2011 News
10-12-2011 Girls Velodrome Visit
18 quite nervous Cheltenham Triathlon girlies arrived at Newport Velodrome for a 6-9pm training session. As we arrived early (hoping to see the GB team train but had left at 4) some of us went to spectate a few cyclists before us and you could have heard a pin drop - no girlie laughter or even much talking just excitement together with apprehension.
We were told to go to the bike racks just before 6pm where we were given our bikes with no
brakes, fixed wheel and very narrow tyres. We all then went to our coach on track side who
told us what we were going to do and what not to do. We were split into two groups to start
and given fairly easy tasks to hold on to the track rail and start from there and practise
coming in slowly and grabbing the rail to stop. This may sound easy but as you can't get your
feet out of the pedals until you have stopped dead it needs a bit of courage and practise.
That sorted we were off starting from the bottom flat boards then on to the red line and
gradually to the blue line where we were told we could cycle for hours! Once we mastered
that we were off up to the top having a great time.
Our coach called each group in after 10 - 15 minutes and we were then taught the safety measures
eg: always look over shoulder before overtaking, always overtake on left and the best thing I
learnt was to slow down you go up the boards a little to slow down and get back on the persons
wheel in front.
Both groups mastered all this brilliantly and it was time to have fun. We did controlled weaving
in and out of a line of cyclists, shouting "overtaking on left, overtaking on right" giving us
the technical experience. We then did line drop off where the first person went off up the boards
and the group carried on and the first person caught the wheel at the back. Then it was time
trialling for fun - so 2 groups same distance and when the whistle blew the front person dropped
down from the blue line and sprinted to the back of the other group. This went on and coach
started to blow his whistle more and more and it was all go until he called us in pretty exhausted.
We finished with the first drill all in a line with the first bike peeling off up the boards
catching the back of the line - only difference was we had to go fast. Just amazing to see so
many of us looking almost like Vicky Pendleton - well feeling like her anyway!!
A really super girls outing and huge thanks to our Captain Sarah who unfortunately had a bad
cold and could not do all the session for coughing and probably laughing as well.
20-11-2011 Runway 10k - Staverton Airport
A fairly cold morning greeted runners on Sunday - with a hardy few still opting for tiny singlet running vests - brave!
The course was largely flat, but hump back bridges over the A40 and M5 certainly felt enormous with a few fast kilometres in the legs.
The route was well marshalled with lots of support at the end. Countdown markers indicating 400m then 200m to go received mixed reviews, but personally I found them helpful to know how much longer the suffering would continue.
To sum up: a fun, cheap and local event made for a good morning. Well done to all who competed.
Josh.
Results:
Richard Evershed (running as CLC) - 36:00, Gwyn Williams (Tewkesbury AC) - 39:55
Josh Hand - 40:11, James Wilkinson (Almost Athletes) - 40:52
Jez Preston - Jones - 43:17, Neil Hutson - 46:34
Paul Turner - 48:57, Bill Jones - 54:00
Alison Hutson - 54:25, Julian Bullas - 57:00
Ben Axford - DNF
20-11-2011 Chilly Duathlon 2011
The 3 amigos
(James,Mary,Cam) tackled the Castle combe duathlon.
Mary successfully defended the title (FSV60) she won last year
and knocked a minute off last years time.
James came in 4th (MSV60) and his sprint finish showed there is more to come!
I came in first (MO16S) (Male over 16 stone :-) ...Well until someone creates
a catergory I can win I'm just going to have to make up my own)
The event is a traffic free 2 mile run around the perimeter of Castle combe race circuit
followed by 5 x 2 mile laps on the track with a 2 mile run to finish.
Its a really well organised event and great fun.
23-10-2011 Stroud Half Marathon
Cheltenham Tri Club had four members competing in the 30th running of the Stroud Half Marathon , with the £1000 first prize purse going to Kenyan Andrew Lesuuda in a time of 1:03:56.
Jez Preston-Jones finished in a time of 1:30:36 narrowly missing his target of sub 1:30,
24th in M45 category.
Martin Downward did a great time of 1:37:07 finishing 36th in M45 category.
Gwyn Williams ran well to finish in 1:38:28 and finishing 41st in M45 agegroup.
Toby Travis finished strongly with a time of 1:42:50 placing 206th in MSen.
Neil Dooley just squeezed under the 2 hour mark with a 1:59:23 placing 82nd in M50.
02-10-2011 Letter from America
Hope all is well back in Cheltenham and the club had an enjoyable and successful triathlon season. Thought I would just drop you a line to let you know how the Cheltenham Tri Club Texas section is going!
