Race Reports

We all hope for and are seldom lucky enough to race in summery conditions in the U.K.  Indeed, my definition ofsummeryhas changed a lot since settling in this country but was I lucky enough to enjoy near perfect conditions for Leeds Castle Std triathlon yesterday.

I was surprised to see that only one other Mid Sussex entry on the start list of nearly 300, and chatted to Paul Wills in transition where we'd managed to rack within meters of one another.

The sun was out at 07:30, temperatures rising and the race director announced that at 21 deg water temperature, wetsuits would be optional. I am not the best at getting my wetsuit off so this was a tempting prospect, albeit short-lived, as a quick reconnoitre of the swim start and spotting the duck s**t content thereof meant almost everyone remained suited up. This was confirmed during a brief warm up swim whilst wading through foot deep 1000yr old duck s**t masquerading as mud!

The race

A well conceived self-seeding system helped avoid a beach start mass brawl as I set off in the second 'wave' in a very memorable and novel setting. As it turns out the moat is only 1 metre at its deepest point and I frequently felt the bottom (as it were) during the two laps around and under the castle bridge which was novel! There were many turns and not a lot of straight line swimming which made for an interesting swim, if slow and very big buoys made sighting easy.

Onto the bike leg, I was riskily trying out a (newly acquired) time trial bike which I hadn't ridden more than a few miles on. Inadvisable, in know, but ultimately irresistible.

My devoted cheerleaders added a dose of feel-good on the way out of T1, and I was cleanly away.

The bike course was a simple out and back with no turns, other than the eventual halfway u-turn of course. Described as 'undulating', a typical way of saying 'never flat' it certainly seemed to bemoreup-hills than down-hills but I enjoyed it and was determined to post a good split on my new toy although I knew I was burning matches I would need on the run. It was great to be able to stay in the aero position for 99% of the ride, something I've never managed on my road bike before but it's safe to say I will definitely need a tri-specific saddle ASAP!

Eventually back to T2 having overtaken at least as many as had overtaken me on the bike and with one numb foot (a 50% improvement on every other race I've ever done), a successful bike by my standards and within the first 20 into T2 according to a dismount marshal.

The run was a car free route within the castle grounds, mainly off road and described as 'challenging' in the race description - another colourful term, often used! I had overheard some chat in transition about how awful it was so was slightly apprehensive. This turned out to be wholly understating reality, as my lack of brick and/or hill training came home to roost!

Some parts of the course could easily have had staircases installed, as most competitors were reduced to a walk especially on the second lap as I too succumbed.

Increasing temperatures also paid its part in my decline, as dreams of a fast run split evaporated.

Some more demented cheerleading by my long suffering posse saw me to the finish line however (where were the cowbells though, I find myself wondering?). 

Results

Gunter Eifler

OA      Swim               Bike                Run

16        0:24:12            1:14:59            0:45:06

Paul Wills

OA      Swim               Bike                Run

198      0:36:39            1:24:18            0:59:04

A small detachment from MSTC including Jules Stuart-Colwill, Matt Critchley, Morwenna (ably supporting) and Myself made the journey up to Staffordshire for the inaugural Ironman 70.3 at Shugborough country estate. It was our first attempt at a middle distance event for all of us so butterflies all round (although Jules had cheated by doing a full Ironman previously!)

Pre-race

We headed up on Friday afternoon, managing to scrape into registration thanks to some demon driving from Matt and much pleading to the security guard in the event village who initially insisted that they were already shut. It was a good job we did register on Friday as setup on Saturday was far from straight forward. The split transitions were over 12 miles apart with no direct access to T1 introducing an extra 20 minute hike over hill and dale with our bikes in tow. Maybe it wouldn't have seemed so bad if it hadn't been raining and we began to consider spending the next morning getting a soaking on the bike!

Race day started exceptionally early at 3:30am so we could drive to Shugborough then get a shuttle bus back to the swim venue at Chasewater. I'm sure everyone else was cursing my relative youth, meaning I got drawn in the first wave after the pros. But on the plus side we got to see Triathlon royalty Javier Gomez warming up right in front of us. Pretty cool to be in the same event as the world number 1, even if our times were slightly different on the day!

Race day

I found the swim great, massive red buoys made sighting easy and I managed to avoid the scrum at the start. Although it was surprisingly choppy for a lake which made me glad I'd had plenty of time to digest breakfast! Its fair to say I made the most of T1 and spent more time in there than was strictly necessary but eventually I did exit and got going on the bike course.

