63

Bontrager Twentyfour1

This weekend we made the journey to Plymouth to compete in Twentyfour12 in the 12hr race. This would be the final opportunity to finalise and practice a few things before the 24hr World Champs. It will be the final time that Nia, Ben and myself are altogether and able to practice pit-stops (or rather not-stops!) and also to test race pacing and test out new kit, and finalise a nutrition strategy. With all this in mind it was going to be a very important race, but one where the race result would be secondary to the lessons learnt. I had decided well before that I wanted to try a different pacing strategy and rather than go out at a steady pace and hold it I wanted to push hard from the gun and see how long I could hold it for and what would happen to my body.

I was originally entered into the Torchbearer night race, but earlier in the week I had the opportunity to change to the main race because I was able to get the Saturday off work and a space became available. Being able to do the day race would mean less effect from the lack of sleep and recovery would be far easier. We travelled down to the site on Friday and arrived quite late in the evening to find a very full camp-site with almost no space left track-side. Thanks to Sally Daw and her crew who kindly let us pitch up in their area we had a great spot just before the course enters the arena. The course looked like it was mostly dry, but after previous race there were sections that were a bit muddy, especially off the racing line.

With a Midday start there wasn’t time for a practice lap, but having raced here in the two previous events I was confident that I would know most of the sections, all be it in a different order. After a short warm up I rolled up to a very full start line 15 minutes before the start only to be told that I would have to start at the back. This is not something that I have ever seen happen before and you could guarantee that any invited riders would be able to roll up 2 minutes before the start and start from the front, just as they did last year. It was something that I personally think was quite dangerous and unfair to do as I now had over a hundred riders to pass to get to my main competitors and obviously I wanted to do it as quickly as possible. When the whistle went the red mist came down I went into full attack mode passing people wherever there was even half a chance. By the end of the 1km start loop I had made up quite a few places but I was still way behind the top riders. Going into the first proper lap I was still pushing hard and very close to the pace I would hold in a XC race and still passing plenty of riders and holding the wheels of some of the quicker pairs and teams. My first lap was in the region of 35 minutes (without the starting loop) and I had made it into first place in the solo category, closely followed by 2nd and 3rd.

I managed to hold a quick pace during the 2nd lap, although it was a much more sustainable pace. Gerald Tudor was still with me, although we had dropped Adrian Scott who was in 3rd position. I tried to keep the pace consistent, but from the 3rd lap we were catching slower riders and had to be patient as there wasn’t room to pass on all sections. By the end of lap 3 I was on my own and feeling strong. I realised pretty early into the race that if I was able to hold an average of 40 minutes then I would be able to complete 18 laps, so this became my aim and during the first 7 laps I was holding a sub 40 minute pace and I felt able to keep the average below 40 minutes if the conditions stayed the same. The gap to riders behind was growing considerably lap on lap and I was feeling great, despite riding at a higher pace than I have previously tried. I was still unsure of what would happen as I was in unknown territory. One area that was really going well was the not-stops through the pit area, as every lap I managed to take whatever I needed on the go.

After 6 hours it started to drizzle and the wetness slowed the course down slightly as the descents became a little trickier, especially where there were rooted sections. Regardless of the weather I always run a Neoguard on the bike, it is so light there is no reason not to but I was certainly glad of it when it got muddy and it kept me riding when in previous years when not using a Neoguard I have had to stop with mud in my eyes. Lap times dropped by a minute or so for an hour or so before heavier rain started after 8hrs. It was about the same time I lapped 2nd place, which gave me a big cushion in case of a disaster. The course was becoming slower and more tricky as each lap went by and as darkness started to fall I reeled in my pace, as although I still felt strong the risk of crashing became high if I maintained a similar speed on the descents.

The darkness itself was no problem at all as I was lucky enough to test the prototype 2011 Exposure Lights Maxx-D and Diablo lights. The 2010 versions that I have used this year are fantastic, but the 2011 models are a step up in terms of brightness and especially in light colour. The muddy conditions were taking their toll and I was swapping bikes every lap which kept Ben and Nia busy cleaning with the Mobi while I was riding.

After 16 laps, which was a little over 11 hours of riding I came into the pit area and stopped for the first time. I had calculated that it would be impossible for 2nd to catch me and although there was time for another 2 laps if I wanted to, why risk a crash and potential injury? I waited in the pit as Ben and Nia went to check and make 100% sure of the rules regarding finishing, if I had to cross the line after 12pm or not. After 15 minutes waiting I had the answer I needed and headed into the arena to roll across the line after 11 hours and 30 minutes. Adrian Scott went on to unlap himself within the time and finished 2nd 1hr 10 minutes behind and Gerald Tudor finished 3rd.

Overall the event was a big success for me, not only did I win the 12hr solo race but everything that I had put into practice had gone smoothly. I went out much harder than I normally would and still felt strong after 8hrs before easing up because of the conditions. The pit strategy was spot on and a few new techniques we tried out to avoid stopping, even for the briefest of times all worked as planned. Nutrition and hydration was also great and I have finalised a feeding plan ready for Australia. Obviously the weather will be totally different out there, probably hotter and dry but I am confident that we can alter the plans to suit.

