth discipline in triathlon. Whether it’s strength, power, mobility or flexibility, this is where easy wins can be made for every multisport athlete.

During the movement screening, Tomos recalled previous medial knee pain and we identified simple exercises he could do to improve his glute strength, which will help his performance across all three sports. If you, similar to Tomos, have little experience of strength and conditioning, start with work on your stability and mobility before layering in more explosive and plyometric activities.

TW-K: My excuse for never focussing on S&C has always been ‘not enough time’ or ‘there’s no real benefit’ when, in reality, Matt showed me a handful of exercise that were quick and easy to do, and I felt the burn! S&C is now part of my everyday morning routine.

7

ADD RUNNING STRUCTURE

ML: Tomos has a long, competitive-running history and has run a 33min 10km race.

More recently he’s adopted a recreational attitude, either doing a 5km or 10km run for training. Technique is so important with running and Tomos knows that he pronates in the ground contact phase of his stride, which we further investigated during his movement analysis. This’ll be the discipline that Tomos will find easiest during the preparation, but he’ll need to structure his training to make sure he doesn’t just do his favourite type of runs and neglect other areas.

TW-K: Having had my fair share of injury niggles in the past few years, running recently has mainly been about being able to run pain-free. Sitting down with Matt made me realise that, with structure to my running, I can achieve this while bringing variety to my training to ensure I cover both speed and endurance.

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/ April 2020

Tomos is reasonably new to strength and conditioning training, but with the promise it will ease knee pain and increase performance he’s keen to embrace it

8

MONITOR YOUR NUTRITION

ML: If there’s an area of sport that’s underpinned with basic principles, but dictated to the greatest degree by our own individual taste, preferences and genetic makeup, the nutrition discipline is it. Tomos currently doesn’t track what he eats, and up to now he hasn’t felt the need to. With the extra volume of training and attention needed for recovery, he may well find keeping a food dairy, along with a record of his energy levels and sleep, useful to make sure he’s getting what he needs to fuel his performance and, ultimately, stay healthy.

TW-K: Everyone’s aware that nutrition is hugely important in this sport and, like me, a lot of people probably feel like they could always do with more information on how to get nutrition right. As I start to increase training volume, I’ll keep tabs on my energy levels and sleep to make sure I’m fuelling appropriately.

SINGLE SPORT TO TRI

Converting to Zwift has made getting the cycling miles into my schedule easier

9

DEVELOP YOUR AEROBIC CAPACITY

ML: Like many UK-based athletes, Tomos would love to cycle outside but needs to use his indoor trainer to keep the quality high.

He’s not so worried about the social element and uses the popular Zwift platform to cycle three or four times a week. I suggested using a combination of lower-intensity, longer rides to develop his aerobic efficiency, and some shorter, FTP-based sessions to increase his functional threshold power.

A week in May to cycle in Dartmoor National Park will help build a good base and get his cycling legs ready for his main triathlon in August in Carlisle.

TW-K: Recently converting to Zwift has made getting the cycling miles into my weekly schedule easier but, like my running, there’s very little structure to those miles.

Having sat down with Matt, I realise I need to make sure I’m making the most of those miles and not neglecting the shorter FTP sessions.

PREVENT INJURIES ML: Tomos’ office job requires long periods of sitting during the day. One of the impacts of this on his ability to remain injury-free is to bring awareness to how this can affect his movement. During the swim analysis we also noticed that he’d a tendency to cross the midline of his body at the front part of his stroke. A possible cause of this can be tight pectorals, and repeatedly doing this can cause shoulder pain. So, taking a holistic approach to this and using the correct posture exercises, stretches and mobility, in conjunction with better technique in the pool, is an area to work on to keep Tomos injury-free.

TW-K: Sitting and talking through strategies to prevent injury was interesting as it highlighted to me just how much my day job is affecting my mobility. Doing simple things such as stretching at my desk and re-posturing can help prevent injury while training and racing.

April 2020 /

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April 2020 /

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FEATURE

he sores on my neck and body were excruciating. I’ve never known water like it. It’s something I carried with me for three weeks.

Why did I do it? I love a challenge.”

The words of ultra-endurance triathlete Claire Smith when reflecting on becoming the first British athlete – male or female – to complete the continuous Double Deca in Mexico last November. Brit Dave Clamp completed it in the old format of one iron per day multiplied by 20, while Smith ‘tamed’ the 48-mile swim, 2,240mile bike and 524-mile run in 660hrs, 28mins and 58secs. So long is this ridiculous event that Smith started on 4 October.

Along the way, she experienced the most toxic water she’s swum in, saddle sores and an ankle injury. “But no hallucinations,” she laughs. “Not this time. I used to, though, terribly before realising it was linked to dehydration. I remember the Double Enduroman up the road in the New Forest. I stamped my foot in a puddle but there were no ripples. My son, Jake, was with me. He said there was no puddle.

“The longer I go, the stronger I feel. Take the Double Deca.

I had a nasty injury halfway through the run, but I flipped my mindset and it healed” Claire Smith, first Brit to complete Double Deca Mexico

among men and women for the fastest 24hr race, covering 162.9 miles. Then there’s the remarkable exploits of Brit Jasmin Paris, who thrust herself into the media spotlight when beating everyone at the 2019 Montane Spine race – a 268-mile winter assault on the Pennine Way. During pitstops, she breastfed her daughter Rowan.

Anomalies? Maybe not. There’s mounting evidence that the tougher and longer the event, the better women do. Most recently, a study by RunRepeat.com and the International Association of Ultrarunners concluded that

Opening image: Jasmin Paris racing in her club colours; Clockwise from top left: Lucy CharlesBarclay exiting the water at the 2019 IM Worlds in 9th overall; Claire Smith; Ryf winning the 2019 70.3 World Champs

“A RECENT STUDY CONCLUDED THAT FEMALE ULTRA RUNNERS ARE FASTER THAN THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS OVER 195 MILES BEYOND” But it was so vivid. I saw soldiers in the bushes as well.”

Soldiers or not, Smith’s consistently trampled all over male competitors. And she’s not the only one…

LONGER, FASTER, STRONGER The past few years have seen women outperform men at the extremes of endurance. In December 2018, American Camille Herron claimed the world record

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female ultra runners are faster than their male counterparts over 195 miles beyond. “The average pace was 17:19min/mile,” lead author Paul Ronto tells us. “That was 0.6% faster than the men’s 17:25min/mile.” That compares to 5km where men are 17% quicker.

The study was comprehensive, Ronto exploring ultra trends over 23 years that involved analysing over five-million results from 15,451 ultra events.

It was also run-specific, but this closing of the gender gap as distance grows is reflected in triathlon, too. Professor Romauld Lepers of Burgundy University in France revealed that between the mid-1990s and 2012, Ironman World Champ elite females closed in on the men from 15% back to 11%. Fast-forward to 2018. Daniela Ryf wins the Ironman World Champs for the fourth year in a row, finishing 25th overall in a time of 8:26hrs and thus finishing just 7.1% behind men’s winner Patrick Lange (7:52hrs). Brit Lucy Charles-Barclay regularly hits top-10 exiting the swim,

THE ENDURANCE GENDER GAP

GAME CHANGERS

A quintet of female athletes who’ve rewritten the endurance record books…

CHRISSIE WELLINGTON In 2009, the Brit claimed her third straight Kona title in a course record 8:54:02. In the process, she finished just 33:41mins behind men’s winner, Craig Alexander – the shortest difference between the two genders in the history of the race.

She also beat all but one man at the Alpe D’Huez Tri in 2008.

JACOMINA EIJKELBOOM “She’s the current female record holder for the Arch to Arc [87-mile run, 21-mile channel swim, 180-mile bike ride] in 66:56hrs,” says Claire Smith.

“I’m attempting it this year.

She’s an amazing athlete and so down to earth.”

SARAH THOMAS In 2018, 37-year-old Sarah Thomas was treated for breast cancer. Twelve months later, the American become the first person to swim across the English Channel four times non-stop.

CORINNE FAVRE “CCC is a 100km event held during UTMB that features 6,000m of climbing,” says Guillaume Millet. “Corinne finished first overall at the first one in 2006, despite there being more than 1,000 entrants!”

KATHI HARTMAN

including second overall at Challenge Roth 2019.

FAT AND FATIGUE RESISTANCE So what’s going on? We crossed the channel to find out. Guillaume Millet is professor of exercise physiology at Saint Etienne University. He’s an expert on gender-specific physiology and suggests there are two reasons behind the closing of the gap: muscle fatigue and fat-burning capacity. “Before I elaborate, I must stress that there’s no definitive answer and to what degree the gap is closing, if at all,” Millet warns. “But it’s a question

that deserves to be asked because women can win scratch races.

“Anyway, we undertook a study in 2012 to understand the area more,” Millet continues.

“We tested a number of male and female athletes at the 2012 UTMB event in Chamonix [legendary 170km run in the Alps]. It was reduced to 110km that year because of adverse weather but it was still tough.

We electrically stimulated their quadriceps before and after the race and discovered that the female runners’ neuromuscular system was fatigued to a lesser extent than the men. Their

FIONA KOLBINGER Last August, the 24-year-old German won the 4,000km Transcontinental bike race from Bulgaria to France in 10 days, 2hrs and 48mins. She finished over 6hrs ahead of the nearest man.

muscles were seemingly more fatigue resistant.”

Millet concedes he’s not 100% sure why but suggests it could be down to women possessing a higher percentage of type I slowtwitch fibres than men. Men have a higher percentage of type II fasttwitch fibres. Type I are better for endurance; type II are more suited for speed and strength.

Then there’s the notion that women excel at ultra triathlons and other events due to being more efficient at burning fat for

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FEATURE

MANAGING THE MENTAL SIDE

HOW TO GO (VERY) LONG Ultra athlete and Brutal Triathlon organiser Claire Smith on a safe extreme-tri transition…

SWIM Some athletes really struggle with eating solid food while swimming long distances, so find something that works for you before the event. That might mean liquid calories from sports drinks or meal replacement shakes. Or you might find that bananas or flapjack works well.

BIKE Whether you’re doing a double iron distance or a deca, the bike section’s going to be long. This means that you need to be as comfortable as possible. Most ultraendurance athletes split their time between a time-trial and road bike. Or they spend the whole bike section on a road bike, but with an aero set-up.

Choose what works for you.

RUN Ultra requires more walking during the run section. But that doesn’t mean you have to lose too much speed. Fall into a run/walk routine from the start, but ensure you’re regimented and stick to it for as long as possible.

GEAR Ensure that you have a pair of trainers that are a size up from your normal ones, as your feet will swell. Also, take some old running shoes that you don’t mind cutting up to accommodate swollen toes and blisters. And be aware of your core temperature fluctuating when you become sleep deprived. Make sure you have plenty of spare layers to throw on if needed.

NUTRITION Most competitors ditch the gels and eat normal food, but you’ll still need your electrolytes, especially if racing in the heat. Otherwise, porridge, fruit, sandwiches, jacket potatoes, pies and even chips are perfect fuel that’ll keep you moving without causing stomach problems.

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/ April 2020

fuel. Studies show that their FatMax, the exercise intensity at which the highest rate of fat oxidation is observed, is higher in women than men. The resulting conclusion is that females can not only spare more precious glycogen stores for intense parts of the race, they can race fast and still predominantly tap into a near exhaustible supply of fat-burning energy, too.

“That’s the theory but I speculate that there’s another

Ahh, the mental. There are many reasons mooted why women might be stronger than men, including the idea that childbirth bulletproofs a female’s mind to future painful exploits. Millet disputes this, citing no empirical evidence. As did Jasmin Paris in 2019 when asked about childbirth boosting her pain threshold: “My daughter was born backwards but I don’t think one experience trains you for other unpleasant experiences.”

Sports psychologist Dr Carla Meijin is currently studying pain experiences of ultra female athletes. But the results aren’t yet in. They’re also not comparative with men, which reflects the sports psychological field as a whole. “There exists very little research that’s focused on differences between endurance male and female athletes from a psychological perspective,” says Meijin.

“Much of the media coverage centres on the anecdotal.”

“AN AMERICAN STUDY OF 92,000 MARATHON RESULTS AT 14 RACES SHOWED THAT WHILE BOTH SEXES SLOWED DURING THE SECOND HALF, MEN SLOWED MORE” reason,” says Millet. “If you can tap into more fat, you’ll preserve amino-acid status as you won’t be drawing on protein for fuel. This prevents muscle breakdown and strengthens the muscle-fatigue resistance argument.” To that end, Millet’s currently analysing data from another study of his at the 2019 UTMB event to either prove or disprove his theory. He hopes to draw a conclusion soon. But, anecdotally, this propensity to burn fat and block fatigue’s echoed by Smith.

“The longer I go, the stronger I feel,” says Smith. “Take the Double Deca. I had a nasty injury halfway through the run. It broke my heart as I thought I’d have to stop. It worsened for a few days and reached heavy limping stage.

But I flipped my mindset and thought, ‘I’m here long enough, this could heal’. And it did. As an event grows, I strengthen mentally and physically.”

To that end, Smith concludes that she has a high pain threshold and quite an extreme personality.

“I’m all or nothing. If I aim for something, I won’t give up.”

That’s arguably symptomatic of many ultra athletes, not just women. You can also speculate that men’s egos have a more detrimental impact the longer an event, especially when it comes to pacing. Take an American study of 92,000 marathon results at 14 races that showed while both sexes slowed during the second half, men slowed more. Their grand egos sent them shooting from the start line before falling backwards.

THE MYSTERY REMAINS It’s similarly unclear when you deconstruct each discipline.

During the period 1983-2012, Lepers showed that the sex differences in elite Ironman Hawaii performance remained relatively stable at around 12.5% for swimming and cycling,

Brit Jasmin Paris won the 268-mile Montane Spine race on the Pennine Way in January last year in a record time of 83:12:23.

During pitstops she breastfed her daughter Rowan.

THE ENDURANCE GENDER GAP

“My daughter was born backwards but I don’t think one experience trains you for other unpleasant experiences” Jasmin Paris, overall winner of the 2019 Montane Spine race

MICK KENYON RACING SNAKES /MONTANE SPINE RACE

while running dropped from 13.5% to 8%. Why remains unclear although a more refined pacing strategy’s been mooted.

You’d also think women’s naturally higher fat percentages would provide greater buoyancy and more speed in the swim.

But reverting back to the 2018 race, Ryf came in 13.5% slower than Lange and only 3.9% back on the bike.

“And that clashes with the protein fat-burning theory,” says Millet. “Cycling doesn’t really

damage the muscle so clearly muscle-resistance to damage isn’t the only reason. It’s a complex subject!” Other theories of gender closing include lighter female triathletes being naturally more economical on the run.

The female’s natural lightness also pays off when dissipating heat, says Lepers.

Ultimately, it seems that females excel at the true extreme fringes of endurance events. Why could be down to physiological and psychological advantages when

racing for days on end. The evidence is inconclusive. Or it could simply be a numbers game and outliers. The Spine race that Paris won counted just 11 women among its 126 starters. The next woman came in two days behind Paris. “Small sample sizes are a problem in making any conclusions,” says Millet. “All I know for certain is that whatever the gender of anyone who attempts such an undertaking, these extreme athletes deserve a medal. They’re inspirational.”

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KIT ZONE THE LATEST GEAR - TESTED BY EXPERTS MEET THE TEST TEAM

HELEN WEBSTER 220’s editor is your go-to for women’s multisport kit.

£649.95

OUR RATINGS 90+ %

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A GENUINE CLASS LEADER

MATT BAIRD Has spent years testing tri kit and accessories for 220.

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JACK SEXTY A strong age-grouper focusing on top-end gains.

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VISION TRIMAX CARBON SI V

JAMES WITTS He’s a published author writing about sports science.

Are the Trimax worth investing in for long-course aero comfort?

ision’s aerobars are available to buy individually or can be spotted specced on numerous tri bikes off-the-peg.

The new Trimax Carbon Si are right at the top of their range with a full carbon construction, plenty of adjustment and a flippable base bar.

We tested the S-bend versions, which weighed in at an impressive 780g for the full rig. They’re also available in the arguably more comfortable J-bend if you prefer your extensions facing skywards in the ‘mantis’-style position currently utilised by many top Ironman athletes, including Lucy Charles-Barclay (although you can tilt these all the way up to 16° – more of which later).

They’re described as ‘semiintegrated’ as you’ll have to fit your own stem. Yet the design is optimised for routing cables for a clean look, with ports for wires and cables on the base bars and extensions. When you or your bike fitter set them up, you’ll find there’s a huge amount of adjustability to find your perfect position, with a stack height of 70mm all the way up to 145mm possible in 5mm increments – if you want to go higher or lower, you can simply add or remove spacers and swap out the bolt for the length you need out of the many supplied.

The reach is also adjustable from -9mm to -99mm to get your armrests in the ideal position, while the extensions can go from 245mm

up to 385mm from the centre of the base bar to the top of the tips.

You can also flip the base bar, so if you want a smaller distance to your brakes when you come off the aerobars then you can have the bars flipped up.

In use, we found the shape of both the base bars and extensions to be very comfortable, and the full carbon chassis makes them stiff and sturdy under load. The pads on the armrests are low profile and not too pillow-like, but are comfortable enough for long-distance tri.

There’s also tilt adjustment from 0-13° on the armrests depending on how you want them to cradle your elbows. We ran our extensions around the middle of the 0-16° of tilt adjustment, so if you want to replicate a mantis position adopted by many top triathletes and timetrial specialists in 2020, you can tilt them all the way up to 16°.

Overall we’re fans of the range of adjustability and shape of the Vision Trimax Carbon Si. They’re a big spend, admittedly (but compare favourably to their rivals at this price point), but if you want a showstopping addition to your aero road or tri bike with plenty of scope to secure adjustments as you tweak your position, we think these are some of the best carbon aerobars on the market. JS windwave.co.uk

87 %

VERDICT HIGHLYADJUSTABLE ANDLUXURIOUSAEROBARS WITH A PRICE TAG TO MATCH

KIT ZONE

“The shape of both the extensions and base bars feels very comfortable, and the full carbon chassis makes them stiff and sturdy under load�

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KIT ZONE

NIKE VAYPOR MIRROR

SWANS ASCENDER MIRRORED + MIT

Low-profile goggles from the sportswear giant

£28

ike say the Vaypor Mirror is a performance goggle with curved and oversized lenses that ‘maximise the field of view in the water’. The lenses are certainly generously-sized for race goggles, and will suit those who want a low-profile goggle with more vision to the sides for open water or busy lanes. The adjustment system is the same as the Swans Ascender with a single clip at the back to tighten or loosen the double-looped strap, which has Nike’s motivational ‘Just Do it’ slogan printed on it if you’re struggling to finish your set.

While not as supple as the Swans gaskets, the Vaypor Mirror was largely comfortable for long training sessions and didn’t leave us with red rings.

Sadly the mirrored coating scratched off easily and the goggles already look well-used after a handful of swims, but we didn’t experience any fogging. Another big curveball is that when we used the goggle in an indoor pool the lens tint was far too dark, so if you’re looking for a goggle you can use indoors this isn’t the one. It’s a decent option as an open-water race goggle, however. We haven’t tested the other Vaypor Mirror lens colours, but our test pair are only useable outdoors, and the product description needs to make this clearer. JS nikeswim.co.uk

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£46.95 Versatile training and racing goggle umerous goggles in Swans’ range have impressed on these pages over time, and we had a fine swimming experience with their latest pair. They’re available in six different lens options and we tested the mirrored versions with Swans’ Mirror Insert Technology that has an extra anti-scratch layer.

As we’ve found after numerous swims, the tech appears to work a treat and there are no signs of scratching or damage at all. There are also photochromatic and polarised lens options available for more than the £47 asking price, yet we can’t see that either would be essential as the mirrored lenses deflect glare well. The tint isn’t too bright so we also found them suitable for indoor pools, and the size and shape of the lenses provide excellent clarity and field of vision.

There are three adjustable nosepieces to secure your perfect fit, and the gaskets are extra soft and flexible so should fit well on any face shape. A single clip at the rear does the job for tightening/loosening, and the straps are replaceable to prolong the life of the goggles. All of which makes the Ascender leap to the top of our picks when it comes to a goggle that you can use for both training and open-water racing. JS swansuk.co.uk

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open water goggles

70 %

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VERDICT COMFORTABLEFIT, BUTSTRICTLYFOROUTDOOR SWIMMING ONLY

91 %

VERDICT EXPENSIVE,BUT THEYPROVIDESUPERBCOMFORT AND CLARITY INDOORS AND OUT

KIT ZONE

HUTCHINSON FUSION 5 £39.95 Tubeless-ready 25mm tyre made in France escribed as a tyre that’s ideal for cyclists wanting to go ‘fast and far’, the tubelessready Fusion 5 Peformance 11 Storm features Kevlar reinforcement under the tread that promises a lifespan of up to 4,000km. This combines with Hutchinson’s ElevenStorm compound. Compared to the previous version without ElevenStorm, it was shown to improve rolling resistance by 14%, durability by 19% and wet grip by 11% in tests at the independent Wheel Energy Lab in Finland.

We’d no problems fitting our 25mm test tyres to our wheels, finding them to be supple and the bead not too tough, and managed to get both tyres fitted and set up tubeless with sealant inside in about 20mins. On the road the Fusion 5 has the feeling of a race tyre that’s on the tougher side; not as buttery smooth as a dedicated TT tyre that’s all about

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speed, yet faster than a typical all-season option.

They inspired confidence in wet and icy conditions, and feel impressively grippy when cornering.

For training on the road year-round and racing on rough British roads, we think it’s the ideal in-between and a tyre you won’t need to swap out for over a year unless you clock up serious annual mileage.

The Fusion 5 is also available in a bundle for £99, so that’s two tyres with tubeless sealant, valves, valve core removers and rim tape so you’ve everything you need to go tubeless, providing you have a tubeless-ready wheelset. If you want to go wider, there are also 28mm and 30mm options. JS windwave.co.uk

91 %

VERDICT ONEOFTHEBEST TYRESFORYEAR ROUNDSPEED AND PUNCTURE PROTECTION

KALENJI KIPRUNWARM £49.99 Winter running jacket ecathlon captured thermal images of runners to design this robust jacket designed to be optimal in temps from 0-10°C, and it boasts a windproof membrane, water repellent softshell and sweatwicking properties. The fit is relaxed and there are two large zipped pockets, plus side zippers that open to offer ventilation (there’s also a vented back section). The hood is useful for wet days, but feels a little uncomfortable behind the neck when stowed away.

