2008 Race Reports
The London Triathlon 2008
Stats
Swim 20:07 T1 1:46 Bike 1:00:52 T2 0:32 Run 37:57
Report
I was going out in London to enjoy it, so the opportunity to wear a SportsTrack GPS system for tracking my progress was really good. The swim went OK, there was a false start at the beginning which I didn't partake in but whilst they were all coming back I was getting quite cold which didn't help when it came to the start proper. I came out of the swim a few seconds off the fourth group but due to a really fast transition I came out in the front of the pack and one of the fastest transitions of the day, even with putting on the Sports Track pack.
Onto the bike I picked up 2 guys from the group and then we formed the 4th pack hovering up riders from the other groups up the road. Our group wasn't working brilliantly and I was had to organise it a fair bit. But the riders weren't that used to riding in groups.
There was almost a crash 2/3 into the bike where some of the guys in the pack took a dead end turn and I took the right route but waited for the others to come back into the group.
Into T2 and I came off the bike first in our pack but the transition wasn't smooth as usual as there was a bike racked in my position so I threw my bike somewhere and had to run back a bit for my shoes.
Onto the run I didn't have a great deal so I enjoyed it and stuck to a pace. I had a couple of guys come past me and then held on to my place for the last lap of the run.
Overall it was a fun race, more difficult than last year but I knew I didn't have the run for it and I was fairly happy with my bike and can't wait to get the information back from SportsTrack!
Estonia Paide ½ IM Distance
Stats
Swim 26:26 T1 0:46 Bike 2:28 T2 0:37 Run easy
Report
Richard said (oh by the way Alex you’re doing the swim and bike of the ½ IM on Saturday) on our ride on Thursday in Estonia. At first I thought he was joking but unfortunately for me he wasn’t! So off we went to the race, me on my elite bike, with my training wheels, everyone else with their time trial bikes and race wheels…. You can see where this is going can’t you?! The swim was OK having swum it steady and not banzi, I came out 2 mins down from the leaders but in the top 10. Great I though not too bad as I did transition at Olympic distance pace!
Onto the bike and bearing in mind the longest TT I’ve ever done was a 25mile on a Time Trial bike I didn’t really know what to expect. So I got out onto the bike and decided to ride it more on my Heart Rate than on anything else. So in the 150’s it would be. On the first lap I was going pretty well, just looking at time on the speedo and trying to keep my mind and fingers off the average speed button! Finally at the end of lap 1 of 3 I cracked and looked. 38.1 km/h, not bad I thought as I carried on. I perhaps went a little bit too hard on the first 31 k as by the next turn around with 1 ½ laps to go I was thinking, I should really have climbed off the bike by now. Still, I soldiered on and the average speed was decreasing as I carried on, although the wind was also picking up a bit out on course. I eventually came in losing only 3 places on the bike and one was to Ain-Alar Johansson who’s 2x Lanzarotte IM winner so it was quite respectable. 2hours 28 for my 90k an average of 36.5 km/h then I had another fast transition even though I did put socks on and headed out on the run.
I started at 10k pace and eased down until at the aid station I stopped and had some recovery drinks and food before trotting back to the finish. I could have finished it and I’m sure that it wouldn’t have been a bad time but I am racing London next week so wanted to be at least a little bit recovered for that. Unfortunately the 5km was the first run I did in a week due to the foot not healing very well, so I am a bit dubious as to how well I will do in London… Only time will tell!
Corus Elite National Championships
Stats
Swim 21:18 Bike 1:02:29 Run injured
Report
The swim was about the same as last years, but I was a bit higher up the field when I came out of the water. At 750m on the run out I overtook a 5 or so people in 50m and it took them the whole of the next 750 to all get back past me. Then my transition was again a good one and I came out with the front of the pack which had just dropped me.