I have a few weeks without events now so I am hoping to get a few solid training weeks in after a couple of days recovery from this latest race. Next event for me will be the Grand Raid Cristalp marathon on August 21st, a 145km race in the Swiss Alps with 5800m of climbing!

21

Me At The Tour de France

A knee injury has, unfortunately, forced me off my bike for a couple of weeks. Even more unfortunately, this setback has coincided with my major goal of the season, La Marmotte. There’s nothing I can do about it so I’ve not let it get to me. Instead I’ve turned my focus onto The Tour de France. An opportunity presented itself earlier this week to visit the tour so I grabbed it with both arms.

I’ve visited the tour before and I absolutely love it. We booked ourselves onto the Eurotunnel early on Monday morning and travelled into Belgium and towards the town of Spa, which was hosting the finish of the third stage (2nd road stage). As we approached the outskirts of the town, it became apparent that we were going to have to park 2km out from the city centre and walk in. It was during this walk that we realised that the finish was going to be quite dangerous, especially in the wet. We were soon in the centre of Spa and the atmosphere was electric! All of the team buses were parked in the streets and a large crowd had gathered. After a quick coffee we made our way around the team buses getting a real feel for how the pro teams operate every day for 21 days. We couldn’t get near the finish line so we opted to stay in the team area and waited to get a glimpse of the rain soaked gladiators as they returned to the safety of their teams. We were thrilled to have a chat with Sky’s Rod Ellingwoth who took time to explain the day’s events. We were also very impressed with the openness of teams such as Cervelo, Milram and Garmin.

On the following day we made our way to Flanders. We found the village of Heuvelay, which was about 6km from the finish. More significantly was the fact that the final section of pave finished on the outskirts of the town. The unstable surface of the flandrain cobles plays a massive part in cycle racing, but not usually in the Tour de France. It takes a special kind of bike rider to be successful over this surface and some of the “general classification” riders were very nervous. We parked our car and took the bikes out and were able to ride the last 6km to the finish. It was a real pleasure to ride the Rhigos 1 over the same route that the Worlds best riders would be riding a few hours later. After a brief chat with Dave Harmon from Team Wiggle Tandem, we headed back Heuvelay for a coffee and some frites and mayonnaise (a real Belgian delicacy) once back in the village we decided to ride the pave. A massive crowd was gathering. A live band was playing on the village green and atmosphere was wonderful. As I rode along the pave through poppy strewn fields the gathering crowd were cheering and clapping. I allowed myself to drift to another World. The injured knee that had forced me out of La Marmotte was banished from my mind. This is why I love Flanders. This is why I love the Tour de France!

With the bikes safely back in the car we found a small bar and were able to watch the stage unfold. We could see the early sections of Pave shredding the peloton. It was soon time to take our place on the side of the road. In the distance we could see the dust ball being produced from the lead group and the surrounding entourage of motor vehicles. They were soon upon us and we were thrilled to see that Geraint Thomas from Team Sky was in the leading group of about a dozen riders. We dashed back to the bar to see the finish and just made it to see Thor Hushovd take the win. The Norwegian fans were elated and beginning to celebrate. Unfortunately we had to head back to the tunnel and back to reality. We had a magnificent time. If you get a chance to visit the Tour de France please take it. You’ll love it!

62

Road & MTB Racing

I can’t believe that half the year has gone already, time has really flown by! I keep thinking that I have plenty of time until the Solo World Championships in October but at this rate it will arrive before I know it!

The last few weekends have been great for me, mixing up solid training during the week with busy weekends. I had a last minute reprieve from work and was able to travel to Dalby to race in the National XC series. Of all the courses in the series this was the one that I really wanted to race because it is based on the World Cup course and supposed to be a technical challenge. I made the long journey up from Wales and met up with Lee and Ben on the Friday evening. I did a practice lap straight away and quite pleased with the course. Before hand I had been worried about technical sections on the course that people were talking up, one was called “Worry Gill” which was a near vertical drop. It had several riders worried, although to be honest it was pretty easy once you got your head around it. The other section was named “Medusas Drop” and called for much more skill as line choice down the 30-40 meter section was crucial to avoid a crash.

I had missed the previous round in the series, but I was still gridded number 6 and on the front row. Unlike every other XC race I have entered I actually managed to get a great start, being first to the first corner and within the top 5 to the first singletrack which I knew would be crucial. I felt fairly good on the first lap, but a little frustrated that Giles Drake had managed to get away when I was stuck behind a few other riders. Laps 2 & 3 I was swapping positions with a few other riders, but always within the top 5. The gap to Giles at the front grew during the second lap but then stabilised as time went on. I was really hopeful that my endurance would pull me through and this proved to be the case during the final 2 laps. I managed to pull a gap on the riders behind and I was slowly pulled back Giles in the lead, but the end of the race came too soon and I had to settle for 2nd place, finishing 30 seconds behind. I knew this would be my last XC race of the year and had hoped to go out with a win, but 2nd position is at least one position higher than I managed at Rounds 1 & 2 of the series and considering that XC is just a good training session for me I am really happy with what I have been able to achieve over the year.

