So, Tartu European cup. I went into this race with little expectations, and looking forward to another race, after my rather average result in Holten. So a course reccie showed that the race would be very interesting. It would start with an upstream swim in the river, against a current where it was difficult to make any headway, and then onto a technical bike course before a simple run.

Race morning came around, and the weather looked perfect for racing, fairly cool, but dry. However, during the women’s race, the weather started to take a turn for the worse, and by the time we were lining up on the start line, there was a thunderstorm, flooded roads, and a bunch of very soggy spectators. Before we set of, the race organizers told us to take it steady out on the bike!!! That was ambitious…

I was ranked about halfway down the start list, and hence started halfway along the pontoon. Starting the swim, and I slipped on the blue carpet, meaning I ended up behind before I started. Fortunately I kept my calm, and swam right over to the right hand side, as this was furthest out of the current in the river. Fortunately after the first lap I emerged out of the water much further forward than I was hoping. Throughout the second lap I worked my way forward and came out of the water in a good position.

Through transition I just missed the first group, hence rode hard until a small chase group caught me. I sat in for a lap, and then the second time up the hill I tried to jump across to the lead group, however I didn’t quite have the legs, but as I was doing all the work on the front of the chasers anyway, I worked hard and rode the remainder of the race on my own.

By the time the run came along, several parts of the course were flooded, but a solid 15:55 run on an accurate course saw me into 11^th place, and my best result to date in a European cup.

Once again it was then onto rest and recovery – as I had the Jenson Button triathlon the next weekend. An exciting format of heats and then finals meant I was looking forward to this one.

A good heat for me meant I felt good going into the final, and so I proved, as I led out the swim, and into t1 first. Throughout the bike, I made a few tactical errors which nearly cost me a place near the front, however I managed to pull myself back into contention a couple of times, and came into transition with 4 others. Onto the run, and I knew there were some strong runners around me, and as I lost my bottle on the bike, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to stay with the pace that was set early, so I immediately settled into my own pace, and finally crossed the line in 4^th, a great result, but more so, I was pleased with how it had felt.

A great end to a solid block of racing, now into a couple of weeks of hard training leading into London, and the final parts of the season.

Windsor Triathlon.  A race I had heard great things about, but hadn’t yet had a chance to compete at and it definitely didn’t disappoint.

Racking on the Saturday, I was impressed with how organized the whole event appeared, and after a quick reccie of the course for the Sunday it was off for the customary pre-race pizza, and all too soon race morning had arrived.

I was feeling good as I started loosening up for the race and floating in the river; waiting for the start it was clear it would be a fast swim with the current making it difficult even to hold your position behind the start line. A great start meant I was up the front, and once I had got going, I started looking for pre-race favorite Stuart Hayes. I saw a swimmer heading off to my left, which is where I knew he was starting, so I made a bee line for his hips. Once we reached the turnaround, I saw that we had opened up a large gap of about 50m or so over the rest of the field. Coming out of the water, I was surprised to see that the swimmer who I had been following was not Stuart Hayes, and as such I knew I was in a great position to capitalize on the small gap I had managed to open on him.

A swift transition and I was out on the bike in first, and I started pushing from the word go. After about 10k, Hayes caught me and I tried to hang on for as long as possible, however he gradually opened up the gap, and being non drafting I couldn’t quite hang on. I made the decision to then hold my own pace, until at around 25km, the third placed athlete caught me, and we worked well, taking it in turns to do some work on the front, while maintaining a legal distance gap between us.

Coming into T2 and I knew I had to go out hard. Not only to drop the athlete I had been riding with, but if I was to stand any chance of closing the gap that Stu had now opened. I managed to close the gap on the run from around 1:30 coming into T2, to just 45 seconds at the end of the run, but didn’t quite have the legs to catch him, to cross the line in second.

I was ecstatic with my first major podium, and on the day he was the stronger athlete, so couldn’t complain. Let’s hope this is the first of many times I may find myself on a podium at this level, and in general I’m really pleased with how this season seems to be coming on, and if the second half is anything like the races I have had, it will be a pretty successful one, for just my second season in Triathlon.

