Table of contents for May 2015 in Triathlon Plus

“As an adult, skills that came naturally when you were a child can seem difficult to master, and plenty of things you had to put effort into when you were young now seem simple. Take the triathlon disciplines. We take it for granted that running is a natural progression from walking as a child. Try a sustained burst as an adult, and you might feel differently. Then there's swimming. Who didn't love jumping in the pool as a kid? And who has witnessed their tiny children seemingly morph into merpeople in the water? Cycling is the other way round though. It's tricky to learn to ride, as any parent who's run along behind a kid on stabilisers will know. But they say that once learnt it's never forgotten - so…

"Never stop until you hit the line. Huge congrats to @KZaferes6 & @floraduffy" Gwen Jorgensen @gwenjorgensen "Thrilled to be able to start the year with victory. Congratulationss LO the podium and #TriArmada for another great performance!" Mario Mala Dfaz1@mariomola "When you're in the right place with (he right people it makes a world of a difference. Awesome day for#JFTCrew &it is no surprise to me." Katie Zaferes @KZaferes6. "Unbelievable day. Rode (hat bike course with all I had. So thrilled to finish 3rd at #WTSAbuDhabi." Flora Duffy @floraduffy. "So not the way I wanted to start the season, thanks to the amazing support I had out there today, #Worktobedone" Jodie Stimpson @jodiestimpson "PODOUM! Thanks to all the South African support out there and to @worldtriathlon and @AbuDhabiTri for such an…

JENSON BUTTON TRI TO OFFER £7K PRIZE PURSE Organisers of the Jenson Button Trust Triathlon in Derby this summer have announced that the event will offer a £7,000 prize purse. The race has attracted interest from around the world, with hundreds of athletes registered at jensonbuttontri.com. Entrants from Germany, Mexico, Spain and Afghanistan will join locals for the sprint race on12 July. CHRISSIE JOINS FITBIT Four-times lronman world champion Chrissie Wellington has become a brand ambassador for activity tracker company Fitbit. Wellingtonretiredin 2m2 and is passionate about driving participation m sport. She said: "I'm really excited to be working with Fitbit whose mission IS to give people a deeper understanding of their own activity levels and performance, and empower everyone to lead healthier active lifestyles." MORE WOMEN RACING LONDON TRIATHLON…

The water’s still pretty cold, but it’ll soon be time to start swimming in the lakes again - most of them open in early May. You can start to get ready for the open-water season now, though. Firstly, rope in a few mates and do some open-water drills practice in the pool, such as group starts, drafting and sighting [wait for quiet sessions or hire a lane so you’re not getting in the way). As soon as you can get into open water, go for just 10 minutes at a time to start getting used to the conditions again - the sooner you do it, the sooner you’ll get your head around the idea of heading out to the depths again. You’ll have a head start over anyone who’s leaving…

This month we asked: what's the best thing about training first thing? Knowing that by 8:00am, you've already accomplished more in your day than most people do in their entire day, Listening to birds waking up and t he sounds of water rushing through brooks and streams, Watching the s un glinting off the morning dew, Cassandra Heide It's done and dusted then you don't have to think about it - as I do now at 3pm where I am :O James Henderson The air just feels better. Sounds a bit hippy drippy, but early morning air tastes and feels much better than later on the day, Andrew Ferguson Quieter roads, pool, gym! And then breakfast! :) Robbie MacNab Never used to be a morning person, now I look forward…

Q: Why should I invest in clip-in pedals and shoes? Clip-in pedals bind your foot to the pedal body. That might seem a bit unnerving, but the advantages over flat pedals far outweigh a few bumps and bruises you might incur when learning to use them. These are their most important benefits: 1. Static position: Slipping between the sole of your shoe and the pedal results in wasted energy, known as 'dropping a pedal'. Also, because your foot is always positioned in the same place, your muscles develop in the same way every time you ride. 2. Increased control: attaching your feet to the pedals means you increase your control over the bike. For example, by pulling up on your inside foot and pushing down with your outside foot you…

Q: What’s the most important area to save weight on a bike? Sorry to say that it's probably you. Cyclists and triathletes do like to obsess over an ounce here and there on their equipment, but when you look at the whole package - you, the bike, wheels, helmet and so on - your own weight makes up by far the biggest part of the equation. So start by honestly asking yourself whether you could stand to lose a kilo or two before you spend an extra hundred quid to save 3g on a set of pedals. After that, frame and wheel weight are the obvious areas to focus on, simply because these are the biggest parts of the bike, so the variation in weight is going to be much…