Even though I won’t make it to Elite category automatically because I haven’t entered enough races I am hopeful that British Cycling will give me an Elite licence for 2011 and my aims will be to race in the World Cup and be in the top 15-20 in the National Series.

Almost straight after the race at Dalby it was back in the car to make the long journey back home as I had entered the Merlin Ride Sportive, the most local sportive to me on roads I am very familiar with. Unlike many other sportives it was a mass start with the 500 or so riders all starting together. I was immediately on the front and we soon formed a group of 10 or so riders and started making great progress. After 20 miles or so there was a crash in the group and my friend Robin hit the deck, he was pretty beaten up but he managed to keep going, unlike the other rider involved and his Focus Izalco survived totally intact, again unlike the other rider.

We all pushed on and soon came to the big climb of the day over the Black Mountain, my favourite climb of all. The group started to split as soon as we got onto the lower slopes with a couple of riders trying hard to get a gap. I managed to stick to anyone who went away and near the top I put a little dig in and got away myself. The descent is fantastic and quite alpine with several switchbacks and sharp corners along the way, I know every inch of it and despite the rain which had started to fall I went down as quickly as I ever have done, putting several minutes into riders behind. I had a long way to go, so eased up at the bottom and let the group come back together, there was a strong headwind at times and I didn’t fancy riding the rest alone. The weather had turned really nasty, so the 8 of us who were still together all decided to take the shorter 70 mile option, rather than do the 105 mile route which went over some very exposed terrain. We all finished together in a time of 3 hours 28 minutes, which considering the weather and the amount of climbing was pretty good going.

After another pretty good week of training with several long and punishing rides I entered my first ever road race this weekend, the George Greaves memorial. I must admit I was quite nervous before hand, although I have been doing a few circuit races recently to try and get used to riding in a bunch the thought of rolling along public roads at speed just inches away from other riders is a scary thought to me. Turning up at race HQ did nothing to dissipate the nerves as there were some seriously nice bikes and kit around making it quite an intimidating atmosphere. I would be racing my Verenti Rhigos, showing how versatile a machine it is, just as happy doing a road race as it is on a 100 mile sportive.

After a neutral start of a couple of miles we got under way and the pace jumped up immediately and I found myself languishing towards the back of the bunch. After a bit of time to settle into a rhythm I was able to start working my way back up towards the front. The course was 3 laps of a 20 mile loop and the first lap seemed to go by in no time at all. The back half of the loop was extremely fast with a tail wind and I was running out of gears as the biggest gear on the Verenti is 52/12, normally plenty but I was wishing for a 53/11t as the speeds were beyond 40mph for long stretches. Lap 2 came and went without too much drama, although the were a few speculative attacks off the front that came to nothing. I was starting to feel a bit more comfortable in the group and at times, usually by accident found myself on the front.

Everything changed as we went into lap 3 as the pace increased and a 2 man break went away and slowly started to get a decent time gap. It was until the final 5 miles on the very fast stretch that they came back and at the same time I found right by the front having to do more work than I wanted, perhaps showing my inexperience but I knew I had to stay close to the front to stand any chance in the finish. With the bunch altogether for the finish it was going to be a little chaotic, with a gradual uphill 1km from the finish the pace went up as people tried to get away. I was hoping to give it a shot up the hill but I was boxed in and had to stay in the bunch for a little longer. When I finally managed to get onto the outside it was on the flat section 500m before the finish, just before a tight left hander. The rider in front of me took a terrible line through the corner and hit the kerb, I was following his wheel and only just managed to avoid it myself. By the time I had got myself steady the whole bunch was up the road and I knew I had no chance so just eased up and crossed the line towards the back of the bunch.

First road race done and dusted, I’ll definitely do another but there is no way I will be turning into a road racer, give me a MTB race any day!

52

Antwerp 70.3

Following on from my first pro podium finish at Wimbleball a few weeks ago, I was confident of another strong performance at Antwerp on Sunday. This was my first 70.3 back in 2008 – I loved it then and every year it seems to get better – so last week I was getting excited about returning. The start list showed defending champion and local girl Sofie Goos would be racing as well as speedy Brit Ironman Rachel Joyce so I knew a good race was on the cards.

Right from the swim start Rachel and I were swimming stroke for stroke and it stayed that way for the entire 1900m. I felt ok (I never feel great in T1!) and led out of transition through the early stages of the bike. I was enjoying cranking up my Focus Izalco Chrono TT bike through the Waaslandtunnel when Sofie came flying through – and there was me thinking I was shifting! She was going well and – perhaps mistakenly – I let her go. I built into the two-lap course which takes riders up to the Dutch border and back into the heart of the city, riding to power throughout. I came into T2 still in second with Sofie now about three minutes ahead and unaware what kind of time buffer I had on Rachel.