It's strange to see the club competition final results (congratulations to all who raced and
especially to the winners) as I just competed in my first race of the year; the weather here
is a bit too hot throughout June, July and August and there are very few races organised in
those months. However, come September there are races and I raced last Sunday in what, I guess,
is now my hometown tri, the Memorial Hermann Houston Triathlon.
If this is the norm, then tri's are different over here; bigger and, possibly, better
(maybe more expensive also; this one cost $120). There was a sprint race and an Olympic,
1500 athletes total with 800 in the Olympic; so quite a big field.
The swim was open-water but no wetsuits (that was a first for me) as the water temp was
around 28-29 degrees. While we waited to start we had a pastor say prayers for us (he probably
didn't know that by the time we get to the run most of us are praying for deliverance anyway!)
and then, of course, we had a rendition of the 'Star-spangled Banner'. The swim was good with
the usual scrums around the bouys. Because it's been too hot to do much else but swim, I think
my swimming has improved and I came out of the water in 8th in my age-group; highly unusual!
The bike course was completely closed roads, pretty much pancake flat but very windy, so really
quite different to most races back home; also began to notice the heat on the bike and had to be
really conscious of trying to stay hydrated. One thing I liked about the race was that they marked
the back of your left calf with your age, so you could tell if you passed or were passed by
someone in your age group; I thought that was a great idea.
Got through the bike okay and out onto the run and that is where the heat really hit me.
It was only about ten o'clock but the temperature turned out to be around 36-37 degrees,
full sun, no shade and most of it on concrete paths, which just seemed to reflect the heat
and sunlight straight back at me. Quite different to normal UK weather but I spoke to a couple
of guys I've been training with afterwards, they're locals and they also thought it was hot,
which made me feel a little better.
Once I got over the finish line I began to get good value for money on my entry fee. I must have
looked a sweaty mess, as after I got my finishers medal I was immediately offered the use of the
the medical tent! I declined, but accepted the offer of an ice bath; what a brilliant experience
that was. A personal tub with a steady stream of volunteers topping me up with bags of ice,
I stayed in that thing up to my neck in ice cold water for about ten minutes and felt unbelievably
better. I then headed straight for the post race buffet (these guys know how to eat out here!);
three different types of pizza, pasta dishes, rissotto, four different types of energy bar,
gatorade, coke, water, recovery drink and loads of it all. I had my fair share, checked the
results; just missed out on the prizes/podium as usual, 4th in my age-group, 28th from 800
overall and headed home, first US race completed.
My next race is Austin 70.3 in October, so with Mr Armstrong now returned to his original sport
I'm hoping that he will decide to enter his hometown race; it would be cool to see my age-group
results with Lance Armstrong in there! Here's hoping.
Paul.
14-08-2011 Swanage Triathlon
What turned out to be one of England's' warmest summer's days 6 triathletes from Cheltenham Triathlon raced the Swanage Triathlon.
7am Sunday morning down on the beach the first wave of 600 triathletes were waiting
for the start horn. The sea was calm, the clouds dispersing and the sun shining.
The swimmers took to the water where they swam across the bay to an adjoining bay
up to land and back into the sea to the swim finish point 200 yds from the start point.
The athletes then had a long run along the promenade and up into transition to exchange
wetsuits for bikes and off onto the bike route.
The 40k bike route was both scenic and hilly which took you over to Corfe Castle and
then onto Wareham where the turnaround point was and back over the hills and into Swanage
to leave the bike and start the run.
The 10k run route is one of the most spectacular routes in triathlon. After roughly a
mile out of the town the race starts in earnest as the athletes climb up a winding narrow
coastal path onto the top of the cliffs and along the cliff edge with bays to your left
and right. The turnaround point is at the end of a peninsular which overlooks
'Old Harry Rocks'. After retracing their steps the athletes then have to descend down a
steep off road path and back to the finish.
First home from Cheltenham Triathlon Club was Tom Dudding (M25-29) in 2:25:52
Followed by Neil Hutson (M35-39) in 2:35:41 - Sue Bathgate first lady (F60-65)
in 2:47:10 - Mikki Storey (M45-49) 2:53:00 - Alan Champion M(55-59) in 2:53:32 -
Mary Sietsma F(45-49) and 3rd lady in her age group in 2:53:52
16-07-2011 Gower Triathlon
The very British summer did not disappoint we had wind, rain and 4 foot swells in the sea, but still 14 members of Cheltenham Triathlon Club started the Gower Triathlon with over 360 other triathletes.
As the marshals counted us onto the beach so as not to lose any bodies in the water, the horn
went off and all 360 men and women started the swim which was a distance of 750 metres.