Q: Should I ride a disc wheel for triathlon? I see them everywhere! Disc wheels look and sound impressive and are often top of the tri-specific kit wishlist of new athletes. However, they need to be handled with care. Disc wheels catch the wind easily, meaning that if you're not a technically competent rider, you could end up in trouble on a windy day. Discs are also generally heavier than shallow-rimmed wheels, by some margin. However, there's no doubt that discs are more aero than standard wheels. A disc could save you anything from 30 seconds up to two minutes over a 40km (standard or Olympic-distance) bike course. Discs have a reputation for being unsuitable for hill courses, largely because of their heavier weight. As a rule of thumb if…

Q: If I’m always racing alone, why should I learn how to ride in a group? It’s true that in most age-group races, athletes are required to maintain a certain distance to the athlete in front on the bike. So learning to ride alone, without the benefit of a pull from riders in front, is a good idea before you start tri racing. However, group rides are brilliant for building up your endurance, as the commitment to meeting people keeps you more consistent, and you're more likely to ride at a 'sociable' pace, which means you'll benefit from the endurance gains to be had. To be able to take part in those groups rides, you need to be able to handle yourself in a group so you're not putting other…

EVEN IF you’ll probably never be able to buy an £8,000 aero machine of your own, finding out what unlimited finances can get you is always fascinating from a design or just dream point of view. But are these four bikes actually worth their excessive cost in real world road and race conditions? We battled through a wet and windy spring test period to find out. Aero profiled framesets used to all costa fortune but decent drag reducing frame have been available at affordable prices for a while and some of them are impressively up to date. Features like bayonetforks and integrated stems and bars still demand big dollars though and you’ll only get truly state of theart if you help pay for some of the development costs in your…

£8,000 cannondale.com CANNONDALE HAS always known how to put together a proper premium package and the Slice Black Label doesn't just look incredible but delivers a distinctively user friendly, super comfortable slant on solo speed riding. FRAME AND FORKS While many aero bike designs seem almost exclusively designed to minimise drag, Cannondale's new Slice is also built to be as friendly handling and fatigue reducing as possible. The tapered forks use the same 'rolled back' vibration reducing dropouts as the Super Six race and Synapse sportive bikes. The chainstays taper very quickly and dramatically to a very thin profile and the D section seatstays are even more emaciated. The rest of the bike mixes practicality with drag reduction too. The powerful Dura Ace brake is mounted on the front of…

1 SETUP You'll be putting your shoes on as you ride, so they need to be attached to the pedals before the race. You can use thin elastic bands through the heel loops to attach them to the front derailleur and QR skewer to hold them up, though it's not essential. If you do, they'll snap as soon as you start pedalling. Make sure your bike is in a fairly easy gear, but not the easiest. GET A CLEAR RUN Making sure your helmet is on before you un-rack your bike, make a break for the mount line, holding the bike by the saddle so you can push it ahead and not get tangled up in the pedals. 2 SWITCH YOUR HANDS As you run through the mount like, pass…

ELIZABETH HUFTON Editor Liz completed her second lronman in 2014 and is currently considering her tri goals for 1he coming season - probably something short .. , In the meantime, to 'tick over', she's entered the Granfondo Stelvio Santini, Gulp. PHIL MOASLEY Coaching editor Phil has coached dozens of athletes to success over every distance and competes as an elite athlete himself. This issue, he's challenging you to set your bike speed alight in six weeks (see Training Zone p12). GUY KESTEVEN Gear guru Guy spends so long criss-crossing the lanes of Yorkshire that we suspect he might be moonlighting as the Google Streetview photographer. This issue he really sufferedtesting four very high-end bi bikes (page 64). STEVE TREW A leading triathlon coach and commentator, Steve has been in the…

Found yourself a few weeks away from your first race of the year with much less training than you wanted behind you? You're not the only one. Assuming this isn't your 'A' race for the year, don't jeopardise the rest of the season by trying to cram training for a couple of weeks and burning out or getting injured, Instead, treat this as a chance to blow the cobwebs off your race skills and fire you up to train consistently for the rest of the year. If you don't think you'll even make it round comfortably, write off the entry fee and withdraw - it's better than losing all your race places for the rest of the year to injury or illness.…