Built-in mitts on the sleeves kept our hands warm with no need for gloves.

Yet the jacket felt too bulky for tempo runs or harder efforts, so we wouldn’t wear it in temps approaching the 10°C that they recommend. But, for easier runs on cold and soggy days, it’s an affordable option worth adding to your kit drawer. JS decathlon.co.uk

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VERDICT NOTFORHARDSETS, BUTANADEQUATEAND AFFORDABLE UTILITY JACKET

RAWVELO ENERGY BAR £37.50 (box of 20) Organic bar awvelo pride themselves on clean, organic, vegan nutrition.

The choc and raspberry bar delivers 192cals from 24.4g carbs, 7.8g fat and 4.5g protein from dates, almonds, cacao powder and dried raspberries.

That fatty influence makes it more suitable for long rides or a healthy snack. Texture is easily chowed down and taste is decent. JW rawvelo.com

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VERDICT NUTRITIOUSAND SATISFACTORY TASTINGENERGY BAR; MODERATE PRICE

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KIT ZONE

asics gel-noosa tri 12 £120 Tri-specific classics given an even greater multisport overhaul he Gel-Noosa Tri are probably the most famous examples of the tri-specific running shoe, and their 12th edition ramp up the multisport appeal. Tongue loops and heel hooks are both present after a long absence, while elastic laces and the ability to wear sockless are all present and correct, as are the chops to dry swiftly after the bike leg (or swim if you’re racing aquathlon). The visuals have actually been toned down in this black version (the wince-inducing Hot Pink and Flash Coral editions less so), but it’ll still look better in Hawaii than it does at the early-season Harlech Triathlon.

Onto the roads and what becomes apparent is the lean stack height and low weight (222g), the latter making them one of the lightest road racers around (only the Saucony Type A9 and Brooks Hyperion from last month’s

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CHANGE IN BAG £29.99 Post-event modesty bag he Dry Robe’s omnipresent. It’s also not cheap, prices starting at £75. Affordability is the gap the Change In Bag is looking to fill, coming in at just £29.99. How does it perform? The neat if relatively bulky crescent-shaped bag unfurls into a vampire-like garment for several purposes. The main aim is to retain your modesty when changing with two generous arm-hole openings in each top corner and a half-height zip upfront for easy in-and-out access.

Your clothes then drop down to a mesh bag, allowing water to drain.

The second aim is retaining warmth, which it does but nowhere near as effectively as the Dry Robe. We tried it in several scenarios and it proved its worth after off-season mountain biking where we had clothes to hand in the boot. JW changeinbag.co.uk

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INOV-8 STORMSHELL £180

Top-end running jacket

e spent time at Inov-8 recently (see p54) and what became clear is the attention to detail. And that’s evident in the Stormshell, with a wired hood peak, thumb loops, and a soft fabric buffer between zipper and neck.

Waterproofing is a high 20,000 rating while taped seams and the ability to pack into the top pocket add to a winning, if pricey, mix. MB inov-8.com

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VERDICTNOTPERFECTBUTYOU WOULDN’TEXPECTSOAT THIS IMPRESSIVE PRICE

race shoes test come in lower). A study by the former Nike coach, Jack Daniels, found that adding 100g to a shoe increases the aerobic demand of running by 1%. This equates to around 15secs compared to a 322g shoe over the 10km Olympic-distance run leg (7.5secs for sprint) that these shoes are best suited for. Combined with the transition time-saving and agility on winding courses, this makes them an option for short-course speedsters seeking every marginal gain.

A big question for another day, however, is how much the advent of the carbon-infused mega midsoles will impact the future of racing flats in triathlon. MB asics.com

80 %

VERDICT PLENTYOFRACING APPEALFORSERIOUSANDSWIFT SHORT COURSE TRIATHLETES

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Created by leading sports doctors and world class nutritionists to support joint and bone health.* Pro Advanced Collagen is a daily supplement designed to assist high-intensity training and elite performance.

TRRNUTRITION.COM UNLOCK THE NEXT LEVEL IN PERFORMANCE *Pro Advanced Collagen contains 10,000mg marine collagen, turmeric, ginger, hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, and copper which contributes to the maintenance of normal connective tissues and vitamin C which contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of bones and cartilage.

BUYER’S GUIDE

AERO HELMETS An aero road helmet should offer both aero gains and sound ventilation.

We test nine on the roads of Lanza and in the Boardman wind tunnel WORDS MATT BAIRD IMAGES STEVE SAYERS

he Giro Air Attack started the aero road helmet revolution in 2012 and the popularity has exploded in triathlon, sending the TT helmet towards the margins as savvy triathletes realised that aerodynamics, comfort and ventilation could come in one helmet package.

While the weight of an aero road helmet is typically higher than a standard road lid, our wind tunnel tests at the Boardman Performance Centre in 2019 and this January reveal an aero road helmet can be 3:22mins faster than a vented lid

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over the 180km Ironman bike leg, a healthy saving for those vying for age-group honours. Much of this, of course, depends on an athlete’s abilities to keep their head in the same aero position, but the drag penalties of moving one’s head aren’t as high on an aero lid as when riding in a TT helmet.

We tested the helmets in both Lanzarote and Somerset; in the latter it became clear that aero road helmets also offer respite from offseason chills, proving that an aero road lid isn’t just for race day.

Time, then, to deliver our windtunnel and real-world results...

CUTTING EDGE

GIRO VANQUISH MIPS

SCOTT CADENCE PLUS

£219.99 Used by multi-Ironman world champion Jan Frodeno, the Vanquish MIPS is unique among the competition here as it comes with a magnetic Shield Visor. The visor gives good clarity but there’s a clear gap between that and the face, giving us concerns about detritus flicking up. Which is a shame, as the helmet offers sound ventilation via its 10 well-placed vents, there’s MIPS (Multidirectional Impact Protection System) and comfort from the Roc Loc system (the buckle is fiddly, however). The wind tunnel results saw it regularly come behind only the S-Works (it was impressive at the 0° yaw angle and 35km/h speed, and was even better in VERDICT SWIFT AND an aggressive aero position), COMFY, BUT WE COULD and it doesn’t feel like a 355g lid GIVE OR TAKE THE VISOR % when riding. zyrofisher.co.uk

£170 Alistair Brownlee wears the Cadence Plus, but happily there are also benefits for us age-group mere mortals. There’s MIPS safety and the addition of Aero Plugs or winter bungs, which can be placed into the ventilation channels on colder days or if you’re truly seeking an aero advantage where heat isn’t a consideration.

Those ventilation channels (sans bungs) do the job on the roads, yet the internal padding is somewhat limited, and the 280g weight puts it towards the higher level here. In the wind tunnel it performed well at speeds of 35km/h and at the 10° yaw angle but, strangely for such an aerodynamic-looking lid, less VERDICT WE LIKE THE successfully when riding BUNGS AND VENTING, BUT faster at 45km/h across all MIXED TUNNEL SCORES % yaw angles. scott-sports.com

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HOW WE TESTED: AERO ROAD HELMETS

ABUS GAMECHANGER £179.99 Naming a product a gamechanger is bold, especially when the aesthetic differences with competitors – the S-Works Evade – are hard to escape. So is the 263g Abus worth the billing? We’ve yet to see any useful aero data from Abus on the Gamechanger, only that it produces 23% less frontal drag than their vented option, which is a shame as that slim Evade-alike and rear thermal port suggest drag-reduction properties. It didn’t make the cut for our tunnel tests due to the lack of internal comfort, with minimal padding, an ultra slim fit and wedges of exposed EVA foam at the rear digging into our skull. The ratchet system and straps feel basic for VERDICT ONE FOR £180, and venting is only ATHLETES WITH VERY adequate. Neat eyewear port, NARROW HEADS ONLY % though. extrauk.co.uk

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No one likes a show off, but we’re proud to say that we’re the only publication worldwide to regularly test our aero helmets in the wind tunnel. The reason is that nearly every brand claims to produce the world’s fastest helmet, but still refuse to release the raw tunnel data from their own tests. As our wind-tunnel results show, some helmets only perform at certain angles and speeds so, while a helmet may technically be the fastest at a 20° yaw and riding at 55km/h, that doesn’t mean it performs across a range of wind directions and riding speeds.

That’s why we again found ourselves at the Boardman Performance Centre’s wind tunnel under the watch of Boardman’s head of science and technical development, Jamie Pringle, this winter armed with the best of 2020’s aero road helmets. We tested each at yaw angles of 0, 10 and 20°, and at speeds of 35km/h, 45km/h and 55km/h in a fixed position on a triathlon bike (adopting an aero tuck that was neither too aggressive nor relaxed).

With tunnel testing done, we then took the helmets to the volcanic triathlon hotspot of Lanzarote to access their ventilation and real-world properties. Less glamourously, tests were also carried out on the off-season roads of North Somerset.

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KIT ZONE

BEST VALUE

VANRYSELRACER

GIANTAEROPURSUIT

£39.99 Forty quid for a lightweight (260g) helmet with impressive ventilation is a bargain. Forty quid for a helmet that outpunches competitors four times its price in the aero stakes is one of the biggest surprises these pages have witnessed. While it performed poorly at 0° yaw angle (i.e. into direct headwinds), the wider the wind angle, the better it performed. Our recorded segments even showed it beating the best in class S-Works Evade II at 20° yaw angle when riding at 45km/h. The ventilation is the best on test here (Ironman Lanzarote, anyone?) and it only loses marks due to the firm front padding, a tricky to adjust retention VERDICTMOSTLYGREAT system and straps that TUNNELRESULTSATA have a tendency to loosen.

BARGAIN PRICE % decathlon.co.uk

£189.99 There’s a recent trend for narrow and streamlined aero road helmets (confirmed by our own wind-tunnel results here), yet Giant’s Pursuit is more bulbous, closer to a Poc Ventral than our winning Evade II. And the size and hefty 320g weight (58g more than the Evade II) are noticeable on the road, catching crosswinds and feeling cumbersome on endurance rides. Where it does impress is in ventilation at speed due to the eight sizeable frontal vents, but it struggled once the Spanish hills arrived. The padding is adequate but the small ratchet isn’t the easiest to adjust. MIPS is a welcome safety feature but there’s just too much strong VERDICTGOODVENTING competition at this price point ATSPEEDBUTJUSTTOO for this to be a contender.

CUMBERSOME FOR TRI % giant-bicycles.com

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INTO THE WIND TUNNEL: THE RESULTS ANALYSED “Although there were some exceptions, the rank order of performance of the helmets was quite consistent across the various wind speed and yaw scenarios,” says Boardman’s Jamie Pringle. “The range of differences in the aero performance of the helmets is 5.9%, which is large given that all the helmets were aero race ones.

“Consider that, for a normal 90min wind tunnel optimisation session, our typical saving in aero drag is 9-10%, but this is coming from adding up gains from a dozen changes, including bike position. That a single change of helmet can offer more than half of this total gain is remarkable.

“Yet, with a Coefficient of Drag [CdA, used to used to quantify the drag of an object] of 0.22 to 0.24 m2 region, there’s scope for improvement.

The aero game has changed in the last five years and a CdA of 0.20 is common. That aero performance once was the domain of track riders, but triathletes are getting closer. A helmet’s volume can be as important as its shape and features, and helmets that fit poorly can be counterproductive. Product development that considers multiple wind scenarios and individual fit are likely to have greater impact in the real world.”

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/ April 2020

BEST ON TEST

S-WORKSEVADEII £200 Specialized have spent plenty of time in their own Californian wind tunnel with the Evade II and our own results across the board once again confirm this (the Evade was the fastest overall on test in our tunnel sessions in both 2019 and 2020, especially at the speed of 45km/h but impressive across a range of yaw angles).

The 12 deep, internal air channels are an improvement over the original (as is the new addition of the MIPS safety system) for warmer high-intensity riding, and the magnetic buckle is great for transition speed and cold post-swim finger use. Weight with MIPS is still a lean 262g but we’d still prefer more VERDICTLIGHT,LEAN adjustment with the side ANDTHEFASTESTHERE straps, which are oddly fixed ACROSS THE AERO BOARD % in place. specialized.com

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LIMAR AIR SPEED

POC VENTRAL SPIN

£179.99 Limar have made a concerted effort to move into the tri market in the last couple of years, attracting British ITU racers into the fold and adding a magnetic buckle on the chinstrap for added transition appeal for cold, post-swim fingers. Limar’s own positive tunnel testing has only extended to athletes riding on the hoods, but now our tri-bar tunnel analysis confirms that this is one swift lid, regularly coming second behind the S-Works and Giro (especially at the key 45km/h speed and 0° yaw angle). In terms of safety, there’s no MIPS protection but the retention system is secure, while venting from the 12 channels on hilly, VERDICT PLENTY OF TRI sticky days is acceptable.

APPEAL AND SUCCESS IN Weight, meanwhile, is a decent THE TUNNEL, TOO % enough 259g. mylimar.co.uk

£270 Poc’s helmets divide opinion in both style and substance, and that continues with the lean 250g Ventral Spin. Good points include the eyewear garage and easily-adjustable straps, while the airflow from the 13 vast vents (utilising the Venturi Effect, where air goes into a wide area and is pushed out through a smaller area) is decent. In lieu of MIPS, POC employs its own padding with impact protection capabilities. Onto the negatives, and the masses of exposed white EPS foam give it a cheap aesthetic, while the elephant in the room is the £270 price for something that really underperformed in the tunnel (scoring especially VERDICT GOOD VENTING poorly at 45km/h). For the BUT POOR TUNNEL price, we’d be looking at a Hexr RESULTS FOR THE PRICE % 3D custom helmet. 2pure.co.uk

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OVERALL VERDICT BELL Z20 AERO MIPS £209.99With striking looks, effective straps, comfy pads and MIPS protection, the Bell Z20 Aero has plenty going for it. But its weight of 281g is average and, for such an aero-looking lid, it largely placed mid-table in the wind tunnel (it was good at the most critical for long-course triathlon 45km/h with a 0° yaw angle, however), consistently scoring below the Specialized, Giro and, at times, the £40 Van Rysel. All of which makes us question its worth, especially when venting is compromised by the 10 small channels and the financial outlay is over £200. Despite this, it’s the helmet we’ve used the most for winter riding for the last 12 months thanks VERDICT TOP LOOKS, to the comfort, fine looks and HIGH PRICE, DECENT chilly wind-deflecting abilities.

ENOUGH IN THE TUNNEL % zyrofisher.co.uk

80

For something that started out as purely a safety product, race-day helmets have developed a lot over the past decade, with removable visors, Venturi effects and thermal ports all present here. If you believe the team at Hexr 3D-printed helmets (see 220tri.com), there’ll be developments to come in the next decade but for now the tunnel and the tarmac prove that (most of) the current crop are producing comfort and speed in one lid.

Abus and Giant didn’t make the tunnel cut due to their asphalt performance, respectively, while the Poc seriously underperformed in the Boardman Performance Centre for a helmet of £270. The Scott stands out for its additional bungs for aero or thermal gains (although it strangely performed better at slower speeds), as does the Giro for its magnetic visor. But, for us,three helmets stood out for their road and wind-tunnel abilities.

The first is the Van Rysel, which has utilised Decathlon’s own wind tunnel to startling effect and produced a sub-£50 lid that holds its own against £200 options. Sort out the straps as this is a solid gold pick. There’s little to separate the Limar and S-Works in terms of price, road feel and weight, but the S-Works again edges this test for its MIPS and commanding tunnel scores.

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KIT ZONE

BUYER’S GUIDE

TRIATHLON BACKPACKS

A tri-specific backpack will make your racing life easier and can become a valuable travelling companion. Matt Baird tests six of the best

sizing You can reduce the size of many of the bags using side clips, extending their versatility for commuting and gym lockers.

rotection ome of the bags ested overleaf ave protective reas for helmets nd eyewear, ideal or transition areas nd air travel.

Like many things in triathlon – elastic laces, energy gels, multisport watches – a transition bag isn’t a mandatory purchase for your racing endeavours. In the past we’ve seen, and used, holdalls, plastic boxes and bin bags, all with varying degrees of success. However, a tri-specific bag purchase will make your tri life a whole lot easier, so much so that you’ll wonder how you previously survived without one. They can also act as a badge of honour, signalling to fellow multisporters that you’re not only a triathlete in the pool, but also departure

lounge and city centre cycle lane. But what should you look for in a triathlon backpack?

A designated waterproof wetsuit compartment – whether built-in or removable – is ideal for any race involving open-water swimming, preventing your kit and car boot from becoming a soggy mess post-race. Separate pockets for race fuel, admin (entry forms and race licence), tools and water bottles are highly recommended, while comfy straps are ideal for the often long walk (hello Windsor Tri) from the race car park to the transition area.

Also, try to remember that a transition bag doesn’t have to be just for race day, with the majority of the six on test here being versatile enough to use for commuting, the gym and swim sessions.

And it’s worth noting airlines’ cabin bag limits if you have international ventures planned. British Airways’ and Easyjet’s are 56 x 45 x 25cm, for example, while Ryanair’s, naturally, is a tighter 55 x 40 x 20cm, meaning some of the bags overleaf could be destined for the hold, which will incur extra charges.

April 2020 /

IMAGES STEVE SAYERS

straps Look for padded straps and a breathable, ideally ergonomic rear section for carrying a bagful of kit to transition.

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BEST ON TEST

ZOOT BLUESEVENTY HUUB DESIGN ULTRA TRI BAG TRANSITION BAG TT BAG £145 The canvas fabric of the Ultra Tri makes it stand out from much of the noir competition here, and – the bulbous protective helmet compartment aside – it ticks the aesthetic boxes, with a smart Kona 1983 logo and Hawaii-themed interior. It also ticks race-day boxes, with an internal checklist of race items, secure bottle storage, multiple mesh pockets, and a sizeable and removable drybag for wet kit. It opens out fully – suitcase style – which is a huge bonus for overseas multisport adventures. The comfy straps and ergonomic back panels also make it ideal for long journeys.

Although only 2L bigger than many bags here at 42L, it feels the biggest on test when in use and the 62cm height could cause issues with the more draconian of airline staff. The lack of suitability for commuting and pool or gym sessions is also worth noting. zootsports.co.uk

83 %

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VERDICT SUPERIORSTYLEAND FUNCTIONS,YETTHESIZING LACKS EVERYDAY VERSATILITY

/ April 2020

£90 Blueseventy were the original brains behind the triathlon-specific transition bag and their influence lives on in multisport, with 2XU, Huub and Zone3 just three brands working from that classic multi-compartment template. But where the latter two especially have innovated with the formula, Blueseventy have largely stood still, and this £90 transition bag now looks and feels dated compared to the techier backpacks on display here. Not that there’s much to fault in terms of practicality, with a sizeable waterproof wetsuit compartment, two mesh pockets on the sides that can hold two water bottles apiece, and four zipped compartments for valuables and race admin. The bumper 32L main compartment can become a race weekend black hole, however, although the front easy-to-access frontal compartment is a welcome addition. blueseventy.co.uk

72 %

VERDICT POINTSFORBEINGAPIONEER OFTHETRANSITIONBAG,BUT IT’S HIGH TIME FOR AN OVERHAUL

£90 Given there’s a waterproof storage compartment for wetsuits, we’re not sure where the TT (time trial) title came from for this 40L Huub bag, but it’s the most versatile offering here for triathlon, travel and commuting. The latter is down to the rear laptop compartment and shorter 52cm height (it’s 20cm deep and 34cm wide) that makes riding possible, a trio of zipped outer pockets for valuables, and a stashable helmet net. And for triathlon race day and travel? The large main compartment is sizeable for shoes and race kit, internal pockets provide space for nutrition, while the three outer mesh pockets do the job for holding water bottles and bananas. It’s easy to wipe the mud of transition from the smooth outer coating, but a protective pouch for eyewear and phones would be a welcome addition both for race day and the crush of the aircraft cabin. huubdesign.com

92 %

VERDICT THISBAGHASTHE WIDESTEVERYDAYAPPEAL,BUTWITH RACE DAY CAPABILITIES AS WELL

TRIATHLON BACKPACKS

CUTTING EDGE

SPEEDO TEAM III RUCKSACK

ZONE3 TRANSITION

ROKA TRANSITION

£31 We’ve had the Speedo Team III for three months now and we’re still unsure what sport we’d use it for. The 30L capacity is too big to be a rolltop bag for kayaking or pool swimming, too wide for commuting, and (as the price suggests) just too basic for tri race day or open-water events. The latter point is down to the cavernous main compartment that isn’t separated into distinct areas, causing a pre-event kerfuffle of kit and an unholy infestation of smells post-race caused by our soggy wetsuit and soiled kit. Plus points include the back of the bag unzipping to become a padded changing mat, a zipped front pouch for nutrition and tools, and roomy side pockets for water bottles. But the overall impression is that this’ll be more suited to days out on the beach than any tri endeavours in 2020, something Speedo look like they’ll be addressing with the new 35L Teamster Rucksack. speedo.com

£95 We’ve had previous incarnations of the 40L Zone3 Transition bag for years and can vouch for its durability. A key change with this new model, different from the Blueseventy, is a split of the main compartment into two, enhancing raceday convenience because of the ability to file swim, bike and run kit into different areas (swim kit is stored in the lower waterproof compartment). Having the middle section open out also makes it adept for lying flat on pool benches or in transition. Neat touches include a phone pocket with earphone outlet, the ability to stand the bag up, and a reinforced lid for helmet protection. A downside of the latter, however, is that it noticeably adds to the overall bulk of the bag, which means it’s not ideal for commuting (the split compartment also makes it unfriendly for laptops) and a struggle to fit into smaller pool lockers. zone3.com

£250 Protective eyewear pockets? Check.

Ergonomic back panels? Check. Anodised aluminium utility hooks? You’ve got it.