To start the waves looked very innocuous, but after only a few minutes it was clear the
swell was getting bigger and was a huge advantage for the strong swimmers who could get
out of trouble in the front while the rest of the swimmers were caught in the washing
machine of peoples arms and legs all trying to survive in the big swell. Some people resorted
to breast stroke which made it impossible to navigate past or even get into any type of
swimming rhythm.
Having survived the swim it was a run on the beach to the transition area where our bikes,
helmets and shoes were waiting soaking wet and the wind still blowing a gale. The 15 mile
bike course was quite technical and ended up treacherous because of the weather conditions.
Starting up a steep hill out of Gower it then continued up and down into the mist which
should have shown us the pretty peninsular. Still the sheep thought it very amusing these
drowned rats on bicycles were up at the crack of dawn to enjoy the Welsh countryside.
The cycle ended down a steep tricky hill and back into transition for the run.
The run was a joy just because we were on 'terra ferma' although soaked through we were safe
and only needed to run 2 laps of 2.5K which crossed the beach went up board walks and through
parts of the village with brave onlookers shouting encouragement at us. Brian with his dogs
being one of them trying to take pictures of us all.
Emma Godson and Sue Bathgate were both prize winners. Emma came 2nd lady overall in a time of
1hr 32min and Sue won the super vet prize in a time of 1hr 36min. The very generous
prizes included a free entry to next year's race!
Simon Clarke came 4th overall in a time of 1hour 19 mins with Oliver Hilton a very close
1hr 20min. Doug Waymark was not far behind in 9th position in a time of 1hr 22mins.
Sally Freeman was 4th in the open category in a time of 1hr 33min and Karen Hilton 4th
in the Vet 40 category in a time of 1hr 35min.
Other Cheltenham results were: Tommy Charles 1hr 35mins Anthony Lloyd 1hr 36min, Phil Henderson 1hr 37min,
Thomas Cantle 1hr 39min who survived his first open water swim, Mary Sietsma 1hr 39min,
Hazel Everett 1hr 40min and Cathy Booth 1hr 56min.
10-07-2011 Challenge Roth
Anyone who has ever considered doing an Ironman distance race is likely to have heard of the Challenge series and Roth in particular - it is (allegedly) 'the' Ironman race to do which is not M-dot branded, and is heralded as the biggest in the world. Plus, it has the added bonus that Chrissie Wellington seems to like it, and keeps coming back to break her world record as was the case yet again this year!
So, what is it like? For those who don't know (which used to include me), Roth is a small
town in Germany about 30 minutes from Nuremburg. It's not the easiest place to get to from
the UK as the only direct flight to Nuremburg goes from Gatwick, although there are plenty
of other options if you can cope with changing.
The race is one of the few I've ever done with a split transition - for anyone not in the
know, this basically means that T1, where get out of the swim and get on to your bike, is
in a different place to T2. This is Ok as long as you're organised as you had to put your
running kit in the relevant bag and hand it in on Saturday, and didn't see it again until
race day.
The swim takes place in a very wide shipping canal (which is shut to boats on race day) -
the water was not bad at all, quite warm at 21 degrees, and not too murky. The main benefit
of swimming in a canal is that it's really quite difficult to go off course and as it was flat,
sighting was a bit of a doddle!
Out of the swim, grab your bike bag and into T1 where you're given your very own helper.
Aforementioned helper tips everything out of your bag, hands you relevant items, puts anything
you don't want back into your bag, wrestles your wetsuit in there too and sends you off very
politely with many good wishes!
Find your bike (easy peasy), run to mount point and off you go. Now this course is renowned
for being one of the fast ones, and despite the fact that there are 1000m of climbing on each
of the two laps, I have to say that it certainly didn't feel like it. It was pretty, with
some nice long straights, some very twisty bits through the villages, and some fast descents.
There was lots of support, especially up Solar Hill, where you could literally only go up in
single file such were the crowds at the sides of the road - completely bonkers, I'd seen the
pictures, but it's something else when you actually experience it!
Into T2, and yet more helpful peeps take your bike off you, grab your bag for you and marshal
you into the changing tent. Another helper (was the whole town here??), tip out bag, select
relevant items, discard other items, into the bag they go and you're off (that probably makes
it sound like I sped out of T2 at a cracking pace - I didn't). Now for the bit that really hurts.
Unfortunately it could probably be classified as the most boring marathon course I have ever
done - going out of the town was fine, then along the canal towpath... for miles.... and miles... and
miles, then fiddle about a bit and back again, only to continue past where you came in to go
along the towpath the other way for miles... and miles... etc... fiddle about a bit and come back, and
all the while the temperature was rising - what a relief to finally turn back into Roth. The last
3K seemed to go on for ever, but once I crossed the railway line I knew I was nearly there, a
little bit of grass, then you're on the red carpet and across the line to tumultuous applause and
lots of noise!