Running out of T2 I wasn’t feeling brilliant, but hey, that’s a feeling most triathletes can identify with! It has become abundantly clear in training of late that my run pacing leaves a lot to be desired so I was under strict instructions (thank you Mr S!) to hold myself back on the first of the three laps. The run course at Antwerp is always my favourite part of this race. The crowds are terrific – whether it’s old Belgian men puffing on their pipes shouting “Bravo bravo!”, Brits screaming “Go Wiggle!” or the mad band playing the bongos – there is plenty to get you fired up and grinning like a loon.

The real highlight is the Grote Market, the old town square which athletes pass through four times, and each time the blaring music, booming commentary and packed grandstand give you a boost which no energy gel or aid station cola can touch.

It was leaving the Grote Market for the first time that I realised Rachel wasn’t too far behind so it was a case of really focusing on maintaining good run form and speed. I thought I’d held enough back on lap one to really turn on the gas on lap two and three but maybe this wasn’t quite the case…Plenty still to learn here! All credit to Rachel who ran past me on lap two and showed she’s coming back from her Abu Dhabi injury in very strong form – watch out Kona!

All in all I was pleased to be up on the podium once again. It’s early days for me yet with pro racing: I have plenty to learn, a lot to work on and am starting to understand the importance of patience. It’s a virtue, right?!

Big thanks to all the guys at Wiggle as well as all my usual suspects – and well done to all the Swindon Tri crew who raced Ironman Switzerland on Sunday, nice work!

Happy training, racing and recovery
EK

59

After Des Moines

After the Des Moines World Cup I was off training for nearly two weeks with very low energy levels and a bubbly stomach. During my time off I went to watch Michelle race at the national women’s Road champs which was on one of the hardest bike circuit’s ever used for a national champs. She had a great race and finished 14th she was also suffering with the virus I had so I personally think she could have done much better. That may have been her last road race though because of all the crashes. Michelle has 4 pins inside her back to keep her back fused together so one big knock could undo all the great work her surgeon had done to get her back training again.

I just recently had my new Focus Izalco Extreme 2010 delivered and its a great bike and recently shot a front cover with Triathlon World for the October Issue. Its an improvement on the 2009 model, its lighter, stiffer and amazes me how they keep improving on their bikes.

I get to train all day every day and rest when I need to so I can maximise my performance. It amazes me how the average athlete goes to work every day, has a family to look after and puts in the training time. I coach one athlete Mark Rossi and he works for a bank goes in at 7am and leaves for to go home sometimes at 7pm. He rides in and sometimes run’s home and fits in swimming when he can over the weekends. He also has two new additions to his family & sometimes reduces his sleeping hours. He tells me he’s one of thousands of age group athletes out there that train this way so I take my hat off to all age group athletes. You are a great example of dedication and I’m sure if started sport at a very young age like I did you would all be professional athletes and my job would be way harder.

My next race is a French Grand Prix in Paris and then Hyde Park London triathlon. Training has been going well so fingers crossed I will have a couple of good races

7

One Word…..Gutted

(20/7/2010)

So, it’s Saturday morning and I have just come back from a lovely run in Hyde
Park, the course is set up, and running around with the Dextro Energy banners up, and all the marshals out, gives me such a thrill!

The weeks preparation has been great, I got such a huge confidence boost from last weekends win. Knowing that I am swimming, cycling and running well going into a race is such a great feeling, but this weekends field I knew would be the toughest to date, but hey ho, that is what makes the race!

So, my journey to London started off with me driving down to Stuarts parents house on Thursday morning, ready for the race briefing at 5pm. There was a GB team meeting and dinner at 6.45pm, after the race briefing but with me and Stuart not being able to afford another nights accommodation, it would have been silly not to just go back to his parents house and chill there.

Don’t get me wrong, I am so proud to be part of the GBR team, and it fills me with pride to have GBR on my chest when I race, but I am not part of the British Triathlon Squad. They do not fund me, they do not help or support me, so I didn’t want to sit around a table with these people, when I could go and have dinner with Michelle, Stuart and the rest of Team Dillon.

Without getting into too much detail, words were exchanged between myself and the BTF, which I will not go into at this time. However, I will say, I did get very upset but Michelle soon sorted me out. This just proves, yet again, what a great support I have around me with Team Dillon and my family. I know these people believe in me and will be with me all the way to 2012 and beyond.

On the other hand, as always, there are some people who I feel don’t want to help or support me, and just seem to just want to make things difficult and try to put things in my way. This is just my feelings at the moment, and I hope I don’t feel this way forever.I would like to point out that, I am not using what happened on Thursday night as an excuse for my performance on Saturday, it just wasn’t my day, but it did make me feel so angry afterwards.

Moving on, after my training was done on Friday morning we moved into the hotel, which was so close I could throw a brick from window and it would land right into Hyde Park!! Carrie, the accommodation was perfect; cheap, close location, and big rooms, and I can tell you, in London, this is hard to find! THANKS SIS.

