ETU Cup Strathclyde

Things I learned from the weekend: Stepping on to the podium in elite racing is fun, Strathclyde park can reach 27 degrees in May, Strathclyde park is also deceptively hilly, There is no such thing as an easy bike leg with French boys in the pack, The first turn buoy in the swim is always going to be violent especially when it comes after only 90 seconds.

Strathclyde Park hosted its first ever ITU race last weekend and I managed to get on the podium in 2^nd spot. As the venue for the Commonwealth Games it was an ideal chance to get use to racing on the course despite the weather being very un-Scottish. There was a good foreign contingent there with two former World Junior Champions in the line up and some of the best swimmers in the sport also present. This combined with an ex pro cyclist and a Commonwealth Games runner made the race very interesting and hard from the start as the good swimmers tried to get away.

My swim form seems to be coming back to me and I managed to make the lead bunch but we never really made much of an impact on the main peloton behind us. We still had 20 seconds coming into T2 and I was able to make my way up to 2^nd by the end despite a bit of struggle early on in the run where I was back in 5^th.

The race highlights should be broadcast on Channel 4 next weekend with a much better race description than mine. This Thursday I am away to Madrid for the latest leg in the World Championship Series before heading straight out to America for the HyVee World Cup. A lot of cramped plane journeys lie ahead.

Hibernation

Well, the Troon 10km didn't go to plan as I got ill the day before, but having got over that I feel like I am slowly creeping out of hibernation, and getting excited about training again. The Paris Roubaix Sportive is frighteningly close given the lack of training I've got behind me, but at least it will be novel to be coming into June fresh and keen, rather than teetering on the brink of collapse and jaded!

With the SCX dates and venues published, a new cyclocross bike on order, and training beginning to be planned, things are looking up!

BUSA CHAMPS

Last weekend was British University Triathlon Champs all the way down in Wiltshire, Calne which is somewhere near Bath so the sign posts told me. Its the 4th year in a row I have travelled down and the weekend just seems to get longer and longer each year. Driving a van for 16 hours is not fun especially when its gone past midnight and your still not back in Scotland yet. The race itself though is somewhat unique as it doesn't begin until 4pm which at least allows the rarity of a long lie on race day. The format is also strange with a longer than usual bike leg of 25k in a sprint. So a 750metre swim/ 25bike and 5k run was the order of the day.
The swim was a pretty standard affair as it is in all pool based swims. There's no fighting as there is in open water so after 750 metres I left the pool in joint first. The wind on the bike is always a big factor of the race as the exposed country lanes give you nowhere to hide. Nobody else seemed willing or able to take the race on so for the first 15k into the head and side wind I sat at the head of affairs trying to keep the pace strong but not blowing myself to bits. After a sharp 90degree turn I upped the intensity with a tailwind at my bike and quickly opened up a gap. Coming into T2 that had opened up to 40seconds. The 5k run like the swim was pretty unforgettable. I felt pretty average and slightly tired after the bike but managed to grow on my lead to finish almost 90seconds clear.
After 4 years of trying I finally managed to win British Unis. It's a pretty big relief. Now lets just hope Kilmarnock don` t get relegated today.

Race Mornings

Theres somthing strange about waking up the morning of a race. From the moment you wake up your constantly thinking of the day ahead and continually checking for signs that your feeling good. So as I sat eating a bowl of cereal and swallowing early morning coffee on Sunday before the Scottish Duathlon Champs (10k run/38k bike/5k run) I was feeling good if slightly nervous about entering into the somewhat unknown.

I hadn` t raced a duathlon in two years and it was the first time I had ever did the distance in a non drafting format. Being a championship event there was a 300 strong field especially on the cycling front. So the plan was simple run hard from the start and hold on for dear life- better to blow up trying to win than settling for 2^nd.

The start was pretty frantic with 300 guys sprinting the first 100metres as at this point we had to navigate through a gate(tight). I hit the front after 500metres and began establishing a lead which grew to 80seconds going into the bike. The 38k `s was split into 2 laps and being just down the road from me I knew it perfectly. I settled into a great rhythm from the start which is something of a novelty for me and riding scared I started putting more presure down on the peddles than I had planned to do. I was riding well tho probably the best I have ever ridden. Some days it feels so smooth when everything is clicking. So despite the quick glance every so often behind to assure myself I was still clear I spent the 38k`s as aero as possible just turning the peddles over. I knocked out 56minutes for the bike which was the 2^nd fastest of the day and only 8 seconds slower than Ian Grant from Dooleys.

With a big lead of the bike I was able to relax in the 2^nd run leg and cruised home to my first Scottish Duathlon title.

Running - What Next?

Oh dear, I've just entered the Troon 10km in May. This will be interesting. Big heavy cyclist attempts sport for light people!

More to follow once I've done some training!

Cheers

Neil

2010 - Season Begins!

Race season 2010 kicked of last weekend with the Scottish University Championships in Edinburgh. It` s always a strange feeling setting up your bike ready to race, attaching clip on tri bars for the first time in ages and going through the traditional pre race routine when it` s been six months since you did it last. My head struggled to get round the concept that we were about to do a triathlon and it wasn't until 10 seconds before the start that the adrenaline began to kick start my body.

The race itself went pretty smoothly and it was good to be back in action. My swim and run sections were solid but my complete lack of time trialling abilities were evident. I probably only race two or three non drafting races a year and time trialling is an art that takes time. I still managed to record the 2^nd fastest bike split of the day even though I kept on changing from riding on the tri bars, the hoods and the drops. The end result was a victory and my 3^rd Scottish University title.

Next up is the Scottish Duathlon Championships this weekend. 10krun/40k bike/5krun. A hard day in the office. I have been practicing trying to get as aero as possible on my bike so hopefully that will pay of this weekend. Then it is off to Portugal for the first drafting race of the year on the 11^th April where it will give me my first indication of exactly what shape I am in for the upcoming season.

Sun