So, am I glad I did it? Yes, it was a great race, well organised, well supported and (so I'm told)
good for spectators as long as you can arrange to get from T1 to T2. Would I recommend it? Yes,
if only for to totally mad experience of going up Solar hill! Would I do it again? Probably not,
I'm just not sure I could face that run course again, and there are many others to choose from...
STOP PRESS... you may know that Chrissie is well known for always smiling, well, I saw her on my
way out on the run as she was coming back in (miles ahead of the next lady), and she wasn't
smiling then!
09-07-2011 Upton Triathlons
It was a lovely day for a Triathlon and what better way to start than with a precarious climb into mud followed by a swim along the River Severn? The Upton triathlon is always a well-run event and this year was no exception. Starting at lunchtime rather than a groggy early morning - what to eat is a major concern for some - too late for just porridge and too early for lunch. As usual there was a good representative of Cheltenham Triathlon Club members with 4 doing the sprint distance and 22 the standard/Olympic distance.
With good weather conditions, some fast times were achieved, Simon Clarke came out second
fastest in the swim and 10th overall in the MSEN category but he was still almost two minutes
behind CTC member Richard Walklate who finished seventh in the MSEN category in an impressive
2hr 16min. Douglas Waymark sixth overall on the bike and 18th also in the MSEN category.
Sally Freeman was the first female home and seventh overall in 2hrs 32min with Sue Bathgate
being the fastest CTC lady in the FV40 category being sixth in a time of 2hrs 43min.
In the sprint event Jeff Knap was fourth overall in 1hr 12 min while in the ladies event
Ann Simmons was sixth in FV40 category in 1hr 38min.
The whole event even inspired Josh to commit the experience to verse:
Last Saturday's tri at Upton was a fun affair,
With the usual mixture of blood, sweat and tight lycra-wear.
An Olympic-distance debut Elizabeth Haigh did make,
Justifiably enjoying that evening some much needed cake.
In the fast but murky River Severn waters there were super-fast times from Blackbird and Clarke,
Joining Alfie at the finish line was Bri with his dogs that had so much bark.
The weather was kind without the relenting sun of last year,
The dodgy flowings of the Severn have left my guts with much to fear.
Walklate was the quickest with a fast bike and speedy run,
But all who competed had a great deal of fun.
Terribly sorry for this awful rhyme,
Now school has abroken I've got to fill my time.
03-07-2011 Graham Makes The Gold Standard in La Marmotte
La Marmotte is a 174km cycle sportive with 5000m of climbing over 4 of the classic climbs used in the Tour de France - the Glandon, Telegraph, Galibier and Alpe D'Huez. This year, on 22 July, stage 19 will go over the last three if you want to get an idea what they are like. Alternatively ask Sue, Ellie or Phil who have all ridden the race.
Last year I rode the race for the first time with the aim of just getting round having never attempted such a challenge.
This year I started training on the 2nd January with the aim of achieving the gold standard time for my age group building on
all I had learnt last year. For those of you who are not regulars on the formal club bike training rides such as the Double Whiteway and
Stanway sessions these or similar rides formed a key part of my weekly schedule. The Whiteway sessions
building to my target race effort level and the hills to 10 reps which is roughly the distance of each of
the climbs.
On top of those sessions were Collin's Sunday rides early on but building to well over a 100 miles
by the end. I topped off my training with a couple of weeks climbing practice in the Alps followed
by a taper week.
The final result was that I had a near perfect race in which I felt strong all the way round and,
with the exception of the Galibier descent back to the foot of Alpe D'Huez where a fierce head wind
cost me about 3 to 4 minutes, I pulled out time against my planned schedule all the rest of
the way round ending up 18 minutes inside the gold standard time. Apart from that head wind the weather
was perfect. Clear blue sky but with a top temperature of only 24 degrees. I started out with a short
sleeved jersey and arm warmers which I rolled down on the climbs and with the direct heat from the
sun they were enough to cope with the descents without the need for a jacket. It was a far cry from the
43 degrees we had last year up the final climb of Alpe D'Huez.
Even if you do not feel like tackling La Marmotte I can thoroughly recommend a cycling holiday in a
place like Bourg D'Oisans as not only can you tackle the famous Tour de France climbs but there are
lots of others that are equally challenging and more spectacular from a scenic point of view.
03-07-2011 National Middle Distance championship
Nine members of the Cheltenham Tri Club were among the 750 who took part in the 2011 British Triathlon Middle Distance (half ironman distance) Championships, racing to win the coveted Age Group British Championships at the Cowman Triathlon in Emberton Park, Milton Keynes. A half iron man consists of 1900m swim, 92km bike and 21km run.
