David Vaughan Duathlon

ITU World Powerman Duathlon Champs 2011

2011-09-06T13:52:00.008+01:00

It has been a personal goal to race at an elite level for Ireland in the ITU World Long Distance Duathlon Champs an event that hasn't been held in the last three years. So when it was announced that this year the event would be held at the World Powerman Champs at Zofingen I was extremely pleased to be put forward by Triathlon Ireland as our representative.

The first rule of Powerman Zofingen is... You don't talk about Powerman Zofingen. All season I've been trying to get info on this event from my fellow athletes but nobody would divulge anything. "you'll have to see" was the common reply but it was clear there is a hidden mystique about this race.
The opening run goes straight up a hill and into the forest which is a taste of things to come for the next 190k of constant gradient changes where maintaining any rhythm is the biggest challenge. I ran 32.23 for the opening 10k run and came into T2 in 16th position among some very strong bikers which was exactly where I wanted to be.

The 150k bike route features 9 climbs including the infamous Bodenburg climb three times. The bike leg was very tactical with most of the men's elite field stretched out in pace lines which were only broken up on the climbs. The Bodenburg is a very tough climb. It's not long at about 4k but the gradient literally changes every 25m which is it's unique personality and I'm pretty sure it got steeper on each lap. I got two fast laps done but went through a bad patch on the seventh climb after dropping a gel and then taking two of an untested brand at a feed station in town which clearly didn't go down well and I started to feel nauteous. I laid off the nutrition for a while but got it together for the last 20k of the bike coming into T2 with a bike split of 4.10 and in 20th position in a group of 3.

The 30k second run starts with a steep 3k climb out of transition. I don't take long to get into my running stride but it was incredibly steep and therefore seemed pitifully slow but I was quicker than the guys around me. I picked off a couple of places but started suffering stomach cramps so had a couple of stops in the forest and lost a minutes because of that. I decided stopping again was not an option and carried on in a Catherina McKiernan London Marathon '98 fashion. It ain't pretty but it's a race and I don't mind getting messy if it's the fastest way to the finish. But I certainly wasn't planning any handstands at the finish.

I was still taking on gels and drinking coke so I was still getting nutrition in and running fast. In the end I came home in 17th with a fast finish and a total time of 6.47:47 which in any other year would be worth a top 10 finish and is a very respectable Zofingen debut. I raced hard, managed a couple of crisis situations well and never stopped racing while many others suffered and either fell behind or dropped out.

I think I can make at least 5-10 mintues worth of simple improvements for next year based on the experience alone. Plus maybe another 10 with the right work done over winter so I'm already making plans for a sucessful return next year.

This race is an incredible challenge. Before racing it I thought of it as the Ironman of Duathlon but it's nothing like an IM course so if you're interested in a big challenge then Zofingen is a certainly that. And it would be great to see more Irish athletes at Zofingen testing themselves at this iconic event.

I'd like to thank Triathlon Ireland for their belief and support. Shorter Rochford cycles for the P3 power. Compressport UK for recovery. Optimum Velocity for the future and Mark H my employer for being understanding about time off.

A big thank you Fritz my homestay for being so accomodating and helpful while I was in Switzerland. And Monica for feeding me (whoever knew mashed potatoes were the worlds best recovery food?!).

And also a big thank you to Phil Parsons for handing out nutrition and support on the day. You were an immense help.

London Duathlon Tips...

2011-08-24T13:33:00.005+01:00

My Top 10 Beginners Tips for the London Duathlon

1 Arrive early. You’ll need plenty of time to collect your timing chip, rack your bike, warm-up and familiarise yourself with the course and transition. Arrive with 60-90mins to spare before your start time.

2 Know the route. If you can ride the route beforehand then take that opportunity a week or two before the big day. If you can’t then it’s worth familiarising yourself with the route map in your race pack. I personally recommend using Google maps along with the route map to plan your route; this way you can zoom right in on the roundabouts to plan the right line through each. (Remember! As long as you’re not cycling with oncoming runners then you can pass the roundabout to the left against the normal rules of the road)

3 Do your pre-race warm-up run over the first 1k of the run course. By doing this you’ll see the left turn you’ll need to take on the second run. On the first run you’ll go straight on but it’s definitely worth knowing where you’re going beforehand.

4 Familiarise yourself with the transition area on arrival. Transition is where valuable time is gained or lost. Make note of the two entrances and two exits located in each corner of the bike rack area and plan your route. Make sure you physically walk the route in and out of transition before the race so you know exactly where your bike is when you collect it in T1 and exactly where you need to leave it when you collect your running shoes again in T2.

5 Have a distinctive marker at your bike in transition. We’re all familiar with the tactic of putting a distinctive mark on our luggage so we recognise our bag on the luggage carousel at the airport. The same should be done so you can find your bike in a huge transition area. I have a large colourful flag that I place under my bike. Dependant on what you use you may need to weight it down so it stays put once you’ve taken your bike, that way you can easily find your running shoes again once you’re back in transition after the bike section.

6 Easy gear on the hill. The only major hill on the bike course is Broomfield Hill about 2-3k’s into each lap. I’ve always had to get out of the saddle to get up this hill quickly so it’s pretty steep. Change to an easy gear early before your legs are screaming at you as by that point it’ll be too late! Spin to the top then get back into a harder gear as soon as you can to push over the top.

7 Push it on the long downhill section. The final 3k of each lap on the bike leg is downhill and most people ease off on this section but to get ahead of the crowd get aero, select a big gear and keep pushing it to come through the field and enjoy racing the bike fast!

8 End of each lap. At the end of each bike lap; 200m after the roundabout at the Roehampton Gate, stay left if you have another lap left to go. However, if you’re on your last lap then stay to the right to come in for your second transition. It’s always worth looking to see exactly where the dismount line is before the race.

9 Eat and drink. Although this race is in mid September it has a reputation for being pretty warm so make sure you take on plenty of fluids during the runs as well as a bottle of energy drink and a carb gel on the bike and be sure to trial whatever energy products you plan to use in your training before using them on race day! I always leave 3 hours between eating breakfast and racing and then sip an energy drink in the hours before I start. After the race be sure to replace the lost fluid and eat something within an hour of finishing to help you recover faster and definitely do both of those things before having a celebratory beer!

10 Smile and enjoy it. This is the biggest Duathlon in the world and each and every entrant has made a great achievement in completing the course so it’s worth remembering all that during the race and to actually smile and enjoy the experience.

Good luck!!!!

Can you Geel it?

2011-08-10T13:12:00.007+01:00

I raced the ultra competitive Powerman Vlaanderen in Geel, Belgium at the weekend in the Flandrian half of Belgium which is the homeland of Duathlon and came home with a decent 12th place finish.

Powerman Vlaanderen - Aug 7th 2011 - 10k - 60k - 10k

This was my first time racing in Geel but luckily they had totally changed the course so it was new to everybody. The first run was mainly off road on soft grass around football pitches which was slow and hard going. The race started at a crazy pace and I probably paid for a big effort on the second k to get onto the group ahead. I came into T1 in 18th Position with some work to do.

The bike was a very technical but flat 60k and was this probably my best bike leg of the year. 1.29 is not bad for such a winding course on a breezy day and I hit T2 in about 18th Place.

The second 10k run was where I needed to really gain some places. My first 2.5k was really quick but I then slowed a little. It was hard to know how many places I was gaining as I was lapping scores of people. But I could my car buddy Lee Piercy was just ahead and despite roaring that I was coming to get him on the last lap I never did catch him but gained about 5 or 6 other places trying!

12th doesn't sound great but the field was so competitive that if I was Belgian I'd have taken the bronze medal in their long distance national championships and they are the strongest nation in the world of Duathlon.

Fos International Duathlon Val d'aran

2011-07-26T16:52:00.005+01:00

I have a bucket list of races to do and I ticked a big one off my list yesterday at the Fos International Duathlon (formerly the Val d'Aran Duathlon) in France.

Fos International Du - 8k-90k-8k - 24th July 2011

This is like no other Duathlon I've ever done. It was more like a mega hilly bike race (total of 2045m climbing) with a couple of short but cruelly tough 8k runs either end. The big enemy of the day was the 1349m Col de Menté which was tackled from both sides racing against a bunch of basque climbers who make me look fat.

In Duathlon terms this is as close as you'll get to a TdF style race. After a swift but sensible first run and a good first ascent of the Menté I was in fifth with a motorbike guide giving me regular time gaps to the leaders. OK he didn't have a girl on the back with a chalkboard but it's good enough for me. The leaders were two Basque guys who seemed to be working together so would be tough to catch. I caught the 4th place man, attacked and gapped him on the Col d'Ese then did the same at the foot of the Menté to take 3rd place and came over the top with a good gap to the chasing group.

After a crazy descent and the fastest 10k I'll ever ride I was back on the flat few k's back to transition. I really struggled on the flat back to transition and lost a lot of time on the chasers here. I'm pretty sure what was wrong but I'll keep that to myself. Unfortunatley that meant I came into transition with two other guys and involved in a footrace. I took 4th which was OK. I'm pretty gutted to lose any places on a second run this year but I made a lot of mistakes which didnt help. but make no mistake that this is still a big result in a long running, prestigious French race.

Big thanks to my sister, Helen for driving me on the course the day before and dropping me at the top so I could ride the descents. I could have done that all day!

Time trials when you're having fun.

2011-07-06T13:33:00.007+01:00

I did a couple of TT's in the last weeks with mixed results. One week I did the Southern Counties Cycling Union (SCCU) 50 mile Champs and the following week I did the Eastern Counties Cycling Association (ECCA) 100 mile champs. The 50 was pretty brutal. Bad course (45 RABs), windy day and coming at the end of my biggest high intensity weeks training was stupid of me to do at an important training phase. 2.00:44 was my finish time which is 6 minutes off my best and 3 min of what I did on the same course last year. Worryingly this was 100% effort and I was completely shattered after finishing. This is overtraining. I felt awful and had to race double the distance the following week and I planned to do it quicker (sub 4 hours)

I made dozens of mistakes in my preparation for the 50. I did not make any for the 100. This is the benefit of racing regularly and it's OK to c**k up a meaningless 50 on a sunday morning if I learn from the experience.

The 100 was pretty much clockwork. I went out easy and just held a speed over 25mph the whole way. I always felt in control and it was a hard effort but cruisey. The route for the last 10 miles was pretty hilly and windy but I had some time in hand so came in a 3.59:19. Job done.

Ridley Dean Frameset For Sale

2011-06-08T13:45:00.008+01:00

Today is 28th of June and I'm still selling a really fast Ridley Dean Frameset. There's a full ad on ebay at the following link but I will let it go for a better price if not bought through ebay. Here's the ebay LINK

And a few pics....

Falk this way

2011-05-22T21:56:00.007+01:00

Powerman Germany - Falkenstein, May 22nd 2011 - 16k - 64k - 8k

What a bizarre performance. I felt like cr4p on my warm up. Heavy legs and a generally bad mood. If I could have gotten out the other side of bed I would have.

It was hot and humid and everyone times were slow. My first run was way slower than last year and I was totally out of the running. My first lap of the bike was poor but after 2 hours of racing I seemed to find something.I ran a quick second run ;the fastest split of the day at 26.52 for a hideously hilly 8k. I know I'm in good shape so finishing in 10th is pretty gutting. But running so fast off the bike is a great sign as the world champs has a 30k final run.

That's my spring season done. I haven't finalised exactly how many races I'll do in the build up to Zofingen but I'm looking forward to a good block of training in the next 6-8 weeks.

Como Chameleon

2011-05-09T13:29:00.007+01:00

I came home in 5th place which is my highest PM finish yet at Powerman Italy in Como yesterday. Below is an edited race report from duathlonworld.com. I was pretty unimpressed pre race not to be even mentioned as a contender so I showed them by getting stuck into the race reports.