Unfortunately I pushed a little too hard for the first lap which took its toll on me. I was pushing hard, a little too hard maybe as when I was coming into the ride through transition on the first lap I almost came a cropper. I was going fast and the flag waving and saying slow down wasn’t really registering too well with me. So I steamed into the corner and then I though I’m going too fast here. As I was thinking that I locked up my brakes and was heading directly for the barriers. Then with 2cm to spare I turned my bars to the right and came to rest along side the railings. It was then a track start in a big gear which really finished my legs for the next climb up the hill. Still, I kept in there and was riding fairly well until I got caught by Tim Butt just as I was passing Phil Wolfe.
We both jumped on to Tim but Hotchkiss went away up the hill and I wasn’t going to go with him. Along the top Tim tried to break clear from us and I jumped across a 15m gap and we both rode like stink to get away. From then on Tim and I worked well together on the bike. It was hot but not too hot. But my right foot was uncomfortable.
Onto the run I had a good transition and started off well. But my toe was in a lot of pain. After 1km I couldn’t keep on going. I decided that a walk back to the first aid room might be in order when I took my shoe off and found a badly bleeding toe. What had happened was that the exit to the swim had nylon matting which had been scratched up by water craft and what not. Any way it did a potato peeler job on my tie and I was left with no skin on the bottom of my right big toe. I remember in the briefing someone pointing out something about the matting but it was more of there wasn’t much of it rather than if you run on it it’s sharp. British Triathlon so it seemed did not have enough matting to put down and unfortunately it put an end to my race there and then.
ETU European Cup Athlone, Ireland
Stats
Swim 19:06 Bike 1:01: 53 Run 37:11
Report
A much better race this time although I still managed to leave my goggles on the bed and had to “warm up” with a jog back to the hotel to pick them up. I could only laugh at myself for that, but the case is firmly fixed to the inside of my transition bag! The swim was difficult, it was lead out by Stannard and he wasn’t hanging around. A couple of the French were there too and it was a good pace. I was really struggling to stay with the pace on the swim and up the last 350m stretch I was sprinting flat out when I could to try and keep as close as possible.
I knew I needed a quick transition, so, as I got out having been about 8m off the back of the pack in the swim I knew I had to commit everything in the first 5 minutes. I had an awesome transition and as I jumped onto the bike I had about 30 meters to catch on Dom Brook who was chasing down the rest of the third pack. I went full bore through the Technical section and sprinted up the hill on the other side then really pushed as I reeled in the group. I was out with Martin Van Barneveld and Liam Scopes from NZ as well as a couple of Irish guys and a German. We were working well until Martin dropped out and then the speed went out of our chase a bit and we started to drop time to the leaders.
I was feeling strong for the first time on the bike and was willing to put a lot of work in to the group, it also helped that in the technical section I was so much better than anyone else and could carry 5-6km/h more up the hill than any body else in the group. I was even considering braking away off the front with 3 laps to go but couldn’t find a willing participant. Dom went off the front into T2 which was good as I was racked next to him and it made it pretty clear for me to get in and out.
On to the run and within 300m I had caught Brook, and pulled away from one of the Irish. With Liam, the German Schilling and an Irish guy running away from me. It stayed that way for most of the race until I was caught on the third lap by a fast moving Australian who had not made our bike group.
I came home in 29th, knowing that on the final lap no one could catch me and I made the most of it doing some Hi5’s along the way. The crowd was amazing and were almost as enthusiastic when I was coming into the finish as they were for the winner. I ran a 37 minute 10k which wasn’t too bad as it had a nasty hill to run up 4 times, not my idea of fun but it was still my best race yet.
ITU European Cup Holten, Netherlands
Stats
Swim 21:30 Bike 1:05.15 Run 38:48
Report
Unfortunately I didn’t bring the weather with me from Germany. It was wet and cool and the water was even colder. I had a complete shambles of a race; first of all I was left in Holten when I was putting my spare wheels at the wheel stop. That wasn’t the worst thing though! I lost my timing chip and swim hat on the way to the start line which was a good 8km away from T2! Luckily the race officials let me start but I knew it would be one of those days!