So then it was onto Leeds Castle triathlon, my first break through race two years ago, so i was happy that I was able to return once again. It is such a pretty setting for a race, especially for the swim where you get the unique experience of swimming in the castle lake. I had a great swim with a lead of about 3 minutes, and out onto the rolling bike I course I felt I was flying. Once I hit the turnaround however I realized that had been due to a strong tailwind, so it was a hard 20k back to the castle. Coming into the castle grounds, I was feeling good, and set out into the run at a conservative pace, as this was the start of a hard month of racing for me. After the first lap I realized I had a comfortable lead, so I eased the run back to save myself for the upcoming races, and crossed the line in first place. Once again a superb race and definitely one I would recommend.

Recovery was top priority after, as it was a very short turnaround until I headed out to Holten for my first European cup of the year. From what I had heard it would be a great race, and an even better after party (although I was flying home straight after the race so would unfortunately miss out on that.)  the days before the race I was feeling good, but nervous, as after seeing the bike, it was clear there were several rather tricky sections, and rain the night before did nothing to calm my nerves. But anyhow, all too soon race morning arrived, and after dropping trainers in town, it was time to head down to the lake, and from then on it was business as normal, registering and racking the bike, getting wetsuits on and warming up.

My plan going into the race was to really push from the start of the swim to ensure I made the front pack and to then try to stay out of trouble on the bike. It all started out perfectly, with a nice start on the swim, not too much battling round the first buoy, and emerging out of the water in the top 10 or so. Into transition and I was happy as I came out of T1 in the front group. It was there where my race would effectively be over, as a couple of moments lack of concentration sorting my shoes out let a gap open up a few wheels ahead of me, and by the time I had noticed, despite trying  to catch back on the damage was done. For the rest of the bike I pulled a few turns, kept myself near the front of the group just incase any mistakes were made, but we made it to transition without drama. Finally we hit the run, and I was feeling a bit off from where I had been in previous races, and finally crossed the line in 33^rd.  Not the race I wanted but a marked improvement on what I had last season. Thanks once again to Red Venom and  Anchura Partners who make these results possible, and hopefully I can improve on that as I head out to my next European cup this weekend in Tartu, Estonia. Hopefully I can build on last week to get a top result this weekend…

Finally I have finished potentially my last ever exams, so I decided it was time to write a few sentences on how the past few races have  been ticking along alongside, so here we go…

Windsor duathlon: A solid first run saw me onto the bike in the chase pack, where I worked well in the group, closing the group to the leaders to just 15 seconds. Dropping my chain coming into transition meant I was slightly down on the group. A second solid run, just a few seconds down on my first meant I came in in a good position, and even had the energy to have a sprint finish with fellow LTPC athlete, Dave Bishop. He just got me this time but I will be back. I felt this was a major breakthrough race for me, as I really thought my run moved on over the winter and this race showed hopefully good things to come.

Eton Dorney duathlon: A bit longer this time, but a 33: 30 10k first run set me up with a minutes lead on a freezing cold April morning. Onto the bike and I was going well, but coming into t2 my hands were so cold I couldn’t take my shoes off on the bike, so full chopper mode ensued, as I ran into transition wearing my bike shoes, and fumbled with my helmet and trainers for a good couple of minutes, where the athlete in second ran past. Coming out of T2 I was about 45 seconds down. I pushed hard on the 5k run, and closed the gap to about 5 seconds, but didn’t have enough in the tank to quite take the win. Overall I was disappointed to lose the win the fashion I did, but once again the processes were good, just one mistake cost me.

BUCS sprint: one of my worst races to date last year, where I crashed and went the wrong way on the run, but this year was a different story. A solid swim, where I was lucky to get a tow most of the way from other guys in my lane meant I had an easy time, and out onto the bike feeling good. I was pushing hard at the start, but as I passed athletes, I soon noticed I was pulling a bit of a train with several sitting on my wheel, despite the race being non drafting. As the race progressed this changed from a nuisance to a real problem as occasionally other athletes would pull past, meaning I had to slow down to 10m gap and then accelerate to the front again, as they would immediately slow down and with no draft busters on the course, the situation behind me was described by some as ‘a better working back than in some drafting races’. With about 5k to go I attacked to try to lose the group , and I managed to get a small gap going into transition. Once again, the work on my run showed as I had a solid 16:30 run, to get 10^th overall and a marked improvement on last year.