Powerman Italy - Como, May 8th 2011 - 10k - 80k - 10k

In the first run a three man group of Vansteelant, Picco and Antonioli led the race finishing the 10 K run in 31 minutes, 20 seconds before Martin Veznik (CZE). At 1:20 David Vaughan (IRL) led Lukas Baumann (SUI/Produathlon Suisse) into transition followed by the rest of the bunch strung out behind.

Vansteelant attacked straight from transition opening a gap on Picco and Antonioli. Behind at 2.30 a nine man chasing group formed (Retzlaff, Vaughan, Widmer, Puricelli, L. Baumann, J. Baumann, Rolla, Veznik, Dal Maso). On the 12 K climb to the Colma di Sormano Picco closed the gap to Vansteelant to only 30 seconds while Antonioli was swallowed by the chasing group led by Puricelli and Retzlaff. On the top of the climb: 1. Vanstellant, 2. Picco, 3. Puricelli, 4. Retzlaff, 5. Widmer, 6. Rolla. 7. Vaughan. On the descent Vansteelant increased his advantage on Picco to 1:42 into transition. At 5:52 Sebastian Retzlaff entered transition followed by Christian Puricelli and Gabriele Rolla at 7:06, Marc Widmer at 7:29 and David Vaughan at 9:38.

With a steady last run Vansteelant secured his second Powerman Italy Victory. Silver went to Picco and bronze to Retzlaff. Puricelli finished 4th and with a strong last run David Vaughan came through to 5th position.

The Battle of Horst

2011-04-17T23:19:00.007+01:00

I follow Chris mcCormick a bit and he's always talking about how tough the racing in Europe is. Yesterday I was right it the middle of it and saw exactly what he means. A relentless fight from gun to tape and any mistake would cost you a place.

European Powerman Championships 2011 - Holland 17 Apr '11

The start was comical. The startline was less than 4 athletes wide so it took ages to cross the line and the leaders were gone so I had some work to do to bridge the gap to the frontrunners in the first 1k. This was ass but luckily I was feeling good so it didnt kill me. The organisation of these races is first class but that startline is plain stupid in a championship race.

I learned a lot about PM biking at this event. Its fair but tatical and you need to play the game a bit to succeed or a big group will overhaul you after doing lots of work on your own. 8 guys caught me at the halfway point so I matched their pace and came home with them.

I was quick through transition and got out ahead of all 8 guys and I was away running well. I don't often get stitches and I hadn't eaten or drank too much but it just happened and my speed dropped for about 2k to 4k and I lost 2 places but it passed and I started to make up places again. Bizarrely the race leader who had lapped most of the field just sat on my shoulder for his final lap and let me do all the work (He did not lap me though!).

I finished 6 minutes quicker than last year which is massive and felt like I was in the the thick of it this year. I finished in 14th place which is not bad in the Eurpoean Championships and I can feel that I can improve greatly on this performance. Even though it was a really tough days racing I enjoyed it more than I have enjoyed a race for years and I can't wait for my next big race on the continent in a few weeks, Powerman Italy.

Magpies, pheasants and automobiles.

2011-03-20T10:58:00.003Z

Within 5 miles of leaving the house this morning I had seen four pairs of magpies. A very good omen but then further up the A1 I saw just a single magpie and shortly after that I hit a big pheasant at over 80mph. Lady Karma now owed me nothing.

Dambuster Duathlon - Mar 19th 2011

There's not much to say about my performance. I've struggled with a chesty cough the last 5 weeks plus a lot of knee pain so the super form I had before that is long gone. 5th place today is a fair reflection on where I am right now. I can see from how I raced exactly what specific training I need to do so that was the point in racing and not the result. I'll keep my strengths and work on the weaknesses.

New faces and new races in the UK Duathlon meant Hugh MacKenzie and Julian Lings were in a league of their own today. I'll need to find some serious form to stay with these lads. I will say that the Dambuster Duathlon is the best bike course in the UK. One big 42k lap, fast corners, good surface, rolling hills, perfect for strong bikers.

The Wokey Hokey.

2011-02-13T14:10:00.011Z

Wokingham Half Marathon - 13th Feb 2010

Today I put my 2011 motto (top right) into practice. I had 2 ambitious goals for the day, the first was a top 10 finish, the second was to get under or as close to 70 mins as possible. I set the bar high and went for it early on but the final 3 miles into a block headwind back up the hill to the finish I paid for it.

It was a good workout if nothing else. Wet, cold and windy conditions didn't make it easy but I did run a PB of 1.12.04 which is decent for a badly paced effort. I paid for my early exertions in the latter parts after hitting 5 miles in 26.30 which is 69 minute pace I dropped off at the end. I finished in 12th position which is decent and the wheels didn't completely fall off in tough conditions. Annoyingly I reckon I could have run a 1.10 yesterday on a fine, dry, still day but that's racing.

Cross Dressing.

2011-01-31T13:46:00.006Z

Bless me father for I have sinned. It has been 12 months since my last cross country. I paid my penance yesterday at Parliament Hill in the South England XC Champs. 15k of the hilliest, muddiest, toughest and most demoralising XC racing you'll find. This course has ended many runners cross careers who walk away saying "what's the f**king point?, it's not even running!". But I love it in a way. It's also the only Championship race to be run over 15k. North, Midlands and Nationals are all 12k (and I thought it was the southerners who were soft?!).

South of England XC Champs - Parliament Hill - Jan 29th 2011

XC preparation was nil but I made a good account of myself and came through as the race progressed. 54.01 according to my watch makes it just under 6 minute miling which sounds rubbish but considering the course it's not bad. I was over 3.30 quicker than last year which was more down to conditions than form. My legs are smashed today so I didnt leave anything out there. I came 78th and with those who I consider my running contemporaries behind me it must be a pretty good effort. Wokingham Half Marathon in 2 weeks will be a true test of form but the signs are good off mainly tempo training.

Here's a few multisport names I noticed on the results...

36 -52:20 Ben Pochee -Highgate Harriers
44 -52:49 Kairn Stone -Newham & Essex Beagles
78 -54:04 David Vaughan -Garden City Runners
121 -55:57 Sean Renfer -Thames Valley
128 -56:15 James Brown -Metropolitan Police AC
134 -56:29 Matt Molloy -Woodford Green AC & Essex
213 -59:10 Mike Trees -Belgrave Harriers

Duathlon 101 - What is Duathlon?

2011-01-23T16:23:00.012Z

I'm going to answer one of the FAQ that plagues my life... "What is Duathlon David?". And also the related sub heading 'I dont do Biathlon that's something else entirely'.

Duathlon is a run bike run event. It's a simple as that. You run. Then you bike. Then you run. Period.

You can also do a Run - Bike - Run - Bike - Run event. Which according to a quick websearch makes you a Mosquitoman. Suddenly the Ironman brand doesn't look quite as prestigious.
Duathlon is not Biathlon. Biathlon is a rare mix of ski-ing and Shooting. If they have bobbles on their heads and guns on their backs THAT'S NOT WHAT I DO! (I quite fancy the XC ski-ing but I really don't think my shooting is up to it)

Duathlon is not a Run - Bike - Wheelchair event.

Duathlon is not a Run - Bike - Build event. I love Peanut Butter and I love Peanut Butter. But i have NO idea what a Peanut Butter Duathlon is. However I am very interested. Run - Bagel - Run Event???

So to recap. All you need for Duathlon is trainers and some sweet wheels....

Compress to impress...

2011-01-13T13:44:00.005Z

I just took delivery of some of Compressport's compression garments to help me race and recover this season. Everybody's talking about Compression clothing and Compressport is the market leading brand from Switzerland that is creating the biggest buzz.

The quality is outstanding (and I'm the fussiest dude I know) and the worlds top athlete's are also wearing Compressport. There's me, Chrissie Wellington, Olivier Marceau, The cool kids at Team TBB, Marcel Zamora, Nicolas Roche and me (did I mention me?!). I'll write up some feedback the more I use the products but my first impression is that this brand blows the other compression clothing I've used out of the water. (2XU, Nike, Skins)

Here's a link to the Compressport UK estore so get involved!

Big thanks to Compressport UK.

Mounting 101.

2011-01-07T22:37:00.012Z

It's winter and there's not much racing happening so over the coming weeks I'll have a look at some of the highs and lowlights of my 2010 racing season. I'll start with a display of how to mount like the World Champion...

Here's Joerie Vansteelant mounting at Powerman Austria in 2009.

Now here's me in exactly the same spot 12 months later at Powerman Austria 2010 showing the same skills.

There's always one worse off though. Check out the dude in the background.

I dont think he saved that one. I love the fact that the marshall in orange continues to direct him around to his right!

Who ya gonna call???

2010-11-11T22:04:00.003Z

Who ya gonna call?? Ballbuste.... eh no actually the AA. My assault on the Balllbuster Duathlon 2010 came close but I fell before the battle had even commenced. My trusty little motor wasn't up to the job and didnt get me to the start on race morning as it died just 7.5 miles from the start line. I couldn't leave the car where it stopped and Mr. AA man had to come tow me away. I was all hyped up for the race with the big beats booming out of the car only to be towed to a garage instead of making the race. Oh the humiliation!

Not too glorious a way to end the season but I've had a pretty good year so I'll be having a much earned rest and a few ales in the coming weeks before setting my sights on 2011.

A bit of news that doesn't yet seem to have made the international headlines is that the 2011 ETU European Duathlon Championships will be held in Limerick, Ireland on April 17th. This is the same day as the European Powerman Championships in Holland so I'm going to have to miss one unless I can get the cloning device working again.

The race of the falling leaves....

2010-10-27T13:26:00.014+01:00

My last European Powerman event of 2010 was the inaugural Powerman Italy event on the Tour of Lombardy course around Lake Como in northern Italy one week after the one day cycling classic raced on the same roads.

Powerman Italy - 10k/80k/10k - Oct 24 2010

Typical first run by me as I was stuck between groups. The second group with Andy Sutz in it seemed a bit quick considering the course ahead so I dropped off and ran a 33 on my own.

This event was all about the 80k bike course and the forecast was really bad with a possibility of snow at the top of the 1124m climb. (What?? Bloody snow??!!) The course rolled around the lake with a 13k climb ave 10% after 33k then a long very technical descent winding through Italian villages back to the lake with at least a dozen steep hairpins. Then 10k straight back to T2 through a couple of lovely big warm tunnels.

From the start of the bike I kept the Swiss Widmer in sight and rode through a few times until he came off on a wet corner that was to get the better of scores of riders today. There was an Italian chap riding very negatively who sat behind us all the way but we stayed within sight of each other and tracked each other up the climb. I did a bit of a crowd pleaser to go over the top first in the group and shot down the descent leaving the other two behind. I thought I was going well but 'descent of the day' has to go to Dan McCarthy who really showed how it's done. I was a bit naff through the very technical parts and gave away minutes through the wet hairpins. Must do better... Switchbacks need work.

Second run. Big gaps, big pain. Rolled home in 8th. Not bad, not great but there was only top guys ahead of me in one of the worlds most impressive fields of 2010 with the top 10 ranked athletes all racing. This is a crazy event purely for the bike course. Big balls are required on the descent so I'm gonna need to shape up if I'm going to come back to race at Como again next year but I'd love to.

A couple of random factoids about the race.... the race commmentator was none other than Mr. Davide Cassani. OK so you have no idea who he is? Well he's the former Italian pro biker (now commentator) who accused Fabian Cancellara of having an engine hidden in his bike earlier this year. He is also the fella who allegedly spotted Michael Rasmussen riding in the Dolomites in 2007 when he was supposed to be in Mexico. Who knew that was the same guy?? That's free trivia!!

Big London Win.

2010-09-12T16:29:00.011+01:00

If I had a home race I think it would have to be the London Duathlon. I did my first Du here 4 years ago and have done the Elite race a couple of times since. It is also held at Richmond park, London which is where I did my first ever 10k race back in '03 when I was fighting the fat. I had three goals going into this race. One.. win. Two... go sub 4 hours. Three beat my 10k time from that 10k in '03 on the second run after 100k of racing. Simples!