It was the first half ironman for many of the club members, but they all finished, some of them with very credible times. Mary Welsh was the star of the day winning her age group (65-69) in 7 hours 31 minutes, so Mary is National Middle Distance Champion 2011. There were good positions for Karen Hilton (11th in the 40-45 age group), Shaun Hennessy (11th in the 25-29 age group) and Colin Watkins (14th, 55-59).
Doug Waymark, Rich Walklate, Dave Hodgetts, Ted Allen and Shaun Hennessy were off in the 6.30am wave, followed by Karen Hilton, Colin Watkins, Mary Welsh and Graham Beddis in the second wave at 7am. It was a bumpy swim with approx 375 in each group especially around the first 2 buoys but things settled down after that.
The bike was full of incident, with crashes, hospitalization of two competitors and a plenty of punctures (including Richard Walklate), and the run was undulating and hot. Despite this CTC all managed to finish, with Doug Waymark being the fastest in just under 5 hours.
26-06-11 Worcester Triathlons
Cheltenham Ladies dominate. Cheltenham Triathlon club turned out in force on Sunday to race the double sprint triathlon and sprint triathlon in Worcester. Sally Freeman was most impressive with an overall position of 2nd in the women's race, with Emma Godstone hot on her heels in 3rd. In the men's race Ollie Hilton was 4th overall and Simon Clarke 5th.
On the hottest day so far this year the Double triathlon consisted of a 1500 metre swim
followed by a 54K bike and finishing with 11k run off road. The swim provided early relief from
the heat and the gruelling bike course was raced before the real heat set in. Not so for the
run by which time the sun was beating down, so lots of water poured over heads was the order
of the day.
The swim was two laps of the top barn lake with buoys in a W- shape to avoid the weeds round
the side of the lake. The bike course was a 2 lap course which was a very undulating,
challenging, but ultimately beautiful course. The run was 2 laps, mainly off road, hilly,
and crossing varied farm land. After the bike course the run felt hard but it probably
was a combination of the heat and tired legs from the other two disciplines.
The Cheltenham Ladies once again did CTC proud with 3 prize winners. Sally Freeman was 2nd
lady overall in a time of 3 hours 8mins, Emma Godstone was 3rd Lady overall in a time of
3hrs 22mins and Sue Bathgate was 6th Lady overall and 1st Ultra vet lady in a time of 3 hours
25 mins. Katie Blackbird also raced in 3hours 39 mins and Torie Clarke in 4 hours 6 mins.
First Male home from Cheltenham Tri Club and in 4th overall position was Ollie Hilton in a time
of 2 hours 48 mins, closely followed in 5th position was Simon Clarke in 2 hours 49 mins.
Jez Preston Jones was 4th V40 in a time of 2 hours 50mins. Gareth Blackbird was next
Cheltenham Tri man in with 3hrs 02 mins, followed by Neil Hudson 3hrs 12 mins and Steve
Yarnold 3hrs 30 mins.
In the sprint distance race David Symes was 24th in 1:30:59, Lloyd Giles came 64th in 1:41:02,
Tom Cantle close behind in 1:41:54 and Audrey Healey in 2:04:57.
12-06-2011 Wantage Triathlon
I managed my first race of the season this weekend, needless to say wet and windy, combined with very hilly bike and run, just about every muscle aching today, 28th overall and 5th in supervet cat including best supervet swim time and also a pb for for a 800 pool followed by 35k bike and 12k multi terrain run, 2 hours 23, great race
Paul
12-06-2011 Bala Middle Distance
If all you want is the management summary, I can give you that in one word - "Horrendous". For more detail, read on...
When we left (around 5:30am) it was sunny, cold, but sunny, with high wispy cloud.
As we drove north it got less sunny, more cloudy and generally grey. We arrived and parked,
and it started to rain - it did not stop raining all day, varying between the steady sort
and torrential downpours. Grim.
At registration, the organisers had thoughtfully posted details of the water temperature
(13, ie: cold), and the air temperature (10, ie: even colder) - thanks for that.
We started (late) in several waves, and putting aside the fact that it was really very
cold indeed, the swim out wasn"t too bad, however, on turning back, someone had turned
on the wave machine, and it was very choppy which made it interesting trying to spot the buoys.
Having been hauled out of the water with cramp, and no feeling in my hands or feet, I tottered
towards my bike, but not before seeing one person with hypothermia on a stretcher wrapped in
blankets. This set the tone for the rest of the day.
After several attempts, I decided that putting socks on was a non-starter, shoes were still
a problem and I ended up getting some assistance from one of the marshals - not a promising
start. After a mile on the bike I started to consider giving up, but the ignominy of posting
a DNF forced me on. I will not go into the gory details of the bike course, suffice it to say
that it was hilly, wet, and very cold. I had to do the whole thing in the middle ring as I
didn"t have enough feeling in my hands to change up or down on the front mech - luckily I could
just about change gear on the rear cassette.