NEW GEAR PUT THROUGH ITS PACES 1 BONTRAGER VELOCIS £159.99 bontrager.com Tested weight (size M): 219g The Velocis has a feeling of security. The click-wheel closure is Iowan the back of the head, adding to this all-enclosing sensation, and this adjuster is Child's play to use. The straps are easily tangled, but obviously solid in use once adjusted and fastened. The internal padding is some of the most comfortable here, and venting is copious ... We counted 13 vents and 11 exhaust holes, and it really does flow air efficiently on to and away from the head. OVERALL 2 GIRO SYNTHE £199.99 giro.com; zyro.co.uk Tested weight (size M): 237g Giro's new Synthe is the choice of many pro cycling teams. Its shell is compact, hugging the head rather than sitting…

How many times have you heard someone say, "It's as easy as learning to ride a bike"? Or, "It's like riding a bike - one you've learnt, you never forget"? Learning to ride is something we associate with childhood; once your stabilisers are off, that's it, you're good to go. But once you start racing triathlon you'll quickly twig that there is plenty more to riding than that and, as with any sport, you never really stop learning. And as pretty open-minded sports people. triathletes tend to be more curious than most about what kit and training might open up a few more seconds for them on the bike. Despite all this, it's easy to get complacent about the middle discipline. Without the fear factor and technical concerns of swimming,…

1. One leg drills On a turbo trainer (indoor bike trainer), select an easy resistance and unclip one leg, tucking it back without discomfort. Then pedal through the stroke to get an idea of the muscle engagement needed to power all the way around. 2. Slow drill Set an easy gear and pedal as slowly as you can, keeping good form and concentrating on eliminating dead spots throughout the pedal stroke. Increase your cadence gradually, but go slower again if your form drops off. 3. Cadence A cadence of 85-95R PM on the flat allows good technique and typically lowers heart-rate for the same power output. Using a higher cadence rather than churning big gears leads to perfect pedalling.…

Q: Should I be doing hill reps on a mountain bike during the Off-season? Yes! Hill training is perhaps the single most beneficial workout an athlete can include in their training programme, irrespective of the time of year. One of the most common limiters of performance in age-group athletes is muscle endurance, or lack of it. It has much less to do with cardiovascular fitness and much more to do with basic strength and neuromuscular control. It underpins the ability to sustain a race pace or power output for as long as is required. For most age-groupers there are easy pickings to be had. Even sprint races require a sound platform of muscle endurance to underpin the higher speeds. And this is where hill training comes into its own, because…

1. Bottle cage Fit bottle cages to both your sets of bolts and you can make every ride easier. Either carry a bit of extra fuel (or emergency coke), or use one of them to hold a bottle stuffed with tools, inner tube, etc, to keep your pockets free. 2. Top tube bag Even better than a spare bottle holder, a ‘bento box’ is a soft, square bag that sits on your top tube, carrying fuel, your phone and anything else you'd like to keep really handy. 3. Better bar tape A common complaint among triathlet.es building bike miles is sore hands. Treat yourself to some new, padded bar tape for an extra plush feel - it’s a cheap upgrade that just might encourage you to go that extra five…

1. Start on the turbo You need to feel comfortable in your new tri riding position, so take time to set It up with the bike in a turbo trainer tor security. You can work out a good starting Position, then tweak It once it's road tested. 2. Start wide Riding with narrow shoulders and lucked arms is LHlI1ervillg al first but you'll feel more stable if you start with the extensions slighter wider apart. As you get more confident in handling the bike this way, you can narrow the bars. 3. Get some help Position on an aero bike is not just about injury prevention and comfort (in fact some would argue It's about anything but comfort) but about getting the right balance of aerodynamics and good power transfer.…

Q: Should I ride on the turbo all year round? I’ve noticed a lot of pros seem to. The turbo trainer is a much underused tool by age-group triathletes, which is a shame, because even more than pros they can benefit from the consistency and intensity these tools offer. It takes a lot of time out on the road to get a training benefit, especially if you are limited to training around work, which will often mean your rides take place around rush hour and you're subject to many more traffic interruptions. Sometimes age-groupers may feel they are cheating' by only' doing a 45-minute turbo sessions Instead of traipsing around outside for two hours, but as long as you're getting outdoors once or twice a week so you don t…