Race Day

So, race morning, after I got back from my little morning run with Michelle, it was time to chill out and watch TV, have a quick look on facebook and pass some time, the sun was out, lovely and warm already, and London WCR is awaiting.

I felt great in the swim warm up, and was really ready to race, was in a good mind set, and not too nervous, going onto the pontoon I wasn’t in the best position, ranked number 37 meant I was placed in the middle of the pontoon, but I wasn’t too far away from Laura Bennett, and was right next to Annabel
Luxford. The swim started, and I was going fine until the first buoy and then things started to change, I have to say this was the worst swim I have ever been in, going around the first buoy I got absolutely battered!!! I was being pulled left right and centre and just couldn’t move anywhere. I panicked slightly, probably down to lack of oxygen then eventually managed to get around the first buoy, this is where the battle really commenced, I had to try and get myself back into a decent rhythm, so I was swimming down the outside in an attempt to swim up, I was making some ground but with the girls up front really pushing the pace, it was always going to be hard, I tried swimming through on the next lap, and did but just couldn’t make enough ground on the main girls.

Into and out of T1, I was fine and as I looked up, I saw Nicola Spirig just in front, I thought to myself great someone to work with to get up to the main field, but there was this shiny material on the floor, which I found out after was Skins branding which I slipped on. My bike went from underneath me, and I skidded across the floor, it was quite a good skid, and I’ve not got a lovely cut on my elbow and leg, and a cracking graze up all the left side of my body and my back, great!!! I jumped straight back on my bike and tried to bridge the gap, but I ended up being left in the jokers pack, who didn’t want to do any work apart from a couple of athletes. I said to myself I wish Lisa Norden would of come out the water with me, because I think she would of done her bit on the bike and we would have been able to bridge the gap, but it was too late, by the time she caught up to our pack, my legs were already blowing red and I think hers were too.

We went onto the run 1 minute 40ish seconds down and I all I could do was run as hard as I could. I felt like I was sprinting all the way, I caught a few girls that were in the front pack and I finished 2nd out of the jokers pack, with Barbara Riveros beating me. I did not enjoy racing for 25th place, it was not fun on the bike, but that’s racing I suppose.

So onwards and upwards now, I have the London triathlon in 2 weeks time, so I’m looking forward to that. I know I am in good form at the moment, and to not show that at the Hyde Park WCSR was disappointing, but I’ve got to move on now to the next one.

I just want to say a huge thank you to all my family and friends that came down to support me over the weekend, it was great having you all there, and also to all the support from the crowd, London 2012 will be awesome!!

61

Product Reviews

Over the last few months I have been very fortunate to test some fantastic new kit, I have taken the time to review some of the best kit I have been using recently.

Garmin Edge 500

I was ecstatic to be made a Garmin Ambassador in April this year and provided with a Garmin Edge 500 to use as a training tool. Having used the Edge 705 previously it was extremely easy to use with a very intuitive menu system. The 500 does everything the 705 does, minus the colour screen mapping, but it manages to do so in a much smaller, sleeker case. The new twist mount is also much easier to use than the older mount, single handed 90 degree twist in and out.

The main use of the Edge 500 and the 705 I used previously is as a training tool and both do a fantastic job. Huge amounts on data are available on the go and then post ride the amount of in-depth data through the software included has proved invaluable. A major feature to me personally is the ability to link up to other ANT+ wireless devices, such as Heart Rate via the optional strap or a Cycleops Powertap.

The only slight downsides of the 500 over the 705 that I have discovered so far are the microphone level which is slightly lower and harder to hear in noisy conditions, such as the wind or busy traffic. The 500 also uses different file formats which make it slightly more time consuming when importing data into the Training Center software provided or the 3rd part WKO+ software I use. Neither of these affect the use of the device and I would imagine that Garmin will soon have fixes for the software issues.

I couldn’t imagine training without the Edge 500 as along with the Powertap it has completely revolutionised my training and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a very powerful training computer.

USE Carbon Road Handlebars:

These bars are such a new product in the USE line up that they on not in many shops yet. They are very light handlebars, weighing in at 199g for a 44cm bar they are aimed mainly at the sportive rider rather than the out and out racer. They feature some unique touches that really make them stand out from other top end bars on the market. The shape, bend and drop are all very comfortable and I felt happy with them from the very first ride. The bars also do a great job of reducing road buzz and even when moving from bars with gel pads and thicker tape to these I found the USE bars just as effective and overall more comfortable.

Cable routing is taken care of thanks to the built in cable holders, a feature I have not seen on any other bars. They do a great job and make it really easy to setup the cables and then tape up the bars. I am using the bars with SRAM Rival shifters and they match up perfectly. All other double cable shifters like high end Shimano and Campagnolo should work equally well.

Another neat feature is a flat spot near the shifter mounting, it is a simple but effective way of blending the transition between bars and hoods making them more comfortable when your holding onto the hoods, which for me is 95% of the time.