It"s not often I can say I looked forward to the up bits, but I did - firstly there was less
wind chill, secondly you had to work harder so got a shade les cold, and thirdly I didn"t
have to attempt any braking...
On the way back I saw lots of miserable people at the side of the road wrapped in space
blankets waiting to be picked up - there was even one guy in a phone box - I did consider
joining him. I had just about talked myself out of even starting the run, when suddenly
the outskirts of Bala appeared - joy unbounded.
Achievement of the day had to be managing to brake hard enough to actually stop in the
dismount area - was I OK? No I was not. Did I want to go to the medical tent to warm up?
No thank you... Press on. I got my very own bike racking, helmet undoing, sock putting on
marshal - bet he hadn"t thought he"d be doing that on a Sunday afternoon! Rammed feet into
shoes and set off. Unfortunately I couldn"t drink anything on the bike as I couldn"t hold
the bottle, but had just about managed to eat a couple of bars (a bonus) - nowhere near
enough as I found out later...
The run is out and back - undulating and up for half, then undulating and down coming back.
It was all going relatively Ok until about 9 miles then the lack of food started to tell so
I went for a run/walk configuration from then on. I can safely say I have never been so glad
to get to the end of a race as I was that day, and with around a quarter of the field posting
a DNF, I don"t think anyone would say they enjoyed any part of it!
I wont be going back next year as I"ve had enough now - two years in a row I"ve been rained
on and frozen! It"s a great shame because it is a well organised, well marshalled, and
(assuming you can actually see your surroundings) pretty race, and perfectly placed if
you"re doing a July Ironman. However, don"t let this put you off - there is going to be a
day when the sun shines, and it could be in 2012!
Ellie
11-06-2011 South Cerney Triathlons
Gotta keep up with the weekend reporting ... here's a quick round up (in case no-one else has
done it) from Saturday's South Cerney race.
Luckily, the weather was on our side and 22 of us took part in the Olympic or Sprint distance
tri's on Saturday 11th June - Votwo South Cerney Triathlons.
A few memorable moments include Simon going the wrong way on the bike ... through no fault
of his own apparently ... seeing Gerry cycling back - hamstring injury ... Torie swearing
when she found out it was 2 laps of the run ...
The drinks station liquid tasted like car battery juice, but several of us did try the
post-race luminous green & orange freebies on offer, they tasted better than they looked/smelled!
An enjoyable race, everyone seemed glad when done, we were definitely lucky with the weather!
Karen
05-06-2011 Shropshire Triathlon 2011
Shropshire Triathlon, which is sponsored by TriUk, starts with a 1500 metre open water swim in
Lake Mere, out of the swim the competitors cycle a 40km challenging bike ride which is both fast
and undulating ranging over very pretty countryside in and around Ellesmere. Once the bike course
is finished it is then onto a very hard out and back run on closed lanes and although picturesque
it is difficult for the tired runners to get into a good running rhythm because of the hills.
Ellie Millington
from Cheltenham Tri Club stormed home to be first Cheltenham lady home and
second in her age group 45-49. Ellie is
in the final stages of training for Roth Ironman which will be on July 10th. As the Shropshire
Triathlon was a Age group World Olympic triathlon qualifying event Ellie qualified in her
age group in a time of 2:29:43. Sue Bathgate, second Cheltenham Triathlon lady home, was
first in her 60-64 age group in a time of 2:36:35, she also had a qualifying position
for the age group World championships in Beijing. Third Cheltenham lady and fourth in her
age group was Mary Sietsma in a time of 2:41:59. Hazel Everett also from Cheltenham Tri
had an amazing race and was also fourth in her age group in 2:45:08 as it was her first
Olympic distance open water triathlon. Gail Beddis unfortunately had to DNF on the run with
effects from a virus.
First Cheltenham Triathlon man home was Doug Waymark 35-39 in a time of 2:17:00 and
11th in his age group, close behind him was Kevin Ord 45-49 in a time of 2:19:51 and 16th
in his age group. Andy Monaghan had a very respectable time of 2:21:40 and 19th in age group.
Tim Cavanagh 50-54 also competed in a time of 2:26:14 14th in his age group and Graham Beddis
50-54 was over the moon with his result as he was 16 minutes faster than the previous year in
2:47:43 19th in his age group. Tim Cavanagh 50-54 also competed in a time of 2:26:14 and
14th in his age group.
29-05-11 Westonbirt Triathlon
Cheltenham Ladies sweep the prizes at Westonbirt Triathlon which took place in the beautiful grounds of Westonbirt Girls School.