Roka have thrown the kitchen sink at the Transition Pack, which arrives after three years of development and testing. Is it worth the wait? Basically, it’s the most comprehensive tri-themed bag we’ve ever encountered. The ‘Triple Threat Storage’ overblown branding is redeemed by the excellent functionality – three key internal areas are size-adjustable, there are an almost intimidating number of compartments, and side pockets can expand to hold two bottles apiece. The removable drybag frees up space when you’re not swimming, it stands up well and there’s a protective laptop area. All good then? Not quite. The inescapable fact is that this bag costs (adopt Dr Evil voice) £250. Not something we’d want to muddy in the UK’s transition areas. uk.roka.com

63 %

VERDICT ALRIGHTFORBEACHTOWELS ANDBUCKETS,BUTLACKINGSTRONG TRIATHLON SPECIFICITY

90 %

VERDICT ASTYLISHCLASSICFOR TRIATHLONRACEDAY,EDGEDBYHUUB AND ROKA FOR EVERYDAY USE

80 %

VERDICT PERFECTFORTHEJET SETTING TRICOMMUTER,BUTJUSTTOOPRICEY TO RISK SOILING IN UK TRANSITIONS

April 2020 /

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KIT ZONE

THE MAKING OF

Inov-8 are a major player in off-road running, whose range now encompasses multiple itness and sporting activities. We hit the Lake District to detail the story of their new graphene wonder shoe and its bene its for trail running WORDS JAMES WITTS IMAGES STEVE SAYERS INOV

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/ April 2020

THE BRAND VISITS: INOV 8

misty, overcast and cool Tuesday ning in mid-winter. Myself and 220’s ures editor Matt are in Staveley, a village miles north-west of Kendal. It’s an area inhabited since around 4,000BC whose name derived from the woodworking industry that thrived in this part of the world.

Staveley literally means ‘field of staffs’. It’s also synonymous with graphite.

Legend has it graphite was discovered here in the 16th century and, later on, fuelled a roaring trade in pencils. That historic calling card is all rather apt as we’re in the Lakes to dig deep into the story of Inov-8, one of British sports manufacturing’s major success stories of the past 20 years, off the back of their new run shoe, the graphene-infused X-Talon G235.

We all know that many sports brands love to sell themselves on being a product designed by athletes for athletes. But this lot really are that, we discover. We meet one employee entering an UTMB event in France; another planning an ultraholiday from Albania to Greece. They also host a running club before work or at lunchtime, where the team all head into the fells above Staveley.

“This allows us to test prototypes,” Lee Procter, Inov-8’s communications manager, tells me.

“And it’s where we refined the G235.” The Lakes have proved fertile developmental ground for Inov-8 since their launch in 2003. I remember it well. I edited 220 Triathlon for many years and interviewed founder Wayne Edy that year. Edy told me that his aim was to build from a niche off-road brand, founded on the foot controlling the shoe, not the other way around. That meant lightweight, fast and durable. It doesn’t sound transformative but remember, this was before the barefoot running craze and when cushioning was omnipresent on all genres of run shoe. “We also wanted it to grip well,” Edy added.

BORN FROM THE FELLS

GRIP MORE, RUN FASTER

Inov 8’s offices are nestled in an outdoor industrial playground alongside Haglofs UK, the huge Wheelbase Bike Shop and, one for canine lovers, Dogs for Development. They’re all shadowed by the imposing Cowan Head mountain where we’ll test out the G235s after our guided tour. It screams adventure. We’ve organised to meet up with the team, hell bent on uncovering how this northern brand has grown from selling shoes out of the back of vans at local fell-running events to being stocked in over 60 countries.

That last point stuck with me. It’s not only a key sell of the new G235 but was noticeable on their first model, the MudRoc. You felt more connected to Mother Nature and, of course, remained upright longer. Multiple Kielder Marathon winner Ceri Rees once regaled me with the reasons behind the growth and joy of off-road running. “If you’re wearing shoes fit for the fells over a variety of gradients, you rediscover your natural stretch reflex,” he opined. “In essence, you find your natural cadence.”

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That’s how I felt in the MudRoc 290s and, years later, arguably their most successful shoe, the X-Talon 212. New Zealander Melissa Moon felt the same. Not long after launch, she borrowed a pair of 290s for the 2003 World Mountain Running Trophy in Alaska, as her own shoes weren’t grippy enough for the snow-covered slopes. She duly won, giving her the title and, in the process, awakening the world to this UK start-up.

Athlete victories, Edy told me, were key to the brand’s credibility – as were jaw-dropping exploits. For 17 years, their marketing team have enjoyed rich pickings from both. As a snapshot, Rhys Findlay-Robinson won the 2016 British Fell Running Championships; Nicky Spinks completed the infamous Bob Graham Round twice in one go, beautifully documented online; and then there’s Jasmin Paris, who took the overall win at the 2019 Montane Spine Race, while breastfeeding her baby daughter at feed stops along the way.

All emotional, inspirational stories that forge the community so essential to a brand like Inov8’s success. Of course, global TV coverage helps, too, and that came via the size-eights of comedian Eddie Izzard when he ran 27 marathons in 27 days for Comic Relief, raising over a million pounds plus a ‘little extra’ after auctioning off his signed Inov8 Race Ultra 290s.

It’s a very British story of putting in the dirty miles, forging a reputation, widening the product range – Inov-8 are now very popular in CrossFit and obstacle racing – and nurturing the brand. And like all good British manufacturing success stories, Inov-8 is now predominantly in the hands of foreign ownership.

“In 2015, Japanese sportswear maker Descente acquired 80% of the business,” Procter explains.

Previously they’d been the distributor of Inov-8 in Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. Inov-8’s shoes are also manufactured in China, but R&D remains in the UK as well in America.

Edy remains involved. But the Staveley team enjoy an autonomy and openness that’s seen graphene swiftly integrated into the G235’s outsole. “It took just 18 months between our initial meeting with the National Graphene Institute (NGI) and product launch,” explains Procter. “It’s a short period for any run-shoe development, let alone when becoming the first run-shoe brand to use graphene in footwear. We’re an agile company open to new ideas. That helps.”

Inov-8 has slipstreamed fellow British brand Dassi Bikes in applying graphene to their product range. And you can see why, as it’s more pliable than rubber and 200 times stronger than steel but six times lighter. Graphene also conducts electricity better than copper.

THE WONDER MATERIAL To understand the next chapter in Inov-8’s story, you need to understand graphene, which sends us back to 2004. At Manchester University, Professor Andre Geim was undertaking one of his ‘Friday night experiments’ – the moniker given to the off-beat trials of this Russian-born academic. Along with then PhD student Kostya

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/ April 2020

“IT TOOK JUST 18 MONTHS BETWEEN OUR INITIAL MEETING WITH THE NATIONAL GRAPHENE INSTITUTE AND PRODUCT LAUNCH...

WE’RE AN AGILE COMPANY OPEN TO NEW IDEAS. THAT HELPS” Novoselov, Geim engaged in a test that seems rather rudimentary, peeling away at a graphite pencil with sticky tape. However, that monotonous peeling paid off, as Geim eventually isolated a one-atom-thick substance whose attributes are mooted to transform the world, let alone the sports industry.

“Graphene is a single sheet of carbon atoms,” explains Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan, lecturer in nanomaterials at Manchester University and affiliated to the campus’ National Graphene Institute. “Each carbon atom is connected to three other carbon atoms via very strong covalent bonds.

This structure makes graphene extremely strong and stretchable.”

This groundbreaking discovery led to both Geim and Novoselov receiving the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics. Despite the plaudits, its progression to the mass market has been hampered by an inability to produce it cost effectively and on a commercial scale. But those barriers are breaking down.

The NGI is a great driver of this evolution, collaborating with over 80 companies on graphene applications. One of those is Inov-8. “It’s known as KTP, or Knowledge Transfer Project, and it’s part-government funded, part funded by us,”

THE BRAND VISITS: INOV 8

The X-Talon G235’s, with graphene soles, have been developed in the Lake District by voracious fell runners

explains footwear product manager Bodil Oudshoorn. “I’ve spent a lot of time in academia – I have a PHD in footwear science – and it’s common that ideas generated from universities never reach business. They work to slower timescales, which is understandable when it takes three hours to read a journal. The pace of industry’s much higher.”

The NGI is actually part-funded by the European Union, too, to the tune of £23 million. How Brexit will impact this model remains to be seen. What’s clearer is that the next five years will see a surge of new products. And not just in sport. “Graphene will lead to faster broadband, batteries with huge capacities, foldable touch screens…” says Vijayaraghavan. “It’ll also appear in various kinds of sensors, from chemical to gas to biological and optic detectors. Graphene coatings might also be used for corrosion protection, and also in biological applications such as drug screening or cell biology studies.”

50:50:50 Procter says the collaboration with the NGI continues. That’s down the line. What about the here and now with the G235? What attributes does graphene bring to not only improve performance, but also to justify that £140 price tag? Over to Oudshoorn…

“Essentially, graphene makes the rubber stickier and, alongside the 8mm studs, enhances grip. That’s particularly beneficial on slippery rocks. It doesn’t wear down quickly, either, which is a problem for soft rubber, especially when running on the roads, and it’s flexible to maximise your run gait. It’s where the term ‘50:50:50’

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comes from to describe these shoes. They’re 50% harder wearing, 50% more elastic and 50% stronger than previous models. In fact, they’re actually a 50:60:80 improvement, but marketing thought 50:50:50 sounded better!”

Oudshoorn is a run-shoe authority; she’s also an Inov-8 employee. We ask if 220 readers can be assured these figures come from independent bodies? “They are,” she replies. “We undertake our own tests first before sending samples to Manchester University for their own tests. These include an abrasion test to gauge how quickly the outsole wears down and stretch tests. If it can stretch, that gives better grip.”

Beyond the graphene USP, the G235 features a 6mm drop, the company’s PowerFlow+ midsole and a ballistic nylon upper to ensure the outsole’s not the only component that’s durable. Like many Inov-8 shoes, it’s also relatively narrow, which plays into my hands (or, more specifically, feet).

My feet are comparable with a sparrow’s.

Thankfully, Procter tells me, fell-runners generally like their shoes tight, steering that narrow profile. “We encourage everyone to try them, though,” he adds. “They’re flexible enough for a variety of foot shapes.”

The American market now counts for a significant chunk of Inov-8’s business. “They prefer wider shoes,” says Oudshoorn, “while the Italians love a narrower shoe. UK runners and triathletes tend to sit in the middle.” Ethnicity impacts foot width with Africans generally wider

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than Asians. But it’s not all genetics. “What you wore as a child impacts, too,” adds Oudshoorn. “If you squeezed into narrow shoes, your adult feet are more likely to be narrow.”

OFF-ROAD FEEDBACK This is all well and good, of course, but how do the G235s perform out on terra firma? In short, very similar to the X-Talon 212s, which in my eyes is as strong a compliment there is. They wrap around your foot nicely – a two-part gusseted tongue designed to protect against debris, that’s imperceptible. What’s more noticeable is the comfort and the lightness derived from graphene’s high strength-to-weight ratio. It feels fast, even on this moderate runner, but it’s the grip that’s most tangible, boosting confidence over my usual off-road Bristol six-miler. It’s enhanced by those 8mm studs. Triathletes who are hitting the trail this off-season will love it, but just note, this is pure off-road. While excelling on the mud and gravel, it’s not at home on tarmac or pavement.

Those studs shudder, so bear that in mind if, like in an ‘off-road’ run race I competed in during midJanuary, you’ll encounter stretches of hard stuff.

It’s too early to talk durability, which I’ll be interested in as, despite the sell of graphene to improve grip and durability, my X-Talons eventually gave up the ghost because the outsole separated from the upper. That’s no criticism as I’d worn them for many a mile. I’ll report back in a future issue of 220.

I imagine I’ll also be reporting on further graphene developments, not just for Inov-8, who Procter says continue to collaborate with the NGI, but other brands across the three disciplines. It doesn’t take a huge leap of imagination to see how graphene’s conductivity properties can morph the humble run shoe into a smart shoe, calculating run-specific variables such as stride rate, weight distribution and ground-contact time and sending them to your wrist watch. That smart technology overhaul is certainly something bike manufacturer Dassi is looking into. Goggles, too, are surely on the radar, benefiting from graphene’s lightweight strength. As for Inov-8, they’ll look to achieve the delicate act of balancing global ambitions and pushing innovation while retaining its northern soul. It’s certainly something they’ll achieve with more shoes like the G235.

£23MILLION Amount the EU has contributed to the National Graphene Institute

8MM Length of the studs on the X-Talon G235s

2010 Year the discovery of graphene won the Nobel Prize for Physics

200 Number of times graphene is stronger than steel

BRUTALEVENTS.CO.UK

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HALF, FULL, DOUBLE & QUIN EXTREME TRIATHLONS SEPTEMBER 12TH 2020

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BIKETEST

THE SEARCH FOR

ED It’s the hugely-competitive price point from which the majority of you will buy your next bike. But which road bike is the king of the £2k crop? We test models from Canyon, Giant and Ribble to ind out…

WORDS ROBIN WILMOTT IMAGES ROBERT SMITH

he days of buying bikes based purely upon word of mouth or the recommendation of your local bike shop have mostly passed. Hours spent perusing catalogues or cupping your hands to better glimpse the most exotic Italian trinketry through the shop window have also been consigned to a simpler past.

Today’s fast-moving bike market is beyond recognition, with dozens more brands, countless new configurations and endless options. The technology used to design the next big thing is literally space age, and so are some of the materials used. But possibly the greatest tool any customer has these days is the internet. Every new bike worth its cranks will be found online and often comes with a marketing push of lifestyle imagery, rider endorsements and detailed information. If you want to know its geometry to the millimetre, frame construction or its component minutiae, it’s all there.

Coupled with the information that the average intended spend on a next bike for 220 Triathlon readers is £2,139, we asked our colleagues at BikeRadar to compile a list of the 10 most searched-for road bikes for around £2,000 from the previous 18 months. Some have been updated, replaced or are no longer available, but we pulled together the three most relevant models – from Canyon, Giant and Ribble – and spent some stormy off-season days ploughing our way around our local loops to see which one most deserves your cash as a tri-training and racing, do-it-all contender.

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/ April 2020

SUB £2K ROAD BIKES

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BIKETEST

RIBBLE R872 DISC

R

ibble’s overhauled range of bikes is simply huge, with models for every discipline and builds for every budget. There’s no shortage of standard builds either, often in up to three colourways, and Ribble’s online Bike Builder allows you to customise any bike.

The basic price of the R872 Disc we have here is £1,399, but it was supplied with a couple of upgrades from standard. A carbon seatpost replaced the alloy one and the tyres were switched to Continental’s sublime Grand Prix 5000s. We didn’t choose them, but had we been customers those would be two elements high on our list for potential improvement.

Notice that the Ribble still comes in almost £350 cheaper than the next bike on test, but boasts a component specification equal to or better than its

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/ April 2020

RIBBLECYCLES.CO.UK competition. This is largely due to the R872 Disc’s frameset costing less than its opposition, which could be viewed as comparatively budget or simply good value.

Lighter alloy or carbon bars and stems are available, plus multiple Fizik or Prologo saddles, alternate Mavic wheels, and even a left-side 4iiii power crank. Ribble now also offers custom-painted framesets for an extra £299. So is this a tale of a plucky British underdog kicking the establishment in the bottom bracket and taking the spoils? Let’s see how it got on.

HEART VS HEAD One part of the R872 Disc’s build that can’t be altered online is the groupset. You’re stuck with a Shimano 105 hydraulic disc groupset with RS-510 non-series 50/34

SUB £2K ROAD BIKES

SPECS Weight 9.01kg (M) Frame Full carbon Fork Full carbon fibre monocoque Gears Shimano 105, 11-32t, Shimano RS-510 50/34 Brakes Shimano 105 hydraulic disc, 160mm rotors Wheels Mavic Aksium Disc Finishing kit Level 1 6061 alloy bar and stem, Level 2 carbon seatpost HIGHS Great price, off-thepeg upgrades, overall performance.

LOWS Lacks big brand kudos, if that’s important to you.

84 %

BUY IF...

You want a fast, fun road bike and have to watch the budget.

“It’s the lowly Mavic Aksiums, and rather more special Conti tyres, that sing once you inject powerful pedal strokes” MORE OR LESS: RIBBLE

For an extra £300, Ribble’s Endurance SL Disc (£1,799) with its all-Shimano 105 groupset has a good quality carbon frameset for greater comfort on long days out. Priced from £1,099, Ribble’s R872 Disc Tiagra saves some cash with a 10-speed Tiagra groupset and Tektro mechanical disc brakes, but still rolls on Mavic Aksiums.

chainset, but that’s no bad thing as it’s a proven performer and all works perfectly together. With its 11-32 cassette, the gear range should suit just about everyone, even the aspiring racer, and the disc brakes never fail to impress.

The house brand Level handlebar feels good with an ergonomic shape and, together with the Level stem, resists twist and undue flex well.

Prologo’s Kappa RS saddle is well shaped and comfortable with the carbon seatpost preventing most road buzz from reaching you. But it’s the lowly Mavic Aksiums, and rather more special Conti tyres, that sing once you inject powerful pedal strokes. Inexpensive they may be, but the Aksiums deliver lively performance and really feel quick.

With the tyres measuring 26mm, and with 75-80psi inside, the Ribble has constantly chatty surface feedback. Road vibrations are more obvious at higher speed, but the ride quality isn’t harsh or

uncomfortable. We actually enjoyed the feeling of not being disconnected from the road.

The Ribble’s handling is predictable and sound, its Contis helping to gather up any filthy backroad over-exuberance while still allowing us to push the bike’s limits and exploit its speed. It romps uphill with greater urgency than anything else on test and willingly accelerates over the top, then descends with assurance.

Mounts for full mudguards tick the practicality box, but the clearances at the fork and stays look a little mismatched, with heaps of room up front and probably just space for a 28mm tyre at the back.

All of the control lines pass through well-sealed ports and the frameset sports lots of reflective graphics.

Brand snobbery may come into it when considering whether or not to buy this bike, but if you can hop aboard the R872 Disc, you’ll realise that it’s just excellent, fast fun.

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BIKETEST

CANYON ENDURACE CF SL DISC 7.0

C

anyon’s Endurace has been a fixture within the German online seller’s range for over three years. During that time the number of carbon fibre and aluminium Endurace models has expanded with three levels of carbon: the CF, with rim brakes; and the lighter CF SL and CF SLX with discs. Our CF SL Disc 7.0 is the lowest-priced carbon disc model and offers typical Canyon value for money, but how does it measure up against the current competition?

The endurance market has really evolved during the last few years, with designs that distinguish its bikes more clearly from racefocused models. Tyre volume and clearance is key, plus frame geometry, components and comfort levels that make long rides less arduous. With its slightly dropped seatstays, subtly cut away and curved lower seat tube and decent clearances, the Canyon ticks most of those boxes.

SPECS Weight 8.45kg (M) Frame Canyon Endurace CF SL Disc Fork Canyon F38 CF Disc Gears Shimano 105, 52/36, 11-34t Brakes Shimano 105 hydraulic disc, 160mm rotors Wheels DT Swiss E 1850 Spline db Finishing kit Continental Grand Prix SL 28mm tyres, Selle Italia X3 saddle HIGHS Overall value, complete 105 hydraulic groupset, performance.

LOWS Comfort levels aren’t the same from back to front.

BUY IF...

You prioritise ultimate speed over comfort.

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/ April 2020

74 %

Conforming to our past experience of Canyon bikes, the recommended medium comes up a little short on reach with its stock 100mm stem. Canyon offers an exchange system, so you’re able to swap the stem for a more suitable length, if necessary, and the 553mm top tube means we need 120mm or longer. At 158mm, the head tube for this size is shorter than the current norm, the 73° head angle a tad steeper and 990mm wheelbase shorter, too.

All this adds up to a bike that’s at the less compromising end of the endurance spectrum. Perhaps the clue is in the last four letters of its designation, because there’s undoubtedly a race element to this Canyon. For a start, its 8.45kg weight is very good for a discequipped bike at this price, and its complete 105 groupset with no substitutions is impressive, too. DT Swiss wheels and Continental tyres are a reliable pairing, but just how does it all feel?

CANYON.COM

MORE OR LESS: CANYON

The Canyon Endurace CF SL Disc 8.0 Pro (£2,499) has Campagnolo’s Ultegra-level Potenza disc groupset, with refined mechanicals and fantastic brakes, plus Fulcrum wheels and Canyon’s integrated carbon cockpit. Canyon Endurace CF 7.0 (£1,299) keeps it simple with a Pro Compact Shimano 105 groupset, including rim brakes, Fulcrum Racing 900 wheelset, Continental tyres and claimed weight under 8kg.

SUB £2K ROAD BIKES

QUIETLY EFFICIENT From the off, the Canyon aluminium bar feels characteristically ergonomic and, combined with the squared stem profile, doesn’t lack stiffness. Selle Italia’s X3 saddle is flat-topped, firm and a little slippery but benefits from a decent length of exposed VCLS carbon seatpost to help absorb bumps. The DT Swiss E1850 Spline wheelset is an OEM version of the circa 1,655g E1800 with squat, rounded aluminium rims that are 20mm wide internally. These open the Continental Grand Prix SL 28mm tyres out to 30mm, but still leave a little more frame clearance.

Tyre volume dictated testing at 75 to 80psi, allowing the supple rubber to maximise grip and comfort.

Shimano’s 105 hydraulic groupset really is a benchmark for reliable quality, and its brilliant hoods and controls are matched by quietly efficient operation. With 52/36

chainrings and an 11-34 cassette, the Endurace is geared to take you almost anywhere on tarmac, although we’ve seen one in a gravel race, too.

There’s no denying that it wants to fly and its racy edge is always there, nudging you onwards. If you force it on a climb, it responds more like the brand’s racier Ultimate does, if a little dulled by weightier wheels. With relatively little overall mass it’s easier to sustain efforts, and the payback often comes on the descents where additional grip and control keep things composed.

Compared to the current crop of endurance bikes, the Endurace offers less overall comfort. Despite the firm saddle, seated comfort is quite good, but there’s more vibration to your hands and wrists than we’d like.

The Endurace uses its short wheelbase to great effect, and there’s a lot to like about it, especially if you’re not ready to go fatter and slacker just yet.

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BIKETEST

GIANT TCR ADVANCED 2 DISC

G

iant’s TCR seems to have been a fixture in the bike world for more years than we care to remember, and its evolution is closely entwined within the history of the company. From Mike Burrows’ original revolutionary compact frame design, Giant has continuously improved the TCR, keeping it relevant.