Early on there were some quite technical sections with narrow lanes and blind corners. I was glad to be on my trusty road bike after narrowly avoiding a pile up of TT bikes on a small sharp hill following a blind bend! I established a fairly consistent pacing, quicker than my training pace but it seemed to be sustainable. While the course definitely couldn't be described as flat with over 700 metres of climbing I did find it fairly fast... until the last 20k at least! The climb into Cannock Chase came at the worst time for me with energy running low my pace plummeted along with my spirits. However the really steep section I was dreading never arrived, instead it flattened off then left a mostly downhill cruise back to T2. All you stats fans can check out my bike leg on Strava.

So, just a little half marathon between me and a big shiny 70.3 medal. The run course was 3 laps of a varied course, around the Shugborough country mansion, out to some cheering crowds on the streets then back into the estate through a wooded section. The variety on the course made it go by pretty quickly, that and the regular flat coke refuelling stops! Apart from one 1/2k hill it was a pretty flat course making it easy to conserve energy. Unfortunately no sock change in T2 had left me with wet socks and rapidly growing blisters and plenty of opportunity to remind myself the pain is just weakness leaving my body!

Surprisingly I only saw our resident cheerleader Morwenna on my last lap and was disappointed to hear later that Ironman had abandoned several hundred supporters, including Morwenna, at the swim venue for several hours! I gather that more shuttle buses only turned up after some guerilla campaigning on social media and those buses then promptly got stuck in traffic for an hour trying to get back to T1. The organisers really must do better with logistics at this venue next year as it put a damper on the event for us and many other competitors we talked to.

Unfortunately my pacing dropped off on the final lap of the run and I finished just outside of 6 1/2 hours, leaving me to rue my tardiness in transition, plenty to work on for the future! After locating Morwenna we cheered Matt and Jules in at the end, they both turned in great performances smashing their pre race time predictions, I doth my swim cap to you both. 

Results

ARDINGLY Reservoir Sunday 3rd May 2015

Considering the conditions we had an amazing record turnout for the first Best All Rounder race of 2015. 21 competitors took on the course at Ardingly, 16 for the short course and 5 for the long course.

But first I must offer huge thanks to my marshals, who happily gave up their Sunday morning to stand or sit in driving rain and gusting winds to make sure the rest of us had a good race. Loz and Tim did the timekeeping, Pete Harris directed everyone onto College Road and Mark Jordan and Emma Alden made sure no-one went wrong on the run course. Dean Allen, Jason Cole and David Ricketts (before going on to do the Haywards Heath marathon weekend day 2) dropped by to cheer everyone on.

It is fair to say that this was not going to be a day for PBs. Most people know the run course and it is what I would term as semi-cross country. It is a rough path interspersed with mud and large puddles, with gates and dead turns. As expected James Dear shot off, with Barry not far behind, with Liane trying hard to keep him in her sights. Both Mike Jaffe and Jim and Helen Graham had run the London Marathon just 7 days ago so they were all a bit jaded on the run but still posted highly respectable times for the conditions.

The bike course is always fairly hard as it is quite undulating, alright - hilly. With the added interest of gusty cross winds, driving rain, recently dressed roads with loose gravel in abundance and a healthy increase in the number of potholes, the course was positively challenging. Apart from James blitzing the course in 44 minutes, and Barry in 52 minutes, the most impressive ride came from Lucy with a sub 58 minute split on her training bike. Jim Graham unfortunately went wrong at the Dukes Head roundabout, not because he didn't know the course, but being tired, with steamed up glasses, in awful conditions just led to an error. At least he could finish though. It wasn't the same for Kevin James. He had ridden over to the start and was a bit cold before the race started, but was just getting into his stride on the bike when a broken wheel spoke ended his race.

The second run was understandably slower paced. The conditions were taking their toll, although 4 athletes managed the 5.2km run in under 12 minutes, Barry, James, Liane and Jo. It was good to see some more recent members racing - so well done to Jo, as well as Paul and Sam who ran the race as a relay. It was also great to see another step in Brad's multisport comeback, following years of foot trouble with some quite fast running and the 3rd fastest bike split.

There are 2 people who deserve specific mentions for fantastic efforts in their respective races. First is Helen Graham. After beating Margaret Hollamby's club marathon record (held since 2008) last week, she came to race the duathlon having virtually not touched her bike for years. With no bike fitness and a lack of bike handling skills, this was a seriously tough thing to attempt, but she just didn't give up and earned a huge cheer when she finished.

Second special mention must go to Jean Fish. She was the only female athlete to attempt the long course, but like Helen, she just stuck at it. When she came through T2, Loz ran the final 5k with her, and I believe the rain finally stopped and she finished to rousing cheers.