It was very wet in the beginning, dryer in the water in fact but I got onto the pontoon and got ready for the start. As the hooter and we headed towards the first buoy I was mid pack, didn’t know which pack but I was mid one of them. At the 750m point I was still in there and on the dive back in gave me a chance to keep up there. I exited the water with most of the other Brits, Dom Brook, Oliver Ziff and Jonny Pryke. But only Dom and I made the pack. It just happened to be the second pack.
Riding really hard to catch the first group we got to the first of 5 laps around a loop and when we got to the hill in the lap my legs just had nothing left in them and I got spat out backwards. I had a 6 second gap to close but I just couldn’t get there. The same fate befell Dom Brook and we both lost touch. So it was the rest of the race with Dom for company. Unfortunately he was stronger on some parts than others and I didn’t like the cobbles too much and he kept on moving away from me. So it wasn’t as much of a 2 up time trial as I would have liked. More of a few pleasantries for the 1km that we were together each lap.
Still, onto the run and I was able to close down the 40 seconds that Dom had put into me on the last lap when I bonked. And I kept on running, not particularly fast but I was quite happy that it was relatively flat! It was good until the leaders lapped me and then my legs went again. So I enjoyed the last lap and came home second to last. Dom had retired on the run and there was a Russian athlete who finished behind me. Unfortunately he got disqualified in the swim which was a bummer so on the official results it says that I was 42nd and last. Overall a good swim, but I need more power on the bike.
ETU European Cup Schliersee, Germany
Stats
Swim 19:43 Bike 1:21.47 Run 42:30
Report
Better weather this time, I rolled out of the tent and blue skies were being reflected of the lake we were going to jump into. It was a big field; well over 100 guys were on the start line and as the gun went there was havoc, although luckily I didn’t get involved too much in it. I decided after going off too fast in Brno that I would get into a good pace and hold it. It worked well and I came out in the third pack not too far off the leaders. My transition was a strong one and I was in a pack for the first part of the ride.
By the first part I mean I managed to hang in even up the first climb which was a pretty good effort I thought, but unfortunately my legs didn’t have the power to keep with them up the next of the seemingly never ending ups in this race! I had been around the course the night before but sitting in a car going 20mph didn’t really prepare me for the number of 10% climbs on course. I was chewing the handle bars so much that I didn’t realise I had got to the final climb until I turned a sharp left and it loomed up before me. By this time I was somewhere in and around the last pack of riders having been swallowed up by the guys I had dropped on the first climb. It’s not a nice feeling when you’ve been working flat out and then you have a climb which you know is 5km long and an average of around 10% but that’s the feeling I got. So I decided it would be best if I settled into my own rhythm, which was quite a good plan. So I gradually slipped to the back of the group and for the last km I was trying my hardest to keep in touch. Luckily the crowd was brilliant and the cow bells were being rung at the side of the road Tour de France style and that gave me an extra couple of km/h. It was that or the road was levelling off!
The last km of the bike was mercifully down hill and allowed my legs to recover a little bit. Then onto the run, which shall we say was a bit lumpy. Not as bad as it could have been but as I was running past a cow that was sitting on the edge of the path I got the feeling that it was laughing at me. I survived without walking which was actually not a bad effort and I did find myself overtaking a few guys too which I found quite amazing.
It was an experience, I didn’t really race it, more like I survived it but I was happy enough with my finish.
ETU EUROPEAN CUP Brno, Czech Republic
Stats
Swim 20:01, Bike.........
Report
A grey and cool day greeted me when I woke up. Still it didn't bother me too much and I chilled out in the hotel preparing my drinks. I racked my bike and everything was set up and then just as I had put my wetsuit on the heavens opened and it became a wet race just like that. We were in the right clothes at the beginning, that being wetsuits, but they had to come off at some point! The swim started and I was really put off my stride when a fist hit me right between the eyes. I could feel the blood running out of my nose as I was swimming along, luckily it didn't last too long. Unfortunately I couldn't get into the pack and they were pulling away after the first 400m or so. the in and out part came and I did an amazing dive in followed by some dolphin kicks which really didn't help the O2 debt situation, but it gained me a few meters of that I am sure! At the exit of the swim I was running into transition and there weren't too many bikes left in there but I got on and put the hammer down.
