Table of contents for 10-2015 in 220 Triathlon

How did the 2015 race season go for you then? Did you achieve your PBs, conquer your demons, smile through adversity and (most importantly) brag something rotten every time something went to plan? As I write this we’re nearing the end of August, so I’ve still got a couple of triathlons left in the diary as well as an early-Autumn marathon. By the time you read this mag though, chances are you’ll be sitting back, admiring a stack of newly-won race bling and wondering what the hell you’re going to do to keep yourself sane through the winter months. Well, if this issue has a theme it has to be looking ahead. Our lead feature looks at the sport of duathlon and is packed with tips from pros and coaches,…

How hard was it to go from a non-swimmer to very competitive after only starting as a teen? STEVE BLYTHE, VIA EMAIL It took a lot of hard work and a few coaches who cared about my success, and who didn’t just throw yards at me but pulled me aside and worked on technique. I don’t have the prettiest stroke, but it’s effective. ‘Hard work’, in terms of yards, is a large part of my success, but it’s the attention to detail that’s made me successful. What’s your key go-to TT training session at the beginning of your build phase? GER WATSON, VIA FACEBOOK I like to end my base phase with a half-distance event. It puts my body into the heat of battle and gives me the most accurate…

How fast does Andy reckon he could do 112 miles on our single-speed 20in kids BMX? Sid Sidowski VIA FACEBOOK (The gauntlet is laid down for Ironman bike split world record holder Andy Starykowicz) One year from today, we will be eagerly awaiting the next male @Olympics champ to come down the blue carpet! #Rio2016 @worldtriathlon VIA TWITTER B+JRacing on the podium @xterragermany today! Managed to take the win and @ jacquislack in 2nd... #happydayz #thankyou @Benny_Allen VIA TWITTER Great day for @WelshTriathlon with @LliamTLloyd also winning British Champs. Lovely to race alongside Welsh Athletes @heljinx VIA TWITTER Just got latest copy of @220Triathlon magazine. Great front cover @Ben Dijkstra. Looking forward to reading it! @MichaelJEagling VIA TWITTER (Young 220 readers loved seeing 18-year-old Ben Dijkstra on our Issue 316…

“To prepare correctly for the first run, incorporate some short, high-intensity 1km running sessions into your training. And follow these by short, fast bike sessions of 3-5mins each and repeat that 3-5 times. The pace of the first run of a duathlon is significantly faster than any run that a triathlete will do in a race. So the gauge needs to be reset on what ‘fast’ means. The second run will feel more familiar to triathletes, but without being prepared for the first, extremely fast run, a triathlete will be in shock for the remainder of the race.” MARK ALLEN 1993 Powerman Zofingen champion…

Only a few sports supplements such as caffeine and creatine have stood the test of rigorous scientific scrutiny and are consistently shown to improve sports performance. However, this doesn’t mean all others are ineffective. Some supplements are thought to improve performance but lack definitive evidence that would enable scientists to endorse them unequivocally. One such supplement is beta-hydroxy-betamethylbutyric acid, or HMB for short, which is closely related to the amino acid leucine – a key protein building block within muscles. Previous research on HMB suggests that 1.5-3.0g per day of HMB supplementation can increase muscle mass and strength and reduce muscle damage in untrained subjects commencing exercise. The benefits of HMB for ‘already trained’ athletes are less clear, but now a new study on rowers provides convincing evidence that HMB…

ENDURANCE Warm-up 10 x 25m alternate freestyle/backstroke Main set 5 x 100m freestyle, 20secs rest per interval Cool-down 4 x 50m choice of stroke SPEED Warm-up 200m choice of stroke, pick-up pace either into or out of the turn Main set 12 x 25m as: 12.5m fast, focusing on increasing arm speed; 12.5m easy, 30secs rest per interval Cool-down 200m very easy TECHNIQUE Warm-up 3 x 100m in 25m swim/drill/kick/swim Main set 14 x 25m alternating drill/swim. Try and change drills (ie. Single arm/catch-up/water polo) Cool-down 200m easy but still focus on technique STRENGTH Warm-up 200m swim Main set 5 x 100m as: 100m breathing every 2 strokes; 100m breathing every 3 strokes; 100m pullbuoy; 100m pull and paddles; 100m breathing every 4 strokes Cool-down 5 x 50m easy RECOVERY…