London Duathlon Ultra Distance 20k - 80k - 10k - Sep 12 2010

I had bit of company on the first run. Some nice fella from Oz so we discussed pace and agreed to run 70-72ish for the first 20k run. He ran 31mins for 10k last week so he was good company as I came into T1 slightly ahead of him in 72mins which was a reasonable start.

Having raced here so many times before I know the bike course pretty well but it feels completely different when you have to do 7 laps. Broomfield Hill 7 times was a killer and I got cramp on the second lap and had to ride up with one leg! My lap times were fairly consistent but slower than I was hoping for because it was pretty windy so my hopes to break 2 hours for the bike was very optimistic. Nobody passed me so I came off the bike in the lead but with a lot to do to break that 4 hour barrier.

The second run felt quick but cruisey as I thought I had a large lead I even stopped for a pee so I was very pleased to have the quickest second run by about 3 minutes. I came home to take the win by a little over 6 minutes from another Irishman, Kona bound Declan Doyle so I wish him all the best on the Big Island. My time of 4:01.16 is not sub 4 hours no matter how long I look at it. But the quickest first run, both transitions and second run is a good session and I learned a lot about how to tackle a race like this. Plus I did manange to run the last 10k three mins quicker than a fresh 10k back in '03!

Big respect for the Ladies winner, Eilis Connery from Belpark Tri in Dublin. She had never done an event as long as this before so it was very impressive to take the win. No bother to her!

The magic position.

2010-09-06T07:51:00.008+01:00

This weekend had the two biggest Duathlons of the season - The World Powerman Champs in Zofingen SUI and the World ITU Champs in Edinburgh SCO - and I've not raced either this year. I'm pretty sure it's going to be the BIG one at Zofingen next year but let's worry about next season, next season. This weekend I was back up on the A1 to smash out a 50 mile TT personal best.

North Middlesex and Herts CA 50 - F1/50 - Sep 5 2010

Not much to say about this one. Head down for 1.54.29 and it's job done. I did a bike fit last week and we made quite a few changes to my TT position and a new PB by 3 mins seems to back up those changes but there's more tweaking to come before we find the magic position.

I also had done my biggest ever training week last week so all the signs are very positive. I warmed down by knocking out a half marathon training run and felt fast and free on that so hell yeah it all looks bright for London Duathlon Ultra next weekend!

Weyer is the love

2010-08-23T19:49:00.017+01:00

Powerman Austria was one of my missed goals for 2009 so I went to Weyer to make amends over the 15.6 - 82.4 - 7.3km distance in the Austrian alps. A recce of the bike course told me this was going to be a sufferfest and my 42T inner front ring was a very bad choice with a 12k climb from the start of each of 2 laps.

Powerman Austria - Weyer - Aug 22 2010

The plan was not to overcook the first run, to stay within the second group and save the legs for the bike. Big groups didn't form as the heat seemed to take it toll but I kept pace with Jochen Nedrinck (who ran away with the Powerman Belgium title three weeks ago) for most of the run and came into T1 in 6th which was a well controlled start.

Straight up the mountain on the bike and I was feeling pretty good reeling in the men ahead on the steep gradient. Then 8k in suddenly bang, I was roaring and felt immense pain as my left calf cramped up completely. I tried to rub it out but it was spasming and had swelled up like a golf ball under my skin. I jumped off the bike and stretched it out quickly which seemed to do the trick so I was back on and motoring again maybe losing 30 seconds which was good damage limitation but I had to repass the place I had just lost. I soon finished my energy drink and was already feeling a little woosy so I knew I had to drink a hell of a lot more. I even took a wrong turn going over the summit but a local cop set me right and the time loss was minimal but the heat/dehydration was clearly messing with my mind.

On the second lap of the bike the gaps between athletes were huge so concentration was all important as it became a lonely battle as about a quarter of the field DNF'ed in the stiffling heat. Then half way up the second ascent of the mountain I could see I was catching somebody. To my shock it was current world no. 1 Anthony Le Duey FRA and I caught and passed him easily so the poor guy was obviously in trouble. Then over the top Jonas Baumann SUI flew past me so I was back to 7th but it was becoming a race of survival which I knew was now the key to a good result. I was very worried about the cramp reoccuring on my dismount and having a one man pile up in front of the spectators but I could still get the leg over after 3 hours of racing!

The death march. If a horse was seen to be running like I felt on that second run they'd have shot it on sight. Everybody was dying on their feet as the temperature at the finish hit 40C. I've never wanted to walk in a race before but I can now understand how somebody could. Incredibly I ran the third quickest (or least slow!) split and picked off another place to come home in 6th place in time to see the five guys who had beaten me bathing in the town fountain getting interviewed on TV.

Big thanks to the old man for coming out to support me at what is a fantastic event on every level. I got quite a bit of TV time from the moto c TV ameras so hopefully I'll be able to see myself on Austrian television and there is something really special about being tracked by a TV helicopter while racing! I've been getting a lot of love for being the lone Paddylete on the circuit but it would be great to see a few more Irish involved in the Powerman Duathlon series. There are a lot of very strong run-bikers in Ireland who would really suit these races.

I even took my first bit of IPA prizemoney which I can hopefully make a habit of. Money makes the wheels go round after all.

Two races in one night... (sort of)

2010-08-12T22:33:00.003+01:00

Wow what a mission that was... Race one was the race to get up so Silverstone leaving work at 5pm to be racing for 7pm!! Some of my over taking menouvres would put the fear of gGod up Ayrton Senna and my sprint refueling would have got a pretty good pit lane split too. Seriously though I imagine my traffic offences count could have been in triple figures. I got there on time albeit with not enough time to warm up or set up the bike properly but I made the start, just.

Silverstone Duathlon - Aug 12 2010

Well I did win but it wasnt that convincing really. Actually there was a bunch of decent lads there all in contention and I only really won it with a couple of decent laps around the F1 circuit which got me a gap on the bike. It was really wet and I didnt much like all the cornering on such a wet surface. the lads pushed me hard on the runs and 10.09 and 10.44 for two 2 mile runs is pretty respectable and fastest splits on the night.

Nice to do another duathlon in the UK though and good to get the first Du win of the year under the belt. I'd recommend this race too as there's a pretty competitive bunch at the sharp end and I think it'd be lightening quick in the dry. I reckon I could go at least 2.30 quicker on the bike if I could see where I was going! A million things went wrong between the office and the finish line but I was determined to get there and learned a lot of lessons for the future about pre-race prep and NGI.

Results and pics to follow...

Training through the races....

2010-08-08T18:26:00.009+01:00

I've been training hard playing catch up lately so I've added a couple of races to build sharpness without any tapering or rest days in between. A big week with a 5k race on Thurs and a 50 mile TT on Sunday with two big days in between? Super idea!

Anerley BC 50 -G53/50 - 8th Aug 2010

4.15am Alarm
4.30am Eat Breakfast with Mint Chocolate Milkshake instead of milk. I always forget something.
5.30 Arrive at race venue with all the other weirdos
7.05 Start
7.07 Passed my minute man who told me he was going to be last.
8.00 I notice the bike is feeling very soft and squidgey at the back end.
9.02 Finish

It's a PB by 60 seconds exactly at 1.57.26. Not great but I felt pretty good the whole way so I'll nail the next one in Sept. I realised after that I'd incorrectly programmed my computer so it was slightly out. I thought I had been pacing myself for a 1.54-55 but I was getting the wrong distance and speed from it. That's a stupid schoolboy error and I'm kicking myself for it. I also confirmed at the finish that I had a slow pucture on the disc. I went through halfway in 58.08 and I know I put in more effort in the second half so a 1.55 was at least what the effort deserved. Ah well...

Steve Dennis won on the day in a mind-boggling 1.43.45. Or at least thats what he wrote on the results sheet. Check him out writing up his own results... Is that the key to winning??

I really need to get a better time so I can get a later start time with all the fast lads. I haven't been passed by anyone this year in a TT (apart from prebble at hardriders in Feb) and there's nothing like seeing somebody whizz by to kick up your speed. The G53/50 is not flat nor does it lack roundabouts. There was 43 in total to get through!! Luckily the roads were very quiet but that's a whole seasons worth of RBTs on the courses I'm used to.

On the way home I was so sleepy I had to go for a quick nap in the woods...

It wasn't me....

2010-07-08T21:35:00.004+01:00

June blows. I've had a persistantly bad chest the last month which has completely written off all racing I had planned for June and early July. I missed a Duathlon here in Dublin last night which is very dissappointing but I'm doing a big block of training here so I'll be race fit again for more racing back on the continent in a few weeks. I've just seen from a results pic below that Bryan Keane must have been given my place in the race. Nothing new there as Keano is always trying to be like me.

Rad times

2010-05-31T19:40:00.014+01:00

I made the long trip to the far reaches of East Germany to race my second PM race on the notoriously tough PM Germany course of 16km - 64km - 8k. After doing a course recce the day previous, man this was going to be the toughest race I've ever done. If anyone remembers the 'Ballbuster Ultra' idea I was talking about last year? Well this is it but up a ski skislope!

Powerman Germany - Falkenstein 30th May 2010

The plan was to go with the first run pace, get into a quick group and see what happens so coming into T1 in 5th place at the front of the second group only 30 seconds down seemed like a good start.

The bike was super tough with a long 16% ascent straight out of transition and rain, wind and cold temperatures making the day even tougher but I've spent the day at the beach in worse weather back in Donabate as a kid! I held my position for the first lap but after after a mechanical stop I dropped a few places and probably overcooked it trying to make up the ground on the second lap so I came off the bike in 9th place.

I gained a place in T2 and went out on the second run trying to go hard til the turnaround to see how close the guys in front were. I was really pushing it with a good high HR but the legs were pretty beat so I held it together and came home 8th.

Racing at this level is a huge learning experience but I'm improving and I can see how I need to get stronger. Travelling the the GB lads Lee and Matt who's years of experience is also a big help to me. I have a lot of hard work to do but I'm looking forward to progressing up the results. Tip-top transitions though!

I even had a bit of a podium moment with 1. Matt Moorhouse GBR, 2. Karl Prungraber AUT and 3. David Vaughan IRL in the M30 cat. I've gained more points in the Powerman World Series rankings where I now lie 30th. Infuriatingly though they have me listed as GBR... Fearg!

That was A1 Sharon

2010-05-16T14:19:00.007+01:00

My first ever 50 mile TT... 40 would have been enough I reckon as everyone seemed to die on their ass over the last 11 miles into an increasing headwind.

Norlond Combine 50 Time Trial - F1/50 - 16th May 2010

The F1/50 TT course is up and down the A1 for 50miles and is about as much fun as the picture below suggests but its pretty flat and quick when the wind is calm. When it's not you're in for a nasty day. I started at 6.26am which ain't the way the boys at the Tour do it. A 3.45am alarm is not right for any man. There's not much else to say... I passed some rickedy looking old dude on a trike which is about the most interesting thing that happened. Other than that it was 1hr 58mins of head down riding. Job done.

The fastest man of the day was 9 times BBAR champion, Ian Cammish who did a 1:49:49. This is 10 mins slower than his all time best which seems to prove it wasn't a very fast day. I reckon I have a 1.54 in me this year so I'll have to have another couple of shots at this distance. For the moment however I feel like I've been shot in the ass as my glutes are so sore so that proves it was a decent effort on the day. Lee Piercy came 4th in a very strong 1.53 on a tough day which is a clear reminder of the level of biking in Duathlon today.

Sarroni seems to be the hardest word

2010-05-10T13:25:00.010+01:00

What I really needed on the day was a nice fast field, preferably going head to head with some very strong bikers to really push me on the bike where I haven't been doing it in the Du lately. When I saw James Gilfillan warming up I thought that was perfect but he was starting in a later wave so this event became a pure Time Trial for me.

Goodwood Duathlon - 9th May 2010

Ran OK. The first run was way long but I held a steady 3.21 per km. Quickest Split.

My worst ever transition cock-up ever where I broke every rule in the book. I'm very lucky not to have been DQed.