Big east standard triathlon: This was the first race I did just 2 years ago, so it was nice to return this year. I had a 4 minute lead out the swim and built on that over the course of a tough bike. The run is always the bit that I remember, as one of the hardest I have ever done, due to the fact that it’s all the way along a windy sea wall, but this year it was hard for a different reason. I spent over 2k going the wrong way, and after fighting my way back through thick overgrown footpaths I found that fortunately I had enough of a lead to still take the win. A nice hit out leading into BUCS Olympic

BUCS Olympic: This was one of my best results last year, and I was keen to try to get on the podium again if I could. The swim was a repeat of last year, coming out of the water on the feet of Ali Rogers, but there the similarity ended. With a strong field, it was quickly into a situation of a non-drafting pack working hard. I was pleased with how I felt and came off the bike in third. Quickly out of transition and I caught the two ahead of me, but I knew I had some strong runners behind. All too soon I heard Sam Wade come alongside me, and we continued to run side by side for the rest of the fast flat course. I crossed the line in third, really pleased with my performance, only to find that I had incurred a drafting penalty. I felt that this was a little harsh, as not all the people in the pack had been given a penalty, when it was clear to most what was going on, but hey obviously I just hadn’t dropped back quick enough that one time there was a marshal nearby… Anyway, I ended up in fourth due to this, which was disappointing, and doubly so, as the two minute penalty also meant that Loughborough missed the overall team win, but it was still nice to come away with some silverware.

Blenheim Triathlon: With speculation leading up to this event, building it up to be one of the strongest fields ever, I was looking forward to race, and fortunately race morning didn’t disappoint. All of the big names turned up which was great to see. (Incidentally, this is the way I think it should be for the top level of British racing, with the best guys and girls racing regularly against each other. This is only going to happen however if there is a structured and well managed series of races – let’s hope that all the talk will turn into action next season and we can see some real forward momentum around this. )

Anyway back to the race, and I was pleased to emerge from the water, just on the feet of Brownlee, about 5 seconds back. Part 1 complete. Now my aim before the race was to really push up the hill to ensure I made that front pack, however my legs had other ideas, and after a painful struggle up to T1 I entered just to see the first few athletes leaving. This meant that I spend a large part of the first lap riding solo, until I met up with a couple of other athletes who had been dropped, and we worked well, until we were caught by the much larger group behind. Frustratingly, very few members of this group were prepared to contribute, so I found myself working hard with a couple of other guys, and slowly we were closing the gap to the lead pack. Coming into T2, we were about 10 seconds down, so onto the run, and I was hoping that my strong running of late was once again about to come, however, maybe due to exams, and the added stress that brought the past few weeks, it looked like I was just lacking that last 5% that would have got me the result I should have, however all things considered, I was happy to cross the line in 14^th.

So what’s next? Well, I’ve got Windsor triathlon this weekend, and another chance to dust off the TT bike, and then onto a couple of European cups in Holten and Tartu at the beginning of July, before I make the short trip to Derby for the Jenson Button Tri.

In the meantime, it’s just a case of enjoying this nice weather while it lasts, and ticking off the training blocks with no other distractions in the way for the foreseeable future. Now I've got a bit more time on my hands, hopefully I can keep this updated a bit more regularly,  and hopefully keep them a bit shorted, but I always say that and never do… there’s always hope.

Until next time

So first race of the season is under my belt and, a it was a great experience. In a country I’ve never been, with a chance to test how the winter has set me up, I was feeling good heading over to Florida.

It was nice that dad was able to make the trip with me, taking away a lot of the stress of getting around, and immediately earned his keep, as we had a two hour wait to clear customs out of the airport, and I was very glad I wasn’t driving to the hotel after a long day traveling.

The lead up to the first race consisted of some easy training, loosening off from the flight, having a look around the course, and getting ready for my first Continental cup of the year.