Today’s TCR range is built from three different qualities of carbon fibre, or Advanced-Grade Composite, in Giant speak. The Advanced, Advanced Pro and Advanced SL bikes are all available in rim and disc brake versions, which is becoming much less common, and our Advanced 2 Disc is the cheapest carbon disc TCR available. With an identical profile to its more costly siblings it requires a close look to tell some models apart. You won’t be able to see the aluminium steerer, which interrupts the otherwise completely carbon fibre frameset, and it’s not something to lose sleep

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/ April 2020

GIANT BICYCLES.COM over. It’s hard to spot the Shimano RS-510 chainset (the sole deviation from a full 105 hydraulic groupset) and Giant’s PR-2 Disc aluminium wheelset does a passable impression of carbon.

So the TCR scores in the looks department; where the bike’s aluminium aberrations do become apparent is on the scales. Although at 8.84kg for a ML frame size it’s hardly an anchor, and is around 2kg lighter than the similarly priced steel bike we began racing on in 1988.

With 52/36 x 11-30 gearing, this TCR should satisfy the needs of everyone from racers to weekend riders and its sensible build helps you make the most of its potential.

For some time, Giant dealers have been supplying customer bikes already set up tubeless, if required, and our 25mm Giant Gavia tyres arrived ready to go. On the 30mm tall PR-2 rims, they measured 26mm wide, which looks close to the frameset’s limit because there wasn’t much more space between the tyres and the seat tube,

SUB £2K ROAD BIKES

MORE OR LESS: GIANT

The extra £800 spent on the TCR Advanced Pro 3 Disc (£2,749) gets you a full carbon fork and complete Shimano 105 disc groupset, lighter bar and stem, plus Giant’s SLR-1 race-ready carbon tubeless wheelset.

The Giant TCR Advanced 2 (£1,599) is rim-braked carbon fibre with a complete Shimano 105 groupset, Giant PR-2 wheelset and tubeless 25mm tyres.

chainstays or fork. Being tubeless, you can take a little more of a liberty with tyre pressures and the improvement in rolling resistance and suppleness gives a 25mm tubeless tyre a feel much like a 28mm tyre with an inner tube.

COMPLIANCE AND COMFORT Where the Canyon seems like an endurance bike with a racy feel, the TCR goes like a race machine but offers greater compliance and rider comfort. In ML size the 570mm top tube with 110mm stem, 168mm head tube and 997mm wheelbase create an ideal position for a rider used to 56cm bikes.

The 73° head and seat tube angles help with perfect weight distribution for predictable handling whatever the terrain.

Giant’s aluminium bar and stem have an unyielding feel when out of the saddle, but give precise control with good ergonomics and help soak up road vibrations. Giant’s Contact saddle has a pronounced fore-aft

curve and a pressure-relief channel, which proved more comfortable than expected. The Variant seatpost works hard dynamically, as well as being aerodynamically shaped.

The seat tube mostly shares the seatpost’s airfoil profile, while the down tube covers almost all of the bottom bracket shell’s width.

The sloping top tube slims dramatically by the buttressed seat tube junction, behind which are wishbone seatstays and asymmetric chainstays. The gear cables enter the head tube through neat ports and the rear brake hose on the side of the down tube, but the front brake hose is routed externally. The substituted chainset doesn’t affect the 105’s confident performance, with slick shifts, controlled stops and great satisfaction.

Whether spinning smoothly over our local broken tarmac or making mincemeat of tricky corners, the TCR’s performance envelope exceeded our expectations.

“The substituted chainset doesn’t affect the 105’s confident performance, with slick shifts, controlled stops and great satisfaction” SPECS Weight 8.84kg (ML) Frame AdvancedGrade Composite Fork AdvancedGrade Composite, aluminium steerer Gears Shimano 105, S11-28t, RS-510 52/36 Brakes Shimano 105 hydraulic disc Wheels Giant PR-2 Disc Finishing kit Giant Contact alloy handlebar and stem, Giant Gavia AC 125mm tubeless tyres HIGHS Perfectly sorted frameset, all-round performance.

LOWS Non-105 chainset, saddle shape may not suit all.

82 %

BUY IF...

You want a reliably brilliant road bike with performance and rider comfort in spades.

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BIKETEST

BEST ON TEST

OVERALL VERDICT Whether listed by price, specification or category these three bikes should be fairly closely matched, which was, after all, the test’s concept. Canyon’s Endurace still has much to commend it and it’s quick, but as an endurance bike it’s been surpassed in the compliance stakes by several newer machines.

Then there’s a two-way tussle between the Giant and Ribble.

Each bike has highly praiseworthy qualities. The TCR Advanced Disc 2 remains a favourite bike and a very reliable performer, offering immense value and great ride quality with wholesome

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/ April 2020

performance to match. Yet, topping this test by a hair’s breadth is the top-value Ribble R872 Disc.

The R872 Disc is less expensive, but still has an all-carbon fibre frame. The ride is slightly firmer, but always composed when things turn rough, and it’s very communicative, accelerating with vigour and descending with assurance.

The stars of the show, though, are the Aksium wheelset and Continental Grand Prix 5000 tyres, which add raw speed and epic control to what’s an amazing-value package.

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TRAINING CAMP

FROM THE MAKERS OF

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CYCLING HEALTH AND FITNESS

MEET THE AUTHOR MARK BAILEY

EXPERT ADVICE

What sort of core training should I do?

Forget standard sit ups for peak cycling performance it’s all about asymmetr cal exercises

THE WIN NING TIP! CREATE A STIR Test your core strength with the British cycling team’s most feared exercise: ‘stir the pot’ This involves doing a plank on a Swiss ball then making a circular stirring motion with your forearms still resting on the ball.

Start with small circles and gradually get bigger.

155 EXPERT TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR RIDING

HOW TO

TRAIN SLOW GET FAST

Whether you love core workouts or loa he them strong abdominal and lower back muscles are essential if you want to maintain a comfortable position on your bike and maximise the power output of your pedal stroke But many standard core exercises suggested by personal trainers such as s t ups a en’t the best choice for road cyc ists That’s because riding a bike involves some major body imbalances (each pedal stroke sees one leg extended downwards while he other is bent and raised upwards) and some unique challenges (such as maintaining a st ll upper body on c imbs wh le your legs are pedal ing frantically) so you need much more functional core exercises “It is much better to focus on asymmetrical exercises which mirror the challenges of riding a bike ” insists Robby Ketchell a former sports scientist for Team Sky (now Team Ineos) Sample exercises include towel crunches (place a towel under each foot adopt a plank pos tion then slide your right knee towards the left side of your chest and repeat with the opposite leg) swimmer sets (lie on your f ont then raise your

right arm and left leg for 10 seconds, and repeat with the opposite limbs); and twist crunches (lie on your back in a crunch position, then raise your left knee and right elbow to meet together and repeat with the opposite limbs).

Elinor Barker, team pursuit gold medal winner at the 2016 Rio Olympics, agrees that core exercises should always relate back to cycling. “I don’t do a lot of twisting exercises because I have back problems, but I do focus on very specific core exercises that help me maintain an aerodynamic position on the bike,” she explains. “The plank is very good for cyclists because, again, it is so specific to holding your position on the bike.

“I do body saws, too – it’s a variation of the plank but you put your feet on little mats or towels and extend the plank stretch by gliding both your legs backwards and forwards. Really, it’s just ike when you’re riding a bike, but extracha lenging ”

SPECIFIC CORE EXERCISES HELP TO MAINTAIN AN AERODYNAMIC POSITION ON THE BIKE

BODYWEIGHT TRAINING THAT WILL IMPROVE YOUR RIDE PERFORMANCE FITNESS & TRAINING

Girl

P

WOMENS TRAINING WORDS Nicola Smith PHOTOGRAPHY Robert Smith

r

How can women better understand their unique physiology to improve training and maximise performance gains on the bike?

RIDES FOR ALL WEATHERS From turbo trainers to tough bikes

10

FAT BUSTING HACKS TO BUILD A LEANER BODY

GO FURTHER AND FASTER IN 2020

BEAT BIG CLIMBS | RIDE ALL WINTER | RECOVERY SECRETS | PLUS MUCH MORE

FITNESS ADVICE TAILORED TO BOTH MALE AND FEMALE RIDERS EAT WELL LOSE WEIGHT

NUTRITION

EAT WELL AND LOSE WEIGHT WORDS RICH OWEN

10 fat busting rules for a leaner cycling body

1

TRACK YOUR CALORIES

No matter how many miles you clock up, if you’re putting more fuel in your body than you use, you’re never going to lose weight. Apps such as MyFitnessPal will help you tot up what you eat, while ride tracking apps like Strava can be helpful in giving you a measure of how many calories you burn on your bike. A daily reduction of around 200-300kcal shouldn’t affect your energy levels or leave you gnawing on your slippers by the end of the day. Rigidly adhering to controlled calories can quickly start to feel restrictive, but if you avoid the mid ride cake stops and other calorie-rich treats, while mostly sticking within your calorie limits, you’ll soon start to see the pounds fall away.

2

DON’T CUT OUT CARBS

Carbohydrates are essential for athletic performance, so while it can be tempting to cut them from your diet to aid weight loss, doing so will mean that your cycling performance wi l noticeably suffer as we l as your gene al energy levels. A study has shown that eating a modest meal containing carbs before exercise will actually elevate your metabolism and fat burning ab lity for up to 24 hours after the session

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT SWIFTLY AND SAFELY AS YOU RIDE

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY www.buysubscriptions.com/ridefit20 or call 03330 162 138 and quote ‘Ride Fit 2020 Print 1’ Lines are open 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-1pm Saturdays Overseas please call +44 (0) 1604 973 746 Subscribers to 220 Triathlon magazine receive FREE UK postage on this special edition *Prices including postage are: £9.99 for subscribers, £11.49 for all other UK residents, £12.99 for Europe and £13.49 for the Rest of the World.

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TRAINING BOOST YOUR PERFORMANCE - TODAY! GET MORE OUT OF YOUR KICK P72 JOHN WOOD

is an award-winning triathlon coach of 10 years and a former international swimmer. As well as coaching, he’s also raced all distances up to Ironman.

P76 HIT THE TREADMILL… BUILD SPEED

THE ULTIMATE FTP-BOOSTING SESSION

JOEL ENOCH

NIK COOK

is an award-winning coach with the Edinburgh Triathletes Squad and has competed for the GB age-group team at world and European champs.

TRAINING LEVELS GUIDE In all 220’s coaching advice, our experts refer to four levels of effort to tell you how hard you should be working. Based on the standard ‘rate of perceived exertion’ scale (RPE) the levels are as follows…

is an experienced multisporter who has won the Marathon des Sables, the 2010 6633 Arctic Ultra and raced for Team GB in duathlon.

MAX EFFORT (RPE 9–10)

Redlining. Things are getting very difficult at this level. You can barely breathe and are struggling to speak. At the top end, it feels almost impossible to keep going.

VIGOROUS (RPE 7–8)

The pain cave. Your activity is starting to become uncomfortable. You’re short of breath, but can speak a sentence. In short, it’s getting tough: but you can carry on.

MODERATE (RPE 4–6)

Adding some load. Things are starting to become more challenging. You’re having to breathe harder, but not so much you can’t hold a conversation.

EASY (RPE 1–3)

A ‘go all day’ effort. Light activity, which at the lower end takes hardly any exertion and towards number 3 is still easy enough that you feel like you could maintain it indefinitely.

P78 CONQUER YOUR FIRST 70.3!

Want to be ready for your debut middle-distance in just three months? Then step this way…

P85 BUNS WITH BENEFITS! Four veg-based cakes, muffins and brownies for a healthier, post-ride snack

P88 ASK THE DON & Q&A Tim Don on how to train for a duathlon. Plus, expert advice on chlorine allergies, run cadences, joint use in tri, ankle position mid-ride and swim drills

April 2020 /

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SWIM KICK SESSION DURATION

MINS COACH JOHN WOOD

GET MORE OUT OF YOUR KICK FOR LESS WORK

WITH THANKS TO OCCIDENTAL LANZAROTE MAR

TRAINING

You don’t necessarily need to kick more, but an improved kick will save you energy. Here’s how… ecause your legs provide power, balance and control to your stroke, the kick shouldn’t be neglected. And the off-season is the optimum time to rectify this.

Another benefit of a strong kick is that it can help with rhythm.

Some find moving the arms quicker is more comfortable; others will prefer a slower cadence. Your kick can help you achieve this rhythm, yet everyone is different and might even change depending on how fast or hard you want to swim.

B

Generally, the different rhythms are a two-beat, four-beat, six-beat or, occasionally in sprints, an eight-beat kick. This is the number of kicks for each stroke cycle.

It’s worth playing around with rhythms to find out what works for you. Some will find that kicking just a little quicker actually feels easier.

Equally, others will find that slowing down their kick, keeping their legs straight, toes pointed and dropping to a two-beat kick suits them more. Just remember that what works for you won’t necessarily work for your friends.

COACH’S TIPS PICK THE RIGHT GOGGLES

THE SESSION WARM-UP 400m as: 25m front crawl (FC), 25m backstroke, 25m kick, 25m FC • 6 x 50m with fins, streamlined or side kicks • 15secs rest between reps (RI) MAIN SESSION 8 x 50m FC with two-beat kick to each stroke cycle, 15secs RI 2 x 100m easy FC, 10secs RI 8 x 50m FC with four-beat kick to each stroke cycle, 15secs RI 2 x 100m easy FC, 10secs RI 8 x 50m FC with six-beat kick to each stroke cycle, 15secs RI 2 x 100m easy FC, 10secs RI COOL-DOWN 200m mixed stroke (at least 50m non-FC)

Adapt for beginners

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/ April 2020

do the suction test When buying, press the goggles against your face, no straps, and see how long they stick for. If more than 5-10secs, they fit properly. It’s the seal that stops water getting in, not making the straps tighter.

stick with tradition Different brands have different shaped cups so try a variety. But a standard pool goggle is a good option for training as they usually come with different nose pieces for a more customisedf fit.

Don’t slow your arms down (or speed them up). Focus on your kick and changing that to fit with your cadence.

Adapt for ADVANCED Lengthen the 100m sets to 200m or do more of them between the sets of 50m.

JAMES MITCHELL

go full face For some, especially newbies, a full face mask can give you more confidence in openwater as they provide 360° visibility. Also beneficial for people with smaller faces.

SWIM

“It’s worth playing around with rhythms to find what works for you.

And what works for you won’t necessarily work for your friends”

effort Unless you’re sprinting, your kick doesn’t have to be hard work. You don’t have to force it.

FORM Don’t slow your arms down (or speed them up). Focus on your kick and changing that to fit with your cadence.

TECHNIQUE If you’re making a splash, that’s good! It means your feet are at the surface and more likely to drive you forward, not up.

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TRAINING

BIKE INTERVAL SESSION DURATION

MINS COACH NIK COOK

THE ULTIMATE FTP-BOOSTING SESSION Mind- and body-friendly workout that still delivers tangible fitness gains hankfully, the days of just grinding out steady-state winter miles in the name of base training have largely been consigned to cycling folklore. In these more enlightened times, the importance of maintaining a degree of intensity is more widely recognised. And, especially as we enter the back end of winter, you should definitely be putting in some harder efforts.

However, as triathletes, you can’t turn it up to 11 for every workout.

Also classic workouts, such a 2 x

T

20mins at threshold, are really tough, both physically and psychologically. So if you’re not quite feeling up for it, it’s easy to get psyched out, demotivated and skip the session. But by dialling the intensity down a fraction to ‘Sweet-Spot’ (83-97% FTP, functional threshold power, i.e. the highest average power you can sustain for an hour; or 6-7 RPE, rate of perceived exertion) and shortening the length, you can still get a decent training stimulus, it won’t require as much recovery and you won’t need to fear the workout.

COACH’S TIPS BE STRONG IN AND OUT OF THE SADDLE

THE SESSION WARM-UP Keep gearing/resistance fairly low and focus on the cadence targets • 0-3mins @90rpm easy 3-4mins 95rpm moderate 4-5mins @100rpm moderate 5-6mins @105rpm moderate 6-7mins @110rpm vigorous 7-7:30mins @120-130rpm vigorous 7:30-10mins @80-90rpm easy MAIN SET 3mins @90-100rpm moderatevigorous 1min @80rpm easy 5mins @90-100rpm moderatevigorous 2mins @80rpm easy 7mins @90-100rpm moderatevigorous 3mins @80rpm easy 9mins @90-100rpm moderatevigorous 3mins @80rpm easy 7mins @90-100rpm moderatevigorous 2mins @80rpm easy 5mins @90-100rpm moderatevigorous 1min @80rpm easy 3min @90-100rpm moderatevigorous COOL-DOWN Spin easy for 5-10mins

Adapt for beginners

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/ April 2020

Use race cadence Spin at your normal or desired race cadence during the intervals.

Really focus on staying still and relaxed through your upper body and allow that to flow down into smooth pedalling.

Don’t go too deep The point of this session isn’t to bury yourself, so, even if you’re feeling strong, don’t be tempted to lift the intensity too much or to sprint at the end of the intervals.

Adapt for Ironman The point of this session is that you don’t crank up the intensity or add volume. On the right day, with this workout, less is definitely more.

JAMES MITCHELL

Train in race set-up At this time of year there’s no excuse for not doing some training in your race position, and this workout, without too much stress or volume, is perfect for it.

This is a great session for all levels but, if you think it’ll be too much, just go up the pyramid, adding a minute to the recoveries. After the 9min effort, go into your cool-down.

BIKE

“By dialling the intensity down a fraction, you can still get a decent training stimulus and you won’t fear the session”

Technique Really focus on holding a relaxed, stable and aero position during the efforts.

Scheduling This workout doesn’t require 100% freshness or generate much fatigue, making it easy to schedule.

Benefits Accumulating almost 40mins of just-below threshold intensity, this session yields surprising fitness gains.

April 2020 /

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TRAINING

RUN TREADMILL SESSION DURATION

MINS COACH JOEL ENOCH

HIT THE TREADMILL… BUILD SPEED Avoid the cold weather and utilise the winter more effectively for big performance gains ost of us enjoy running outside, rightly so, and it should be the cornerstone of your training. But, while the popularity of, and benefits from, cycling indoors have become widely accepted, less of us tap into the similar gains indoor running may offer.

But treadmills allow you to control factors such as pace and incline, as well as removing variables like wind, people and surface changes. You can test and retest with greater accuracy, it’s

M

light and safe, getting ready can be quicker, and mirrors offer the chance to see yourself run so you can build a more efficient stride.

You can do any session on a treadmill, but this session is designed to help build or maintain speed. While long, steady runs are the default for many during the winter months, my feeling is that polarised training that builds speed while maintaining aerobic fitness is far more beneficial. All reps are under 45secs so that they don’t tip over into threshold work – that can come later in the season!

COACH’S TIPS OPTIMISE YOUR SESSION

THE SESSION WARM-UP 5mins dynamic stretches or run drills, such as lunges, squats, heel flicks or a-skips • 10mins easy • 4 x [45secs moderate/2:15mins easy] • 3mins easy MAIN SET 2x • 10secs max effort; 2mins easy • 15secs max effort; 2:30mins easy • 20secs max effort; 3mins easy • 25secs max effort; 3:30mins easy • 30secs max effort; 4mins easy COOL-DOWN 5-10mins easy

Adapt for beginners

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/ April 2020

Wear calf guards Treadmills generally present a softer surface than pavement, but the change under-foot is a stress that your calves might not be used to, so wear calf guards during your first few sessions.

Crank up the tunes Listening to music is a really good way to distract you from the effort, which can linger in the forefront of you mind when indoors.

Choose music that motivates and energises.

Adapt for Ironman Keep time of max effort at 30secs but follow the same rest intervals. You could also repeat in reverse.

JAMES MITCHELL

Keep well hydrated Running indoors can induce heavy sweat loss, so make sure you drink around 200mls every 20mins and that you include electrolytes. Two to three pinches of salt in 500mls should suffice.

Either follow the structure as set but reduce max effort to vigorous OR keep max effort reps to 10secs while following recovery as set.

RUN

“Treadmills allow you to control factors such as pace and incline, as well as removing variables like wind, people and surface changes” FOCUS Break up the sessions so you don’t get bored.

SPEED Polarise the session; fast fast, slow slow!

POSITION Increase incline to 1% to counteract moving belt and lack of wind resistance.

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TRAINING

12-WEEK PLAN

CONQUER YOUR FIRST 70.3!

Whatever your reason for mastering the middle in 2020, we’ve just made it so much easier to achieve thanks to this issue’s three-month, half-Iron plan…

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/ April 2020

HALF IRON PLAN

TRAINING PLAN COACH DERMOTT HAYES

S

70.3 inspo Turn to p20 to find out how Alistair Brownlee made the successful move from OD to 70.3.

o, you’re going to do a 70.3/ haf-Ironman/middledistance race. Maybe you’re stepping up after racing short course for a few years. Or maybe you’re dropping back down after having completed an Ironman.

Whatever your reason, it’s time to make sure you’re ready for the 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run.

This plan forms what is known as the end of the traditional ‘build’ phase and the complete ‘peak’ phase, taking you all the way to your 70.3 race day. With this in mind, if you want to follow this plan, it’s crucial that you’ve already spent time working on the ‘base’ phase for a 70.3 and that you’ve laid down solid foundations on which to build your training distances. Jumping straight into this plan from very little training could lead to injury and fatigue very quickly.

Over the page you’ll find a healthy balance between swim, bike and run training, with a slight emphasis on the bike as this is where you can make real gains at this distance. Sessions in the plan vary between tempo, race pace, interval and recovery styles, and this varied approach

will ensure a high quality of intensity when needed, but also make sure that you train at lower intensities to help with fat burning and endurance.

It wouldn’t be a successful plan without bike/run brick sessions, and we include longer traditional race simulation-style sessions that really help to boost endurance. We also include shorter-duration, multitransition-style sessions that you can execute at slightly faster paces and also use to practise kit changes.

A major part of executing a successful 70.3 is to get your head straight as to what kind of pacing is needed – it’s not just as simple as going a bit slower than you did for an Olympic tri, or going faster than you did at Ironman.

70.3 racing requires a real balancing act when it comes to pacing, and that has to be developed through training experiences. Base your initial targets around previous racing experiences and then introduce those paces into training and see how far off the mark you are. Be prepared to be flexible and keep revisiting your targets.