Biked lame. Pulled away from the field but still big losses to Gilfillan. HR kept dropping so I have big concentration issues to sort out. The bike course was surprisingly tough with a 4km climb straight from transition which really kicks up at the end. It was far harder than the Ballbuster bike course so it will be interesting to see how quick guys can ride this course in future. The descent down through the Festival of Speed Hillclimb course was crazy. Wet, rough, windy, off-camber and superquick. I've never done 70kmph across a golf course before!

Second run was much improved from Holland though but a bit lonely. Same pace as first run.

I am in good shape but I'm really underachieving in Duathlons. I know what I need to do though.

Live on the edge of the red.

Must try harder.

With every day turn, turn turn...

2010-04-26T18:54:00.008+01:00

I didn't plan to make my first Duathlon in almost a year and a half the European Powerman Champs but after a puncture at the British nationals it kind of ended up that way. And Jaysis no amount of quality training prepares you for powerman racing....

European Powerman Champs - Horst aan de maas, Holland - 25 Apr 2010

I didnt feel quite right all last week then I just didnt really fire from the start. I wasn't quite sleeping right, had little appetite and the lilttle indicators that I was race ready just weren't there. It's a shame because I have good run form and even better bike form but it seemed like I lacked the guts for the fight on the day and never really found my top gear especially on the bike where I was pretty lame.

But this was my first Duathlon in 17 months so it's good to be back racing and 18th in the European Powerman Championships sounds a lot better than it feels today. Looking back over previous results I certainly did much better than a lot of top guys have done in their first Powerman race and I learned a huge amount for the future.

Big respect to Matt Moorhouse and Lee Piercy who both had outstanding results in Horst. Matt came third and Lee was seventh showing how much the bar has been raised in UK duathlon and keeping me motivated through the hardest sessions.

I loved the Powerman experience though. It was amazing to be at an event that was promoted and organsised by people who love duathlon first and foremost.

Click here for video.

Tempo Brumming...

2010-04-19T13:22:00.015+01:00

After a couple of weeks bike racing it was time to check on my run form. What I needed was a very competitive road race so there was no better place than the English National 12 Stage Road Relays at Sutton Park, Birmingham.

English National 12 Stage Road Relay Champs - 17 Apr 2010

I ran the ultra competitive opening leg which is always the quickest of all relay legs. As I was running the fastest of our team I was awarded the honour/burden but at least I get a straight up race against the other starters. Needless to say I stuck well away from the front row at the start line as the quickest runners in the country were there and Dave Roper too!

OK so I'm looking a bit too cruisey in the photo but my time was 31 seconds faster than 2 years ago when I was winning duathlons so the signs are good for my run form. (I was worried my step up in bike training might kill my run).

Next weekend's event for me is the European Powerman Champs in Holland. My first duathlon in 17 months, my powerman debut and the first of 4 massive events I'm doing this year. I'm running and biking better than ever so I'm pretty optimistic. I've had a look at the start list and as I wouldn't know Martine Licker from Christian Koch from Istok Fister the names mean nothing to me but this will be very competitive. Coming from the UK is Leemans vanPiercy, Mattias Moorhoff, Ter-Heide deBoer and Emmetje Dewsenhoven so I'll know a few faces.

Great weather for kite flying...

2010-04-10T19:30:00.012+01:00

There is an old Irish poem that says 'May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back'. Now I'm guessing the chap who wrote this lovely sentiment has never done a TT. For whatever the wind giveth it will always take more...

Lea Valley 25m TT E2/25 - 10th April 2010

There's never really much to say about TT's as they are pretty eventless so I'm going to experiment with a bulletpoint race report..

Too quick out of the blocks for the Cameralady!!!!!!!!!!!

0 mins- Head down and pushing hard.
6 mins- Whole body in pain
8 mins- Vomiting. (not just any vomit, this is M&S nutty cereal vomit)
20 mins- Wind assisted 10m TT PB -20.28. Will hurt from turnaround.
26 mins- Nearly blown off bike at turnaround.
36 mins- See chunky lady rider ahead getting into a van.
46 mins- Pushing through the blinding pain.
54 mins- (plus VAT) Finish.

I swear those old boys who do the timing at TT always add a few seconds onto my time. I stopped my watch on 55.00 and that was 10m past the finish line. But our survey says 55.03. The fastest man of the days was Mr. Peter Balls with 50.27. Balls that Balls is quick.

Looking for Garfunkel...

2010-04-04T14:53:00.007+01:00

I've always said the toughest race in the world is a lapped race that repeatedly goes by your house. This morning I got back into road racing on the bike and did a RR that went up the very steep Thieves Lane hill at the end of my road 9 times!!

Paul Simon Homes Road Race - 4th April 2010

What a great race! This was my first ever Cat 2 race and I more than held my own. I would never aim for the sprint finish so I was really looking for a long high tempo ride with my goal to push on in a few moves and get 121km racing miles in my legs.

I did a lot of work, chased down a lot of breaks and pushed off the front many times in pretty gutsy attempts to get away. I had planned to break away on the second last hill which is when the winning move went clear but I got boxed in by some dick who although pretty strong repeatedly seemed to back off at the critcal moments. I did make a late dash from the bunch for 3rd place with 2k to go and I opened up an impressive gap on the peloton but I was over hauled just before the finish line as the sprint was launched.

For the moment I am sat on the couch enjoying Cancellara's demolition of the Tour of Flanders.

Look mom, no hypothermia!

2010-04-03T09:31:00.007+01:00

My first bike race of 2010 without flirting with this years close companion, hypothermia. No rain and 10C felt like balmy summer conditions compared to recents race days so there was actually the chance of some decent times being posted at the traditional Good Friday Hilly TT.

Welwyn Wheelers Hilly '26' - April 2nd 2010

It seemed the organisers had made a complete balls up of the results for a lot of riders back at race HQ but I think the top 10 were in proper order. Here's as much as I can remember for the mo...

Pos Rider Club Time
1 Luke Clarke Team Milton Keynes 01:03:51
2 Nick Sparks Sheffield Triathlon Club 01:04:12
3 Ross Clarke Team Milton Keynes 01:04:18
4 Jonathan Shubert Verulam CC 01:05:10
5 Tim Davies Icknield RC 01:05:47
6 Nigel Stephens Finchley RT 01:06:43
7 David Vaughan Shorter Rochford RT 01:06:48
8 James Fox CC Luton 01:07:17
9 Simon Cannings Team Milton Keynes 01:07:49
10 Phil Lisher Team Welwyn CC 01:07:57

Over 24mph average speed on a pretty hilly course is a good sign that the training is working though I still have some work to do to to get amongst the TT specialists. I'll post some pics if I can get some though Welwyn usually only take photos of their own weird riders.

Boo, Hiss!!

2010-03-08T13:19:00.005Z

'It's not about the bike', Lance Armstrong famously said. I'm pretty sure he wasn't racing along with the air pissing out of his back tyre at the time though. At the Clumber Classic Du on Sat I got undone by the age old curse of the puncture. I did get a wheel change after riding 10k on the flat with the hope of getting to the finish. Only then to realise the new wheel was bigger than my disc and was now rubbing on the frame so without wanting to create a far bigger cut-out in my seat tube I got off and faced the long walk back to transition with the indignity of having to carry the bike in the cold and wet.

'Love is all you need' according to John Lennon. But Vincent Hendriks is all I need. Check out how quick this dude gives Denis Menchov a replacement bike in the final stage of last years Giro .

However it wasnt a completely wasted trip up north as I'm now the early leader in the Mr. Hypothermia UK 2010 after back to back weeks of cold wet miserable 'performances'.

2010-03-01T13:46:00.008Z

The North Road Hardriders TT - 28th Feb 2010

The only positive thing about the conditions on the day was that at least the weather forecaster are starting to get it right. This was the hardest TT I've ever done by a long way! I finished up 14th in 01:07:12 which sounds like an awful time for 25miles but this is a killer course even on a fine sunny day.

I was 62 seconds slower than last year but considering how I tip-toed around every corner taking zero risks. the extreme cold, the heavy winds and how much of the course was under water I'll take it as a much improved performance. I was certainly a lot closer to the leaders this year. In 2009 I was 6.50 behind third place but this year I was 5.26 behind third so at least I'm closing the gap to the big TT specialists.

On a decent day I think I could have done a 1.04 on this course but that will have to wait for another year. I'm now looking forward to Clumber Classic Du next Sat. The season has officially begun!!

Winner Matt Bottrill said afterwards "The conditions were just unbelievable, with standing water all over the course and debris having been washed across the roads. I got soaked as I think most people did, but typically it stopped raining just afterwards."

Just 57 riders finished the event, with 22 choosing not to start, while 12 failed to finish in the conditions.

"I really felt for them," said organiser Bruce Metheringham. "If it had been much worse I might've thought about calling it off, but it's the Hardriders and that's what it's all about!"

The magic numbers.

2010-02-09T13:11:00.017Z

3 NOT MAGIC NUMBER SHOCKER!!!

Contrary to what De la Soul have been preaching 3 is actually not the magic number. Recently I have begun the search for my magic numbers to take my training to the next level for 2010. So I have enlisted the help of leading Sports Scientist and fountain of physiological cycling knowledge Dr Jen Hewitt of optimumvelocity.co.uk in London to pinpoint my strengths and weaknesses using a spot of good old fashioned science to tailor my training so I can spin like Fabian in 2010. (final results may be inferior to Spartacus!)

The test methods are pretty simple. Using an SRM stationary rig and a very fancy lab that measures Power, Heart rate, Speed, Oxygen consumption, Cadence and most importantly Blood lactate Dr J has worked out my Vo2 Max, Lactate threshold, Lactate turnpoint, Max power and has graphed the results to profile my current performance level.

Now is the hard part. We will set specific sessions to increase my magic numbers which should result in huge improvements on the bike in this year. I wish I'd done testing years ago so I'd really advise everyone at all level to get involved. Pound for pound you'll see much greater gains than with some fancy new carbon bike.

Dance to this fix and flex every muscle
Space can be filled if you rise like my lumber
Advance to the tune but don't do the hustle
Shake, rattle, roll to my Magic Number

Big thanks to the Doc!!

For link to Optimum Velocity click HERE

Mud and Guts.

2010-02-01T13:47:00.011Z

Parliament Hill has a near mythical status in English Cross Country Running as being one of the toughest courses around. I ran the South England Cross Champs there on Sat and it was way harder then I'd have ever believed possible!

South England XC Champs - Jan 30th 2010

Here are some Tri and Du athletes results I spotted among over 800 finishers...

11 Will Clarke Cambridge & Coleridge 52:50
53 Daniel McCarthy AFD AC 56.32

74 David Vaughan Garden City Runners 57:34

112 Nick Beer Cambridge & Coleridge 59:11
117 Gordon Irvine Thames Valley Harriers 59:17
131 Sam Gardner WSE&H AC 59:37

133 Richard Stannard Belgrave Harriers 59:40

138 Chris Panayiotou Highgate Harriers 59:48
169 Josh Varney Hastings AC 61:05

It's a boy!!

2010-01-09T16:11:00.006Z

There's it is folks pumping away like a big horrible flappy looking yolk. I'm am told by those in the know that it's a cracker of a ticker. This is an Echocardiogram I did earlier today as part of a routine check up. Pretty Gross eh!?

2010-01-03T14:57:00.003Z

Boom!! 2010 starts with a win!!

Ok so it's a far cry from the biggest win of my racing career but I kicked off my racing comeback today with a win in the Sunday League Cross Country up in Royston, Herts. I wouldn't normally post about a small race like this but as my first competitive race it really mean't a lot to win against some quality runners. I've also just watched my English club Leeds United beat Man. U in the FA Cup which had a lot of parallels to my race; taking the lead early on and muscling through to stay ahead til the end against the odds.

Its the bright start for both of us and maybe this is our year??!!!

Results

Name Club Time
1 David Vaughan Garden City Runners 31:30
2 Paul Adams St Albans Striders 31:43
3 Steve Harrison FVS TRI 32:07
4 Noel Carroll Cambridge & Coleridg 32:14
5 Mike Salt Cambridge & Coleridg 32:30

Happy New Year!!!