1. Double up If you can't get out for a long weekend ride, try doing a double day on a turbo trainer. It's not as bad as it sounds! Start with a morning session of 30 minutes riding at 70-80% of your max heart rate. Then take a few hours rest and repeat the session, building up slowly to an hour eventually. 3. Commute with purpose If you commute to work by bike, turn it Into a training session. Use the terrain to decide what the workout will be. For example, hills can be ridden hard, while you allow for recovery on the flat Or ride hard between sets of traffic lights. Unstructured intervals are often mentally easier than planned workouts. 3. Work on leg strength For those days when…

VITUS CHRONO TT £5,145 CANNONDALE SLICE BLACKINC £8,000 CERVELOP5 SIX £8,000 MERIDA WARP TT TEAM £8,000 Tech talk BB30 Oversized axle standard using an alloy 30mm diameter axle rather than a steel2l!mm diameter axle on the chainset. BBRight Cervelo's proprietary, multi axle compatible asymmetric bottom bracket design. Bayonet fork Fork with an additional segment up the front of the frame as well as the conventional steerer. Generally matched to a custom stem to lock the two tubes together at the top. Direct mount brakes Brakes that direct mount onto twin frame/fork posts [rather than a centre bolted bridge mount) for the lightest and most rigid braking setup possible. Kammtail Aero innovation using a teardrop tube section, cutoff bluntly at the back of the shape to create a 'virtual' tail that…

£8,000 cervelo.com CERVELO'S P series machines have been at the cutting edge of aero bike evolution since the beginning and the P5 still looks - and rides - radically different even in a state of the art superbike line up. FRAME AND FORKS This triathlon specific version gets the most radica1 front end on the scene with deep bladed forward offset forks housing custom built Magura hydraulic TT brakes. All controls are hidden in the unique 31' Aduro stem and bar combo and the frame, behind the freaky front end, is a showcase of drag and power management sculpting with super deep, subtly bulged fin sections at the head tube and the seat tube plus a massive wheelhugging curve. The deep, wide BBRight bottom bracket area (see Tech Talk, p64)…

MADISON.CO.UK WRITE TO: TRIATHLON PLUS, KELSEY MEDIA, CUDHAM TITHE BARN, BERRY'S HILL, CUDHAM, KENTTN16 3AG elizabeth, hufton@kelseymedia.co.uk WRITE IN AND WIN A LAZER TARDIZ AERO HELMET LETTER OF THE MONTH HIIT or miss? I'VE GOT A confession to make: I've been reading Triathlon Plus for two years, but without ever doing a triathlon, The main reason which I'm sure lots of you can relate to, is time, I've got two children under seven, and I work four days a week, It is so easy to just fall on the sofa at the end of the day instead of training, and although I find the mag inspiring, I have to say sometimes when I read about people doing Ironman races and so on I do think 'where do these people find…

Many of us will have been cycling for years before we start racing tri, whether it's a few miles commuting every day or the odd family bike ride on a Bank Holiday. Unless you come into tri from a competitive cycling background, you probably associate bikes with pretty leisurely riding on a bike you've been making do with for a decade or more. I was in that position when I start tri training in 2008. 1'd been commuting by bike for almost 10 years and covered 50-60 miles each week across London. But riding was just a means of getting from A La B, and when I needed La train on the bike for tri, 1 was pretty flummoxed, and ended up just doing more of the same. Here are…

Q. What kind of bike should I buy? If a bike is good enough to get you to the finish then it's good enough to race on, end of story. If you’re on a light budget but would like to buy a new bike for starting tri on, the great news is that lower-cost bikes are better than ever. Bikes around E500 now have decent alloy frames that feel light and lively and weigh only a few pounds more than bikes up to £2.000. Some even have carbon-fibre legged forks for a bit more comfort and a bit less weight. Lots of bike shops often offer free servicing, limited warranties and deals on any upgrades or accessories you want too with their second hand range. It’s also worth bearing in…

Before we go any further, let's make one thing clear: if you're planning on riding your bike a lot, you need to get a professional bike fit - and ideally this is done at the point of purchase, not six months after buying online or second hand, when you start getting twinges in your back. Ask at the shop you're buying from or have an independent fit done (warning: the latter can be expensive) If it's too late for that - or if you'd just like a few pointers to get started, or to review your fairly reasonable current bike fit - you can make a few simple checks on your bike fit yourself. Here's our guide. FRAME SIZE If our measurements fall between two manufacturer specified sizes, measure your…