Remember to try and train harder than you need to race – doing the real hard miles in training will make the race easy… kinda!

COACH’S TIPS TRI HARD, REST UP

GETTY IMAGES

Prep the course Do your homework on your race course and try to replicate it in training where possible.

Break down the sessions Mentally break down the longer training sessions into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Stay organised You have to be organised to make this training happen. Sort out your kit. Sort out your diary.

Test before race day Test your equipment, clothing and nutrition in training.

Not on race day.

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TRAINING PLAN – WEEKS 1 TO 4 MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

BIKE END

RUN TEMPO

80-90km • Include 2 x 15km hard with 10km moderate efforts in between • Try to find a route similar to your 70.3 course

2 x 6km @20secs/km faster than target 70.3 RP • Take 3mins recovery between efforts

WEEK 1 – OUR WEEKLY PLAN BEGINS ON A MONDAY, BUT YOU CAN START ON ANY DAY OF THE WEEK SWIM INT

BIKE PACE

RUN INT

BIKE REC

6 x 50m + polo sighting • 4 x 200m steady; 20secs RI • 4 x 150m hard; 15secs RI • 4 x 100m very hard; 10secs RI

2 x [25mins @RP; 5mins recovery]

5 x 2km @10secs/km faster than target 70.3 RP • 60sec RI

1hr easy • Focus on maintaining comfortable heart rate and rpm

REST DAY

WEEK 2 – DON’T FORGET, RI = REST INTERVAL; RP = RACE PACE; PB = PULL BUOY; RPM = REVS PER MINUTE SWIM INT

MULTI BRICK

BIKE INT

SWIM END

2 x [2 x 100m easy + PB; 4 x 200m hard; 20secs RI]

2x • 15km bike @RP • 3km run @RP

5 x [2mins standing climb hard; 2mins recovery; 2mins high rpm hard; 2mins recovery]

5 x 400m @ RP; 30secs RI

REST DAY

RUN REC 4km @15secs/ km slower than RP

BIKE END

RUN END

60-70km • Focus on body position and nutrition strategy

16km aiming to fine-tune your RP • Include run/ walk strategy if necessary

WEEK 3 – ALWAYS INCLUDE A WARM-UP WITH EACH SESSION, 5-8MINS GRADUALLY BUILDING INTENSITY SWIM INT

BIKE TEMPO

RUN TEMPO

BIKE INT

20 x 100m @RP; 10secs RI

5 x [12mins @RP; 3mins recovery]

12km as 6 x [1km @RP; 500m hard; 500m recovery pace]

5 x [4mins hard; 2mins recovery] • 5mins moderate • 10 x [2mins very hard; 1min recovery]

REST DAY

SWIM END

BRICK

2km • Focus on holding target 70.3 RP and being in control

60km bike • 10km run • Complete both @target 70.3 RP

WEEK 4 – DON’T FORGET, INT = INTERVAL; REC = RECOVERY; END = ENDURANCE; TT = TIME TRIAL

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SWIM TT

BIKE PACE

RUN INT

BIKE REC

1.9km • Treat like a time trial and swim sustainably hard

2 x [25mins @RP; 5mins recovery]

5 x 2km @10secs/km faster than RP • 50sec RI

1hr easy • Focus on maintaining comfortable heart rate and rpm

/ April 2020

REST DAY

BIKE END

RUN TEMPO

100km • Include 2 x 20km hard with 10km moderate efforts in between • Try to find a route similar to your 70.3 course

2 x 7km @20secs/km faster than target 70.3 RP • Take 3mins recovery between efforts

HALF IRON PLAN

TRAINING PLAN - WEEKS 5 TO 8 MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

WEEK 5 – ALWAYS INCLUDE A COOL-DOWN FOLLOWING EACH SESSION, 3-5MINS OF EASY CARDIO FOLLOWED BY STRETCHES SWIM INT

MULTI BRICK

BIKE INT

SWIM END

6 x 50m + polo sighting • 4 x 200m steady; 20secs RI • 4 x 150m hard; 15secs RI • 4 x 100m very hard; 10secs RI

2x • 18km bike @RP • 3km run @RP

5 x [2mins standing climb hard; 2mins recovery; 2mins high rpm hard; 2mins recovery]

5 x 400m @ RP; 30secs RI

REST DAY

RUN REC 4km @15secs/ km slower than target 70.3 RP

BIKE END

RUN END

60-70km • Focus on body position and nutrition strategy

18km aiming to fine-tune your RP • Include run/ walk strategy if necessary

SWIM END

BRICK

2.4km • Focus on holding target 70.3 RP and being in control

60km bike • 12km run • Complete both @target 70.3 RP

WEEK 6 – THE PLAN FEATURES A MIX OF BRICKS TO HELP BOOST BOTH ENDURANCE AND SPEED SWIM INT

REST DAY

2 x [2 x 100m easy + PB; 4 x 200m hard; 20secs RI]

RUN TEMPO

BIKE INT

12km as 6 x [1km @RP; 500m hard; 500m recovery pace]

5 x [4mins hard; 2mins recovery] • 5mins moderate • 10 x [2mins very hard; 1min recovery]

REST DAY

WEEK 7 – THERE ARE NO SET PACING TARGETS, THESE ARE FOR YOU TO FIND AS YOU WORK THROUGH THE PLAN SWIM INT

BIKE PACE

RUN INT

BIKE REC

20 x 100m @RP; 10secs RI

2 x [30mins @RP; 5mins recovery]

6 x 2km @10secs/km faster than RP • 50secs RI

1hr easy • Focus on maintaining comfortable heart rate and rpm

REST DAY

BIKE END

RUN TEMPO

110km • Include 3 x 20km hard with 10km moderate efforts in between • Try to create a route similar to 70.3 course

2 x 7km @20secs/km faster than RP • Take 3mins recovery between efforts

WEEK 8 – RUN/WALK = INCLUDE STRUCTURED AND REGULAR PERIODS OF WALKING IN LONG RUNS, EG 3KM RUN/30SEC WALK SWIM TT

MULTI BRICK

BIKE INT

SWIM END

1.9km • Treat like a time trial and swim sustainably hard

2x • 20km bike @RP • 4km run @RP

10 x [2mins building pace; 2mins high rpm hard; 2mins recovery]

3 x 600m @ RP; 45secs RI

RUN REC 4km @15secs/ km slower than RP

REST DAY

BIKE END

RUN END

70km • Focus on body position and nutrition strategy

18-20km aiming to finetune your RP • Include run/ walk strategy if necessary

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TRAINING

TRAINING PLAN - WEEKS 9 TO 12 MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

WEEK 9 – NOW’S THE TIME TO INTRODUCE OPEN WATER (OW) SESSIONS INTO YOUR SWIM TRAINING IF YOU CAN SWIM INT

BIKE TEMPO

RUN TEMPO

BIKE INT

6 x 50m + polo sighting • 4 x 200m steady; 20secs RI • 4 x 150m hard; 15secs RI • 4 x 100m very hard; 10secs RI

5 x [12mins @ RP; 3mins recovery]

12km as 4 x [1.5km @RP; 1km hard; 500m recovery pace]

8 x [3mins hard; 1min recovery] • 5mins moderate • 8 x [3mins hard; 1min recovery]

REST DAY

SWIM END

BRICK

2.4km OW • Include contact with other swimmers if possible

75km bike • 14km run • Complete both @target 70.3 RP • Wear race kit

BIKE END

RUN TEMPO

90km • Include 2 x 20km hard with 10km moderate efforts in between • Try to find a route similar to your 70.3 course

2 x 8km @20secs/km faster than target 70.3 RP • Take 4mins recovery between efforts

BIKE TEMPO

SWIM END

BRICK

4 x [12mins @RP; 3mins recovery]

2.4km OW • Focus on executing target 70.3 RP and sighting

50km bike • 10km run • Complete both @target 70.3 RP • Wear race kit

WEEK 10 – REMEMBER TO TRY AND TRAIN HARDER THAN YOU NEED TO RACE SWIM INT

BIKE PACE

RUN INT

BIKE REC

2 x [2 x 100m easy + PB; 4 x 200m hard; 20secs RI]

2 x [30mins @ RP; 5mins recovery]

6 x [2km @10secs/km faster than RP; 50secs RI]

1hr easy • Focus on maintaining comfortable heart rate and rpm

REST DAY

WEEK 11 – YOU SHOULD NOW FEEL CONFIDENT THAT YOU CAN COMPLETE THE RACE DISTANCES SWIM INT

MULTI BRICK

RUN TEMPO

20 x 100m @RP; 10secs RI

2x • 15km bike @RP • 2km run @RP

8km as 4 x [500m @RP; 1km hard; 500m recovery pace]

REST DAY

RUN REC 3km @15secs/ km slower than RP

WEEK 12 – YOU’VE COMPLETED THE 3-MONTH PLAN AND GIVEN YOURSELF THE VERY BEST START TO YOUR HALF-IRON RACE! REST DAY

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SWIM INT

RUN INT

12 x 100m @RP; 15secs RI

6 x 1km @10secs/km faster than target 70.3 RP • 60secs RI

REST DAY

BIKE PACE 2 x [15mins @RP; 5mins recovery]

PRE-RACE SWIM 1km easy on the race course

PRE-RACE RUN 2km easy run just stretching legs

70.3 RACE DAY 1.9k swim • 90km bike • 21.1km run

RIDE MOUNTAINBIKES? FROM TH

E MAKER

S OF

SKILLS & DRILLS

CORNERING

Gain speed, don’t lose it

+

Co ne ing is where a lot of aces are won just look at my old teammate Sam H l ! If you can maintain speed through each tu n and car y t onto the following straights then by the end of the track you ll have made up seconds Not braking mid turn is Cornering 101 and you shou d have mastered hat A ty e is only rea ly good at doing one job at a time so f you try to make t brake and turn at once it can t do bo h well But the e’s more to car ying or e en gaining speed th ough corners han just staying o f he brakes Watch inte mediate r ders compa ed to the p os and they’re often quite sta ic through berms just le ting the transition carry them a ound The key to generating speed is pumping Look for an apex to push into and spring out of Pump tracks are he perfect example of how this works and they’ e the best place to p actise Get it na led here and then adapt it to the tra l

2. CORNERING

Pro tip

Th nk of a art cular aspe t of your sk lset hat you know is a we kness and make hat he r ma y focus of a day’s r ding Di l back he speed co cent ate on techn que and then br ng it a l togeth r to create a fast r mo e stylish you!”

Insides and outsides Don’t be b inkered and fo low eve yone else’s tyre tracks Look for places to set up early and cut inside or ra l around the outside of everyone else’s braking bumps Taking ins de lines and ge ting the tyres sl ding doesn’t just help get you comfy w th losing and finding traction t’s loads of fun too ‘Schralping’ as t’s ca led is where you square o f a turn and r de into t late before hammering your weight into the b ke to whip the back wheel around and ire you out in the ight direc ion dea ly accompanied by a ripping sound and a big cloud of dust!

Foot out, flat out Clips or flats? Some say t’s horses for courses but I know which pedals are more fun for me On big wide open turns hat don’t offer much support you can ei her keep your feet up and balance on he edge of t action (which is sometimes quicke t) or fire in guns blazing get he wheels sl ding and d op your inside foot fu l supercross style Again this is great for get ing you fam liar w th when the tyres w ll b eak loose and what he b ke feels l ke when t’s going sideways Eye up the corner as you approach t and decide which technique foot up or foot out is most appropriate

ADD SOME RAD

Bounc ng between bucket turns down fre h loam tracks s one of the mo t fun th ngs you can do on two wheels D n’t be afra d to grab the spade f r a qu ck ha f hour’s work where you can create a str ng f tur s hat l g ve hours of f n Cha lenge your mates to see who can r de them he fastest and send up the b ggest ro st cl uds!

0 001 Mountain B ke Tips

001 Mount in B ke Tips 1

IMPROVE YOUR RIDING WITH OUR SKILLS AND DRILLS FITNESS & TRAINING

WARM UPS / HILL DRILLS

Chris K lmurray

Intensity

warm up like a world cup winner

Knowing what ‘easy’ feels ike isn t complicated but does requi e some mindfulness You can use heart ate mon to s or power meters but a simple and e fec ive way to know whe her your pace on the climb is in the right zone is by speaking If you can u ter an eight to 10 word sentence w thout taking a brea h you’re on the money

Fo low Tahnée Seagraves p e race rout ne to ride faster

Gearing Instead of chopping and changing to get the right gearing choose a gear that allows you to maintain the above intensity while riding either seated or standing and stick w th it After 10 to 15 minutes of pedal ing you should ind a nice crisp rhythm

We’re as gu lty as anyone of not bothering to warm up p operly befo e rides but for top tier racers ike Tahnée Seagrave limbering up can unlock those vital mi liseconds between a win and second place A strict warm up routine is doubly impo tant in case things go w ong where having better mob l ty to deal w th crashes could mean being back on the podium the following weekend rather than sidelined wi h injury Here Tahnée’s coach Chris Kilmurray shares her pre ide routine with us Get into the hab t of fo lowing this and you’ e guaranteed to notice improvements on the bike It’s a few minutes we l spent!

Posture Hinged at he hips back flat neck in a neutral pos tion these are the hallma ks of someone who’s c imbing in comfort f you struggle to find that balanced pos tion some strength training will help as w ll getting your saddle height and cockpit set up right for you The goal is pain free elaxed c imbing

Climb easy, descend hard Conse ve energy on the ups so you can hammer the downs

Rest After a tough c imb take five minutes to completely relax at the head of the tra l Allow your body to fully recover before refocusing and attacking the fun part

E-BIKE

01 PUSH-UP ‘PLUS’

02 WINDMILL

03 HALF-KNEELING SCOOP TO REACH

Th s s a st ength tra ning move hat ransfe s per ec ly to warming up Pe form a standard push up wi h your chin tucked n and a ms at a comfor able width and ang e away f om your to so S ow y ower your chest to the loor main ain ng tens on rom head to toes th oughout which is key o th s movement s ef ec iveness The plus comes f om act vely pushing away from the g ound at the op of each epeti ion Th s scoops your shou der blades a ound your ib cage and act vates a l the sma ler musc es hat he p keep your shoulders stab e and safe Go for 6 12 repet t ons depend ng on your s rength and t y not to ho d your breath

By mob l sing your h ps atera ly his simp e exe cise ge s your upper back and torso pr med or h tt ng those f rst tu ns on he t ail Not on y does he w ndmi l feel good but if done we l t deve ops upper back and neck mobi i y that l al ow you to shred he tigh est u ns on any t ack w th ease Start standing tall and re axed egs over shoulder w dth apa t Push your h ps nto your eft pocket keeping your egs s raight When you can t push any more s ow y sl de your r ght hand down the ins de of your right eg whi e s mu taneously reaching up to the sky w th your eft hand all the wh le fo lowing your eft hand w th your eyes Move back o centre s ow y and w th cont ol and repeat on the o her s de Repeat 10 imes on each s de or happy hips

Mob l ty in your mid back is a c it cal component of bike control espec al y when get ing w ld or s ing ng it between berms It also contr butes o better shoulder mobi ty at the end of your ange of mot on meaning less chance of in ury n a crash Start n a ha f knee ing posit on wi h your front foot f at and back oot on your oes Try to keep e e ything square w th a 90 degree ang e between the knee and h p of the ront leg Sta ting w th the r ght foot in front scoop through underneath your right th gh w th your eft hand as far as you can each rom there exha e and s ow y move your hand out and reach up towa ds the sky Repeat 6 10 imes on each side a m ng for smoo h and mindful movements

One Goal Choose a single clear focus for the tra l you’re about to ride This could be pe fec ing your braking points for turns ge ting your attack pos tion right or commit ing to steep sections Having a goal wi l help you stay sha p and focused

Visualise If you know the tra l but struggle to ride it consistently use the time before you drop in to visualise key sections you want to ride we l think about ine choice entry speed and direction Do so in first and third person views and repeat This w ll help to prime your body for be ter execution when you h t that pa ticular section

84 001 Mountain B ke Tips

001 Mountain B ke Tips 85

TRAINING TECHNIQUES TO MAKE YOU FASTE

ESSENTIALS SET-UP, TUNING AND RIDING ADVICE INSIDE

UPGRADES & TECH

TYRE PRESSURES / BRAKES

1 Organic

2 Sintered

BR AK E PA DS

TYRE PRESSURES Grip

Ro ling speed

Comfort

Punctures and squirm

3 Semi meta lic

4 Ceramic

JARGON BUSTER

Quick fix tips Stop your brakes rubbing

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

The brake ro or or disc t ansm ts the brak ng fo ce rom he ca iper o he wheel, and is designed to dissipate any heat generated as quickly as possible. If a rotor gets too hot or is knocked, it can bend. Bent rotors must be put straight to avoid brake rub and maximise performance.

1001 Mountain B ke Tips 129

28 001 Mountain B ke Tips

EXPERT MAINTENANCE AND COMPONENT ADVICE

O R D E R Y O U R C O P Y T O D AY

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or call 03330 162 138 and quote ‘1001 Mountain Bike Tips Print 1’ Lines are open 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-1pm Saturdays Overseas please call +44 (0) 1604 973 746 Subscribers to 220 Triathlon magazine receive FREE UK postage on this special edition Prices including postage are: £9.99 for UK subscribers, £11.49 for all other UK residents, £12.99 for Europe and £13.49 for the Rest of the World.

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TRAINING

NUTRITION

BUNS WITH BENEFITS! Get more veggies in your diet with these easy-to-make vegetable-based cakes, ideal with that post long-ride cuppa on a weekend… his month I’ve created four, easy-to-make vegetablebased cakes. Cakes which provide a bit more bang for their buck for those who love a celebratory post-exercise coffee and cake but are trying to cut down on their double chocolate brownie intake. Fear not though, these cakes don’t compromise on indulgence or taste; adding vegetables

PHIL SOWELS

T

provides extra sweetness and gooeyness, so much so that it’s difficult to detect the good stuff!

First up, a Chocolate avocado cake.

Avocados transpose this brownie-like cake out of the naughty-but-nice category to the highly nutritious (and delicious!).

Just watch and smile as your avocadohating friends unknowingly tuck into it!

With an excellent carbohydrate-to-

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TRAINING

protein ratio, enjoy post-workout with a glass of milk, or milky coffee, or serve as a dessert with fresh raspberries and a dollop of crème fraîche. The cake is also packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, vitamins C, E and K as well as B vitamins, and minerals (including high levels of potassium, one of the electrolytes we lose when we sweat).

If you can resist temptation and keep the cake wrapped in foil for a day or two, it becomes even more moist and flavoursome.

In Spain, a typical breakfast often involves cake, and I have to say I’m a fan. These little Carrot rock cakes are perfect to grab early morning before training. More nutritious than a traditional rock cake, crisp on the outside, gooey in the middle, and packed with low-GI carbohydrate, omega-3 essential fatty acids and antioxidants. A great start to any day!

Continuing the cake-for-breakfast theme, these nourishing and sustaining Courgette cinnamon muffins go down a treat, especially warm and slathered with butter and marmalade!

Love it or hate it, there’s significant evidence that regular consumption of beetroot can boost your athletic performance. If you’re not a huge fan, try them in these Red velvet vegan brownies. The beetroot is blended with dates and cocoa to provide sweetness and a fondant, velvety consistency. And virtually no beetroot taste. What’s not to like?

Nutritionist and keen amateur athlete Kate Percy set up the #GoFaster campaign in 2009, and now has a website (gofasterfood.com), several books and a new range of Go Bites - allnatural energy balls.

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RED VELVET VEGAN BROWNIES Prep 10mins Cook 25-30mins Makes 20cm diameter cake

INGREDIENTS • 220g cooked beetroot, chopped • 120g pressed dates, pitted • 2 tbsps (max) boiling water • 1 tbsp maple syrup • A few drops vanilla essence • ½ tsp cinnamon • 50g vegan chocolate chips • 50g cocoa powder • 25g plain flour • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda • Pinch salt

microwave for 20secs max. Place in a blender with the beetroot and maple syrup and blend to a purée. You may need to add boiling water to help the mixture blend, but not too much.

Add the vanilla essence, cinnamon and chocolate chips. In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

2

METHOD Heat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and grease a 20cm loose-bottom1 litre loaf tin. Warm the dates in the

1

Spoon mixture into the cake tin and bake for 25-30mins. Cool completely, in the tin, on a wire rack.

3

NUTRITION

CARROT ROCK CAKES Prep 10mins Cook 20mins Makes 20-24 cakes

INGREDIENTS • 60g walnuts, chopped • 1 large egg • 60g butter • 30g soft brown or coconut sugar • 90g runny honey • 100g jumbo porridge oats • 100g carrots, finely grated • 60g raisins • 60g dried apricots, chopped • 60g dates, chopped • tsp ground nutmeg • tsp ground cinnamon • 100g self-raising wholemeal flour • Pinch of salt • tsp bicarbonate of soda METHOD Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.

Lightly grease two baking trays with a little butter. Squeeze out carrots in a sieve. Place the egg, butter, sugar and honey in a large bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.

Stir in the oats, carrots, raisins, apricots, dates, walnuts and spices.

Add the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda and combine to make a soft doughlike consistency. Form little mounds with a dessert spoon on the baking trays, leaving space between each for the mixture to spread. Bake for 15-20mins until golden. Leave to cool and crisp up.

1

2

CHOCOLATE AVOCADO CAKE Prep 10mins Cook 45mins Makes 1 litre loaf tin

INGREDIENTS • 3 eggs • 120ml buttermilk (or 60ml milk & 60ml natural yoghurt) • 120g ripe avocado • 130g coconut, soft brown, or caster sugar • 130g self-raising flour, sifted • 50g cocoa powder • 1 tsp baking powder • Pinch salt

METHOD Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease a loaf tin and line with parchment paper.

Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, add the buttermilk and beat lightly with a fork or whisk.

Mash the avocado to a purée with a fork. Add this to the buttermilk mixture and stir until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for about 45mins, or until the cake is just cooked through (it should be springy to the touch). Cool completely, in the tin, on a wire rack.