2009-12-29T19:58:00.005Z

OK so 2009 has been the year from hell for me so I've never been as happy to say goodbye to one year and ring in the next as now. I have a couple of Cross Country races in the first couple of weeks if they can survive the harsh English winter we're having so far...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! ROLL ON 2010!!!

Sunshine 101

2009-12-12T16:24:00.012Z

This time of year many athletes follow the old and infirm south to enjoy some winter miles free from the nasty weather here in northern europe. I've just gotten back from a great Triathlon Ireland training camp in southern Spain where 10 hours of sunshine everyday was basked in and a lot of base miles were laid down in prep for 2010.

TI Training Camp Aguilas Spain - December 2009

Big miles and big meals were what it was all about in Aguilas which is a gem of town on the south-east Spanish coast where I recently spent two weeks with the TI squad riding and running in Murcia as I come to the end of my base phase of training and things seem to be going really well. Three sessions a day averaging 5 hours was the aim. And a long bike session between two runs took it's toll but I've actually never felt better at this time of year and I reckon I'm putting together the pieces for a really strong 2010 season.

There were five guys and five girl athletes so there was plenty of company, a few new faces in the TI squad and a few invited guests to boost the level of training. As a duathlete weither I'm actually a member of the Squad or an invited guest I dont actually know but I certainly enjoyed working with the group especially my homies Bryan 'mutton chops' Keane and Laurence 'when will I be' Fanous.

Big thanks to all the TI Crew... Captain Chris Jones, Professor Declan Gamble, Sergeant Martina McCarthy, Lynne 'the hands' Algar, Bronwen who put the nut in nutrition, Chris 'lets get physio' McNicholl and Toni whose hard work and professionalism meant we all got so much more out of our time in Spain.

Now its back to the Winter in the UK but hey it's Christmas and if it snows I can tear up the trails on the mountainbike!!

Feliz Novidad!!

Frankie says RELAY!

2009-11-08T16:46:00.013Z

Ok so it wasn't like I did a proper Duathlon but yesterday I ran the third leg in a relay team at the 20th Anniversary Ballbuster Duathlon. The event organisers invited all the previoous winners back to race the event and as I'm not in race shape I entered into a relay team with Dan Corner running the first leg Mike Jubb biking the second leg and then me bringing the team home running the glory leg. As three former winners I guess we had no excuse not to win!

Ballbuster Duathlon - 7th November 2009

Dan blasted off on the first leg leading all the way around only to be just passed by Ben Pochee on the last bend but we were right at the mix from the start. Mike Jubb had a few probs on the bike but pulled us through in 8th place when I took over.

I did have pretty unfair advantage over the other lads in the race as they had been racing for almost 2 hours and I was completely fresh but I'm far from race fit so it wasn't a complete mis-match. I did mile reps the Tuesday beforehand and I wasn't exactly busting a move; but that was the quickest I've run in about 5 months!!

I knew I'd go quicker in a race and I managed to get myself moving along quite nicely considering taking three places by the halfway point but then there was a huge gap ahead. I kept cruising along the bottom road ready for the big push on the final hill where I could see Darren Treadaway and James Gilfilan ahead. I duely dispatched them both and bagged third place overall for the team. it seemed retty unfair as they had been going for two and three quarters hours where I'd had a 44 min run out (Sorry guys!). But I was pretty pleased with the 44 mins for 8 miles off only eight weeks back in training so things are looking good for the future.

It was a great occasion and really cool to hang out and chat with the other previous winners and the Human Race crew so big thanks to John and Sarah who are already planning the 25th Anniversary race and I'm hoping to have won it again at least once by then!

Previous winners: James Gilfilan, Mark Stenning, Wayne Smith, Garry Gerard, David Vaughan, Mike Jubb, Lee Piercy, John Lunt, Dan Corner, Rich Hunt.

Duathlon247.com interview...

2009-11-06T13:25:00.005Z

I've just done an interview with Annie Emmerson of duathlon247.com about what's been going on with me this year, my plans for 2010 and my two cents on this weekends Big Ballbuster Duathlon Anniversary race. Click here for a link to it.

Ballbuster 2009

2009-11-03T13:55:00.003Z

This is just a quick note to say that I'll be 'racing' the Ballbuster Duathlon this weekend down at Boxhill, Surrey. Its the 20th anniversary of the race and I've been invited back as a previous winner.

I'm entered in a relay team with two former British Elite Duathletes, Mike Jubb and Dan Corner. I'm not sure what shape the other guys are in and how seriously we're going to take it. The only tactics we have already agreed is that Dan and I look after Mike's daughter while he's on the bike. Three men and a baby??? We mean business!!

The future is bright!!!

2009-09-12T08:30:00.012+01:00

OK so I have to make a pretty big update on my health situation as last Friday was D-day with the Professor I have been consulting about it. It seems that after dozens of tests and freaky doctors over reacting in the last six months they have ultimately concluded that there is nothing to worry about. There is nothing to cause any major concern with my heart!!

So it's now time to get off my ass and back to training...

If anyone else ever goes through a similar situation then don't hesitate to contact me to compare notes as I have learned a lot from this experience. I cant say strongly enough how if you don't feel happy with a first (NHS) diagnosis then seek a second and a third opinion if needed. If I had accepted my first diagnosis then I would have given up sport and lived in fear for the rest of my life. It would appear to me that your 'common or garden' doctor isn't used to seeing the kind of results athletes throw out so seeing a specialist who is more familiar with athletes is essential.

On the face of it I have lost a seasons racing and endured some pretty awful months of waiting is pretty devastating but I never lost hope and now the future is mine again. Going through this I've realised how many ambitions I still have to reaslise so I'll be more focussed than ever from here on.

There are still a few unanswered health questions but most importantly I can get back to training so for 2010 it's GAME ON!!!! Let's just hope it's a more successful comeback than Michael jacksons!

The end of 2009

2009-08-05T13:21:00.006+01:00

Contrary to my second to last post I had never given up on the possibility of racing again in 2009 and I had pencilled in some autumn duathlons, hill climb TT's and I was even hoping for a sneaky end of year Ballbuster down at Boxhill. Unfortunately though I have seen a specialist who recommends 2 months complete rest to see how my heart responds to that so I'll be sitting on my ass till October 1st gaining weight and grey hairs with worry.

The worst thing is I'm in pretty good shape at the moment which will soon all be lost. I even spent a few days out in France last week riding in Provence and watching the Tour de France. A group of us raced up the mountain on the Friday then watched the race on Saturday. Check out the pic below of me about 2km from the summit tearing it up the mountain. Does that look like a man with a heart problem??!!

For now though I'll be at home knitting, or learning a new language or learning to do watercolours or anything else less active that I can think of!

I have received quite a few messages of support which are really appreciated and are a great help in keeping my mind on the job at hand. (i.e. Sitting) Apologies and big thanks and love to Clare who is having to cope with a moody, lazy apeman that she never wanted.. These 2 months are probably more of a sentence for you as they are for me!

David Vaughan .x

Duathlon Central!!!

2009-07-30T13:17:00.005+01:00

Just a quick note to say everyone should check out the brand new Duathlon website at Duathlon247.com. It's run by the good folks at Tri247.com who have always been really helpful and supportive to me and I'm sure the new venture will be a big success.

Check it out!!!!

2009 so far...

2009-07-13T13:17:00.006+01:00

In 2009 so far I have had a lot of results; sadly none of them for racing but all of them medical. Since March I have had four sets of blood tests, countless Electrocardiograms, an Echocardiogram, a 24 hour Cardio recorder (HRM by NHS!), a 'treadmill test' (!), and I still have a Cardio MRI to come as we try to build a profile of what is causing me to show an abnormal heart rhythm. Within this time I haven't been racing but I have been training hard and keeping myself in good shape and thinking positive.
But last Thurs I saw the Cardiologist who presented the worst case scenario which was pretty devastating. Following this consultancy and the initial shock I am continuing to research the subject and plan to get a second or third opinion on my options.

At the moment it looks optimistic that I could race in 2010 but I could potentially never race again if what this doctor says is true. But at 30 I still remain hopeful that I have a future in a sport I've become increasingly devoted to in the last 5 years and I still hope that I have my best years ahead of me.

Sláinte Mhaith. dv.

Training Camp

2009-05-19T21:35:00.007+01:00

I've just returned from a career changing Training Camp with the Triathlon Ireland Development Squad at Les-Stables Triathlon Complexe in the Dordogne region of France.

World renowned coach Chris Jones is at the head of the Ireland team and was the man setting out the training along with assistant coach Mark Dempsey and with the help of Sport Scientist Declan Gamble they brought a new level of professionalism and knowledge to my training and the experience will change the way I train forever.

Training full-time with a squad of full-time athletes gave me a great insight into the level of dedication required and the attention to detail shown was so much greater than I have ever seen and has inspired me to raise the level of my training and well-being in the future. This is the start of a totally new direction for me and needless to say there will be big changes ahead and hopefully big gains will be made.

Big thanks to Chris, Mark and Declan for their help and guidance with training. Also many thanks to Mark Shaw, Sibs and Laurence of Les-Stables for making our stay so great at their top-class facility.

Strong winds blow fast TT chances

2009-04-19T16:11:00.007+01:00

I did the Bedfordshire Road Cycling Club 25 Mile Time Trial on the F1B/25 course up the A1 this morning in the hope of setting a very fast time with my goal of 55mins for the season. The F1 is known as the quickest course around but unfortunately unknown to me the F1B is not as it heads in the opposite direction and is a whole lot hillier (not good!)

Beds RCC 25 Mile TT - 19th April 2009

There was a lot of wind in the last couple of days and I woke this morning to find it hadn't died off at all and it was howlin'! The TT course ran 12.5 miles south on the A1 then turn back around a roundabout and ran north to finish near the start. Its pretty exposed so the strong NNE winds of 15mph were going to make things pretty difficult especially on the way back.

I blasted off pretty quick thinking the course was going to be a whole lot flatter than it was but when I hit the first few long dragging hills I could see my average speed dropping off and I hadn't even turned into the wind yet. I hit the turnaround in 28.21 but had passed a half dozen other riders so it was clear everone was suffering in the conditions. I had a good go on the return leg and despite getting stuck on my small front ring for a couple of minutes I finshed in 59.22.

It's a long way from the 55mins I was hoping for but when I got back to race HQ I was a lot further up the results than I'd have expected 59mins to be so it wasn't a quick day by any standards. Overall I finished 6th four minutes behind the very impressive winner Lee Tunnicliffe. Results as follows...

1 Lee Tunnicliffe DHCyclesport.com 00:55:14
2 Jonathan Shubert Verulam CC 00:57:23
3 Leo Bonito Beds RCC 00:58:19
4 Mark Simmons Team Milton Keynes 00:58:48
5 Sam Hayes Beds RCC 00:59:06
6 David Vaughan Shorter Rochford 00:59:22
7 Nick Jackson Cambridge CC 00:59:24
8 Dave Lazenby A5 Rangers CC 00:59:53

59.22 for a 25 TT?!! A lot more power work needed on the TT bike then.

Almost embarrassingly I won £10 for most improved 25 Mile time. Not really surprising as my previous quickest time was on the incredibly hilly North Road Hardriders course! Big thanks to Markus and Kath for the support, photos and brekkie.

2009 Season Goals

2009-03-18T19:57:00.015Z

Following one of the most interrupted winter training season which featured multiple illnesses, injuries and even a long snowy period I have at last finalised my goals for 2009. It'll be a very different season for me and I'll be racing a summer season as opposed to the Spring/Autumn split season I did in 2008. It's certainly going to have quite a few highs...... let me introduce The Three Peaks!!!!!