Q: How can I boost my confidence when cornering at speed? The more you worry about cornering, the worse it gets. But becoming a far more confident bike handler is very quick, and surprisingly easy if you dedicate some specific time to it. Firstly, make a short lap of fixed points that you can do over and over again in a quiet area. Concentrate on relaxing and letting the bike roll round smoothly. Press your weight onto the outside foot, point your inside knee into the turn, and learn to drop your inside shoulder too. Your bike will always go where you look, so as you come into the corner, stare at the turning point (apex). Once you’ve passed that point, immediately flick your vision as far past the exit…

All the hard training and aero kit in the world won't help you on race day if you haven't considered a few tri-specific racing skills. Make sure you're focused and ready for the ride of your life every time by following these simple tips. LEARN THE RULES You're pretty unlikely to serve a time penalty or get booted off the course altogether during the swim or run section of a tri, but the bike leg is a real can of rule-breaking worms, and it largely comes down to the contentious issue of drafting. In most age-group tri races, drafting is against the rules. It's always worth checking the specific rules given in your race pack, especially if you are racing overseas, but as a general rule of thumb you want…

Q: My bike gets the shakes when I descend quickly - what’s up? Probably you. Speed rattle is often caused by the rider, and usually because they are tense, which affects the handlingof the bike. The trouble is that this creates a vicious circle, as the shake makes you more nervous, which means you re more tense and you'll shake more. Staying relaxed and confident is the key to descending on a bike, not only quickly but more safely. If you are nervously twitching at your brakes, you are making yourself less stable That's not to say you need to go screaming down every hill at 50mph but as long as you have a clear view ahead of you and the hill is not too steep, try to lay off…

£5,145 vitusbikes.com DEVELOPED WITH the help of the An Post pro road team, the new TT frame set from direct sell value specialists Vitus is a serious piece of speed weaponry for those after a custom bike build with real pro pedigree. FRAME AND FORKS The Chrono TT frame is brand new for 2015 and as you'd hope it ticks most of the boxes you'd expect from a state-of-the-art aero bike. The bayonet fork has hidden brakes and leads into a deep headbox and the integrated upper and lower piece 'sandwich' stem sits totally flush with the top tube. The aero seat post clamp is fore/aft adjustable and while it's not possible to get it as fully forward as other bikes here, 77 degrees is still pretty steep. It's fully…

£8,000 merida-bikes.com As THE name suggests this version of Merida's TT bike is the fully 'E'lectronic spec Team bike of pro road team Lampre Merida and it's a proper weapons grade, take no prisoners performer. FRAME AND FORKS For a start the 30 or 60111111 D-section carbon headtube/stem spacers can be removed from the top of the fork steerer tube. This lets you slam the stem right down into the cutaway front of the frame so that it's flush with the flat top tube if you're flexible enough to get that low. The big extended aero nosed stem is large enough to completely swallow the Di2 control box and wiring for a clean front end and the battery is totally hidden too. Chopped aerofoil tube shapes are designed to control…

After six months of pale furriness, it's finally time to consider shaving my legs again. That must mean that the tri season is finally getting underway. Hurrah! The prospect of racing seems particularly exciting this year, as I've spent most of the winter training in my garden shed. I've been conducting an experiment inventively named: "Is cycling on a turbo trainer better than riding outside?" Since shunning the great outdoors, my Functional Threshold Power (a measure of one-hour race power output) has improved by 28 watts. I can pedal 8% harder than I could at my peak last season. And all from doing three one-hour turbo sessions per week, compared to the 10 hours per week I spent freezing my nuts off outside last year. On the downside I've missed…

Personally, I love long runs, and always have done. My first ever race was a half marathon and the training plan I followed called for six runs at two hours or more; straight away I knew I'd found my 'thing' - long, slow distance. I loved running distances most people couldn't imagine, and the hypnotic padding of my feet on early mornings, and feeling grateful and amazed at what my body could do. However, even in the middle of this, every run would have a rough patch: a bit where I became bored, suddenly felt tired. If you're training for Olympic distance or further this summer you are probably about to see your long runs go past the hour mark. Here's how to stay sane till you get home. 1…