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3

COURGETTE & CINNAMON MUFFINS Prep 10mins Cook 25-30mins Makes 9-12 muffins

INGREDIENTS • 100g sunflower oil • 2 eggs • 2 tbsps yoghurt • 150g courgettes, grated • 200g self-raising flour • tsp baking powder • tsp bicarbonate of soda • Pinch salt • 2 tsps cinnamon • tsp ginger • tsp nutmeg • 70g sugar (use coconut, soft brown or caster) • 50g walnuts, chopped

METHOD Heat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and grease a muffin tray. Squeeze out courgettes in a sieve. In a bowl, whisk oil, eggs and yoghurt. Add courgettes.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices, salt and sugar. Add the walnuts. Gently fold the dry into the wet. Spoon mixture into tray.

Bake for 20-25mins, until golden.

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TRAINING

JAMES MITCHELL

HOW TO TRAIN FOR DUATHLON You’re a duathlon champ, what’s the big appeal of the run/bike/ run? What do I need to focus on in terms of training and kit?

And how will it improve my tri training? Will Dickens

TIM DON

is a multiple ITU world champion and a 3 x Olympian. Now one of the fastest Ironmans in the world, he’s here to answer all your racing questions and concerns.

ell firstly, duathlon is way way harder than triathlon, hands down! I’m serious, it’s brutal.

Especially over the standard duathlon distance of a 10km run, 40km bike and 5km run, compared to an Olympicdistance triathlon of 1,500m swim, 40km bike and 10km run.

W

GREAT FOR RACE PACING But as you say, I am, or have been many moons ago, a duathlon champ (love that, thanks, ha!). But I’m still surprised that more domestic pros don’t race the duathlon events early season – most of the international pros are clearly far too cool to race a duathlon, ha! But it is a great way to do a race-pace simulation, work on transitions and, of course, your race craft as a whole.

100% LEGS, LEGS, LEGS It’s basically 15km of running, but much closer to your 10km race pace

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with a hard bike in the middle – it’s 100% legs, legs, legs! So first off, I’d definitely recommend a weekly brick session in your build-up to an early-season duathlon, this is when you run and do a quick transition to the bike and then back to running again.

They can either be on the roads or you can do a specific session on a static bike. It’s a great session to help your muscles adapt to duathlon racing and a great way to practise transitions for both duathlon and triathlon.

They don’t have to be hard sessions either, just get the flow going.

EARLY-SEASON STRENGTH BUILDER I think the fact that duathlon races are also early season means they offer a great opportunity to get in a hard race-pace session with a race number on – for me, when I pin a number on I find an extra percent or five! No, really. There are also plenty of them out there, and some are over the sprint distance of 5km run, 20km bike

COACHING Q&A

THIS MONTH’S COACHING PANEL JOHN WOOD

Chlorine allergy An award-winning multisport coach of 10 years, John is also a former international swimmer.

JOEL ENOCH

Running cadence Joel is an award-winning coach with the Edinburgh Triathletes Squad and has competed for the GB AG team at world and Euro champs.

and 5km run. The bigger ones starting with a 10km run are just brutal, but so good for early-season strength.

They’re also a great way to dial in a set race pace and give you the confidence to stick to it as so many people run way too hard over the first 10km – the drop off on the 5km run after the bike is massive, but you really want the second run to be half the time you did on the first run of 10km. In an ideal world, of course – ha!

DON’T BACK OFF THE SWIM When you’re training for duathlons I wouldn’t back off your swim training if the triathlon season is still your main aim. You get such a good aerobic workout from swimming as there’s minimal strain on your legs with it been non-weight bearing.

KEEP DOING GYM WORK Still keep working on strength and conditioning, too – remember a strong athlete is more likely to be a consistent athlete, which should, hopefully, mean less injuries and illness.

CONSIDER CLOTHING Remember you’re going to be running and cycling so it’s worth investing in clothing you can do both in comfortably, i.e. a tri-suit! Duathlons are often in the colder months but you may get warm on the first run, cool down quickly on the bike then heat up again on the second run. Try arm warmers and a cycle jersey or gilet over a tri-top with gloves in the back pocket so you can add and remove layers quickly. Having a second pair of trainers and socks in T2 if the race is wet is also something to look forward to coming off the bike!

BREAK THE WINTER DOWN With long winters and open-water triathlons not starting until late May, and some pool-based triathlons being a lottery when it comes to swim times and lapping other athletes, etc., duathlons are a great way to break the winter down and make it more manageable. With a goal of a few duathlons, plus, say a 10km or even a half marathon thrown in for a bit of fun, your early season will whizz by, especially if a few of you do the same races and your build-ups are similar. Hell, you might even want to go to the world or European championships!

I’ve been to both so don’t knock them or think of duathletes as triathletes who ‘can’t swim’! Do one and see just how hard they really are, and, more importantly, how they will benefit you come race season. Trust me, they’re well worth the effort and you won’t ever regret racing one.

Need some advice from The Don? Send an email to askthedon@220triathlon.com

BRAD BEER

Joint use in tri Brad is the founder of POGO Physio, author of You Can Run Pain Free! and the physio for Super League Triathlon.

QUICK-FIRE Small gains still mean seconds off your PB...

What’s imposter syndrome and how can you overcome it?

It’s the feeling of inadequacy and selfdoubt in your abilities despite evident success.

Here are a few steps you can follow to quieten your inner detractor: acknowledge your feelings, talk about them, recognise your successes, remember nobody is perfect and stop comparing yourself to others.

Can you do an Ironman as a relay?

According to the official Ironman website, almost every Ironman 70.3 race and a few Ironman races offer relays.

The Challenge brand host five full-distance events with both Roth and Madrid offering full-distance relay options. The UK’s full-distance Outlaw and UK Ultimate Triathlon also host a relay event. So in short, yes you can!

NIK COOK

Ankle position mid-ride Cycling writer Nik is a competitive multisporter who’s competed for Team GB in duathlon.

ASK 220 CHLORINE ALLERGY I think I’m allergic to chlorine, what are the symptoms and how can it be treated? Lisa Grey

Q

According to various medical sources, strictly speaking you can’t be allergic to chlorine, but you can definitely be sensitive or react to it. Reactions can include red skin, scaling, tender skin or small bumps/hives.

You may also cough or sneeze, although this could be due to underlying breathing issues.

Seeing a doctor is probably advisable, especially if you’re having real issues breathing. But failing that there are various things that you can get over the counter to help. For your breathing, you can wear a nose clip – this will minimise the chlorine getting to all your breathing tubes. For your skin, take a shower before and after you swim: sweat, deodorants and moisturisers can react with chlorine. If your skin irritation is confined to a small area, vaseline can act as good barrier. In more widespread cases, you might be able to get corticosteroid or antihistamine creams.

Try spending a couple of days/weeks out of the water and see if the symptoms subside. Everything healing might make life easier and remove your irritations.

Another alternative is to find a pool that isn’t treated with chlorine. Some pools are treated with UV light and other different cleaning agents – google pools in your area for options. John Wood

A

RUNNING CADENCE Why is cadence important in running?

And what is the best cadence to train at for a 10km triathlon run? Steve Dodds

Q

Cadence is important because together with stride length it determines how fast you run. Evidence shows that elite distance runners have cadences of over 180 steps per minute (spm) and while there

A

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are individual variations, these are seen regardless of gender and race distance.

To start to work on this, count your natural stride rate and then (if it’s not already over 180spm) try running at higher stride rates while maintaining pace – firstly in short intervals and then longer reps over time. While stride length is harder to change as the conditioning needed takes time to develop, cadence is very simple to adjust. It also reduces the braking forces as the foot lands and is useful when retuning to running after injury.

In general, to run faster, cadence doesn’t increase as much as stride length. However, when it comes to a sprint at the end of a race, US-based coach Steve Magness, suggests that those with a longer stride might up their stride rate more, while those with shorter strides might increase stride length. In essence, to change pace, you use whichever you haven’t been using for the rest of the event.

While this has all been research specific to running, this might be even more relevant to triathletes as stride length when running off the bike reduces by about 10cm.

Therefore, higher cadence work in training is important to accurately simulate how you may naturally run in a race. For 10km, it seems that a cadence over 180spm is a good place to start and could help you become a more efficient runner. Joel Enoch

JOINT USE IN TRI Which joints do triathletes use the most and how can we keep them healthy? Chris Simpson

Q

Joint loading has to be a consideration for triathletes as the repetitive nature of training can lead to poor joint health.

Joint loads for swimming are primarily experienced at the shoulders, while joint loads for cycling are low but can be experienced at the hips, knees, neck and back. Running is the real joint-loader, though, as the peak joint forces experienced at the knee, ankle, and hip joints are approximately 5, 6, and 10 times body weight, respectively.

The good news is that scientific literature doesn’t link repetitive joint loading through repetitive training loads with elevated risk of joint disease, such as osteoarthritis.

Rather, it appears it may provide a protective effect against the development of hip and knee osteoarthritis compared with non-runners, thanks to the conditioning effect on the articular cartilage.

The best way to keep our joints healthy is to support the joints through strength and

A

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JAMES MITCHELL

TRAINING

UICK-FIRE

(CONT)

How much difference do tribars make to performance?

In short, a fair amount if used properly. Although, they are most suitable for those confident with their bike-handling skills.

Tri-bars decrease wind resistance and drag by reducing your frontal surface area while on the bike. You can also push more power through the pedals in this position.

Are you allowed to wear full-lengthsleeved tri-suits in triathlon?

Unsurprisingly, the answer to this isn’t straightforward. In Ironman-branded races, for example, they only allow sleeves to the elbow for non-wetsuit swims, but from the bike onwards you should be fine – but then why would you change tri-suits in T1?

If you want an arm covering, you can add arm sleeves. In ITU racing, the rules state: “For winter triathlon and, in some cases, in triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon, the long sleeves and lower leg covering are allowed.” To be safe, always ask the race organiser well before race day and keep a record of any correspondence.

conditioning work around and across the joint. For example, for optimal knee health a triathlete should focus on hamstring, quadriceps, adductor, hip abductors and calf musculature strength. This can be via home exercises or, preferably, some resistance training in a gym. Brad Beer

ANKLE POSITION MID-RIDE

Q A

Should your ankles be rigid or flexible when cycling? Niamh Howes

The constant flexion and extension of your ankles during the pedal stroke was long considered desirable for a fluid and efficient pedalling technique. However, comprehensive analysis of pro cyclists’ video footage has shown no evidence that they consistently display significant ankling action. Some cycle with their toes more pointed, some with almost flat feet, while some exhibit a degree of flexion, but there’s no pedalling technique consensus.

Rather than focussing on what your ankles are doing, if you’re concerned about your pedalling technique and efficiency, your priority should be getting a physio-led 3D motion-capture bike fit. There’s little point trying to improve your pedalling style if your position on the bike isn’t right. In fact, excessive ankling can be a sign of incorrect saddle height.

Once you’re happy with your position, training tools such as Wattbike’s Polar view are great for dialling in your technique. A more traditional way to develop perfect pedalling are rollers. If the whir of the rollers is constant, it means your pedal stroke is smooth and even. Nik Cook

Analysis of pro cyclists’ pedalling technique showed a range of different actions. So rather than focussing on what your ankles are doing, find the right position first by getting a physio-led 3D motion-capture bike fit.

READER RESCUE

RICHARD SMITH

Tri coach, athlete and race organiser Richard currently heads up TRIbal Triathlon at Vobster Quay, Somerset.

Reader Alan Vamplew wants some land-based swim drills to improve leg kick I’m 71 years old and keep very active despite having bilateral hip replacements. I can comfortably swim 40 lengths freestyle of my local pool but it’s virtually all arms as I have next to no leg kick. Can you recommend some land-based drills/exercises to improve my leg kick? Alan Vamplew

LAND-BASED

Firstly, fantastic that you’re keeping so active. Resistance exercise is really important for maintaining your bone and connective tissue health. And the following exercises will not only help to develop your swimming leg kick, but will also help to maintain your strength and stability.

Glute/hip matrix With good upright posture, standing on one leg, lift your leg behind and complete five glute squeezes at the upper range of movement. Then lift the leg back and to the side at 45° and repeat the five squeezes. Next, lift the knee into a front high knee lift and back down. Finally, with your leg straight,

Q

A

Single leg balances Standing on one leg, squeeze into your glutes and slowly raise your other leg behind you, bring it back down and raise it in front of you, back down and out to the side. Use a wall for support if needed initially. To increase the challenge try standing on a cushion.

toes pointed, draw a hip circle outwards from front to back and then back to front. This can all be done lying on your side with a mini band around your ankles to increase the resistance loading.

Step up into high knees Stand in front of a bottom stair with a wall or banister for support. Place your right foot firmly on the first step. Step upwards with your left leg and keep lifting your leg into a high knee lift, hold and balance before stepping back down again. Focus on alignment and control rather than speed. Repeat x 5, change legs.

KICK DRILLS If you can do these wearing swim fins, you’ll develop more propulsion, but if uncomfortable just practise without. Set small targets, i.e. kick drill 5m to 10m, then swim the rest of the length.

Kick on your back Push off holding a kick board flat on your thighs. Kick with relatively straight legs and relaxed ankles. The float shouldn’t bounce up and down if you’re kicking from your hips rather than your knees.

Use land- and water-based exercises to develop leg kick and help maintain strength

GETTY IMAGES

Side kick drill Push off, one arm extended in front of the other, relaxed on your side, with your body at around a 45° angle to the water.

Again kick with long legs rather than from your knee. This can then be built into 6,1,6 and 6,3,6 side kick drills, i.e. 6 kicks on one side, take stroke onto the other side and then 6 kicks on that side.

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RACE TO THE WRECK

DUEL IN THE DESERT After 200km on a fat bike, it’s 103km on foot across the sands of Namibia to the world’s most famous shipwreck. Race to the Wreck is the ultimate bucketlist duathlon experience. Dave Harcourt braved the dunes to share his African story…

WORDS DAVE HARCOURT IMAGES RAT RACE ADVENTURE SPORTS

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how was it for you?

he heat in the valley floor is unbearably hot. After 10km of plodding, I need to stop. I’m broken. I have hot spots on my feet and I keep stopping every kilometre to take off my shoes and have a drink and some food. I don’t have the energy to eat and drink on the go. Then, I run out of water. I’ve consumed a whole three litres in 15km. I push on for another 2km but I’m now thinking that I’ll die out here. I’m just 3km from the end of day two, but it might as well be 300km as I won’t make it without water. Welcome to Rat Race’s latest event, Race to the Wreck, a five-day, 303km bike and foot journey to the Skeleton Coast of Namibia.

THE BUILD-UP

MEET DAVE

Dave Harcourt, 48, is an IT director for Synetiq and lives in Dunfermline, Scotland, with his wife Jilly. He did his first triathlon in 2005 and has since completed three Celtman races, a host of swimrun and multi-stage Rat Race events, and the 2019 ITERA expedition race.

He’s a big fan of cheese and wine.

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The event has taken me more than a year of planning, and I arrive into Namibia’s capital of Windhoek on the Saturday before the race start on Tuesday. A couple of things are instantly apparent about Namibia: it’s hot; not just foreign holiday hot, but really hot, with no shade and the sun high in the sky. And it’s arid; I don’t mean dry, as in southern Europe, I mean scorched. This should come as no surprise as I’m here to race across the Namib desert, the world’s oldest desert that boasts the world’s biggest sand dunes. I’m already troubled by how hard this is going to be, bearing in mind I come from Scotland.

A race of this sort involves the purchase of mandatory specialist equipment, including a mirror (to attract attention by reflecting the sun in cases of emergency), to sand gaiters (which involves sending your shoes away to get Velcro professionally glued around them), a Lawrence of Arabia hat and longsleeved, UV running tops.

I have a couple of days to acclimatise before the race. I stay at the Roof of Africa in Windhoek and meet up with some old friends from the Mongol 100 who are also doing the Race to the Wreck. Sunday involves getting bussed to the start at the luxurious Namibgrens Guest Farm Camp, complete with proper toilets, a natural swimming pool and views that are off the planet.

Monday is kit day, where our mandatory gear is checked and we receive our fat bikes. Dinner is subdued tonight as everybody has

taken in the enormity of the challenge and the very real dangers that lie ahead.

VITAL HYDRATION Race day starts early and everybody is up packing and re-packing their rucksacks. Then we’re off on our five-day adventure, just like that.

Today’s 90km ride is supposed to be the ‘easy’ day on the bike. I’m going well and am in the first group to Checkpoint 1. The first 35km have raced past as we’ve been on the ‘road’. We then turn off the road onto our first sandy track. The group splinters and I find myself in second place, just about keeping Richard Jacobs, the leader, in view.

Checkpoint 2 soon comes into view. These aren’t normal triathlon aid stations, they are much more leisurely, and I have some lunch, a good chat and a sit down. Now the singletrack commences, all 30km of it! I contemplate the scenery, complete with stunning rock formations unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I get going again, but now I’m starting to feel broken; I’ve gone hard, maybe too hard. My seat slips down so I take it right out and rub some sand onto the post. This does the trick but the squeaking it induces is nigh on unbearable.

Checkpoint 3 comes into view and Richard is waiting for me. We’re told no more than 15km to the finish, so neither of us brim our water supplies. Big mistake. We’re now in the heat of the day and the going gets tough as we’re on a deep, soft

sand track and a headwind has come from nowhere. I tell Richard to go on; I’m now feeling completely broken. The going becomes tougher again as the sand goes hard but corrugated. I don’t have suspension and there are several kilometres of this to go. It’s brutal and I’m now dangerously low on water.

It doesn’t take long for paranoia to set in and I start imagining that I could die here from dehydration.

How can I go from happy to scared in the space of minutes? Just as I’m seriously contemplating how long I can keep going, the day’s finish

RACE TO THE WRECK

“I don’t have suspension and there are several kilometres to go. It’s brutal and I’m dangerously low on water”

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how was it for you?

comes into view. Lesson learned – I’ll never leave a checkpoint without filling up my water, as we were repeatedly told to do at the briefing.

I’ve finished in second place 10mins behind Richard. Third place is 30mins behind. But I’m drained and concerned about tomorrow’s big bike day as I don’t know how much more I have to give. Today was 90km in total, with 35km of that onroad. Tomorrow is 120km, all offroad. Yet a shower and a couple of beers perk me right up.

ONE HUNDRED FALSE SUMMITS After the 3am alarm, there’s a quietness in camp because we’re all aware today is a big day. I set the early pace with Richard and eventual winner Tom Overing. After the first 20km, the day dawns and we let our tyres down to go up the first sand dune. It’s unbelievable what you can cycle up on a fat bike with soft tyres. The dunes are unrelenting, but after what feels like 100 false summits they do end and we’re treated to an amazing view of the Kuiseb River valley.

The day’s final checkpoint arrives with just 20km to go, and I brim every water container I have.

There’s the most mental descent; I put my weight right back, sink the rear wheel into the soft sand and let rip. The sun is directly above us and there’s no shade. I run out of water

and contemplate dying in the desert. Then the most amazing sight, a support vehicle, and I’m saved. I finish with Tom in equal second place, 12mins behind Richard. It took 3hrs to do that last 20km – on a bike! The next cyclist finishes 3hrs later. I’ve pushed myself hard today. I’m thinking I’ll hitch a lift in a support vehicle tomorrow. Again, it’s amazing what a shower, a few beers and some great food can do for you. And the cooks make the most fabulous cake.

I sleep well because I’m exhausted.

Day 3 is the start of the running. I jog the first mile, then it’s up the first dune and all the excuse I need to walk. There’s an endless plain of sand. I jog another mile before deciding to march; this way I’m confident I’ll make it to the end.

Eventually the plain is crossed and then it’s into dried-up lake beds, followed by more dunes, followed by enormous dry lakes beds. I march the entire afternoon with Gill Watson, an experienced adventure racer who calls me back when I wander off course after forgetting to check my GPS, a stark reminder for me about the severity of the event.

There’s a sting in the tail at the end of day, as we have to summit the first of the truly huge dunes. The whole day has been stunningly beautiful and the changing scenery most unexpected. Tonight’s camp is

“The sun is directly above us and there’s no shade. I run out of water and contemplate dying in the desert” 96 /

/ April 2020

MULTI-DAY CHALLENGES

The American Triple-T (29-31 May) involves three consecutive days of racing, covering 225km over the weekend in Ohio. americantriplet.com

1

Perfect prep for Ironman Wales is Tenby’s Long Course Weekend Wales (3-5 July), which involves a 3.8km swim on the Friday, 180km bike on the Saturday and finishes with a Sunday marathon. lcwwales.com

2

The Monster Triathlon (5-11 July) witnesses athletes swim 5km in Loch Ness, before a 955km ride to Windsor and a 50km run into London. monstertriathlon. org

3

Now booking for 2021 is Rat Race’s Maltese Falcon (7-10 Oct), which involves swim, bike and running over the Maltese islands of Gozo, Comino and Malta. ratrace.com

4

RACE TO THE WRECK

how was it for you?

stunning, with 20 tents in a sea of sand in the middle of nowhere.

After five days of desert endurance racing, drinks never tasted so good

BITING THE BULLET The fourth day is big dune time, with 13 of the world’s biggest dunes to cross. I’ve already made the decision that I’ll be marching today and that I’m going to go solo. After each of these big dunes, there comes a dune street of flat hard sand. I feel good but progress is slow; I estimate a 12hr day will just get me in before darkness and the cut-off.

By Checkpoint 2 I’m hurting and the wind is rising. Each dune is now taking longer to climb and the sandblasting is constant. I eventually reach the 13th dune, which feels never-ending. It’s also full of large chasms, some can be circumnavigated but others you just have to bite the bullet and descend then scale the other side. At one point the wind whips off my hat just after I’ve crested the ridge. Its nearly enough to make me sit down and cry, but I turn round and go back to get my desert hat – I can’t contemplate continuing without it.

I’m now able to get shade as the sun is starting to set.

Eventually the camp appears on the horizon. I’ve never been so relieved to see camp. I’m hurting, my legs are sore, my feet are aching, but now I have a beer in my hand.

Dinner is late tonight as the big transport truck has broken down.

It wasn’t just the competitors who had it tough today – the vehicles had to follow a 200km navigable route to meet us.