Nikki Weatherly from Cheltenham Triathlon Club won the overall ladies prize at the
Westonbirt Triathlon on Sunday May 29th in a time of 1:17:40. Nikki has been a very
competent runner for many years and took up triathlon with the Cheltenham club in 2010.
Not a swimmer Nikki trained with the club every week to enable her to get to a good
enough standard to compete at a high level. Nikki's biking has also improved considerably
by cycling with the club and picking up tips from the coaches.
Sue Bathgate won her 60+ category in a time of 1:21:45 and Cathy Booth won 3rd place
in her super vet category in a time of 1:32:28. Fastest man home from Cheltenham was
Doug Waymark 6th in his category with a time of 1:08:45. Jez Preston Jones was 5th in
the male vet category.
The swim was in a heated indoor pool and because of the narrow lanes the swim was in
most part crowded which lead to fairly slow times. Out of the 400 metre swim the transition
was long but once onto the 24k bike the scenery was outstanding, passing the world famous
Westonbirt Arboretum and the Royal Residence of Highgrove. The bike course was flat but
on the day very windy so a challenge for all competitors. The 5k run was once again in
the beautiful school grounds around Westonbirt village.
22-05-11 Bradford upon Avon Sprint Triathlon
Here's my race report from the Bradford upon Avon sprint tri this morning.
After a very early start I arrived at transition about 7am in a beautiful setting down by the river Avon. Surrounded by whippets talking about their lowest gearing and seeing the marshals had 4x4 I began to wonder what I'd let myself in for!
The swim was 750m up and down the river or down and up, anyway with the current to start with. Just before we got in we were told because of the temperature it was wetsuit optional. I didn't see see anyone without a wetsuit and after wading out to the start and acclimatising to the water I could understand why. It's quite a narrow part of the river and space was tight to the turn. The return was straight into the low sun that made sighting very difficult, I could just make out some splashing in front of me and followed that. In the end the current wasn't noticeable and the biggest effort was getting out of the water by beaching myself seal like onto a jetty.
Now for the bike, normally my favourite bit but I was now apprehensive about. The first couple of miles were out of the valley, small chain ring but not too steep. Once on top the wind started to factor and made hard work of the first half. After the turn the ride got hilly and technical, there were two climbs on a par with Bubbs Hill and caution was needed on the descents due to sharp bends and poor roads.
The run however was great for me, flat and along the canal. It had a couple of U turns so I could see how I was doing against my opponents. Finally into the finish to collect my medal.
My final time was 1-21-42 which given I've never done the event before was a PB and as I believe no one else from the club was there was a club fastest as well. Definitely in the hard sprint category, worth a go if hills are your thing, me I've decided I prefer flat tracks.
Julian.
25-04-11 Cotswold Spring Classic Sportive
James Wilkinson (pictured finishing) and I completed the short (107km) route on Monday's Cotswold Sportive. I did see Gwyn Williams at the start but he was off doing the 107 miles.
Starting in
Cirencester and going as far south as Blunsdon before heading all
the way back to Bubbs Hill (Green Dragon).
We both got Silver standard by completing
in just over 4 hours. Lovely morning cycling in fantastic weather with good organisation.
Would recommend it for
next year if people want a local sportive.
Actual times were:
107 kms
Julian Bullas 4:25:52 James Wilkinson 4:28:24
107 miles
Gwyn Williams 6:19:16
Julian.
27-03-11 Forest of Dean Half Marathon
After a chilly start, the course began at Speech House and then followed the trails through the Forest of Dean to return to the finish at Speech House. Varied surface of road, forest trails and some nasty cobbles, together with some tough up & downhill sections, including an uphill struggle around the last few miles, BUT, it was a great event with a total of 1834 finishers (1179 men, 655 women).
Fastest time was 1:13:20, the slowest 3:52:12 with an average time of 1:59:29. We experienced the usual massive queues for the loos but I don't think anyone got stuck in the loo when the race had started this year! A tough event I thought (the course has changed & Neil reliably told me it's much tougher now) but the boys humour generally kept everyone going, and for the first time ever in a running event, I finished quicker than the average finish time, albeit by one second!!!!! Something must be going right ... Karen.
