Table of contents for October 2022 in 220 Triathlon

Were you to look for a theme running through this issue, then that of teamwork would come to mind. This month we've got a tri club travelling together to race Alpe d'Huez, an update on our Wiggle x HOKA team preparing for Ironman Wales, plus a coach helping our very own staff writer, Kate, improve her race skills by offering her feedback on her day at 70.3. This month I was also lucky enough to rejoin the support crew at Norseman in Norway. One of the slogans for this race is ‘you can't do it alone,’ referencing the support crew you need to have, as well as the amazing team who volunteer their time to get 250 athletes through this most difficult of iron distances. So as we near the…

Matthew Dodd, 50, has raced triathlon since 2010, competing over a range of distances. Among them: Ironman Wales, Ironman Copenhagen and Ironman Lanzarote. He joined East Essex Tri Club 12 years go. Scott Youngson, 46, did his first triathlon in 2012. Since then he's raced regularly, including six Ironman races and Alpe d'Huez Triathlon. He joined EETC 10 years ago and is currently club secretary. Hannah Shean, 24, was born into triathlon (her mum was club captain), taking on her first race at the age of eight. She's competed over sprint distances ever since, and has been with the club for 19 years. Jack Martin, 33, is EETC's club captain and has been a member since 2016. He's been racing triathlon for seven years, including sprints, Olympic triathlons and longer…

CLIPLESS PEDDLES KIT ZONE BUYER'S GUIDE Pedals have greatly evolved since the days of toe clips and straps, and most triathletes will want to take advantage of the greater efficiency offered by clipless pedals. The foot is securely fixed on the pedal, with various degrees of float (lateral movement) offered by all modern pedal systems to give you freedom to move if necessary, thus protecting the knees. As the main interface between you and the bike, your pedals should be comfortable underfoot, reliable, and easy to get in and out of. As triathletes, these first two are extra important because you (hopefully) won't have to unclip mid-race, though make sure you practise with them loads before race day! The six pairs here represent a wide range of price points and are…

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? LONDON TRIATHLON NAOMI DONKOR is a 21-year-old sociology student at Brunel University who grew up in Hackney. She used to play handball at Premier League level and to date has competed in two triathlons. I can't believe it. After so much training and such a good swim things are starting to unravel. I'm on the bike leg of the London Triathlon, the second event I've ever raced, I can't change gears on my mountain bike and I have no idea how to fix it. As I try to come to terms with the fact I'm going to be stuck at this high cadence for over half the ride I'm passed by person after person. It's a tough pill to swallow and even the iconic sights of…

SEPTEMBER 10-11 SUPERFEET All SANDMAN TRIATHLON (various dists). Newborough Forest, Anglesey. alwaysaimhighevents.com COTSWOLDS LAKE 62 END OF SEASON EVENTS (various dists and relay). Lake 62, Ashton Keynes. lpsevents.co.uk 10 THE BRUTAL EXTREME TRIATHLON (various dists). Llyn Padarn, Gwynedd, Wales, brutalevents.co.uk THE TRI CHALLENGE (various dists). Dorney Lake, Windsor, Berkshire. thefixevents.com 11 IRONMAN WALES (3.8km S/180km B/42.2km R). Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. ironman.com BOURNEMOUTH NATIONAL CHAMPS (various dists). West Cliff Gardens, Bournemouth, Dorset. theswashbuckler.co.uk ROADFORD LAKE TRIATHLON (various dists). Roadford Activity Centre, Lifton, Devon. sportivaevents.co.uk HELVELLYN TRIATHLON (1.5km S/ 61km B/ 14.5km R). Jenkins Field, Glenridding, Cumbria, trihard.co.uk/events VIRIDIAN DAVENTRY TRI (400m S/ 20km B/ 5km R). Daventry Leisure Centre, Daventry. rugbytriathlon.org.uk EXMOUTH OPEN WATER TRIATHLON (various dists). Exmouth Beachfront, Exmouth, Devon. lmevents.org.uk SOUTH MANCHESTER TRIATHLON (400m S/ 24km B/6.3km R). Wilmslow Leisure Centre Wilmslow, Manchester.…

THE BIG PIC International athletes were welcomed back to Norseman this year after a two-year hiatus. Challenging conditions including sleet and mist on the bike leg tested even seasoned athletes, but the standout story was 26-year-old Scottish raw talent Eilidh Prise. After qualifying at Celtman, she took the women's win in 11:47:49, finishing in disbelief with tears running down her cheeks. The men's race was won by reigning champ Jon Breivold, who set a new men's record of 9:23:28. Competitors at the first-ever Ironman 70.3 Swansea are treated to a seafront serenade to help them through the half-marathon run leg. The event, which took place on 7 August and welcomed over 1,900 athletes, was the first half-lronman to take place on Welsh soil. The biggest name to check out the…