There was a big pack of around 40 riders at the front and another smaller group off them, followed by a group of 5 about a minute down the road from me. The pressure was really on to ride fast because any lapped athlete would be withdrawn from the race so I was nailing it at every opportunity trying to catch the group of 5 (who were also trying to catch the other groups).
It was wet and very slippery and attacking was very tricky in the conditions. The transition area was on a raised platform in a car park with a hair pin corner off camber and down hill to get in, before having to climb up and over the ramp which had slippery matting on it and down the other side before exiting through a very tight chicane. It turned out that my bike handling skills were to help in this part as I had a line worked out which would take me through it fairly quickly. The first lap the back wheel took off as I went over the lip on the down slope which gave me an idea. So for the next three laps I was jumping into the down slope and pumping out which was extremely effective and by the 4th lap I was within 6 seconds of the third group.
Not without any more drama, as on the third time through I was coming down the big hill to another 90 degree corner with painted lines and I could feel that I was in too hot and heading for the barriers so I turned in any way and the back end stepped right out on me, I was fairly lucky to stay on to be honest.
All the effort was in vain though as I had just caught the third group when I started to drop off the pace and I didn't know why.
I didn't know why until the down hill section when I felt a couple of bumps through my saddle and that was to be the end of the race. I was at the bottom end of the course, 3km away from the neutral wheel stop and I had a slow puncture. As you were out if you got lapped I was not going to potentially ruin a £500 rear wheel on the off chance that the main bunch wouldn't catch me.
I was pretty devastated really as I was looking forward to testing myself on a tough run course. And it was a long way to go for a non finish. I was wet and cold by this time so I took my stuff and headed back to the hotel and sat in the bath for the rest of the race, emerging to see Filip Ospaly take the win.
The European Age Group Championships 2008
Stats
Swim 19:35, T1 1:13, Bike 1:11:58, T2 0:56, Run 35:42 Total Time 2:09:21
Report
This was going to be my last race as an Age Group athlete, so I needed a good showing. The trouble was I wasn't too sure of my form, even though I went quite well in the Hart triathlon. My swim still isn't brilliant but my new Aquaman wetsuit got its first outing. Oh My God! It's a lovely suit, doesn't feel like you are wearing a wetsuit at all it fits so well! I was in race mode and my clever hat was on when I lined up in the starting pen right at the front. I went right to the left hand side to get away from the rough stuff and as the start gun went I found myself in clear water almost straight away.
I was helped by the fact that some people were not swimming straight and by the first turn I was in second place. I let the leader (Ian Shackcloth) get away from me a bit but I still had a nice lead over the next few athletes. Ian had a 50 second lead out of the water, but I'm good in the transitions and by the end of T1 I had taken 21 seconds out of his lead.
By 7k on the bike I had closed the rest of the gap and I was up to 1st place. The conditions were not really good for cycling, a strong cross to head wind was present all the way on the bike and I was putting the clever cap on and hunkering down near the central barrier to try and get some shelter on the way out. For a flat course had a bit of a sting in its tale and there was a big climb at the far end of the lap. Coming down was quick but it really sapped the energy on the way up. I was leading until the hill on the second lap when a Spaniard flew past me on the up hill putting 20-30 seconds into me on the last climb. He looked like a cyclist so I decided not to bury myself and I let him go on the up, I managed to peg the gap pretty easily on the run in to transition 2.
I got into T2 and had a really slow transition, still only 2 seconds off the quickest time then it was out onto the run. I decided to settle into a pace and was pretty comfortable.
By the 3k mark I had run through the Spaniard and was up into 1st place again, the only drama to happen was at the turn around when I took the corner sharp and caught my thigh through my tri suit on the railings and ripped the side out, lucky I was wearing trunks on underneath the suit! I was able to push through the last 5k still fairly comfortably to come through, grabbing my flag from Mum and Dad on the way to the finish.