| Name | Time | Position | Gender Pos. | Cat. Pos. |
| Dan Hortop | 1:35:02 | 163 | 155 | 87 |
| James Wilkinson | 1:37:57 | 253 | 234 | 122 |
| Tim Cavanagh | 1:40:58 | 332 | 305 | 51 |
| Shaun Hennessey | 1:50:42 | 695 | 583 | 263 |
| Dave Hodgetts | 1:50:42 | 698 | 585 | 264 |
| Hazel Everett | 1:58:06 | 1043 | 229 | 100 |
| Karen Hilton | 1:59:28 | 1108 | 255 | 113 |
| Roger Lipscombe | 1:59:57 | 1129 | 865 | 309 |
| Neil Dooley | 2:04:16 | 1275 | 936 | 339 |
| Graham Beddis | 2:11:21 | 1449 | 1025 | 159 |
| Graham Fletcher | 2:17:15 | 1560 | 1068 | 167 |
| Colin Watkins | 2:29:57 | 1710 | 1133 | 179 |
19-03-11 Rhayader 20
For those of you who are not familiar with this particular form of torture, the Rhayader 20 is a 20 mile road race which takes place in darkest Wales - more precisely, the very hilly bit of darkest mid-Wales. For some reason best know to those who organise it, it is held in the middle of March - great for pre-London marathon preparation, rubbish for the weather... normally... however, this year was memorable if only for the fact that the sun shone, there was only a bit of wind and it didn't rain!
To say this run is hilly would be to understate it, massively - it is not just hilly, it is really very hilly indeed. They did change the course a bit this year which didn't actually help, it just meant the first very big hill went on from 2 miles to 5 miles rather sneaking up on you at around 3 miles. Still, on the plus side, once you got near the snow line (and just before oxygen is required) you do get some lovely views, and as an added bonus you get to go down again - steeply - not good for those with dodgy knees.
Once you're in the bottom of the Elan valley the course trundles up and down for most of the rest of the way (oh, for some flat...) then just when you think it can't go on for much longer (and this road really does go straight back to the town centre doesn't it), they send you off down into Elan village. Hah, I thought (naively), I wonder if this means we miss that nasty climb just before you get to the outskirts of Rhayader? Sadly not, all they do is sneakily send you all round some really very pretty country lanes to emerge.... at the bottom of the nasty hill just before you get to the outskirts of Rhayader. Thanks for that.
In conclusion though, it is a great race, well organised and reasonable (£12 affiliated and you get a tee shirt and free shower in the sports centre). Fantastic training for a spring marathon, and a good gauge of where you're at if you're doing a summer IM.
Winning time? 2:02 - how do they do that? My time by my watch as they appear to have missed me off the results - PB 2:58... Would I do it yet again? I quite possibly might.... Elly.
06-03-11 Mad March Hare
On the 6th March 2011, 19 members of Cheltenham Triathlon club competed in the Mad March Hare, a 70 mile undulating cycle sportive. Despite a slight chill, the weather looked good as 350 cyclists set off, their pockets stuffed full with malt loaf and bananas.
The "mini" sportive
weaved through idyllic villages in Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, mostly
on quiet but well surfaced roads.
The club member with the fastest time was Doug Waymark, who completed the 70 miles in a very
impressive time of 3 hours 37 minutes. This was the 3rd fastest time overall, and of course,
we could all have gone this fast if we had electronic gears!
The first lady home for the club was Sally Freeman in a time of 5 hours 5 minutes, giving her
the eight fastest female time of the day.
For many club members though, time wasn't important. Completing the challenging course with friends and enjoying the beautiful
scenery was top of the agenda, whilst for some, enjoying a rolling buffet en-route was essential!
The incentive of flapjacks and cake at the top of the steepest 200m climb was enough for most
people to get up without walking.
05-03-11 BTF National Duathlon Championships
On 5th March Mary Welsh competed in the BTF National Duathlon Championships held at Clumber Park near Worksop and organised by 1 StepBeyond Promotions
The race consisted of a 10k run, 40k cycle and a final 5krun. The undulating run was over traffic-free paths through the pleasant scenery of the country park and the two-lap cycle followed a challenging course over long rolling roads.
Early morning temperatures for the race were cold with temperatures of 4-50 C. Conditions deteriorated quickly with mist, constant drizzle and a chilly breeze moving into the area.
Mary completed the course in 3hr 21 mins and came first in her age group (Cat M 65-69) to win the gold medal.
Mary has now achieved a hat trick of duathlon successes with gold medals in Scottish, National and European Championships.
The race was a qualifier for the World Championships to be held in Spain in September and Mary looks forward to competing in that event.
02-01-11 New Year's Mountain Bike Ride
The first club mountain bike ride on January 2nd 2011 was a huge success thanks to Mike and Jeff.
Some of us
were a little scared on the technical bits and there were quite a lot of girlie screaming
sounds going on including Colin!!!
But it was really good watching the technical guys ride
the B-hole (that's what they called it!). For me(Sue), the best novice was Gail who did a superb
technical ascent only to spectacularly fall at the very end, me I just wimped out and took
the easier one with Mike's guidance.
Great fun and very good training especially strength, thanks again guys.