So onto the race, and a wetsuit swim (just- 19.9 degrees…) meant that I knew the pace was going to be on. A beach start, and a slow reaction meant I was a couple of body lengths down, fortunately I was well positioned on the start line, meaning I eased out of the pack, and worked round the outside for the rest of the swim, to emerge on the feet of Ben Kanute, in the lead.

A poor transition meant I just missed the lead pack, but into the chase pack and I worked well with a few others, for the duration of a flat bike, where I was sensible and held a good position, holding the leaders to just 15 seconds. T2 was good, and then onto the run, and emerging in the pack, I went with the pace for the first km, and then as others started to drop back, I worked my way through the field with my best run to date, and equal to my fresh pb.

Emerging from the swim in my new HUUB design wetsuit and Swans goggles

Beach start - watch out for the alligators

Some awesome shots in my new Red Venom Tri Suit

In the end I finished in 20^th place, meaning I came away with points and overall a very positive mind-set leading into the second race a week later.

A week training around Florida, with the temperature in the mid to high 90’s every day was a welcome break from the horrid weather we had been having in the UK, but all too soon it was time for the race briefing, and then time to go, round 2.

This time a non-wetsuit swim, with the water at a balmy 22 degrees, (and the air close to 100F). My swim was far below par, but eventually I made it out onto the bike, and into the chase pack.

Unfortunately there was a split in the group just as I caught and it split into 3. With a strong wind, it was hard work, and I worked in the group for most of the next lap, then leading into the technical section I took to the front, attacked coming out, and then decided to try to breach the thirty second gap on my own. Once I had caught back to the chasers , I worked well leading into T2, however onto the run, and losing my bottle on the cycle meant that I struggled round the 5k to end up 35^th. Not the result I was hoping for, but a lot to learn from.

A great experience, and if nothing else, nice to get some decent weather, now time for some more training, in the lead up to the next race, the elite duathlon champs in a couple of weeks at Windsor. Thanks once again to my sponsors: Anchura partners for helping me go out to Florida and race at this level, Red Venom for the awesome kit and support,  HUUB design for the wetsuit, Swans for my race goggles, Sealskinz and Swimzi.

Now that my exams are out of the way I thought it about time I sat down and had a quick update on how my season is looking, but first…
Since my crash, I've been healing up well, and after a week as previously mentioned of doing very little in the way of training, I slowly built up again and have just finished a solid block, and the numbers seem to be showing that I'm in good shape. In a way, I think that week gave me chance to soak up all the hard work from the past few months, as those who know me well, know I do struggle to give myself a chance to recover.
But apart from the usual schedule of swim bike run, this past month has been rather uneventful, what with uni exams and revision to contend with, but finally I'm out the other side and have got some exciting plans on the horizon now.

My main goal this season was going to be the British Super Series, and despite the announcement from British Triathlon that it will no longer be a series, these races are still going to form the backbone , along with BUCS events. I will also be targeting several European and continental cup races this year, and if some results go my way, I'm putting myself forward for the World Uni Champs but obviously the season will change and evolve along the way.
So for now, here's my (very) provisional race schedule:
5 March – clermont CAMTRI continental cup
12 March – Sarasonta CAMTRI continental cup
2 April-Windsor duathlon
2 May BUCS sprint
9 May –Big East
22May – BUCS olympic
28 May- Lisbon European champs
4 June – Windsor
11 June – Blenheim
28 June –Leeds castle
(To be decided in between…)
7 August - London
14 August - Liverpool
Karlovy vary European cup?
Constanta Mamaia European cup?

It's the end of 2015, and been a while since I've updated my activities, so I felt it was a good point to write a few words about what I've been up to since my last race of the season.

But first things first and I'm pleased to announce that I have some great new sponsors on board for he upcoming season, and I just want to say a massive thanks to all who have supported me last season and all who will be in the future as well. It's nice to welcome swans goggles, Sealskinz and Red Venom, but have a look at my sponsors page to see who else  will be behind me this season.

Anyway after a week off, it was  time to start building a base for next season, so the general theme was long aerobic cycles, swim technique and a major focus on run speed and technique. That is what I have been focusing a large amount of attention on, and will continue to do so, as this is my major weakness at the moment and if I can improve my run split, hopefully I will be more of a threat at the sharp end of races next season.