I finished and was still quite fresh after and was able to celebrate my Gold medal.
A great effort by the rest of the British team winning a massive haul of medals too!
Not a bad way to finish my amateur career.
The Hart Sprint Triathlon
Stats
400m swim 5:01, 20km bike 32:24, 5.5km run 20:13
Report
On a wet morning I drove up to Fleet hoping that the weather forecast was right and it would dry up. Luckily enough it did, however the run course was still very damp when I walked a part of the course as it had been a wet week leading up to the race so I decided that I would be wearing my spikes.
I always go off last now, even though I was number three on the start list! So I did a bit of a warm up and then it was time. I went off too fast, d'oh! But I swam it fairly comfortably again and exited the pool building in 5:01, a second slower than last year when I was swimming well.
Any chances of getting a course record were dented because of roadwork’s covering around 200m where you had to dismount and run with your bike before getting back on. It happened to be on one of the fastest parts of the course too which didn't help. But I got in some good transition practice and went through it fairly quickly. The rest of the bike was fine and quite fast and I came into transition in 32:24 only 25 seconds slower than last year and considering the extra bit it wasn't a bad effort.
T2 was a bit slow and then I went off too quickly on the run and duly got a stitch which lasted for 2k. The run was bad, well a bog really and for 2.5k and I was not going particularly quickly, it was hard to as one of the last of 400+ people through the course. It did get better in the end and I got into my stride and started to ease through other runners. I finished in 57:38 which was only 54 seconds off last year’s time so I was quite happy. The first person to win the race 3 times in a row so that's a nice record even though I didn't get the course record!
National Elite Duathlon Championships
Stats
10km run 40km bike 5km run.... DNF
Report
There is a reason why I don't like duathlons. The reason is that I tend to freeze. Today was no exception, although for once I wasn't the only one! Unfortunately the weather forecast was right and as Oly Howton and I drove up from Swansea the 50 miles to Bryn Bach Parc the weather closed in.
To say the conditions were not brilliant would be an understatement! The race started and the pace was pretty quick, with Oly making it a hard race from the off. The course had a 500m long out and back hill to run down and up on each of the first three laps. The rain was falling and the wind was picking up towards the end of the run. I was about 40 seconds behind the Tom Room getting onto the bike which was a 10 lap affair up and down the Bryn Bach hill.
By the top of the hill on the first lap I was feeling really good, but getting cold as the three layers I was wearing was soaked through and the wind was gusting up to 30mph gusts with the temperature not much above 9 degrees and the rain falling. It might have been 9 degrees but wind chill and wet clothes the temperature was more like -5 degrees.
I got on my tri bars on the top of the hill ready to sweep down and was blown 2meters across the road. That was a sign of things to come. It was the same course as the National Triathlon Champs last year and instead of going down the hill at 75+ kmp I had my brakes full on for the descent, again being blown towards the hay bales on the outside of the corners as there was now a cross wind to contend with. At the far end of the turn the wind was into the face until it was back to the technical section.
Through the technical section and back up the hill I caught Tom Room and then the shakes really started. I was already thinking that this didn't look good but with numbing everywhere it was far from safe! By the bottom of the hill I was struggling, and I could feel hypothermia coming on. I then got the ice cream head ache and started to struggle to go in a straight line, when I reached the turn I was signalled right but just headed back towards transition as to do another lap would be fruitless. I couldn't do 8 more let alone 1! I got in and the cold had really got to me. Then it was to first aid and the back of the ambulance for me. Tish found me and bough me some dry clothes and I started to come back, after having the thermometers read L for low instead of a temperature.
As I was getting back to temperature I was joined in the ambulance by another 2 guys with hypothermia. And Tish and I turned out attention to getting those warmer again. The rest of the morning was spent helping the ambulance people out by getting clothes and treating hypothermia cases coming in.
There were 23 non-finishers out of a field of 35, and even most of the finishers also had mild to moderate hypothermia.
So at least the day was spent helping others.