The final unique touch is how the bars keep the 31.6mm diameter right through the flat section and into the start of the bend. There are a few advantages by doing this, one being it is simply more comfortable. The second, perhaps accidental advantage is that you have more options when attaching devices, such as computers or lights to the bars.

Overall they are the best bars I have used; the weight is competitive with anything else on the market and the shape, style and features really help them stand above the rest.

Cyclops Indoor Bike, PT300:

The latest training tool in my quest for greater fitness on the road to Australia and the 24hr Word Solo Championships is this Indoor Bike from Cyclops with built in Powertap technology. It may seem strange to get an indoor bike in the middle of summer, but the one part of my training where I felt was lacking was the ability to do multiple reps of high intensity work away from the constantly changing nature of the roads. I have not had the bike long, so a full review will follow in future but my initial impressions are very positive.

The whole bike is very sturdy and even when pedalling at maximum effort there is no movement at all. The bike is infinitely adjustable so you can dial in exactly the position you want, from MTB to TT. The display is clear and quick to update information. I can see this bike becoming a major part of my training in the run up to the Worlds.

Power Balance Band:

I was recently sent this new product to try out along with a few other Wiggle athletes. The bands have big claims and top level sport stars are endorsing them, but I will be honest and say I was very sceptical when I first saw the band. They claim to improve balance, power and flexibility but just how it manages it is a mystery to me.

I followed the tests shown on YouTube and to my amazement the band appeared to do exactly what it claims! All the tests “worked” on me and I also gave it to Nia to try and there again is seemed to work just as it shows on the video. It was rather convincing and I must admit I was swayed to believing in it, despite still not knowing how it works… witchcraft maybe?

I have since tried the band on several other people with varying levels of success, but after discussing it with some people they have planted a few more seeds of doubt in my mind. I am going to continue wearing it and conduct the tests shown on the video weekly and also do some cycling specific tests using the Cycleops Indoor bike and Powertap hub to provide accurate and fairly scientific data on weather or not the band can really improve power.

Blueseventy has long been regarded as one of the leading manufacturers of triathlon wetsuits so we’re understandably excited about having them new in stock here @ Wiggle. We sent our resident triathlete Emma-Kate Lidbury off to the lake in blueseventy’s top-end suit, the Helix, to see what she would make of it…

Neoprene is neoprene – right? Can one wetsuit really be faster than another? It’s Saturday morning, it’s baking hot and I’m climbing into the blueseventy Helix, wondering if this suit – which the likes of world champion Alistair Brownlee swears by – will live up to the hype.

First things first…

Getting into the suit is easy: the legs and body roll up smoothly and I’m impressed by the lower cut neck, which makes sighting easier and reduces the chances of neck chafing (something I often suffer with). The Helix features a reverse zipper (for a speedy T1 – more on that later), so unless you’ve got the shoulder flexibility of a contortionist you’ll need a training partner to help do the suit up for you. Once on, the Helix looks and feels ready for business – and that’s before you’ve even dived into the water.

Making a splash

If you like wetsuits which seal well, you’ll love the Helix. I’d go as far as saying not a drop of water entered the suit from the moment I entered the lake, which not only guarantees comfort and warmth in chillier conditions but also ensures the best hydrodynamic path through the water. The Helix provides a seal unlike any other suit I’ve worn (and I’ve tested a fair few) which is thanks in part to features such as the neatly placed silicon seal arm cuffs. The wide range of sizes (seven in the women’s range, eight in the men’s) also helps ensure you can find a suit which provides the best fit for your body shape. The women’s specific suits – the Femme Fit – are designed with the female form in mind and were developed with the help of elite female triathletes. This is only too evident as you swim: the Helix is an intelligently-designed and researched suit which delivers what many high-end suits promise to but often fall short.

Freedom and speed

Some wetsuits can feel restrictive as you swim, particularly around the chest and shoulders, but the Helix offers greater flexibility and buoyancy, resulting in an unimpeded stroke and a higher body position in the water, both of which will lead to faster swim splits. The buoyancy panels throughout the suit will help even the most heavy-legged triathletes improve their body position. Features such as the proprioceptive arm panels (OK, it sounds like marketing jargon, but I’ll translate it into English soon enough) prove once again that the boffins at blueseventy really did do their R&D when it came to the Helix. Aside from looking very smart and psyching out the opposition, the arm panels are designed to promote better arm position and improve catch, power and propulsion through the water. Maintaining a high elbow through the early catch phase of the front crawl stroke is something which many triathletes fail to do, yet these arm panels are there to help you do exactly that. With this in mind, it’s suddenly no surprise at all that world and Olympic champions are falling over themselves to get into this suit.