TIM HEMING Cutting through the spin of tri to address the issues that matter, Tim is a sports journalist who has written extensively on triathlon for the national press. It was always going to be difficult to split Britain's Alex Yee and New Zealand's Hayden Wilde. There was just one podium place between them – Yee's silver, to Wilde's bronze – in last year's Tokyo Olympics. It's currently two wins apiece in a 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series they're dominating. Even their 5km personal bests – Yee edging it with a speedy 13:26 – are just 3secs apart. So, when they entered the final run lap in this year's Commonwealth Games, with the boy from Brockley in southeast London breathing down his Kiwi rival's neck, we were destined for a…

DREAM BIKE START From €9,999 Daniela Ryf not only won March's Ironman World Champs astride Felt's new IA 2.0, but she also set the fastest women's bike split of the day. As PR goes, Felt couldn't have asked for more. This new version replaces the model launched in 2014 (which still holds the course record in Kona), and Felt says it's 4% faster in testing. Five years of development have resulted in a curvier, more aerodynamic design and a more advanced fit system, while the lumps on the top tube and seatpost offer integrated storage for nutrition, hydration and tools. Bike builds start at €9,999. feltbicycles.com…

KIT ZONE BIKE COMPUTERS BUYER'S GUIDE 220 TRIATHON BEST ON TEST WAHOO ELEMNT BOLT £264.99 The Bolt's set-up was a breeze, with the slim 2.2in colour screen intuitive to use and sensors easily connectable via ANT+ and the Elemnt app. Importing GPX files is simple, and the device has compatibility with other platforms like Strava. Routes are then simple to follow, with turn-by-turn instructions and beeping to direct you (yes, this can be switched off). The device can also take you to the start of a route or reroute you if you stray off course, and has a ‘take me to’ option that routes the rider to a chosen spot when out and about. In terms of functionality, the simple convex buttons are easy to use when riding, even with gloves,…

TRAINING FLYERS UPDATE Ironman Wales edges ever closer for the Wiggle X HOKA Flyers, the team who we've followed throughout the 2022 season. It's reached that time of the journey where course preparation is key. That's why the teams’ band of experts have delivered their race-sharp tips. Many will apply to you all, a few are specific to Ironman Wales. But before then, let's see what shape the determined quartet are in… PAULINE GREEN “My calf injury survived Swansea 70.3 and I came sixth in my age-group – a bit disappointed but glad I finished. It's a strange one to think that a 70.3 was a training day but it did fall perfectly as a pre-Tenby core session. True grit's necessary for training in this unusually hot summer but Susie…

TRAINING NUTRITION Let's face it, long rides aren't the same without a tasty treat. As your mileage mounts, fuelling intelligently during your endurance sessions can help prevent that dreaded bonk, enabling you to go further, faster and for longer. It will also help you train more consistently, preventing gradual glycogen depletion, that nasty heaviness and lethargy that can creep up on you unawares, as well as helping to protect your immune system. One complaint I've heard from cyclists and triathletes is that they delay taking on nutrition on the bike because they struggle to look forward to a sickly-sweet gel or energy bar. If that's you, then you're going to love this month's on-the-bike feed recipes. Energy-packed and easy-to-eat, you'll find a mix of sweet (but not too sweet) and savoury…

TRAINING WOMEN'S TRAINING » Breastfeeding & exercise LAUREN DRINKWATER Lauren is a certified advanced personal trainer and group exercise instructor, specialising in ante- and post-nat al fitness. mumfitwonder.com If all you've known is to get up and go when it comes to fitness, suddenly having a baby dependent on you can take some getting used to. Breastfeeding adds another level of complication, whether it's boob-holding in energetic moves, grappling with escaping and absorbed breast pads, expressing or feeding before/during/after exercise, or hoisting those uncomfortable sports bras on and off at a moment's notice. I recall many times sitting outside a crèche with other regular gym-goers averting glances as they passed me by. On the flip side, the unfazed might just choose this moment to strike up a conversation. But I'll never…

MARTYN BRUNT Martyn is tri's foremost average athlete and is living proof that hours of training and endless new kit are no substitute for ability. I hope I don't upset anyone by saying this, but the West Midlands isn't always the most cheerful place in the world. I speak as a confirmed Midlander myself of course – born in Coventry, parents from Birmingham, grandparents from Walsall, and an uncle who was considered exotic because he married someone from Worcester. But we can be a downbeat lot, whose highest compliment is that something is ‘not bad.’ But I've had to revise that opinion having been to Sutton Coldfield to watch the Commonwealth Games’ triathlon events, and witnessed a huge crowd of fellow Midlanders greeting the athletes like a conquering army in…

