Chris has been racing hard for the TORQ team and his latest race was at the Milton Keynes Sprint Triathlon. Chris and the eventually winner, were never more than 4 seconds adrift for the entire race and only 1 second on the finish line. Read on for Chris’ account of the race…
Following the forecast of 80 mile an hour gusts and rain, I made a concerted effort to pack lots of kit for every possible weather variation, leaving me with a bag weighing twice as much as normal. Fortunately I awoke to a relatively clear sky and only slight winds, which was a result!
Arriving with plenty of time, I undertook my usual routine of registering, racking, jogging and preparing to race.
Into the trusty 2XU wetsuit, I made my way into the seasonably warm water. A quick splash about and under starter’s orders, “PRRRRPPPPP”.
I swam hard to the first turn buoy, taking the lead in the swim. Onwards to the 2nd and 3rd buoys, my lead was remaining and it was now just a straight stretch back to shore, directly towards the low-lying sun, which made it impossible to see. Luckily I had caught the tail end swimmers from the previous wave and used them to guide me in. Usually the lead canoeist does this, but instead they decided to paddle across my line hitting me with the back end of the canoe, thanks!
Anyway, mind on the task, I was onto dry land. My wetsuit came off with ease and with Limar helmet fastened, it was riding time. Feet into my Lake shoes; trusty and comfy as ever. I went out pretty hard to gap people. A quick left turn and I was now working into the wind, which had picked up dramatically. In spite of this, I was pushing some big gears over the rolling terrain, primarily passing, but eventually being caught at around 12K by Tom Curtis. I let Tom go ahead and used him as a pacer for the remaining bike leg. We both knew it would come down to the run.
Feet out of my Lakes, past the dismount line running and back to allocated position. Bike racked, Limar helmet off and running shoes on. Tom had gained about 10 metres on me, which I promptly closed. I decided to try and surge after about 500 metres, but he responded and stayed with me. I slowed a little and decided to run on his shoulder. Over the remaining 2 laps, I surged another 6 or 7 times to try and break him, but just couldn’t sustain my higher pace for long enough to get a lead.
With around 1k to go, I kicked and held my pace, but Tom responded and sat on my shoulder. I slowed a little, at which point he dug deep and returned the favour. I chased hard, but he had opened a lead of about 5 metres, which I was struggling to close. Into the finishing funnel, I was gaining, but my tactics hadn’t worked and he took the win by 1 second.
Despite finishing second, I was happy with my race. Tom was a nice guy and I recalled racing him before. Another day it could have been a win, but this was a better performance than last week and I ended up with the second fastest swim and fastest run split of the day. Can’t be disappointed with that. A couple of athletics races next week then I am on a taper for the Xtri National Champs. Bring it on.
Race results and race website:
http://www.big-cow.com/public/results.aspx?raceid=1358
As always, thanks to our Sponsors who’s products continue to perform impeccably. Salute.
Delicious, natural and healthy nutrition: www.torqfitness.co.uk
Frames – Merida: www.merida-bikes.com
Cycle Shoes – Lake: www.lakecycling.co.uk
Helmets – Limar: www.limarhelmets.com/eng/
Glasses – Limar: www.limarhelmets.com/eng/
Cables – Jagwire: www.jagwireusa.com
Aerobars – USE: www.use1.com
Wetsuits – 2XU: www.2xu.com
Wheels – Fast Forward: www.ffwdwheels.com
Powermeters – Powertap: www.cycleops.com