A few weeks into winter and it was time for  a tester, and preparation for BUCS duathlon.
A solid race, where I led the first run, but was out biked meant that the second run was harder than I was expecting, however it was nice to experience the feeling of racing again, made even sweeter by taking the win.
On to BUCS and not my favoured race format, but I was excited to see where I was in my preparations, and after a disaster of a race last season I was keen to put some doubts behind me.
After a solid first run, it was onto the bike, and a lack of sessions showed, as I couldn't seem to find my normal range, however I stayed out of trouble and managed to avoid loosing too much time to the leaders.
Onto the second run, and I felt strong, meaning that I continued to work my way through the field, to finish in a respectable 23rd much better than my 55th Last year.

Out on the bike during a chilly BUCS duathlon

A month of following a similar format continued. With the weather taking a turn for the worse, it was nice to return to running on the track, and I kept plugging away, until eventually it was time  for the annual trip to fuerteventura, for a bit of fun in the sun, and some nice miles on the bike.

What followed was two weeks of solid cycling, running on the trails surrounding playitas resort and some open water swimming which at this time of year is a bonus. It was nice to get some warm weather and decent training ahead of Christmas made even better by the all you can eat buffet every night laid on in the resort. Unfortunately, the camp didn't end the way I was hoping for as I had a crash on the last ride of the camp resulting in a quick trip to hospital, but luckily nothing broken apart from the handlebars of my bike.
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A great opportunity to practice our open water skills in challenging conditions

A rare stop on one of our long cycles at the top of Betancuria

Early long runs made a bit easier by the surroundings...

 The best part about going on camp is that I managed to enjoy Christmas while letting the hard work soak in, although I must admit, I wouldn't have been able to train even in I had wanted to as I was a bit bruised and sore to say the least

So what's next.
I've got a few cross country and 5k races in the next few weeks, and then it's on to adding some speed back into the program, and the small matter of a few university exams to contend with. Next season is also starting to take shape and hopefully very soon I will be able to give you a bit more of a feel what this will consist of (although the staples of the British Super Series and a few European cups are a sound bet with a couple of added extras thrown in).

Here's to a successful and happy 2016

Finally it’s the end of season, it may be a week earlier than normal, but coming into my last European cup I was feeling tired, and a poor race in Romania confirmed that I was done, so I hung on for a nice local race at Clacton where I managed to take the win, and now I’m currently enjoying a week of doing nothing triathlon related…

Now for a quick recap of my last couple of races

My first European cup was in Karlovy Vary, and what a race.  A beautiful town, a testing, technical and difficult course meant an honest race and I was pleased to take 24^th in my first ever European cup, as my main aim at the start of the season was to use these as a learning experience to take into next season. And here are the main things I learned

·       A 20% hill is not nice to go up once let alone 7 times…

·       A massive flight of steps on the run do nothing to help your legs

·       A pontoon that is about a meter above the water leads itself to a diving competition at the end of each swim lap (it felt like there should have been a panel of judges marking them…)

·       I still need to work on swim take out speed to not get flattened at the start

·       I can hang on the bike with some of the best riders on the circuit

Swim start - it was a long way down

The Hill...

Taking these lessons into my second race in Romania, I was hoping for a great race, and after a flying out on the Friday, course reccie and briefing on the Saturday it was a long day of sitting around on the Sunday morning ready to go, and from the moment I set of, I felt flat. The swim was crazy rough, considering it was meant to be a lake, and I just didn’t have any go, so onto the bike I worked hard on the first couple of laps to bike up to the chase group, caught at the dead turn, and then immediately got dropped, so then it was a long way round, occasionally working with the odd athlete, but mostly on my own, and then the run was a case of survival. If I counted the number of times I thought to myself shall I stop then I’m sure it would have been in the hundreds, but I stuck it out, and collapsed over the finish line. Not quite the race I was looking for, but now to asses why this happened – whether it’s the heat that doesn’t agree with me or just end of season tiredness, but hey I finished, and beat the 20 odd people who DNF.

That was painful...

Relieved to finish

So it’s onto a block of solid winter training now, and hopefully back stronger next season.