START Want to know what it takes to perform at the highest level? Researchers Roberto Cejuela and Sergio Sellés-Pérez analysed the training programme of “an athlete who finished 12th at the 2020 Olympics and 10th in the mixed relay”. By the powers of research (Google!) the athlete in question was Spain's Fernando Alarza. Over a 43-week period in the build-up to Tokyo, surprisingly perhaps, an average training week came in at under 15hrs. Training split came in at 82% easy, 7% moderate and 11% hard with Alarza's aerobic peak increasing by 20% in cycling and 14% running. He also focused on the extremes, enduring two four-week altitude camps in Sierra Nevada plus simulation sessions at home. Alarza undertook regular 20-30min sauna sessions while gradually exposing himself to training in the…

STAR LETTER Got an opinion to share? Then email us at fao220@22otriathlon.com A STORY OF KINDNESS I like to moan about modern triathlon because I can't race my low profile tri bike (wheels are of different sizes) to recapture that feeling of excitement and youth that the sport gave me in the early 90s. But I take it all back, as two instances this year would not have happened years ago, as there used to be so few races and nutritional aids. Firstly, I forgot my gel at a European Champs qualifier without which (due to having one kidney) I would've struggled to complete the run. A fellow competitor kindly gave up his before the race, so the run was completed without problems. I then went to Dorney to compete…

IF April is apparently the cruellest month (maybe T.S. Eliot was thinking about that fallow period between the end of the duathlon season and start of the tri calendar), then September is our favourite month for triathlon racing in the UK. There's that softer bucolic light, the warm – but not too warm – autumnal sunshine and some truly classic races to end your season on a flyer. We're looking at you Hever and Helvellyn, Ironman Wales and 70.3 Weymouth, the Brutal, Outlaw X, Aviemore and, well, many more. And there's also the satisfying feeling of a plan coming together, the joining of the dots that started months ago and are now uniting for some end-of-season fireworks. That's the plan at least, but are there surefire ways to hit that…

The Avio (a flying machine in French) MIPS debuted on the heads of Pierre Roland's snappily-titled pro cycling team, B&B Hotels p/b KTM, at the Tour de France this summer, and it's easy to see the ProTour (and Ironman) appeal. That's due to its aerodynamic yet lightweight (235g, medium) focus that excels when ascending hills in the heat. There are only 13 ventilation channels, but they do the business and then some, successfully and regularly channelling a cooling waft of air through to the rear exhaust ports in the summer heatwave. Aero flourishes include the Kammtail at the rear and neat inmoulded components within the EPS core, which double as an OptiDockfor sunglass storage, while the MIPS (Multi-Directional Impact Protection System) Air design is the lightest MIPS around. Worth noting…

Enter the world of triathlon and pretty soon you'll hear whispers of a wizard at work. A man who can craft your triathlon wetsuit to suit just you. Measurements will be taken, buoyancy discussed, thermal comfort noted. “I'm on the waiting list,” these whisperers say. “I'm going to see Malcolm.” Within time, you'll start to notice the signature of the wizard – athletes branded with a white polar bear across their chest, wearing a wetsuit you may not recognise from the advertising of the big brands. Actually – scratch the fluffy creative editorial intro here. Nobody whispers about Snugg wetsuits, they shout about them. The brand has been going so many years it's ingrained in triathlon history. As for the wizard himself? This is Malcolm Ball and he's stood in…

01 CHUNK THE RUN ‘Great oaks from little acorns grow’ goes the saying. Seen through a racing lens, that means chunking; in other words, break your race down into smaller parts to reach your big end goal. It's a common psychological trick and is proven time and time again. So instead of seeing around 40km of the run to go, you might see 10 × 4km. Give yourself a metaphorical slap on the back when you've ticked one off. It's also been shown that counting up and then counting down is even more beneficial, so 1 × 4km, 2 × 4km… until you reach 5 × 4km, then start counting down again till the finish. 02 PREPARE TO PERFORM “Preparation is essential for any event, but especially for Ironman and even more…

PROFESSOR GREG WHYTE Former modern pentathlon Olympian professor Greg Whyte is a pre-eminent authority on exercise physiology and sports and exercise performance in the UK. But he's probably best known for training, motivating and successfully coaching 23 Sport & Comic Relief challenges. Following the race season, it's important to reflect back on your performance over the summer months and build in time for some quality recovery. Making careful notes of those aspects of training and racing that went well, and those that could be improved, will ensure you enter winter training with a plan to strengthen your weaknesses and maintain your strengths. Goal-setting and planning are the cornerstones of successful training and performance enhancement but, you should also be prepared to adapt plans in response to changing circumstances, including excessive…