Fast transitions

The Helix is great in the water, but truly proves its class when it’s time to get out of it. The reverse zipper came into its own as I ran at full tilt out of the lake: it can be easily grabbed, yanked and released on the fly so that within moments you are flicking the suit off your calves and reaching for your bike gear. It also means if things get really rough and ready in the swim on race day, it’s impossible for someone to pull down your zipper. Always a bonus! Having worn earlier generations of the Helix, I knew it was a winner in T1 and, based on recent experiences with the latest generation suit, blueseventy has made the best even better. I’d stake my swim splits on blueseventy’s Helix and recommend this suit without hesitation.
I would say see you in T1, but if you’re not in a Helix you don’t stand a chance… ;-)

Check out Wiggle’s full range of blueseventy gear – from goggles to wetsuits and transition bags – Click Here

Return to the Wiggle blog next week for Emma-Kate’s review of our blueseventy goggles

7

A Few Changes Have Occurred

Since the last blog, a few changes have occurred.

I headed over to Belgium for the Frank Vandenbroucke memorial ride, over a thousand people took to the streets between Steenhuize (Herzele – Oost-Vlaanderen) and Ploegsteert (Henegouwen). The route can be found here: This was a ride to celebrate Frank’s life and join other like minded people. I have to say I had a tear in my eyes for most of the ride when talking to my father, who also attended, about magical moments of Franks career and how he used to train on the roads we were riding on.

The ride was a day after an absolutely roasting hot day. The ride was still warm, however, it rained, heavily. But in my opinion, this just added to the Flandrian experience. Some photo’s from the event that were kindly taken by my mother are in the article.

A circuit race at the Mountbatten centre on a prototype bike on the following Wednesday saw me ride with a little bit of a different position and with a compact chainset on the bike, this made the race interesting for me. However, I got in the points, claiming 14th place after a race full of attacks and on a different bike I was quite pleased with the result.

Then, my 30th Birthday came and went. It’s funny, friends and family wanted to make a big deal out of it. But those of you who know me, will know that I am not the type of person who likes all that kind of thing. I’d rather slowly/quietly get on with things. So my birthday came around, and the night before I had been racing at Goodwood. In this race we set off very fast, having to catch two groups in front of us. Upon catching the groups we still carried on the fast pace setting. I found myself in a few breakaways during the night and just struggling to get on top of the gear at times.

One of the moves i was in we were so close to bridging the gap, within 20 metres, then one of the fellow breakaway companions let the wheel in front go during a headwind section and this totally disrupted the rhythm. After battling a bit longer, we all decided to sit up as the breakaway had seen us coming across and decided to increase their pace… ah well, that’s racing.

Then with 2 laps to go, I jumped across to a group racing for 7th place. With 1/3rd of a lap remaining the group decided to not work together, everyone watching each other. I said to the others, we may as well carry on riding as we are still going for points, at this moment I looked over my shoulder and saw a bunch approaching us rapidly. What to do… attack or take my chances in the sprint. Having been pretty active already I decided the bunch sprint was the best option. I took 4th place in the sprint. I was quite pleased with it considering the level of attacking I’d already been doing.

I decided to also ride the Verenti Mountain Mayhem sponsored sportive at the Mountain Mayhem MTB Race. A nice hot day was the host for the ride, and some peaceful roads helped too. I rode the event on my own at a pace that was very comfortable and I only really pushed it on the climbs. I had a slight mishap on a descent and rode through a bramble bush after hitting a patch of gravel. This delayed me for a while whilst i removed thorns from my body and cleaned myself up a bit, including straightening my handlebars… whoops. I lived to tell the tale though. Thanks to road.cc for the photo of me towing a few riders into the finish! Thanks to all involved for organising the ride.

Another Tuesday, another visit to Goodwood. I got in the first 4 or 5 breakaways of the night, and we were always brought back. Quite annoying as when we were caught everyone just sat up, and then another attack, brought back and all sat up. Shame there were no counter attacks to get in, I tried but they just didn’t stick. A few more big efforts with crosswinds trying to make others hurt, and it worked, looking over my shoulder and seeing the bunch in one long line. I then missed the counter attack by some of my rivals and simply had to think about the bunch sprint. However, we were now out of the points, so the incentive drops… I led the sprint out and had about 70riders following me, I ended up 17th on the night.

Last Saturday I participated in the Wiggle Super Series Chichester Long One Sportive, again a Wiggle/Verenti supported and sponsored event. I had planned to ride the 200km version, but a niggling Achilles problem made me decide not to risk any further damage to it. So the 105km version it was to be, I rode this with team-mates Richard Pearman and Nikki Wheeler.The climb had a few short steep climbs that were covered by trees. A lovely ride in great company on nice roads. Thanks to the organiser for allowing me a ride at such short notice.

Next up is the Ras De Cymru, a 5 Day Stage Race along with Richard Pearman, Peter Kitching & Ben Simmons. Check out the reports!

Keep it rolling EURO lovers.

JC

60

Hard Training Restarts

Just over 5 weeks have past since the UK 24hr Solo Championships and I am pretty sure that I have fully recovered, which is a couple of weeks sooner than after previous 24hr solo races. The last 2 weeks have been mostly good although I have had days when tiredness has stopped me from training. Instead of training through the week I have entered a couple of events mainly to give myself a good workout.