After some 9,195km of maniacal car drivers, bugs the size of birds, roaming bears and plains, lots of lots of plains, on 6 August Brit triathlete Steve Harvey crossed the finish line of the inaugural Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme bike race. A stomach bug, fingers free from any feeling and a chronic lack of sleep were just some of the ailments dogging the Plymouth-hailing plumber – christened ‘the Machine’ due to his ability to eat up the miles – as he took third in a field littered with pro cyclists and Olympians. “One of the stages lasted 56hrs with 30,000ft of climbing,” smiles Harvey two weeks later back in his native west country. “The final 100km stretch was into a headwind as well, which was the toughest time I’ve ever…

August mainly consisted of late summer showers rather than sunshine, but that didn’t deter thousands of triathletes from racing up and down the country. Down at the Swanage Classic Triathlon in Dorset, veteran Clive Kennedy-Burn showed the younger athletes up by winning comfortably in a time of 2:04:05, while Nicola Kaye was the first woman across the line in 2:35:41. At the Bassenwaite Triathlon in the picturesque surroundings of the Lake District, Ross Landon won in a time of 2:07:37, and women’s winner Claire Coey was victorious by a margin of 11mins, coming home in 2:23:52. At the Cotswold Classic Middle Distance Triathlon, Neil Eddy blitzed the field in a time of 3:51:59, while Nicole Walters won the women’s race in an impressive 4:19:42, putting in the second-fastest swim split…

MEET CHRIS STERLING AGE 36 LIVES Ambleside PROFESSION Sales assistant in the Climbers Shop, Ambleside BEST DISCIPLINE Run WORST DISCIPLINE Pool swim WHY I RACED For the adventure! After years of rock climbing and mountaineering, it was time for a new challenge. In 2012, that came in the form of triathlon. The Celtman Extreme to be precise. Why do things by halves?! I’ve since gone on to finish second there twice, won the Wasdale middle-distance and have had numerous adventurous in multisport races. And then, I discovered the Norseman. This, I just had to do. After 10 months of training, averaging 15-20hrs a week, it was finally time to pack up and head out to Norway. My main goal? For me and my support crew, Steve and Jo, to enjoy…

Smashing that PB, sea swims in the Med, any films involving Steve Buscemi… life is full of many pleasures. And dinnertime is certainly one of them. So when a bag of Huel arrived to 220 Towers promising to replace all food consumption, a wave of fear was sent around the office. Is this the end of roast dinners, the banishment of bhunas or the termination of tacos? Or actually a serious option for the time-crunched triathlete? Standing for ‘Human Fuel’ (and not the noise you make after drinking it), Huel is a blend of vegan protein (from rice and peas), oats, flaxseed, sunflower lecithin and more that’s been formulated by top nutritionist James Collier to include ‘everything your body needs’. And the taste? Like a very oaty vanilla milkshake. Tempted?…

Detroit tiger Clare Cunningham takes gold at Motor City paratriathlon showcase To Hull and back 120 participants race the first-ever Hull Triathlon Bouncebackability Helen Jenkins returns from Rio DNF to take win at London Tri Severn tour Support worker Kev Brady to swim the 220 miles of the River Severn Rock and Tyrol Lucy Gossage second at Challenge Walchsee in Austria Five guy Javier Gomez hones in on fifth ITU world title with Sweden win Yorkshire calling Entries now open for ITU Leeds event in 2016 Coldcut Norseman swim shortened due to 10.5°C waters Brothers grim Brownlees KO’d for rest of 2015 ITU season “Doping with impunity” Bitter row over drug allegations hangs over elite sport…

AIM FOR A PBD As someone who is transitioning to a plant-based diet (PBD) for health, environmental and animal welfare issues, it was interesting to read the article in the August issue [Performance News, p104] promoting the consumption of dairy products for calcium. While I understand the article was based around one study which highlighted a specific difference between dairy products and calcium carbonate supplements only, I was left wondering why there was no mention of alternative foods such as vegetables, which can also be excellent sources of calcium as well as a multitude of other types of goodness? I’m not trying to claim I know more than the expert Andrew Hamilton but there is research available that suggests following a PBD doesn’t lead to any type of calcium deficiency…

1 MULTI-BRICKS BREAKDOWN • You’ll need a run lap that takes about 5mins to cover and a bike loop that takes about 10mins. Think of your target race and, if it’s hilly or flat, try to replicate the course. If you can rope in a helper/kit minder, that’ll really help too. DUATHLON BENEFITS • You can’t beat this session for dialling in your race pace, getting your legs used to bike-to-run and run-to-bike, and for polishing your transition skills. TOTAL DURATION • 55-85mins (plus transitions). WARM-UP • 10mins running gradually building intensity and including some acceleration strides. MAIN SESSION • Alternate a run lap with a bike lap, using pace, HR or power to simulate race pace based on a 5km run and a 20km bike. Work through at least…