Peak 1 - The Tourmalet Duathlon - June 20th 2009
6km - 30km - 5.8km

This is a race I'm very excited about as the bike goes up the famous Tour de France climb of the Col du Tourmalet in the French Pyrenees. Race distances are: 5km run with 120m climbing starting in Bagneres-de-Bigorre. The 30km bike features 1,565m of climbing and ascends the eastern side of the Col du Tourmalet to finish at the summit and is followed by a final 5.8km out and back run that includes a further 260m of climbing to the Col de Sencours where the race finishes at an altitude of 2,378m!

Peak 2 - The Fos International Duathlon - July 20th 2009
12.5km - 82km - 10km

This has been the French Long Distance Championship for the last couple of years and attracts a top class continental field as it's one of Europes' long running Classic Duathlons. Its another mammoth mountain race and will be twice as long as the Tourmalet event. Race distances are; 12.5km run with 420m of climbing, 82km bike with 2,185m of climbing, including the Col de Mente twice and then a 10km run to the finish with 220m of climbing.

Peak 3 - Powerman Austria - August 24th 2009
14.7km - 76km - 6.9km

I will be making my Powerman Duathlon debut at Powerman Austria in Weyer in August. The race is held over the distances 14.7 km run / 76 km bike / 6.9 km run through the scenic Ennstal Nationalpark region . It's another mega hilly bike course which I will relish but the biggest attraction for this race is the atmosphere and large Austrian crowds who turn out to support and spectate the race which make this one unmissable!

North Road Hardriders 25

2009-02-25T13:27:00.015Z

The first of the season’s national classic time trials each year is the Hardriders 25, the North Road CC’s event over the undulations of the very testing F7/25 course in Hertfordshire. As it's a local event and organised by my club I like to use it as a guide to my early season form and to kick start my season. It's also interesting and somewhat daunting to see how I fare against the UK's top time trial specialists.

North Road Hardriders 25 - Feb 22nd 2009

A mild, still and dry morning has seemed like an impossibility lately but the weather was a lot kinder on race day and I even donned fingerless gloves for the first time in months! It was my debut race in the Shorter Rochford - Exclusive Ranges Team kit and on my new 2009 race bike.

Time trials are pretty uneventful so it's difficult to find much to say about them. Basically the timekeeper says go... you put your head down and ride flat-out till the finish; which in the case of this course is quite a while later! The first 5 miles is cripplingly hilly with some very fast descents and slippery roundabouts but I had passed 5 riders in the first 15 mins so knew I wasn't going too badly.

I seemed to be passing lots of riders on the hills but on the flatter middle section I wasn't catching as many, then each time we hit an ascent I'd overtake another rider or two. There was plenty of mental arithmetic over the last 5 miles as I tried to work out my estimated finishing time which was looking at between 65 and 67 minutes. Last year I remember aiming for 69mins so this seemed a pretty big improvement. I went flat out over the last couple of hills to pass the finishing line in 1.06.10 and with absolutely no energy left I felt I had measured my effort very well.

My finish time however was only good enough for joint 20th place as the event had attracted some of the UKs finest TT specialists. The race was won by Simon Gaywood of Team Corley Cycles in a blistering time of 58.36. The class of rider at the event was clear as 6 riders went under the hour mark and the top ten contained all national class riders.

I take a lot of confidence from my time as I've not done much high intensity bike work yet this year so this performance is very encouraging at this stage of the season.

New season... new race bike!

2009-02-24T13:28:00.011Z

I've just finished building up my new Ridley Dean race bike for 2009. It's the same frame that Cadel Evans used in the 2008 Tour de France but I think I've built mine up with better components though I haven't quite got my front end nearly as low as him. I'll be road testing it at the North Road Hardriders 25 Mile TT which is incredibly hilly hence the Zipp 404 front wheel but I'll have a deeper one on for flatter races during the season.

I managed to take a few snaps in the garden when the sun came out for the first time in months.

BEHOLD!!!

Be afraid.... be very afraid!!!

Second place at 220 Triathlon Awards.

2009-02-08T08:56:00.004Z

Last night at the 220 Triathlon Awards at Sandown Park in London I was awarded second place in the 'Men's Duathlete of the Year' category for 2008. First place went to Paul Amey, the reigning Elite World Champion while third place went to Jez Cox. I'm very pleased to claim second place behind a class athlete like Amey and the honour caps off an amazing year from me in 2008.

A huge thank you to everyone who voted for me and for your continued support. Roll on 2009!!

For full results Click HERE.

New team for the new year!

2009-02-04T13:49:00.009Z

Press Release:

David Vaughan joins Shorter Rochford – Exclusive Ranges racing team.

World and European Age Group Duathlon Champion, David Vaughan has joined the Hertfordshire based Shorter Rochford – Exclusive Ranges and will race with them throughout the 2009 season.

Shorter Rochford Cycles have been established for over 35 years as a bike shop in North London and have long been active in the racing scene, involved in sponsoring some of the finest cyclists in the country. They have experience of sponsoring riders at every level, from World Record holders and Elite road riders to Cyclo-Cross and Time Trial, as well as being active in multisport disciplines such as Duathlon and Triathlon.

David joins athletes Dan corner - World Quadrathlon Champion, Dave Mitchinson - British Elite and national Age Group Duathlon Champion as well as Darren Treadaway, Lawrence Harding, Dave Candy, Leigh Harvey and Rob Engers on the highly successful multisport team who race alongside the long established Time trial and road race cycling team.

Road testing the new team kit in the snow.

220 Triathlon Magazine Duathlete of 2008

2008-12-14T14:36:00.008Z

I've been nominated for 220 Triathlon magazine's 2008 Duathlete of the year!! It's a public vote though so this is where you come in!!! Follow the link below to see the nominees in each category. I'm in the 5th category and I'm top of the list so please tick my box to cast your vote!

You need to put in your email at the end to register your vote but as long as you tick the boxes on that page you'll not receive any junk mail.

Click HERE for link to 220 website for voting.

Thanks!!! dv.

Merrell Mudman MTB Duathlon

2008-11-22T22:36:00.024Z

After taking it easy during October following a long but successful season I've been keeping pretty active in my brief off-season. Last week I was at Newport Velodrome testing myself on the indoor track just for a bit of fun then this week I made my off-road Duathlon debut with some success and came a very respectable 2nd in the incredibly tough Merrell Mudman in Surrey with some very quick off-road running and some swashbuckling mountain biking!!

Merrell Mudman Duathlon, Camberley Surrey - 22nd Nov 2008

The race website couldn't be any clearer about what to expect, with quotes such as "don't be fooled by the distances, this will hurt", and an off-road run which, "lots of people complained it was too hard, consider yourself warned". It sounded like the 7.5km run / 15km MTB / 7.5km run was going to be an awful lot tougher than the distances suggested. In fact the race is run on a Military Vehicle testing track and a quick glance at the course map below shows just how winding it was; but the course profile was to be the toughest challenge with 6 killer hills on each lap!

Being a completely new event for me I was unfamiliar with the 'who's who' of off-road multisport but the tri247.com race preview suggested XTERRA specialist Jim McConnel and Olympic gold medalist Tim Brabants would be the ones to watch.

The first run got off to an easy start as we didn't hit the hills for about 2k but when we got to the first hill it really got interesting. The lead group of six that had formed soon splintered and I moved to the front and pushed the pace. The hills were incredibly steep with the loose surface making it tougher still. Each ascent was followed by an equally dicey descent and with six in a row the race was already killing me only 15mins in!!!

I came into T1 in joint first place, shoulder to shoulder with McConnel in a time of 29.30 which was a course record for the Duathlon race. And I had been holding back as I knew it was going to be a long race!

Racing on the mountain bike was a completely new experience for me and as McConnel struggled to find his bike I was out of T1 on my own. To be honest I'd have preferred someone experienced ahead of me to follow so I could take their lines!

The first lap felt great and apart from a few dodgy moments I felt I'd posted a pretty quick time but on the second loop I was starting to lap the field which made it pretty difficult in the single track sections of the course. I was passed by one rider, Colin Dixon on the steepest hill, so tough everybody had to get off to push their bikes up! On the third lap I was passed by one more rider in black, Paul Davies and I came into T2 in 3rd place glad to have gotten through the bike leg without a puncture or mechanical which are far more common in MTB racing.

The second run was really going to hurt but it was my last chance to put some time back into the guys ahead. I soon chased down Paul Davies the man in black and breezed by him in pursuit of the leader. Despite posting the fastest second run split and closing in on Colin Dixon by 1 min 42 seconds I came home in 2nd place 38 seconds behind the winner but well ahead of McConnell who bravely fought to claim 3rd place despite suffering some problems on the bike.

tri247.com described the race as having "An extremely high class mens podium with Colin Dixon (World Age Group Triathlon Champion in 2007) ahead of David Vaughan (European and World Age Group Duathlon Champion 2008) and Jim McConnel, regular pro athlete on the XTERRA world tour". I had lost quite a lot of time on the MTB which I solely put down to my lack of experience and confidence through the technical parts of the course but as I had entered the event just for the craic I was really pleased to have taken 2nd place.

Winter Miles = Summer Smiles!

Click here for results.

Gold at the World Champs!!!!!

2008-10-01T07:34:00.031+01:00

I've just returned from the World Duathlon Champs in Rimini, Italy where in my best performance to date I came 2nd overall and won the Gold medal in the highly competitive 30-34 Age Category!!!!

World Duathlon Championships - Rimini, Italy - Sept 28th 2008

The World Championships has the biggest, most competitive field for any race during the season so it was very difficult to pick who I thought were the favorites for victory but I had noticed some very talented German athletes and of course the top British guys I know all about. Dan Corner was the best prospect from Team GB as far as I was concerned as he was in my Age Group I was planning on keeping a close eye on him during the race.

The first 10k run got off to a ridiculously fast start as expected in a big champs race. I however took it easy and was way down the field for the first few minutes - probably as far down as 60th place!!! But I was running at a steady, fast pace and quickly started pulling my way through on each of the four winding laps. By the end of a very fast and long 10k run I came into T1 in 6th place with the leaders just ahead and within striking distance.

The bike course consisted of six 7km laps on a pan-flat course heading straight out and back along the seafront. I quickly got into a fast rhythm on the bike, picking off places and at the first turnaround I could see I was getting close to the leaders. As I completed my first lap I was already lapping slower riders and it became unclear where I was placed in the field as the course became busier. An old foe of mine was now becoming a problem though... once again there was a lot of drafting going on. I did quite a bit of zig-zagging and shouting to try to get riders off my wheel, but there were large groups forming behind me. I did my best to ignore it and kept my head down and pushed through it not letting anyone get ahead of me.

On the forth lap of the bike the race referees became a lot more active in stopping the offenders as several riders were penalised and given on the spot time penalties. It was from this point on that I managed to make my advantage count on the bike as I pulled away from the chasers and broke away on my own. I eventually came into T2 in 3rd position overall and in the Silver medal position for my Age Group. But with a big group of chasers close behind it was all coming down to the very fast final 5k run to the finish!!!
Things got really interesting on second run with my long standing rival, David Roper from Team GB running shoulder to shoulder out of transition. Together we quickly caught the leader of my Age Group and distanced the guys behind as we battled for 2nd place overall and slowly pulled in the lone leader ahead. Roper was setting a fast pace but I stayed with him then at the halfway point I noticed a slight drop in his pace so I moved straight through and started to open up a gap. Now I had my sights set on the man ahead but going onto the last lap he was pushing the pace. I was slowly gaining on him all the time and really giving it big licks as I knew the finish was getting ever closer. Alas the finish came too soon but I crossed the line with a burst of speed comfortably in second place overall to claim the Gold medal in my Age group at the World Duathlon Championships 2008.

At the end of the 2007 season I set some goals for 2008, one of which was to finish on the podium in these championships and to finish top 10 overall which I thought was ambitious at the time. To take the Gold and place second overall makes this my most proud result in the most competitve race I've ever done. and a huge improvement on 32nd overall last year!

2008 has been a long and successful season for me and I have really exceeded my expectations of what I could achive this year. All of my previous results though were eclipsed in Rimini where I really gave it all and finished with nothing left and a greater result than I'd have thought possible. However it was not a result achieved on my own. It was only with the help and support of so many people that I have been able to get to the start line let alone to top the podium.