WRECKING IT Day 5 is the final day and, relatively speaking, an easy one. It’s only 25km on foot and flattens right out for the second half as we get down to sea level. My first job is to see the doctor as my blistered foot is

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causing me to limp. It turns out I shouldn’t have used Compeed as it literally glues to your skin in the heat; what I should’ve done was lance the blister. The doc won’t lance it now because of the chance of infection due to the gummed-up plaster. Best solution is to put padding around the blister. I hobble away and am quickly towards the back in the race, but I don’t care as I know I’m going to finish.

We’ve a steep climb up from the start and then smaller dunes, before cresting the last ridge and, for the first time, coming into view of the sea. Then it’s down onto the salt flats where I’m heavy enough to

RACE TO THE WRECK INFO

First event 2019 Race distances 200km on bike; 103km on foot 2019 starters 19 2019 finishers 16 2020 date 15-22 November Entry fee £1,327 Nearest airport Windhoek Website ratrace.com

break through the crust with every step. The salt flats give way to seashells and a rigid mud crust, which sends shots of piercing pain up my blistered foot with every step.

In the distance I see the Eduard Bohlen – the world-famous shipwreck that this race is named after – for the first time. It’s still a few miles away and takes an agonisingly long time to come into focus. Ania – a friend from past Rat Races – catches me up and we walk the last couple of miles together to take it all in. I cross the finish line and tears begin to run down my face.

After 36 hours of unbelievable highs and lows, I’ve done it.

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ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS Wagner Araujo, Brad Beer, Sarah Bonner, Tom Brew, Alistair Brownlee, Martyn Brunt, Nik Cook, James Croft, Alex Dewar, Tim Don, Joel Enoch, Hannah Ewans, Finisherpix, Brian Fogerty, Getty Images, Dave Harcourt, Dermott Hayes, Tim Heming, Chris Hitchcock, Simon

Leadbeater, Niamh Lewis, Matt Luxton, Charlotte Lyon, Lilly McNabb, James Mitchell, Kate Percy, Rat Race, Steve Sayers, Daniel Seex, Jack Sexty, Claire Smith, Richard Smith, Robert Smith, Alan Vamplew, Remy Whiting, Tomos Whitmarsh-Knight, Robin Wilmott, James Witts, John Wood

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NUTRITIONAL GAME CHANGERS? We delve into four different diets to assess their effectiveness for tri

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Printed in the UK by William Gibbons Distributed by Frontline, Park Road, Peterborough – 01753 555161 © Immediate Media Company Bristol Limited 2019

PREP FOR YOUR FIRST RACE

The key sessions you need for your debut sprint, Olympic or half-Iron

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EXPERT KIT REVIEWS

Ironman tri-suits, tri bike shoes, £4k road bikes & more, tested to the max April 2020 /

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faq

advice

kit

races

KNOWHOW THE HOW, WHAT AND WHERE OF RACING

HOW DO I FUEL THE BASE PHASE?

KAI OTTO MELAU

With a low training intensity, the three-month base phase is an ideal time to shed extra pounds with a diet of protein and good fats. “Body composition is so important to the base period,” says sports nutritionist Drew Price.

“You’re looking to reduce your weight and now’s the perfect time to do it because training intensity should be low.”

Improving your aerobic capacity is key, and this is achieved through long sessions at anything less than around 75% of your max heart rate.

Nutritionally, this means you can reduce high-intensity fuelling carbs and increase the proportion of energy derived from protein and good fats.

“Depending on the amount of training you do, your carb intake should be 6-9g per kilogram of bodyweight,” says Price.

“Protein nestles between 1.2g and 1.6g per kg, with fat around 0.9g-1g per kg.” You might think cutting carbs and increasing fats is counter-intuitive to losing weight, but an excess of carbs is absorbed into the body as fat. Good fats, like olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds, are also more satiating than carbs, meaning you’ll feel fuller for longer.

faq

FASTED SESSIONS Lower glycogen levels and intensity also guide your body to becoming a more proficient fat-burning machine. This is

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heightened by integrating fasted sessions, i.e. in a glycogen-depleted state. One fasted session a week, ideally before breakfast, is fine for many.

“I tend to do a couple of runs each week and a longish ride (2.5-4hrs) in a fasted state,” says Michelin chef and world age-group duathlon champion Alan Murchison. “However, this is for experienced athletes only, as there’s a real chance of bonking or running out of fuel.”

During the prep phase you should also increase antioxidants to boost immunity.

Cut down on pasta and rice, and take on more carbs from colourful vegetables.

The breakfast of Helvellyn Tri victor Alex Lawton isn’t a bad one to follow: porridge with water, pumpkin seeds, sultanas, cherries, blackcurrants and grapes.

GREAT FOODS FOR BASE NUTRITION Good fats Walnuts, cashews, avocados; almond butter; olive, flax and canola oil; salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, trout, mussels; liver, tofu, lean beef, sesame and pumpkin seeds.

Antioxidant-high Tomatoes, red kidney beans; raspberries, red apples, raisins, blueberry juice; red cabbage, spinach, broccoli, kale, watercress, red pepper, butternut squash, onion; liver and kidney.

Fibrous foods Oatmeal, cereal, wholegrains; apples, pears, oranges; parsnips, carrots, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, raw savoy cabbage, mushrooms, chickpeas, black beans.

GETTY IMAGES

ABOUT BRIAN

Brian describes himself as a “parttime triathlete, full-time insurance broker, hoping one day to swap.” He’s also holder of the 2019 Ironman UK title, winning with a 10-minute cushion in a time of 9:27:12.

Brian started tri in 2012 after calling time on a football career, which involved playing for Burnley FC and semi-pro clubs around the northwest. He’s also now a coach for TriCentralUK.

BRIAN FOGARTY Runner-up in last year’s 220 Age-Grouper of the Year category, Brian found time between coaching and selling insurance to share his top tips for newbies

01

04

INVEST IN A COACH

But not just any coach.

Make sure they have experience in the race distance you’re aiming to complete. So if you’re racing Ironman make sure they’ve completed the distance themselves so they have the truest knowledge of what it takes to train and race one.

02 FOCUS ON YOU

Don’t get distracted with what other people are doing. Have your own agenda and just focus on that. If you keep improving then that’s all that matters.

03

Training can be monotonous, especially for long distance, so try and find a good group to train with. More than anything it help keep you focussed on your ultimate training goal and you’ll meet new friends with shared interests. I’ve met many of my closest friends through this sport.

pro advice

ENJOY WHAT YOU DO

It’s very easy to forget why we do this sport, if it’s not for the pure love of it then it won’t last.

Remind yourself constantly of your why.

TRAIN WITH OTHERS

05

SET SHORT- AND LONG-TERM GOALS

Be ambitious but realistic when setting your goals for the year. My target in my first Ironman was to simply finish; in my 26th my target had shifted to winning it! Patience is key when it comes to triathlon.

06

INVOLVE LOVED ONES IN YOUR JOURNEY

Ironman training takes a big

commitment – the road is (sometimes literally) full of ups and downs, so you will need all the support you can get. I always race Ironman Lanzarote because not only is it a great race, but it gives me and my family an opportunity to have an amazing holiday together.

07

MIX UP DISTANCES

Racing has so many benefits so don’t be afraid to race other distances and disciplines. Standalone bike, run and swim races are a great way to test yourself and push your limits against faster, specialist athletes. Different triathlons are also a great way to practise. I always try and race a 70.3 in the build-up towards an Ironman. It gives me confidence knowing everything is going well and helps me sharpen up within the race environment.

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essential kit

All you need to train & race, as rated by our 220 Kit Zone expert testers

WETSUITS Build quality, comfort, flexibility and insulation – the four key factors when choosing your neoprene. Spend more and the quality for each factor tends to increase.

ENERGY GELS Carb and caffeine content, added extras (such as electrolytes and salts), digestability, and, of course, flavour and texture are all things to consider when grabbing a gel.

86 %

lomo Prime Wetsuit £100 Lomo’s best wetsuit yet; secure construction, close fit and buoyant.

Issue 374 lomo.co.uk

82 %

Clif Shot Mocha £1.29 The texture harks of gels from days gone by, but the taste more than compensates for it.

Issue 373 clifbar.co.uk

93 %

orca Equip £239 Peerless comfort and flexibility for the price. Great for frugal swimmers.

Issue 366 orca.com

84 %

Powerbar PowerGel £1.39 A savoury nutty delight, especially beneficial to the heavy sodium sweaters out there.

Issue 373 powerbar.eu

90 %

roka Maverick Comp III £325 Superior arm flexibility and reach, plus assured buouyancy.

Issue 365 roka.com

81 %

SIS Go Isotonic £1.40 A timeless composition but there are more palatable SIS flavours out there than this fruit salad.

Issue 373 scienceinsport.com

91 %

AQUA SPHERE Racer 2.0 £399.99 Striking graphics, a decent price and a superior build – winning!

Issue 365 aquasphereswim.com/uk

80 %

OTE Apple Energy Gel £1.50 A relatively low carbohydrate content, but a tasty gel that’s soft on the stomach.

Issue 373 otesports.co.uk

92 %

yonda Ghost 2 £549 A highly comfortable and superb all-rounder wetsuit.

Issue 364 yondasports.com

86 %

Torq Rhubarb & Custard £1.60 Another impressive Torq energy-delivering gel; and a good taste too.

Issue 373 torqfitness.co.uk

IRONMAN TRI SUITS Consider what type of triathlete you are – top-end agegroupers should assess their suit’s aero properties, but comfort is key for all levels, so consider pads, grippers and material quality.

TRI BIKES The key here is fit and comfort.

Remember: the least aerodynamic thing on the bike is you, so get a bike fit to refine your position.

102 /

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90 %

heart Purple Thunder £125 Brilliant touches abound, as does affordability.

Issue 362 heartsports.co.uk

92 %

giant Trinity Advanced £1,799 Powerful yet surprisingly comfortable ride that’s literally geared to be intimidating!

Issue 357 giant-bicycles.com

82 %

dhb Aeron Lab £160 Great ventilation, design and grippers.

Issue 362 wiggle.co.uk

89 %

neil pryde Bayamo £2,250 For the price, superb ride performance and build quality on the frame and forks.

Issue 351 neilprydebikes.com

93 %

2xu Comp Full Zip £160 Comfortable, good looking and practical.

Issue 362 2xu.com

91 %

ribble Ultra Tri £4,469 Clever windcheating features and fantastic range of adjustment. Bike as built is ready to race.

Issue 358 ribblecycles.co.uk

87 %

sailfish Aerosuit 199.99 A goodlooking, breathable choice for 70.3 racing.

Issue 362 sailfish.com

95 %

canyon Speedmax CF SLX £5,199 A bike that just wants to go fast… but will also get you into T2 with fresh legs.

Issue 328 canyon.com

93 %

huub Anemoi £299.99 One of the very best just got better.

Issue 372 huubdesign.com

87 %

wilier Turbine £8,800 A comfortable and rapid ride that’ll stand out from the multisport crowd.

Issue 366 wilier.com

RACE DAY RUN SHOES For shorter distances, you’ll want to consider a lighter shoe for racing, while long-distance tri may require more cushioning. Seek expert advice to find out which is right for you.

89 %

saucony Type A9 £100 Speed , light weight and comfort for Olympic distance and below. An outand-out racer.

Issue 374 saucony.com

92 %

new balance 1500T2 Boa £110 Transitions – and your final triathlonrace leg – just got a whole lot swifter and brighter.

Issue 374 newbalance.co.uk

81 %

asics Gel-DS 24 £120 A supremely comfy and swift shoe for the heavier triathlete; proficient landing to toe-off.

Issue 374 asics.com

83 %

on running Cloudflow £130 Another impressive On shoe, especially for iron distances thanks to those 18 lugs.

Issue 374 on-running.com

81 %

hoka one one Carbon X £160 Impressive allrounder rather than an out-and-out racer.

Lighter athletes may prefer Hoka’s Rehi.

Issue 374 hokaoneone.eu

POOL GOGGLES Look for a pair that’s easy to adjust and with comfortable gaskets so you can dial in the best possible fit. Field of vision, anti-fogging properties and zero leakage are also vitally important.

ROAD BIKES We really can’t stress enough just how much a proper bike fitting will improve your overall ride and comfort – so buy from a shop that offers this service.

82 %

ZOGGS Podium £25 Good value goggles with some stylish features.

Issue 370 zoggs.com

89 %

vitus Razor £499.99 A bike that’s meant to be ridden fast. Add some tribars for even faster bike splits.

Issue 371 chainreactioncycles.co.uk

87 %

mp Xceed £29.99 Provide clear vision and a bright tint with great comfort.

Issue 370 michaelphelps.com

91 %

Carrera Virago £800 Smooth, measured and controlled on road, grit and gravel, plus impressive spec.

Issue 374 halfords.com

85 %

huub Brownlee £34.99 Quality and good-looking goggles, with extras.

Issue 370 huubdesign.com

91 %

kinesis 4S Disc £1,850 Fantastic bike that majors on fun as much as it does on performance.

Issue 369 kinesisbikes.com

93 %

swans Valkyrie £34.99 Superb fit and clarity, stylish and very comfortable.

Issue 370 swansuk.co.uk

93 %

giant TCR Advanced Pro 2 £2,399 A brilliant frameset that’s comfortable but still effective at turning energy into speed.

Issue 367 giant-bicycles.com

88 %

speedo V-Class £58 Quality package with good visibility, but very expensive!

Issue 370 speedo.com

92 %

specialized Tarmac £4,250 Endlessly accessible performance, amazing grip and compliance.

Issue 372 specialized.com

sub-£900

RACE WHEELS CES SPORT RC88

REVOLVER SCRIBE AERO KRONOSTOK6/9 50/65 DISC

£750 Just about the most affordable deep dish set you’ll find without buying direct from the Far East. Does the job. ces-sport.co.uk

£799Outstanding value, stable in winds and hard to fault for triathlon race day. A real bargain. revolverwheels.co.uk

£870 Fast and stable wheels that come at a reasonably affordable price; although incredibly loud! scribecycling.co.uk

April 2020 /

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race calendar Pick your races and plan your season with the 220 Knowhow event guide

MUMBLES DUATHLON

21 MARCH Dust off the winter cobwebs on this out-and-back course, ideal for all levels and ages. Athletes can choose from either super sprint or sprint distances.

TRI SPEAK

Wondering what the ‘washing machine’ is, or where to find your M-dot?! Make things easy with our guide to common tri terms…

‘A’-Race The most important race of your season Age-grouper Non-pro triathlete (most of us!)

Aerobic Aerobic exercise involves or improves oxygen consumption by the body Anaerobic How much energy your body can produce without using oxygen Aquabike Race with just swim and bike elements, no run Bilateral breathing Breathing every 3 strokes when swimming

104 /

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MARCH 1

ANGLIAN WATER DUATHLONS (various dists). Grafham Water, Perry, Cambs. nicetrievents.com

8

EPIC FIRE FIGHTERS 2UP DUATHLON (4-mile R/25-mile B/ 4-mile R). Rivington & Blackrod High School, Bolton, Lancs. epicevents.co.uk HOP FARM MULTI-TERRAIN DUATHLON 3 (3km R/10km B/3km R). Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Kent. velocity-events.co.uk PEMBROKESHIRE DUATHLON (5km R/20km B/2.5km R). Neyland, Pembrokeshire. pembstri.org.uk BURNTWOOD SPRING AQUATHLON (various inc. Tristar and youths). Burntwood Leisure Centre, Staffs. burntwoodtriclub.org.uk

DIRTY GREEN TRAINERS

15

PARBOLD DUATHLON (5km R/29km B/5km R).

Bispham, Parbold, Lancashire. epicevents.co.uk BEDFORD AUTODROME DUATHLONS (various dists).

Bedford Autodrome, Thurleigh, Beds. nicetrievents.com ASHRIDGE DUATHLON 2 (various dists).

Ashridge, Berkhamsted, Herts. ashridgeduathlon.co.uk

21

BATH DUATHLON (various dists).

Odd Down, Bath. bathduathlon.org.uk CLUMBER PARK DUATHLON (various dists).

Clumber Park, Worksop, Notts. trisociety.co.uk MUMBLES DUATHLON (various dists).

Mumbles, Swansea. mumblesduathlon.com

EUROPEAN CHAMPS QUALIFIER

WORLD CHAMPS QUALIFIER

29

RIPON HORNBLOWER DUATHLON (5km R/24km B/3km R).

Ripon Grammar School, Ripon, North Yorkshire. trihard.co.uk OULTON PARK SPRING DUATHLON (various dists). Oulton Park, Little Budworth, Cheshire. opevents.co.uk EAST LEAKE TRIATHLON (400m S/22km B/ 5km R). East Leake Leisure Centre, Loughborough, Leics.

4lifeeventsuk.co.uk

APRIL 4

THAMES VALLEY SPRING DUATHLON (various dists).

Dorney Lake, Berks. f3events.co.uk COWMAN CITY TRAIL DUATHLON (various dists). Willen Lake, Milton Keynes. big-cow.com BRITISH AG CHAMPS

5

ULVERSTON TRIATHLON (400m S/28km B/5.8km R).

Ulverston, Cumbria. epicevents.co.uk HARLECH TRIATHLON (various dists and events).

Harlech, Merionethshire, Wales. alwaysaimhighevents. com GRANTHAM TRIATHLON (various dists and events). Meres Leisure Centre, Grantham, Lincs. sbrevents.co.uk

12

BOUNDARY PARK TRI (750m S/55km B/10km R).

Boundary Water Park, Allostock, Cheshire. uswimopenwater.com CLITHEROE TRIATHLON (400m S/30km B/8km R).

Ribblesdale Swimming Pool, Clitheroe, Lancs. epicevents.co.uk MAIDSTONE DUATHLON (various dists).

Maidstone, Kent. velocity-events.co.uk

TRI ENGLAND NATIONAL CHAMPS

BEDFORD AUTODROME DUATHLON (10km R/39km B/5km R).

Bedford Autodrome, Thurleigh, Bedfordshire. nicetrievents.com STORM THE CASTLE DUATHLON (10km R/33km B/5km R).

Ludlow, Shropshire. stormthecastleduathlon. com WEST LANCS SPRING TRIATHLON (400m S/18.5km B/ 5km R).

Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancs. epicevents.co.uk LINCOLN SPRINT TRIATHLON (400m S/23km B/5km R).

Burton Waters, Lincoln. osbevents.com WILMSLOW TRIATHLON (various dists).

Wilmslow Leisure Centre, Wilmslow, Cheshire. opevents.co.uk

19

OSPREY SPRINT TRIATHLON (300m S/17km B/5km R).

Osprey Leisure Centre, Portland, Dorset. bustinskin.com SPLASHWORLD TRIATHLON (400m S/20km B/5km R).

Dunes Splash World, Southport, Merseyside. epicevents.co.uk STIRLING DUATHLON (various dists).

University of Stirling, Stirling. stirlingtriathlon.com STOCKTON DUATHLON FESTIVAL (various dists). Stockton Riverside, Durham. trihard.co.uk WINCANTON TRIATHLON (400m S/27km B/5km R).

Wincanton, Somerset. wincantontri.com

26

MAY STRATFORD TRIATHLON (various dists). Stratford Leisure Centre, Stratford-uponAvon, Warwickshire. uktriathlon.co.uk HORWICH TRIATHLON (500m S/40km B/ 8.6km R).

Horwich Leisure Centre, Horwich, Lancashire. epicevents.co.uk SKEGNESS TRIATHLON (various dists).

Richmond Holiday Park, Skegness, Lincolnshire. sbrevents.co.uk STEYNING TRIATHLON (various dists).

Steyning Leisure Centre, Steyning, West Sussex. rawenergypursuits.co.uk SOUTHWELL SPRINT TRIATHLON (400m S/17.6km B/5km R).

Southwell Leisure Centre, Southwell, East Midlands. osbevents.com SAFFRON WALDEN SPRINT TRIATHLON (400m S/24km B/5km R).

Saffron Walden, Essex. entrycentralcom

3

SPRING TRIATHLON (various dists).

Sandford Parks Lido, Cheltenham, Glos. sandfordparkslido.org.uk

9

ST NEOTS TRIATHLON SERIES 1 (various dists).

Regatta Meadow, St Neots, Cambridgeshire. nicetrievents.com

10

THE ROC (SPRING) (1.5km S/50km B/12km R/50km B/1km R).

Abersoch, Gwynedd, North Wales. abersochtriplecrown.com

16

STOCKTON DUATHLON FESTIVAL

26 APRIL Go Tri, sprint and standard races are on offer at this fully-closed road event, which also offers European (standard) and world (draft-legal sprint) qualification and national champs status.

HOWABOUTDAVE PHOTOGRAPHY

ETON SPRINTS (various dists). Dorney Lake, Berkshire. humanrace.co.uk IMMORTAL STOURHEAD (various dists).

Stourhead, Wiltshire. immortalstourhead.com STRADBROKE TRIATHLON (160m S/17km B/3km R).

Stradbroke, Suffolk. canbuttri.co.uk

16-17

TATA STEELMAN (various dists). Port Talbot, South Wales. welshtriathlon.org OUTLAW HALF NOTTINGHAM (1.2-mile S/56-mile B/13.1-mile R).

National Watersports Centre, Nottingham. outlawtriathlon.com SOUTHPORT TRIATHLON (various dists). Marine Drive, Southport. epicevents.co.uk

17

#51FIVER COTSWOLD TRIATHLON (1.5km S/40km B/ 10km R).

Cotswold Water Park, Gloucestershire. dbmax.co.uk CRANBROOK SPRINT TRIATHLON (300m S/20km B/ 5km R).

Weald Sports Centre, Cranbrook, Kent. velocity-events.co.uk ARUNDEL LIDO TRIATHLON (various dists).

Arundel Lido, West Sussex. rawenergypursuits.co.uk CHESHIRE TRIATHLON (various dists).

Nantwich, Cheshire. uktriathlon.co.uk ASHBOURNE TRIATHLON (various dists).

Ashbourne Leisure Centre, Derbyshire. pma-racing.co.uk DIRTY GREEN TRAINERS

Biomechanics The forces applied to your body during exercise bonking Running out of energy mid-race or training session Brick session When you ‘brick’ two disciplines together, e.g. bike & run Cadence Pedal rate on bike, in revolutions per minute (rpm)

Carb-loading Eating a carb-heavy meal prior to a race to boost energy Catch The part of the swim stroke where you pull on the water Core strength Development of the stomach and lower back area in support of whole body strength DNS/dnf Did not start, did not finish – abbreviations in race results

OUTLAW HALF NOTTINGHAM

17 MAY A fast, scenic course with a welcoming racing atmosphere has made this race the UK’s fastest-selling tri.

Charity entry still available for 2020.