MEN’S OLYMPIC TEST EVENT 2 August 2015 WOMEN ’S OLYMPIC TEST EVENT 2 August 2015 RIO TEST EVENT RESULTS 1.5km swim | 40km bike | 10km run WOMEN 1 Gwen Jorgensen, USA 1:58:46 2 Non Stanford, GBR 1:59:05 3 Vicky Holland, GBR 1:59:27 4 Sarah True, USA 1:59:46 5 Barbara Riveros, CHI 2:00:08 MEN 1 Javier Gomez, ESP 1:48:26 2 Vincent Luis, FRA 1:48:40 3 Richard Murray, RSA 1:49:01 4 David Hauss, FRA 1:49:32 5 Dmitry Polyanskiy, RUS 1:49:32 For full results head to www.triathlon.org/results…

Brit Freeman took part in his first triathlon aged just seven. Just over 10 years later, in 2004, he won the Junior World Triathlon and Duathlon Championships. He retained the duathlon title the following year, before being selected as reserve for Team GB at the Beijing Olympics. Still only 22, Freeman looked set for a glittering career (he even became a 220columnist). But Freeman’s triathlon flame blew out, the call of academia and a world outside triathlon a stronger pull than Olympic gold. Having achieved four A grades at A Level, he was offered a place at Clare College, Cambridge to study Physics in 2004. “My place had been open for seven years,” he said on his retirement in 2011 at the grand old age of 25. “I told them…

VISIT YOUR LOCAL running or triathlon store so that they can assess your running gait. Traditionally this comprised a shop owner stroking their chin while you ran off out the shop and up the hill. Now video analysis via a treadmill is the norm, though video or not, an experienced and knowledgeable expert (not a salesman) is the ideal. YOU’LL THEN BE recommended a shoe based on your foot type. Flat-footed runners commonly fit into motion-control shoes to reel in the pace of overpronation, while moderate to high arches are sent to the cushioning or stability camps, for a degree of support and cushioning. The shoes on test are here are aimed at neutral runners so air more on the cushioning side. YOU SHOULD HAVE half a thumb’s nail length…

1 BIKE HARD, RUN FAST Can high-intensity bike training improve run performance? Thirty-two distance runners were divided into three groups. Each undertook 14 days of high-intensity interval training, performing 6 x 10sec sprints but with varying rest times between each sprint – 30, 80 or 120secs. Before and after the training period, the runners’ 3km times were recorded. While no gains were observed in the 80 and 120sec rest groups, the group performing sprints with 30secs rest improved their 3km time by no less than 3.1%! 2 PACE YOURSELF Learning how to pace correctly is key across all triathlon disciplines, but how should you pace a long swim leg? Researchers studied the pacing strategies used in 330 swims of 24 elite male swimmers for optimal performance in 1,500m freestyle swimming.…

A set recovery period between efforts. Decrease the recovery for endurance; increase it for speed. For example, 10 x 400m with 30secs rest is good for endurance; 10 x 400m with 4mins rest will be much quicker. Paddles Swim aids that help isolate the arms and improve speed and efficiency through the water. Pullbuoy A figure of eight-shaped piece of foam clutched between the thighs for buoyancy – allows the swimmer to concentrate on upper body technique. Catch-up A front-crawl drill whereby each arm completes an entire stroke and recovers before the other arm commences its stroke.…

INDOOR TRAINER Turbo, static bike or rollers each have their own pros and cons, but there’s no doubt that for a successful off-season an indoor trainer is a must have. POWER METER/HRMS If you don’t monitor intensity, you’re training blind. Power and heart rate combined is the gold standard and now, with power meter prices tumbling, affordable. TRAIL SHOES Off-road running is excellent for strength, power and core stability. It gets you off icy pavements and away from traffic. It should be part of all triathletes’ winter training. MUDGUARDS Make a massive difference to component wear and keep your feet dry, plus your ride mates will thank you. Even minimalist clip-ons are better than nothing.…