I'd like to thank the guys at GCR who push me in every run session hail, rain or shine. The boys at North Road CC who draft me every bike session (mainly in rain!!!). My colleagues at Mark H for giving me the time off and forgiving lycra in the office! Eamonn Tilley and the Irish Team for their support and well done on the superb results we all achieved. Major thanks to the giant green foam hand brigade of family and friends who travelled out to Italy to support and make A LOT of noise.. you were the talk of the whole event!! I'd also like to mention all the personal support I get from my good friends with the GB team which really means a lot. Laurence for his part in our international wheel-sharing co-operative not to mention all the training guilt he gives me. And of course all the friends who offered support and wished me luck. But most of all to Clare who's had a crash course in being an athlete's Mrs and has graciously settled for the scraps of a man that's left over when all the training has been done!

I'd like also to remember my Grandmother Ruth Vaughan who died on the 25th September only three days before the race in Italy. Her memory carried me through the toughest times and always will.

RUTH VAUGHAN 1914 - 2008

Deja vu at London Duathlon Elite Race '08

2008-09-15T13:35:00.006+01:00

I returned once again to Richmond Park in London, the scene of my very first Duathlon only 2 years ago to race in the London Duathlon Elite Race. After a tactically very different race to '07 I unfortunatley had to settle for the very same result... 4th place again!!!!

Richmond Park - Sunday 14th Sept 2008

There were a few big names on the start list this year including, Wayne Smith, Dan Corner, Dave Roper and Steve Worthington to name but a few.

The first run got off to a comfortable start but Roper and Hughes went away from the gun. The main bunch kept together except for a brief breakaway with Smith, Worthington and I. From there on the group stayed together and we all came into T1 together.

The race situation was very different the other side of Transition where I chased down Dan Corner and we both moved away from the field to chase down the two leaders. This was a perfect situation for me as I was riding with the man I considered to be the strongest rider in the race. Game on!

We easily caught and passed Hughes who had been dropped by Roper and chased down the lone leader. Soon we were a group of three working together to hold the lead all caming into T2 together.

The second run was a very different story however and it showed that I had done a little too much work on the front for the bike and first run as Corner and Roper moved away. Garry Hughes behind me put in the fastest second run of the day clocking 14.52 for the 5k and pipped me for 3rd place. A very dissappointing end to the race.

The race was a pretty good workout however and gives me a very clear idea exactly where i need to focus mentally in the World Champs in 2 weeks time. Bring it on!

A Jack of all trades....

2008-09-04T21:54:00.004+01:00

Last Sunday I placed 3rd in my second ever Road Race on the bike. Road racing is distinctively different from any other bike racing I do as it's a draft legal and a mass start event so it was a rare opportunity for me to race as a team with the lads from North Road cycling Club. The result was good enough to promote me to a Cat 3 British cycling Racing License. Following is a race report from the NRCC website...

David Vaughan and Jonathan Appleby place 3rd and 4th respectively at Essex Roads 70km Autumn RR. - East Hanningfield - Sunday 31st August

It was a fine, calm and warm Sunday morning as Jonathan Appleby, Tristan Emptage, Laurence Pidcock and David Vaughan signed on for the 70km Essex Road and Gateway Cycling Club Autumn Road Race.

After a few brief runs on the front from Tristan and Jonathan, Laurence put his time trialing strength on show, opening a good gap of about one minute with Andrew Nichols and Ryan Maclachlan. Jonathan dropped back into the bunch to save his strength while David and Tristan rode sentry breaking down any attacks made toward the leading group.

Things were looking pretty good for Laurence’s group of 3 breakaway riders as they established a minute lead at about one hour fifteen mins into the race. On the forth ascent of the steepest part of the course Laurence was dropped by the two leaders and dropped back to the pursuing peloton.

As soon as Laurence was caught by the group NRCC made a big push at the front of the chasing group with Jonathan and David breaking clear on the climb. Brian McShane went with them and together the three riders set about closing the 40 second gap to the leaders. By working well together NRCC were able to close on the leaders and with 5 km's left to race the five riders was a group of 5 leading the race towards the finish.

The lead group had to maintain speed as the chasers were not far behind so as things began to get tactical Jonathan attacked giving a little shelter before the final effort. As they hit the first of the finishing climbs Andrew Nichols from Chelmer CC broke clear, pretty impressive riding for the eighteen year old given that he had survived out front since the original break away with Laurence. Despite a strong challenge from Brian McShane, Andrew held his lead for 1st place with David finishing 3rd, Jonathan 4th and Ryan 5th. Tristan and Laurence riding for the team finished in the bunch which was led home by Jonathan Tomlinson from Team Economic Energy.

Runways Dublin Duathlon Win!

2008-08-06T23:56:00.012+01:00

Tonight I won the final 2008 Runways Duathlon Series race in a very competitive event on home soil in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. The race organised by Belpark Tri Club was my first ever Sprint Distance Duathlon at 5km - 20km - 3km.

Runways Dublin Duathlon - Phoenix Park - August 6th 2008

The first run got off to a blistering pace and after 1km I was back in about 20th place!! I was confident that the over enthusiastic bunch couldn't maintain this pace and quickly picked my way through the group. At the end of the first lap I was in second position leading a group of about 4 or 5 athletes. I pushed the pace on the second and final lap and came into T1 feeling comfortable, with a 10 second lead on the main contenders behind.

Coming through T1 well I soon took the lead and was riding well on a very tough loop. Every bike course seems to throw up a new challenge and on this very technical 5 lap course the biggest difficulty was going to be picking my way through the backmarkers. By the second lap I was already having to pick my way through large groups of slower riders and I had to ride far less aggressively than I would have liked to avoid crashes.

I was being given time splits from the sidelines and was holding a gap of around 35 seconds till I dropped my chain on the forth lap while going onto the steepest part of the course. With a bit of difficulty I managed to flick it back on but I had been unlapped by about 10 riders!!!

Coming through T2 my technique was a bit rusty and I lost some time on the chasers who were all using platform pedals so I hit a fast run pace from the off and tried to push out the gap on the final 3k run. Looking over my shoulder I could see the gap was slightly growing so I pushed on and crossed the line with about a 20 second gap.

It was a rare opportunity to race on home soil and with quite a lot of hype surrounding my European Championship success the pressure was really on for me to take the win. I was really pleased with my performance as I'm currently in a building phase of my training and I now plan to move into an intense block of training focused towards the World Duathlon Championships in Rimini in September.

Gold at European Duathlon Champs

2008-05-26T18:59:00.032+01:00

It was Serres in mainland Greece that hosted the European Duathlon Championships where in very hot, tough conditions I won the Gold Medal in the 30-34 Age group beating all athletes in the under 40's wave and crossing the line first!

Watching the Elite race the day before it was clear that the heat was going to play a big part in the race and staying fully hydrated was going to be a major factor in a successful race. We awoke to clear skies and a temperature of around 32C for the race which was held on the open and exposed Serres Motor Racing Circuit. There was surely going to be nowhere to hide from the heat!

The opening run went to plan and after a frenetic start from the over enthusiastic field I settled into a fast pace and started cutting my way through the early leaders over the four lap 10k course. After lap 1 I was in 9th position picking up to 5th after lap 2, then 3rd after lap 3 until I finally entered T1 in 2nd place with a time of 32.44 for the opening 10k run and 20 seconds behind the little Italian who had taken the lead.

Following a quick transition I got out on the bike and got stuck into a very complicated 40k bike course on the pan-flat motor racing circuit; 7 laps one way interspersed by 6 in the opposite direction on the other side of the track. I soon took the lead on the first lap from the quick running Italian and started to open up a lead. With 12 U-turns I was getting constant visual feedback on the gap to the field which I was gradually growing as I kept up a fast early pace.

My only major concern on the bike was from an old adversary of mine... Drafting! I could see a couple of groups forming behind and at the halfway point of the bike there was a chase group of 5 riders all within a couple of seconds of each other clearly gaining an advantage from riding in a pack. The group was being followed by a motorbike marshall and twice I made clear signals to the marshall to break up the group. This spurred me on to dig deep and push harder to maintain the gap which was stabalising around 1min 30secs. Despite starting to feel the heat and thirst in the searing sunshine and the onset of some painful cramp I managed to maintain the gap and came into T2 1:30 ahead of the chasing pack.

My second Transition wasn't nearly as quick as I in practice with my muscles really beginning to tie up and become very painful. Running off the bike was not coming very easy and I was just looking forward to the first water station on the 5k run to hydrate and cool off. I knew I had a big gap and I couldnt see the second placed man behind but I struggled to get up to speed. I slowly got into a rhythm and following a bottle of water over the head started to feel human again and began to believe that today was to be my day. After 1 of 2 final laps I could see the my pursuers were closing in on me and the gap was down to 1 min but barring disaster I was home and dry and in the end crossed the line 40 seconds ahead of Harald Harnisch of Germany and 46 seconds ahead of Piergiorgio Conti the little Italian who had been leading after the first run.

I was completely exhausted and dehydrated but elated by the result. I had a good feeling about my chances pre-race but with the heat and the chance of a mechanical failure on the bike I knew I would need a bit of luck to take the title so I was more relieved than anything to have taken the win. Unfortuantley I hadn't secured the overall win I was hoping for; after crossing the line first my overall position later dropped to third when the results of the later starting waves were applied.

Another Podium but my first as an International!

I'd would just like to thank all my training mates at Garden City Runners and North Road Cycling Club for their support and constantly pushing me especially Laurence for kicking my ass on the bike. My family for living with the lycra and understanding why I don't go anywhere without the bike. And Clare for living with the early mornings, the tired (shaved) legs, all the bikes and the never ending trial of miles and miles of trials.

dv.x

British Duathlon Champs

2008-04-15T13:13:00.021+01:00

It was to Emberton Park near Milton Keynes on a frosty April morning for the next Mazda National Ranking Series Duathlon and this time the race doubled up as the National Age Group Championships so a very competitive field was expected. I felt the main contenders were Daniel Corner and Lee Piercy who were first and second respectively a week previous at Swindon Duathlon.

British Age Group Duathlon Championships 2008 - 13th March 2008

This will probably be my hardest ever blog entry and what to say and to leave out makes it difficult. Essentially the Championships were victim of blatant cheating and I think it's important to say what happened but maybe not to name names is fair.

The race got off to its usually quick start and I got into a fast group in about 5th place and made it my aim to keep the main contenders at close quarters. I ran a very quick 32.47 for the first 10k and came into T1 8 seconds behind Piercy and 2 second ahead of Corner and feeling like things were going exactly to plan.

Out onto the bike with the two strongest contenders was exactly where I wanted to be and I quickly passed them both and chased down the two further men up the road. As expected we quickly caught the two leaders as i battled with Piercy and Corner for the lead. Surprisingly then I was passed by one of the fast running early leaders then I noticed the other was staying with me as well.

From this point on things just got worse and worse as the two athletes drafted me to stay in contention. I have never seen such blatant cheating and disregard for the rules of the sport. I told both athletes that it was not on but was powerless against it as I was doing so much more work than them and any time I tried to attack they were so much fresher and could easily follow me.

After one lap I could see Corner dropping back ahead and I knew something was up with him. Unluckily he'd got a puncture but was making his way back to transition for a wheel change. I passed him quickly with the two others on my wheel and he even shouted at them when he saw the unjustice!

It was more of the same on the second lap and it was mentally really beginning to effect my performance. I was constantly reminding myself to stay in a smooth TT position, push a big gear and block them out of my mind but their presence was like a lead weight around my neck. I was furious which is not ideal in an endurance race like this and I even wanted to get off the bike and quit just so these guys couldn't draft me any longer and their cheating would have less of an impact on the rest of the athletes results.

After shouting a barrage of complaints at one rider he eventually dropped off after 32k, the other attacked after the same treatment but soon died and I passed him easily and opened up a gap. By this stage of the race the damage was done though. They had taken such an advantage that I felt it unlikely there was enough of the bike leg left to open enough of a gap to beat them on the final run.