The biggest winner from today's race is the club spirit. I know that I felt really part of a group all pulling together and supporting each other and welcoming athletes of all abilities, and overcoming tough conditions. On top of that we raised more than £250 for the club charity which is quite impressive. Everyone was cheerful and positive throughout, and a special mention for extended cheerfulness must go to the tea lady at the sailing centre afterwards!

The results are available on the Duathlon event page.

We planned a long break down in San Diego and it was a perfect excuse for some training in good weather and at the end, slip in a 3 day stage race in Murrieta, California with my elder brother, John. Here is how the event unfolded…

Stage 1 - Individual TT

This was a short stage, only 4.1 miles long, rolling to start with and then uphill for the final mile on a "well kept" but unpaved road.

We got there fairly early to ride the course and more importantly test the off road climb. We quickly found out that "well kept" had been highly exaggerated, coming off line was treacherous and dangerous. Small boulders littered the road along with deep, eyeball rattling ruts with the only safe-ish place being the sand on the far right. This meant taking each of the corners extremely tight otherwise you could end up being thrown from your bike quite violently which I nearly found out when practicing. It seemed you would lose time by attacking this climb and bike positioning was far more important, it got better towards the top where gravel lined the road.

Although short, this would be challenging and exciting due to the different nature of the course. My plan was to hit the paved section hard, recover up hill and empty the tank for the last 500 meters and it worked! I placed 1st, earning 20 points and the lead of the GC but what a strange feeling it was - overjoyed at the win, but it seemed like there was no glory. You just wait to see if your time is bettered and you obviously can't celebrate as you cross the finish line!

Stage 2 - Criterium

Both myself and my brother had never raced in a criterium and with 6 right angle corners over a 1 mile course it made it fairly technical. We were also both in good positions in the GC and both not sprinters, so limiting our loses and sitting near the front was the aim of the game.

The race was 35 minutes long and as expected it was fast and frantic with a number of crashes, popped tires and everyone fighting for position. Coming to the last lap I managed to find myself in a strong position in 2nd wheel going into turn 2, but the rider in front overcooked turn 4 and went skidding across the tarmac causing some panic in the peloton.

With us entering the back straight, a powerhouse with thighs the size of tree trunks went shooting buy and with two corners to go and I felt I had to go for it in the hope I wouldn't fade. 200 meters to go and one rider went past, then another and I was clinging on and with only 50 meters left I was expecting the rest of the field would come screaming past in a frenzy of extortionate speed which would leave both of us outside the points. But to my astonishment and surprise I finished 4th, with John 5th! I had managed to keep hold of the GC, going into the final day - a 40 mile rolling road race of 11 laps, but only by a solitary point. All we had to do was finish ahead of Festina from San Diego Bike Club (SDBC)…

Stage 3 - Road Race

Looking at the course profile we felt the rolling course suited us and was ripe for a breakaway. Moment Cycles approached us and an alliance to suite all parties was made - I would secure the overall GC, John would finish on the GC podium and Moment would win the stage. The plan was sound - after 7 laps the Moment team would up the tempo, force some gaps in the peloton then sit back enabling myself, John and a couple of Moment guys to get in a brake. We were desperate for it not to be a sprint finish and felt it suited us if we went longer.

It was cold at 7.30 am, very cold, but it would warm up soon towards a sweltering 30 degrees and as we rolled to the start line the commentator let us know the state of play with Festina requiring 2 points to secure the GC.

Gently we all rolled out, but within 5 minutes the first crash happened with someone hitting someone else whilst climbing out of the saddle, I thought this will be a long day if this carries on! And for sure it did, a rider inexplicably cut me up which almost ended my race and half of the peloton, with his side swiping, erratic move my front wheel was taken from me, my back wheel lifted into the air but somehow to my relief I stayed upright!

As planned on lap 7, Moment sent some guys to the front and the tempo was upped, but it wasnt us that made the break and instead of chancing it we sat back thinking they had broke too early and would never hold out. Little did we know though, that the 6 man break formed themselves into a strong unit and organised themselves well. Their lead steadily grew lap by lap and with time running out, Moment and ourselves were the only people interested in bringing the break back and with no other help from any team the break deservedly succeeded. The peloton was therefore left to fight it out for 6th place onwards.

Going into the final four corners, the sprint started early with SDBC getting Festina into a good position, with the rest of their team (as predicted) blocking my way around I lost his wheel. After fighting passed I had caught up by the final corner but by then I had used too much energy and was unable to contest the sprint. I managed 8th, Festina 6th and the GC was his and SDBC's, no win for Moment and John secured 4th in the GC. All of our targets missed, from the high of winning Stage 1 to the low of this. But, I would by lying if I said I would not have taken this result before the race started!

On the positive side, the two of us, Team Newsome outscored SDBC over the 3 days of racing, the biggest bike club in San Diego!