Whether travelling for work or pleasure, we all spend a fair bit of time on the move. As triathletes too, we’re often travelling to races at weekends, whether you stay UK-based or fly overseas. All of this means we’re grabbing food and drink on the move, and often at times, such as on the day of a race, when it’s important that what we eat is nutritionally sound. In this piece I’ll examine easy solutions to some of the common problems we all face when trying to plan nutrition around busy lifestyles. Like most things in life, managing your travel better really is a result of planning and practice. Being prepared not only helps in coping with the stresses of travel, it’ll help ensure you perform well in training and…

BRAT STANDARD TRIATHLON Cliff, Warwickshire August 2015 I’ve been raring to go for the BRAT Triathlon for a while now, and race day is finally here! Rain was in the air but this is short-lived, and the sun is now shining. Transition is set up by 6:30am, which gives me an hour to relax and watch the first wave. At the swim start, the countdown is accompanied by an: “Aussie Aussie Aussie, Hoy Hoy Hoy!” (to remind the Aussie announcer of the Ashes result!) The swim is a simple out-and-back, and I settle into a relaxed pace. After 30mins I begin the short run into T1 to start the two-lap 40km bike course. A couple of mechanicals (a clunking bottom bracket and sticking gear cable) cause some panic, but otherwise…

MEET COLIN RIDER AGE 64 PROFESSION Engineer BEST DISCIPLINE Bike WORST DISCIPLINE Swim WHY I RACED The guy from last year – he truly inspired me! Early in 2014, aged 63 and close to 17 stone, my doctor informed me I was diabetic. This, coupled with ongoing high blood pressure, meant I could definitely be doing better for myself. I’d given up exercise in 2005 and, apart from the odd game of golf, my activity level was very low for the next nine years. But after my doctor’s diagnosis, I started jogging again and went to visit the ExCeL Centre to watch the London Triathlon last summer. We watched as a guy about my age (and the same build) left T1 at the back of his wave. He had the…

Fielding a start list some 500 athletes more than at its first-ever outing in 1990, which welcomed a dedicated group of just 20, the Winter Ballbuster is now a must-do fixture on the UK multisporting calendar. Quickly establishing a fearsome reputation, with a course designed to sort the men and women from the boys and girls, the Ballbuster sends entrants up Box Hill five times (once on each run, three on the bike). “Don’t underestimate this course,” says 220’s Matt Baird, who ‘raced’ in 2014. “I was overtaken by a man running while I was on the bike, my balls well and truly busted.” Providing tips of a more beneficial nature to help conquer the Ballbuster is 2014 champ, Andy Greenleaf… 1 KIT Prepare yourself for all conditions and keep…

For a complete list of races for the coming months, head to the Races tab at www.220triathlon.com, where you’ll find arguably the most comprehensive listing of multisport events in the UK. You can view races by date, distance and region; find out if your race has goody bags, a chip-timing system or onsite camping; and enter directly using our online entry links. If you organise a race and it’s missing, either in this listing or on our website, please email the event details to us at events@220triathlon.com.…

WAS £58 NOW £29 PLUS FREE DELIVERY & FREE GIFT Protein should be an essential part of a triathlete’s diet as its amino acids help to repair and build muscle. High quality, lean meat is a great source of dietary protein and Aberdeenshire-based Donald Russell specialise in the very best naturally reared, premium grass-fed beef. Each side of beef is selected specifically for the ideal balance of succulent lean meat and beautiful marbling. It is hung to mature for up to 35 days to allow the rich natural flavours to develop and for the meat to become incredibly juicy and tender. Then their butchers expertly cut and trim it by hand into the finest cuts of gourmet steak you’ve ever tasted. Finally, each cut is vacuum packed and professionally frozen…

Recently I was in transition having completed the Ely Monster Middle Distance Triathlon (in a new PB of 4:42hrs), performing my post-race kit-faff-dance, a ritual that’s similar to the pre-race faff – where I lay out my kit with the forensic attention to detail of a crime scene investigation. Only later, when I gather it up again, it’s while moving with all the flexibility of a fracking drill thanks to my calves having locked solid and my knees making noises like a fat man sitting on an accordion. Normally, post-race transitions are silent affairs for me, but at Ely I was in a chatty mood because I’d raced well. As such, I put aside the fact that I smelled like a very old dog and looked like I’d just used…