DOMS Delayed onset muscle soreness (after racing or training) DQ Disqualified, abbreviation in race results

April 2020 /

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RB CREATE

TRI SPEAK (CONT) Drafting Hitching a ride on someone else’s slipstream in the bike or swim Drag The amount of turbulent displaced air that an object creates, resulting in a slowing effect Duathlon Usually a run/bike/run format Electrolyte drink Contains sodium and potassium to help your body hydrate Elite Another word for a ‘pro’ – e.g. the Brownlees Glycemic index A ranking system for carbohydrates based on their effect on blood glucose levels HIT High-intensity training

BLENHEIM PALACE TRIATHLON 30-31 MAY An excellent beginners’ race in the grounds of Blenheim Palace – just be ready for the killer hill run out of the lake, around the palace and into transition.

HRmax Your maximum heart rate Hyponatremia A deficiency of sodium in the blood Intervals Intensive training using repeated on/off efforts Kona Place in Hawaii where Ironman Worlds are held every October Lactic acid Produced in high-intensity workouts, it can inhibit oxygen movement around the body and slow you down Low glycogen training Training without taking on carbs to increase the body’s ability to burn fat

106 /

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23-24

LOUGH CUTRA CASTLE TRIATHLON (various dists).

Lough Cutra Castle, Co Galway, Ireland. castletriathlonseries.co.uk

24

THE SWYD TRI (various dists).

Barry Island, Glamorgan, South Wales. allornothingevents.com GRAFMAN TRIATHLON (1.9km S/88km B/ 21.1km R).

Grafham Water, Huntingdon, Cambs. nicetrievents.com MARLOW CLASSIC TRIATHLON (various dists and events).

Higginson Park, Marlow, Bucks. f3events.co.uk SRI CHINMONY SOMERSET SPRINT TRIATHLON (400m S/25km B/5km R).

Portishead Open Air Pool, North Somerset. srichinmoyraces.org HERTFORDSHIRE SPRING TRIATHLON (various dists).

Stanborough Lakes, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. activetrainingworld.co.uk

25

ARCTIC ONE TRI & PARA-TRI FESTIVAL (various dists).

Dorney Lake, Berkshire. arctic1.co.uk WESTONBIRT SPRINT TRIATHLON (400m S/24km B/5km R).

Westonbirt School, Tetbury, Glos. dbmax.co.uk

30

TAUNTON TRIATHLON (400m S/21km B/ 5.7km R).

Taunton School, Taunton, Somerset. tauntontriathlon.com

30-31

BLENHEIM PALACE

TRIATHLON (various dists).

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire. livetotri.co.uk

31

SWANSEA TRIATHLON (750m S/20km B/ 5km R).

Prince of Wales Dock, Swansea. swanseatriathlon.com

FLEET FEET SPRINT TRIATHLON (various dists).

Knockburn Loch, Banchory, Aberdeenshire. fleet-feet.com EPIC MAN WINDERMERE (various dists).

YMCA Lakeside, Lakeside, Cumbria. epicevents.co.uk SWASHBUCKLER MIDDLE DISTANCE TRIATHLON (1.9km S/90km B/ 22km R).

Buckler’s Hard, Beaulieu, Hampshire. theswashbuckler.co.uk

JUNE 6-7

WORLD TRIATHLON LEEDS (various dists).

Leeds, Yorkshire. leeds.triathlon.org

7

IM 70.3 STAFFORDSHIRE (1.9km S/90km B/ 21.1km R).

Lichfield, Staffs. ironman.com

THE MARSHMAN (various dists).

Action Watersports, Lydd, Kent. velocity-events.co.uk TALLINGTON LAKES TRIATHLON (various dists).

Tallington Lakes Country Park, Tallington, Lincolnshire. sbrevents.co.uk OUTLAW HALF BOWOOD (1.2mile S/56mile B/ 13.1mile R). Bowood Estate, Wiltshire. outlawtriathlon.com

13

THE WALES TRIATHLON (1.2mile S/56mile B/ 13.1mile R).

Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. walestriathlon.com FISHGUARD SPRINT TRIATHLON (0.5mile S/13mile B/ 3mile R). Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. fishguardtriathlon.com

13-14

SLATEMAN (various dists). Llanberis, Snowdonia, Wales. alwaysaimhighevents.com

14

EASTBOURNE TRIATHLON (various dists).

Eastbourne College, Eastbourne, East Sussex. eastbourne triathlon.co.uk DEVA TRIATHLON (various dists).

Grosvenor Park, Chester, Cheshire. chestertri.org.uk ROYAL WINDSOR TRIATHLON (various dists).

Alexandra Gardens, Windsor, Berkshire. royalwindsor triathlon.co.uk RACE TO THE BILL TRIATHLON (various dists).

Isle of Portland, Dorset. bustinskin.com THE BRIDGE TRIATHLON (various dists).

Dartford, Kent. bridgetriathlon.co.uk ULTIMATE TRIATHLON (various dists).

Alderford Lake (formerly Dearnford Lake), Whitchurch, Shropshire. uktriathlon.co.uk

20

TITAN BRECON MIDDLE DISTANCE TRIATHLON (1.2mile S/60mile B/ 13.1mile R).

Parc Bryn Bach, Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent, Wales. dbmax.co.uk

DAMBUSTER TRIATHLON (1.5km S/42km B/ 10km R).

Rutland Water, Leicestershire. pacesetterevents.com

SLATEMAN

13-14 JUNE A unique mix of incredible scenery and a gruelling course makes the Slateman a must on any racing bucket list.

20-21

CHOLMONDELEY CASTLE TRIATHLON (various dists).

Cholmondeley Castle, Cheshire. castletriathlonseries.co.uk

21

A DAY IN THE LAKES TRIATHLON (various dists).

Pooley Bridge, Ullswater, Cumbria. trihard.co.uk CENTURION TRIATHLON (various dists).

Stanborough Lakes, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. activetrainingworld.co.uk SOSPAN SIZZLER (1.9km S/90km B/ 20km R).

Burry Port, Carmarthenshire. healthylifeactivities.co.uk

26-28

RIPON TRIATHLON

FESTIVAL (various dists).

Ripon, North Yorkshire. ripontriathlon.co.uk

27

THE BANANA TRIATHLON (various dists and events).

Dorney Lake, Berkshire. humanrace.co.uk

KATHLEEN HARMAN

JUNIOR AQUATHLON (various dists).

Sandford Parks Lido, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. sandfordparkslido.org.uk

27-28

CARDIFF TRIATHLON (various dists).

Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, Wales. alwaysaim highevents.com LEEDS CASTLE TRIATHLON (various dists).

Leeds Castle, Harrietsham, Maidstone, Kent. triathlon.leeds-castle.com

28

ITU WORLD SERIES

Catch all the action live online at triathlonlive.tv

6-7 MARCH ABU DHABI UAE 18 APRIL BERMUDA 16-17 MAY YOKOHAMA Japan 6-7 JUNE LEEDS United Kingdom

27-28 JUNE MONTREAL Canada 11-12 JULY HAMBURG Germany 17-23 AUGUST ITU GRAND FINAL, EDMONTON Canada

OUTLAW HALF HOLKHAM (1.2mile S/56mile B/13.1mile R).

Holkham Hall, Norfolk. outlawtriathlon.com BIRMINGHAM TRIATHLON (various dists).

Sutton Park, Birmingham. uktriathlon.co.uk THE WMD TRIATHLON (various dists).

Weymouth College, Dorset. bustinskin.com SUMMER AQUATHLON (various dists).

Sandford Parks Lido, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. sandfordparkslido.org.uk

JULY 3-5

LONG COURSE WEEKEND (3.8km S/180km B/ 42.2km R). Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. lcwwales.com

5 ITU/JANOS SCHMIDT

THE FUGITIVE (various dists and events). Higginson Park, Marlow, Bucks. f3events.co.uk

MAIDSTONE SPRINT TRIATHLON (300m S/18km B/4.2km R).

Sutton Valence School, Maidstone, Kent. velocity-events.co.uk THE FESTIVAL OF ENDURANCE (various dists).

Hever Castle, Kent. castletriathlonseries.co.uk IMMORTAL EXMOOR (1.2mile S/56mile B/13.1mile R).

Exmoor, Somerset. immortalsomerset.com

5-11

THE MONSTER TRIATHLON (5km S/1,000km B/ 50km R).

Loch Ness to London. monstertriathlon.org

11

PEMBROKESHIRE COAST TRIATHLON (1.5km S/43km B/ 10.6km R).

Broadhaven, Pembrokeshire. pembstri.org.uk

11-12

M3 TRIATHLON (various dists).

Monikie Country Park, Dundee. m3tri.com

12

IRONMAN UK (3.8km S/180km B/42.2km R).

Bolton, Lancashire. eu.ironman.com WORTHING TRIATHLON (various dists).

Marine Crescent, Worthing, West Sussex. rawenergypursuits.co.uk HENLEY TRIATHLON (various dists).

Henley Leisure Centre, Henley-onThames, Oxon. uktriathlon.co.uk CROYDE OCEAN TRIATHLON (1.5km S/38km B/12km R).

Croyde, Devon. croydeocean.co.uk

Main set A block lasting 40-50% of a session where the heart rate is elevated M-dot Abbreviation for the Ironman logo – often seen as a tattoo!

Midfoot strike When running, your front foot strikes the ground flat – as opposed to toe or heel first Muscular endurance Your muscles’ ability to produce a given level of force for an extended duration Negative split Completing the second part, e.g a run lap, faster than the first overpronation Foot rolls inwards on impact rather than outwards overtraining Common symptoms of training too much with inefficient recovery include insomnia, headaches, moodiness, loss of enthusiasm and increased illness due to a suppressed immune system PB Personal best Pronation The natural ‘turning in’ of the foot

April 2020 /

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MARTIN ENNIS

SNOWMAN TRIATHLON & DUATHLON (various dists).

Plas y Brenin National Mountain Sports Centre, Capel Curig, North Wales. alwaysaimhighevents. com

1-2

COWMAN/CALFMAN/ STAMPEDE (various dists).

Emberton Country Park, Olney, Milton Keynes. big-cow.com SHEWALTON OPEN WATER AQUATHLON (750m S/5km R).

Shewalton, Ayrshire. ayrodynamic.org.uk

2 GOWER TRIATHLON

25 JULY The race starts on the Blue Flag-awarded beach for a fast 1.5 km swim, followed by a hilly, 37km bike around the Gower Peninsula and a scenic 10km run around Port Eynon.

TRI SPEAK (CONT) Power output Measured in watts on your bike. In essence, work divided by time Pull The mid part of the swim stroke where the hands and arms accelerate using the purchase from the catch reps Pre-fixed distances covered and pre-fixed recoveries maintained Rest interval (RI) Period of rest between reps Sculling Swim drills that use your hands alone to propel you

IMMORTAL FARMOOR (various dists).

Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire. immortalfarmoor.com

18-19

MALLORY PARK SPRINT TRIATHLON (750m S/20km B/5km R).

Mallory Park, Leicestershire. racerapid.co.uk BLITHFIELD TRIATHLON (various dists).

Blithfield Sailing Club, Abbots Bromley, Staffs. pma-racing.co.uk

19

GOWER TRIATHLON (1.5km S/37km B/ 10km R).

Port Eynon, Gower Peninsula, South Wales. gowertriathlon.com SANDFORD SWIM CHALLENGE (various dists).

Sandford Parks Lido, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. sandfordparkslido.org.uk

25

25-26

CASTLE HOWARD

TRIATHLON (various dists).

Castle Howard, North Yorkshire. castletriathlonseries.co.uk

OUTLAW NOTTINGHAM (2.4mile S/112mile B/ 26.2mile R).

National Watersports Centre, Nottingham. outlawtriathlon.com REDCAR SPRINT TRIATHLON (750m S/20km B/5km R).

Redcar seafront, Cleveland, North Yorkshire. trihard.co.uk

26

LONDON TRIATHLON (various dists).

ExCel Centre, Royal Victoria Dock, London. livetotri.co.uk MIDNIGHT MAN TRIATHLON (various dists).

Dartford, Kent. bridgetriathlon.co.uk

8-9

YORK TRIATHLON (various dists).

York Sports Village, North Yorkshire. uktriathlon.co.uk BEDFORD TRIATHLON (1.5km S/41km B/10km R).

Bedford, Beds. bedfordtriathlon.co.uk

9

AUGUST

JUNIOR TRIATHLON (various dists). Sandford Parks Lido, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. sandfordparkslido.org.uk

CLEVELAND STEELMAN (various dists and events). Ellerton Water Park, Richmond, North Yorkshire. clevelandtriathlon.com

ABERFELDY MIDDLE DISTANCE TRIATHLON (1.9km S/90km B/21km R).

Taymouth Castle, Aberfeldy, Scotland. aberfeldytriathlon.com

1

15

16

THE EVOLVE TRIATHLONS (various dists).

The Blue Lagoon, Womersley, North Yorkshire. bluelagooners.com SOUTH COAST TRIATHLON (various dists).

Seaford, East Sussex. uktriathlon.co.uk

22

THE DALESMAN TRIATHLON (various dists).

Ripon Racecourse, Ripon, North Yorkshire. trihard.co.uk

23

TRIATHLON RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS (500km S/15km B/ 5km R).

National Watersports Centre, Nottingham. trisociety.co.uk

29

SEPTEMBER UMUK (various dists).

Swallow Falls Hotel, Betws-y-Coed, North Wales. racingquest.co.uk

3-6

DORNEY LAKE DUATHLON (various dists).

Dorney Lake, Berkshire. f3events.co.uk SAUNDERSFOOT TRIATHLON (750m S/20km B/ 5km R).

Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire. saundersfoottriathlon. com THE ROC (SUMMER) (1.5km S/50km B/12km R/ 50km B/1km R).

Abersoch, Gwynedd, North Wales. abersochtriplecrown.com

5

ALEX WRIGHT/TENEIGHT STUDIOS

Sighting Looking ahead/at an object while swimming to keep on course Swimrun Partner race where you do multiple swims and runs T1/T2 Abbreviation for ‘Transition 1’ (swim to bike) and ‘Transition 2’ (bike to run) Taper Reducing your training in the days just before your big race Tempo effort Challenging, sustainable effort for 20mins-plus

108 /

/ April 2020

OUTLAW NOTTINGHAM

26JULY A six-time 220 Event of the Year winner, the original Outlaw continues to appeal to the long-distance masses, especially newbies who relish the flat course.

Threshold run A run at about 80% of your max heart rate for no more than 20mins time trials A setdistance session, where the aim is to swim as fast as you can over the allotted distance Transition area The place where you rack your bike and swap kit between disciplines Tri-bars Also known as aerobars, they help you race aerodynamically

IRONMAN 70.3 WEYMOUTH

20 SEPTEMBER This Dorset-set beauty has already become a classic on the 70.3 circuit due to its clear swim, rolling bike leg and spectator-lined seafront run.

GETTY IMAGES

WOBURN ABBEY TRIATHLON (various dists and events).

Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire. woburnabbey triathlon.co.uk

5-6

IRONMAN WALES (3.8km S/180km B/42.2km R).

Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. eu.ironman.com HELVELLYN TRIATHLON (1-mile S/38-mile B/ 9-mile R).

Glenridding, Ullswater, Cumbria. trihard.co.uk FLEET FEET TRIATHLON (various dists).

Knockburn Loch, Banchory, Aberdeenshire. fleet-feet.com DORNEY LAKE TRIATHLON (various dists).

Dorney Lake, Berkshire. f3events.co.uk BOX END TRIATHLON (various dists).

Box End Lakes, Bedford. activetrainingworld.co.uk

6

WEYMOUTH CLASSIC AND SPRINT TRIATHLON (various dists).

Bowleaze Cove, Weymouth, Dorset. bustinskin.com LOUTH TRIATHLON (various dists and events).

Meridian Leisure Centre, Louth, Lincolnshire. sbrevents.co.uk ST NEOTS TRIATHLON SERIES 2 (various dists).

Regatta Meadow, St Neots, Cambridgeshire. nicetrievents.com WOODHALL SPRING TRIATHLON (400m S/24km B/5k R).

Jubilee Park, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire. osbevents.com SHROPSHIRE TRIATHLON (various dists).

Ellesmere, Shropshire. uktriathlon.co.uk THE BRUTAL EXTREME TRIATHLONS (various dists).

Llanberis, North Wales. brutalevents.co.uk

12

SANDMAN TRIATHLON (various dists).

Newborough Forest, Anglesey. alwaysaimhighevents. com

12-13

BRIGHTON AND HOVE TRIATHLON (various dists). Hove Lawns, East Sussex. brightonandhove triathlon.com SOUTH MANCHESTER TRIATHLON (400m S/24km B/6.3km R).

Wilmslow Leisure Centre, Wilmslow, Cheshire. opevents.co.uk DERBY POOL TRIATHLON (400m S/18km B/5km R).

Etwall Leisure Centre, Etwall, Derby. pma-racing.co.uk VIRIDIAN DAVENTRY SPRINT (400m S/20km B/5km R).

Daventry Country Park, Northants. rugbytriathlon.org.uk CHELTENHAM TRIATHLON (various dists).

Sandford Parks Lido, Cheltenham, Glos. sandfordparkslido.org.uk

13

IRONMAN 70.3 WEYMOUTH (1.9km S/90km B/ 21.1km R).

Weymouth, Dorset. eu.ironman.com AVIEMORE TRIATHLON (various dists).

Aviemore, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. durtyevents.com BALA SPRINT TRIATHLON (750m S/20km B/5km R).

Bala, North Wales. welshtriathlon.org NORTH WEST TRIATHLON (various dists).

Nantwich, Cheshire. uktriathlon.co.uk DARLEY MOOR DUATHLON (5km R/20km B/2.5km R).

Ashbourne, Derbyshire. crazylegsevents.co.uk

20

Tumble turn Fast way of turning at the pool wall by performing a forward roll, push off and a twist to return to the initial stroke position Turbo trainer A frame that attaches to your bike, turning it into a static trainer Underpronation Foot rolls outwards on impact rather than inwards V02 max A measure of the body’s maximal ability to use oxygen to produce energy Washing machine Common way to refer to a chaotic open-water swim start!

Watt (w) The unit of measure in which power is expressed Watt bike A static variable-resistance trainer Waves The groups which triathletes are put in to start a race

HEVER CASTLE TRIATHLON (various dists).

Hever Castle, Kent. castletriathlonseries.co.uk

26-27

OUTLAW X (1.2-mile S/56-mile B/13.1-mile R). Thoresby Park, Nottinghamshire. outlawtriathlon.com

27

April 2020 /

/ 109

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THE WACKY RACES As an already fully paid-up member of the mad triathlete’s club, Brunty introduces two more on their endless quest for ‘bigger’!

MARTYN BRUNT

Martyn is tri’s foremost average athlete and is living proof that hours of training and endless new kit are no substitute for ability.

What is it about triathletes? Why is it that, when confronted with a sport that is frankly hard enough already, we go out of our way to find different ways to make it harder?

I suppose it might be because the creation of the sport came from the idea of taking three already tough events and combining them into one, thus inventing something that attracts mainly nutcases. I’ve certainly noticed that other sportspeople don’t generally go in for constantly searching for ways to make life more difficult for themselves. Rugby, for example, is a tough game but you don’t hear anyone saying: ‘I really enjoyed that 80-minute match last Saturday so this week we’re going to make it two hours each way.’

For a while I wondered if it was just me, as my general response to completing races over the years has been to immediately look for something harder. A recent example of this was my realisation nine

“Their kind of challenges make leaving the Royal family look like a doddle” 114 /

/ April 2020

months ago that I had run 25 marathons purely as a result of doing them during, or as training for, Ironmans. Upon realising this, what was the first thought to enter my head? Why it was ‘Why don’t I run 100 marathons?’ of course. Why did this happen? What switch went off in my head that connected completing 25 marathons with doing 100? And more importantly, why didn’t I just dismiss this nonsense instead of accepting it as a fait accompli which has already seen me complete a total of 40 marathons and counting.

This might of course be conditioning as a result of the lunatics I’ve trained with over the years, whose reaction to your latest achievement is to instantly suggest something bigger. Done an Olympic tri? Well how about a middledistance? Done one of those? Time you did an Ironman then? Done an IM? Have you done Lanzarote, though? And on it goes, each new suggestion about as welcome as piles to a showjumper.

But it isn’t just me. It’s me, it’s you, it’s all of us. Want proof? How about a couple of random examples of other triathletes of my acquaintance whose response to doing something difficult is to embark on challenges so

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outrageous they make leaving the Royal Family look like a doddle.

First up, my friend Jane Scott whose response to having taken up Ironman a few years previously was to do the ‘Continuous Quin’ which is FIVE times the IM distance – 12-mile swim, 560-mile cycle and 130-mile run. When I quizzed Jane about the event she told me that she managed to finish second female behind Suzy Coates, who herself completed the final marathon despite having a stress fracture. While competing in the Quin, Jane had witnessed her friend Maria Greaves, plus Kate Jayden and Annette Burrows, become the first UK women to complete this monstrous challenge – Jane mate, I can see where this is going….

And then there’s my old friend Mike Grisenthwaite. In 1999 ‘Griz’ completed his first Ironman but just 12 months later was diagnosed with incurable blood cancer. He embarked on a six-year battle against the illnesss, which included chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, and amazingly was given the all clear in 2006. He celebrated by heading straight back into cycling and triathlon and by founding a charity called ‘Cyclists Fighting Cancer’, which gives bikes and specially adapted trikes, tandems, exercise equipment and advice to children and young adults living with and beyond cancer. As 2020 is the 20th anniversary of his cancer diagnosis, Mike decided he wanted to do 20 ‘things’ to celebrate the fact that he’s still alive and kicking. So what did he come up with? Why 20 Ironmans of course. 20! In a year!

(You can find out more about his challenge at ironsurvivor.org where, as a personal favour to me, you can also sponsor him.)

The reality is Jane and Mike are just two (very good) examples of God-knows-how-many triathletes I have met who, having completed one challenge that 99% of the general population couldn’t even contemplate, have thought ‘Right! Next’. Honestly, you’re all mad.

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