A few weeks back I entered the “Rough Ride”, a 70km enduro held on the welsh borders. I last entered it 3 years ago and had forgotten just how hard it is. 70Km isn’t a massive distance, but factor in the surface which is 100% moorland and over 2000m of climbing, some of which are extremely steep and punishing. There were several fast riders entered, so I would certainly get the workout I wanted. Starting from the front I pushed on and after 5km or so there was just myself and James Williams at the front, someone who I have raced against in XC races all season. By the halfway checkpoint I was in front, but soon after at the top of a long climb I was able to look down the hill and see Johnny Pugh catching me very quickly. Sure enough after another 5km or so he caught me. We rode together for a while, but he eventually got a gap and that is how it stayed to the finish. I finished in 4hrs 3 minutes, just 2 minutes behind the winner.

The week that followed was another mixed week of training, but I did at least get in a couple of harder training sessions including a road criterium at Pembrey, something totally new for me. Totally flat and held on a motor track I knew it was never going to be a good event for me, but I was just hoping to use it as a solid training ride and a chance to improve my experience of riding in a bunch.

Then it was once again time for Mountain Mayhem, the race that defined my 2009 season when I won the solo 24hr race. It is in my opinion the best Mountain bike event of the year, where the atmosphere is simply unbeatable with thousands of competitors and spectators. This year was very different for me as I had decided a long time ago that I would not be racing solo. Instead Wiggle had entered a team consisting of myself, Lee Williams the XC whippet and Ben Jeffery and Andrew Delahay who are mechanics at Wiggle. We were just looking to enjoy the event and were not looking to compete. For me I was really exited about being able to enjoy the atmosphere, as the last time I was entered in a “fun” team was 2004.

Rather annoyingly I had to work during Saturday so I arrived at the site soon after the race had started. Del pulled the short straw and did the run, mainly because he was the only one without any leg injury niggles. Lee went second and put in one of the fastest laps of anyone during the weekend, then Ben went third leaving me to start last. Our laid back approach to the event was clear to see as transitions were being done from the Wiggle ez-up rather than the hand-over area. One thing we did was always keep someone riding, at no point did we stop altogether. The night came and went without too much trouble as we decided to do double laps to give us all time to sleep, although Ben had the short straw riding between 1 and 3am, giving him less chance to sleep. During my night laps I had the chance to test the new prototype exposure lights and they really impressed me. More power, better light colour and the same impressive burn times. I will have a full compliment of the new Diablo and Maxx-D lights for the World Champs in Australia which will certainly give me the edge over other riders.

When dawn arrived we took our first look at the results so far and were very surprised to see that we were only 25 minutes off 10th place in our category. This spurred us on a little and our competitive sides started to come out. Ben and Del put in their fastest laps of the weekend during the morning and Lee was not showing any signs of slowing down. My laps had been quite consistent and I was able to equal my fastest lap of the weekend despite a heavy crash from being a little over confident going into a fast and loose section. Going into the last few laps we had got the gap down to 5 minutes and with Lee and myself still to go we were confident of catching the teams ahead. My final lap was my slowest of the weekend, but I knew that I had just enough time to finish to allow Lee to do one more lap for us. I came into the arena with 3 minutes to spare and handed over to Lee, who despite cursing me at the time I was certain that deep down he really wanted to go that extra lap! Maybe he was enjoying the traffic free course or maybe just trying to get the race over and done with but he put in his fastest lap, 42 minutes which was also one of the fastest of the whole weekend, including all the pro/elite teams. As a team we finished 9th in the Open Men category, totally unexpected and something we were all very happy with.

This weekend I entered the Welsh XC Champs, held not too far from me at Forest Fields. It is a course I have ridden before and I know how tough it can be. Steep climbs, fast, technical singletrack descents and soaring temperatures would make it a really tough race. I had entered the Championship category alongside racing in the Expert cat, but would be basically racing against the Elite riders and doing 6 laps (instead of 5 for experts). I was happy with my start for a change and managed to get in the mix. Laps 1 and 2 were pretty good and faster than I would normally race at. Going into lap 3 I settled into my own pace, trying to keep the pace consistent. I was loosing a little time to some riders on the climbs, but pulling back big gaps on the descent where I seemed to find a much quicker line than others around me. I let a few Expert riders get away from me, because I had the extra lap I wanted to make sure I had something left. Going into the last lap I knew I was running in 3rd in the Champs race and already finished 3rd in Expert. The last lap was problem free and I was delighted to finish in 3rd behind a couple of seriously quick riders. Lee Williams won the race, so he gets to wear his Welsh champs jersey for another year! Top stuff.

I felt pretty fresh after the race so decided to ride home on the Verenti Rhigos 3 road bike, which was about 35 miles. It topped off a really good weeks training and a return to the distances and hours I was training before the UK 24hr. Next weekend I will be racing at Dalby at Round 4 of the BMBS XC series, which will be my final XC race of the year. Later in July I will be racing at Twentfour12 which will serve as a great opportunity to test out new bits of kit and fine tune my endurance racing ready for the 24hr Solo World Champs in October which is my ultimate focus from now on.