Every issue of 220 is also available on subscription in digital format for iPad, GooglePlay, Kindle Fire and Zinio. As well as the superb content you would receive in the print version, the digital edition (iPad only) also includes exclusive videos, extended image galleries and bonus audio interviews with the great and the good of the multisporting world. To subscribe, head to www.buysubscriptions.com and search for ‘220 Triathlon’. Click on the iPad App option which will take you through to purchase your subscription (£17.95 every 6 issues, saving 19% on the standard price); set up your username and password during the checkout; download the free 220 Triathlon Magazine iPad App from the App Store; and log in to the App under ‘Subscribed elsewhere?’ using your subscription details. Bingo! MORE… 220…

£25.00 WWW.QUARTOKNOWS.COM Aside from Monday night runs to Asda, 220’s features ed, Matt Baird, spent every night last winter locked in his house penning his debut book. The result is Triathlon! a hardback 352-page tribute to the greatest triathletes, races and gear of multisport. Simon Whitfield, Karen Smyers and Mark Allen (who writes the foreword) are among the 55 athletes featured, with the race section taking in Hawaii, Helvellyn, Hever and 55 more of the world’s finest multisport events.…

EASTBOURNE TRI BORN New for next season is the Eastbourne Triathlon, which is set for 12 June 2016 in East Sussex. The event will host a sprint-distance tri complete with a sea swim, with an aquabike and a SUP (stand up paddleboard) triathlon added to the race mix. ZYRO CLARIFICATION In issue 315’s bike computers grouptest, we listed the Cateye Stealth Evo+ as retailing for £179.99 with the sensors sold separately. We should have stated that the sensors were included at this price, and the RRP of the Evo+ without sensors is £99.99. Apologies to Cateye for the error. 70.3 DUBLIN RETURNS After a successful debut in the Irish capital, the organisers of Ironman 70.3 Dublin have confirmed that the race will return in 2016. Over 2,500 athletes took on…

After two decades of competing, British professional Rich Allen quit triathlon because he was “saddened” by the state of the sport. As the executive director of the new Professional Triathlon Union he now has the chance to do something about it – and faces a tougher battle than any he experienced on the race course. Born out of desperation for change, the PTU burst into life on 29 July promising a new dawn for poverty-stricken swim, bike and runners, brave – or perhaps foolish – enough to try and carve a living from the sport. Yet the bear-pit of social media is adept at ripping aspirations limb from highly-toned limb and the association immediately found itself in a Catch 22 situation. By laying down plans for reform, the PTU stood…

The Ballbuster 7 NOVEMBER A classic on the du circuit since 1990, this Surrey Hills-set belter sends athletes down, around and up Box Hill five times (once on each 12.8km run, thrice on the 38km bike). humanrace.co.uk Human Race Off-road Series STARTS 21 NOVEMBER Featuring the Wildman, Iceman and Mudman, Human Race’s Series offers a fun if gruelling welcome to the often muddy, snowy and soggy world of off-road duathlon.humanrace.co.uk Dambuster Duathlon TBC MARCH 2016 Held at Rutland Water in Leicestershire, this Pacesetter Events classic has been a UK fixture since 2002 and offers a 10km run/42km bike/5km run road experience.www.pacesetterevents.com Clumber Park Duathlon TBC MARCH 2016 Another road classic that often offers ITU World Du Champs qualification slots, with both sprint and standard duathlon events in the Nottinghamshire countryside.www.onestepbeyond.org.uk…

ALISON PATRICK Reigning world PT5 champion Patrick, and her guide Grace France, clawed back a minute deficit following the 20km bike leg to take gold in Rio. “Our aim was to try and swim to the first buoy as quickly as we could,” said Patrick at the finish line. “The bike is hard to gauge, as it’s such a fast course and it’s hard to make gains, then I had an amazing run.” LAUREN STEADMAN Reigning world PT4 champion, Steadman led from start to finish over the Copacabana course. Teammate Faye McClelland took bronze with the USA’s Grace Norman splitting the British duo. “It was definitely the hardest race yet this season,” said Steadman. “Tough competitors, some you don’t race in Europe, so it was really good to see where…

At just 17 years old, Northampton-born Hollie Avil won the 2007 European and Junior World Triathlon Championships. That potential, and making the 2008 Olympic criteria, saw her line up in Beijing but, like teammate Tim Don, she suffered diarrhoea and didn’t finish. She won the U23 world crown in 2009, but her senior career never reached the heights of her junior career. In May 2012, Avil announced her retirement from professional tri due to an eating disorder. Avil’s now 25 and seemingly happier than ever… What are you up to now? I work as an account manager in Singapore for Octagon, a global agency that specialises in sports marketing. My job involves client liaison, project management and new business research. The markets I look after are Asia Pacific, Middle East…

THE RUN SHOE market’s a complicated beast. For years, manufacturers loaded their pumps with cushioning to absorb the stress and strains of everyday running. Then along came Chris McDougall’s Born to Run and Vibram Fivefingers to counter the cushioned claims with minimalist intentions. ‘Cushioning affects your natural run gait,’ read the barefoot manifesto. ‘Keep it minimal and you’ll strengthen your feet and improve your running.’ In theory it made sense; in practice, many suffered from making the leap too fast, spent weeks on the sidelines with conditions like shin splints and soon reverted back to good old fashioned cushioning. THAT’S WHERE HOKA bounced in to town, promising a ride so absorbing and comfortable you could fall asleep while racking up the miles. While this test remained Hoka-less (we’ll be testing…

SUB 1HR SESSION LEVEL: BEGINNER DISCIPLINE: SWIM WARM UP - 10mins as: 400m easy swim MAIN SESSION 25mins as: Using 100m pace from a 400m time-trial attempt, do 10 x 100m holding pace or slightly quicker with 10-15sec rest per interval. Increase session length as you progress COOL DOWN - 10mins as: Your choice of stroke, but try including backstroke to get arms and chest working in counter direction EQUIPMENT NEEDED Swim trunks/swimsuit, swim cap, goggles PERFORMANCE BENEFITS This session provides a vital understanding of race pace and how quickly you should set out on race day. If you’ve not swum intervals before, this session can also greatly improve performance in a short space of time. PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS Even a super-sprint triathlon is an aerobic discipline, and this will hone…

SUB 1HR SESSION LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE DISCIPLINE: BIKE WARM UP - 10mins as: 0-5mins, Z1-Z2; 5-6mins, Z3; 6-9mins as 10secs max sprint, 50secs easy spin; 9-10mins, Z1 MAIN SESSION Work up a pyramid of equal effort time to recovery time. Starting at 1min on and 1min off, adding a minute each time and peaking with 5mins on. The efforts are Z4 and the recoveries are just spinning. After the 5min effort, you only get 4mins recovery and then, on the way back down, the efforts are always a minute more then the recoveries. Finish with a final 1min effort. COOL DOWN - 5mins of easy spinning EQUIPMENT NEEDED An indoor trainer that ideally allows you to train with power. You can use heart rate for this session but, especially on the…

(SO YOUR JOURNEY DOESN’T RUIN YOUR RACE!) GET ORGANISED Be prepared! Have the food you need with you whenever you go anywhere, to remove temptation and stress. You’re a triathlete – you should be used to organising loads of kit whenever you leave the house! WATCH BLOOD SUGAR Don’t go too long without eating. If your blood sugar drops and you stop at a motorway services, you’ll end up attacking the chocolate and fizzy drinks section like a man/woman possessed. BUY EASY OPTIONS Convenient pre-packaged salads and porridge pots travel well, as do fruit, nuts, seeds and good-quality cereal bars. Have a stash in your car or suitcase so if you’re stuck you have something to hand.…

NAME BEN THORN AGE 27 HEIGHT 5FT 10IN WEIGHT 80KG A diagnostic radiographer, Ben works long and varied shifts (from 7.5 to 13.5hrs) but aims to train for a minimum of 5hrs a week. He’s completed four sprint and two Olympic-distance triathlons to date. RACING GOAL In 2015 I had three aquathlons, an Olympic and a middle-distance race in the diary. NUTRITIONAL GOAL Because I work long shifts, my training plan can change from week to week depending if I’m on nights or days, so it’s hard to find a food/training/work balance. I also struggle to find time for breakfast. Is it worth introducing energy gels and other snacks into my training and trying to be more disciplined with breakfast? NIGEL SAYS Like many of us, Ben is working hard…

AERO ROAD HELMETS Aero road helmets are a relatively new category but as with all lids, finding a good fit – both in terms of comfort and security – is paramount. Next, consider ventilation, weight, price and design. TRI SADDLES Concentrate on comfort when shopping for your next seat. Also, make sure to check flexibility, weight and your inner-thigh clearance. WETSUITS Build quality, comfort, flexibility and insulation – the four key factors when choosing your neoprene. Spend more and the quality for each tends to increase. BIKE SHOES Fit is the most important element of a bike shoe. If you’re going to ride in a pair of shoes for hours, they have to be comfortable. Also think about closure system and, subjectively, looks. TRI BIKES The key here is fit…