Coming into T2 in second place I was told that Piercy had a lead of 2mins 30 secs and he was out of sight. The second 5k run was truly a low point for me. I tried to push on but the inevitablility of the situation was depressing as the two men who had hitched a ride on the bike passed me relegating me to 4th place. In the last 800m a glance over the shoulder revealed Corner was catching me fast so I put in a burst to protect my place and in the end I was forth to cross the line and second in the 30-34 Age Group. A result I'd have been happy with before the event but under these circumstances I find it sickening.

Post race....

There were two possible modes of recourse after the event. One was that the cheating had been picked up the the 'draft-buster' motorbike referees though I had only seen one motorbike on the course once when it passed us at speed. The second was to make a formal objection in writing to the race referee and have several high profile witnesses sign it.

The motorbike referees are there to protect the integrity of the race but they had not been on the course with us during the race. The cheating had been unseen and making my formal complaint to the head race-ref I was told that if they had not seen it then they couldn't disqualify or give a time penalty to a competitor irrespective of how blatant or how many witnesses had seen it. One of the athletes involved even admitted to cheating to him and incredibly he laughed and said "Look guys, if we don't see it you can do whatever you like!". If this is the attitude of the race officials then there is little hope.

This day was surely the lowest point of my athletic career to date and the event has really hurt my image of the sport and fair play in general. On a personal level I raced hard and honest and I can be proud of that. This kind of thing only hardens my reserve and will inspire me to work harder and become stronger and to win within the rules.

On a positive note Lee Piercy won the event fairly and by being the strongest man on the day with an excellent bike leg opening a big gap on his own. This is an inspirational example of how I would like to race and I take a lot of heart in the fact that the race overall was won on merit so credit and respect to Lee Piercy for that.

Taking on the big boys in Steyning

2008-03-26T19:58:00.015Z

The second round of the Mazda Duathlon Natioanl Ranking Series took me to the south coast for Steyning Duathlon. Despite the poor weather, which included snow and high winds the strongest field so far this year assembled in what was destined to be a very competitive race. The startlist contained at least 10 of the nations top Duathletes including two World Champ medal winners in Matt Moorhouse and Lee Piercy who were my main rivals to mark. Another very strong man was Chris Birch a very talented biker who also posed a serious threat especially in that discipline.

Steyning Duathlon - Mon 24th March 2008

An exciting first was to be awarded Race No. 1 as current leader in the National Ranking series and with an on course commentator there was no way I wasn't going to be noticed today!

According to tradition the first run got off to a very fast pace as we ran 7 tight 1k laps in the town centre. Settling into a good early rythym I came home 4th close behind Piercy and Dave Roper.

The conditions on the bike made it very tough but I was relishing the effect this would have on the other athletes so I dug in and started making inroads into the three men ahead. Passing early leader Dave Mitchinson and an old personal rival Dave Roper with ease and gaining fast on Piercy who was now leading.

I passed Piercy and a battle for the lead ensued with us both swapping control several times. Once we got out on the long windy Dual carriagway Lee made a strong move and built a gap. I kept pushing myself but he was slowly pulling away and when Moorhouse came by I knew I was going to have to raise my game to stay in the race especially knowing a rider like Birch was in Pursuit. When Birch came by I knew I couldn't let him gain an advantage so stuck as close to him as possible and came in T2 in 4th place just behind the leaders.

The second run was going to be a very exciting sprint to the finish. I knew Birch was weaker on the run so steadily wore him down passing him and attacking on the steep hill each lap gaining a podium place and trying to reel in Moorhouse ahead. The end however came too soon and I finished third just 21 second away from the win and 7 second behind Moorhouse in second.

Overall I'm very pleased with the result against such strong competition. Following the dissappointment of a DNF at the Welwyn Hilly TT on Friday this more than made up for that failure. Two wins and a third place in three weeks really has been a dream start to the season so once I get my more specific training underway I will really be flying!

My first ever time on a real podium. Piercy is so tall he hardly needed a step at all!!

Another win at Ballbuster Duathlon

2008-03-16T23:10:00.012Z

Payback at Boxhill...

Buoyed by my recent resurgence on the bike I felt it was time to return to Boxhill in Surrey to exorcise the demons of my awful performance over the same course in Nov. Looking at the start list there was one name that really stood out, that of Lee Piercy 30-35 Age group World Long-Course Duathlon Champion, winner of 2007 Spring Ballbuster and something of a Boxhill specialist having been on the podium in several previous Ballbuster events. In my mind this was going to be purely a two horse race!!

The Spring Ballbuster Duathlon - Sat 15th March 2008

After a steady start in a bunch of six after about 2 mile Piercy and myself made a move away from the group and moved up the road. i felt very comfortable and even let Piercy get a gap of about 100 metres after 5 miles but reeled him in and went by at the bottom of the first ascent of Boxhill. I finished the run in 44.02 five seconds quicker than in Nov and 30 seconds ahead of the second placed man.

I knew from my previous Ballbuster experience that Piercy was a very strong bike rider but my mechanical problems then gave a misleading gap in our abilities. I have also come on so much since Nov and felt much better equipt to take on the course today. Knowing the chase was on I gritted my teeth and turned the big gear. My split for the first lap was 23 mins flat including Transition... a full three mins up on Nov so I knew I was really flying. I kept on the pace and took over three minutes out of Piercy coming into T2 and onto the final run three and a half minutes in the lead and feeling incredible.

The final run was long and hard but I felt strong and confident I could hold on. Friends on the course had been giving splits on each lap of the gap to the field so I knew I had a comfortable lead; only the course could beat me know! In the end I cruised home over four minutes ahead and even afforded time to smile crossing the finish which I think is a first!

This really was a dominating victory posting the fastest times in all three disciplines but I am especially amazed and delighted to have the recorded the fastest bike split by such a convincing margin.

Big Win at Clumber Duathlon!

2008-03-10T19:36:00.026Z

Delivering on the promise...

Two of my major early season objectives were to get racing as soon as possible and to win the British National Ranking Series of 5 races from March to April and first up was The Clumber Classic Duathlon up in Nottinghamshire.

Clumber Classic Duathlon - Saturday 8th March

I took the Friday off work and travelled up with one of my training partners GB athlete Justin Webb so we could recce the course and get a good nights sleep close to the race venue. Saturday morning was cool and overcast with dark skies threatening rain and 30mph winds forecast and there were quite a few nervous faces warming up and racking their bikes. One new face on the scene was Dave Mithinson a GB runner with a sub 30min 10k to his name taking on the challenge of Duathlon. Another man to watch was GB Elite, Jez Cox the reigning British ranked no.1 Duathlete. The race was over the standard 10k Run - 40k Bike - 10k Run format but unfortunately due to road works the usual course had to be completely changed but at least a course record was on the cards!

The race got off to a blistering start with some over-enthusiastic athletes setting a silly pace from the gun and 1 mile I was placed somewhere in the low teens but confident the athletes ahead couldn't sustain this fast early pace. Mithinson was on the front with some athletes trying to match him -they clearly hadn't realised who he was! I stuck to my own rhythm cutting through the field, picking off the places ahead one by one and came into Transition in a group of three in 3rd-5th place.

Exiting Transition I quickly dropped the other two guys and focused on bringing back the two men further up the road. The bike course was 3 laps so I had 2 laps to catch the two faster runners ahead in order to have enough of a gap to beat them home on the final run. Nothing like that long was needed as I cruised into the lead after about 6k and set about trying to open as much of a gap on the field. I was biking very strongly and it felt great to be off the front setting the pace and realising for the first time that a big win was really possible here. In fact the race was mine to win and I knew it.

It was the third lap before I saw any of my rivals. I dropped my chain shifting down onto the small front ring and as I flicked it back on I was shocked to see Jez Cox of Team Planet-X -a rider of some calibre- pass by. I knew I now had a serious fight on my hands so I gritted my teeth and started to chase. The hard work paid off as I took the lead back with about 10k to go and for the next 5k the lead changed 5 or 6 times as we powered along the main road and back into the park towards Second Transition sparring like two boxers. I was confident from past experience I could take Jez on the final run so it was a case of keeping him within my sights then using my advantage on the final run; it was now just a two horse race between Jez and me.

Exiting T2 for the final 5km run was extremely tough My muscles were cramping following the hard effort on the bike. My form was awful and I couldn't get into my stride with the pain and to make matters worse I could see Jez opening the gap ahead. This was very 'not the plan'. But after 800m I managed to get into my rhythm and set about upping the pace and closing the gap. I regained the lead with 2.5km to go knowing the toughest part was still ahead. I could still hear Jez close behind so I pushed hard on the second last hill and as I heard him drop back I attacked again. I knew if I was going to win I had to go from far out so turned the knife for the next 2km opening the gap. Coming over the last hill I knew it was won and cruised over the line arms aloft in victory!

2006 U23 World and European Triathlon Champion, Will Clarke who won the Sprint Distance Race and I who won the Full Distance Race at the prize-giving.

This was another massive step up for me in performance and is something to build on as I have again raised the bar. I learned a huge amounn about what it takes to win, the pain one should go through and the kind of fight that's required to win and I know I'll be a stronger racer because of it. In fact I can barely wait til my next race!!

Pre season full of promise...

2008-03-05T22:40:00.028Z

It's almost racing time again and following my toughest winters training things are looking very positive indeed....

Wokingham Half Marathon - Sun 10th February

Following 3 weeks of illness and complete rest in January I tentatively took to the start line having been back in training a lowly 10 days. Having entered months previously in full health and considering my bad preperation I decided not to take it seriously and went riding with my Saturday Group for a hard 65 miles on the bike the day before so with the pressure off I was aiming for just under 1.16ish or 5mins 45 per mile.

Fortunately right from the gun my modest ambitions couldn't have been further from the mark. Following a pacey start I reached mile 1 in 5.17... Ooops! This was a crazy speed to be going so feeling fast, fluid and relaxed I settled into the race banging out consistent sub 5.30 miles and gained a full minute on my target pace after only 3 miles! I managed to stay on the pace and felt strong till about 8 miles when my legs started to feel heavy. 5 miles from the finish is a long way from home to feel the effects but luckily I was caught from behind by another runner coming through and managed to stay on his shoulder for the next 2 miles at which point I pushed on alone and fought to catch the next man ahead; over the bad patch and back on race pace.

My previous PB set at Reading last year was 1.12.40 and I knew was very close so kept the pressure on and tried to push as much as I could. In the end I was unbelievably close finishing in 1.12.51 in 21st place!! An incredible result considering the lack of training and a very good sign of things to come after just a few weeks of solid training.

North Road Hardriders 25 Mile TT - Sun 24th February

My first ever pure TT race, first time representing my new Cycling Club - North road Cycling Club- and my debut on a brand new TT bike built over the winter and completed only a day before this premier Time Trial event.

100 riders set off at one minute intervals over a hard course running only a couple of miles from my home in Hertford. I had ridden the tough, hilly 25 mile course several times while training in the preceeding weeks and was determined to let my home advantage play as big a part as possible. Unfortunately leading up to the event 3 seperate sets of roadworks appeared on the course which then had to be drastically changed to accomodate them. On the day it was reduced to a slightly less challenging 18 mile course which meant for a light, strong climber like myself a strong consistent effort would be required.
I went out hard from the gun and pushed like never before on the bike. A strong rider from The Orange Monkey team had set off one minute ahead of me and I was enthused to see I was already closing him down just a couple of miles into the course. Inspired by this I kept pushing harder.

I was attacking the hills keeping a very high tempo on the flats and descents and felt amazingly good considering the effort. Before long I was passing more riders ahead and with nobody gaining from behind I knew I was storming it!

Coming over the toughest climb on the course -Essendon Hill- 3 miles from the finish I spun a big gear over the top drawn in by what looked to be a very competitive time. I stormed home to finish 16th overall; way above my highest expectations and on a course that technically shouldn't have suited me as much as others in my first ever Time Trial.

This event was a huge step up for me and I had achieved a massively satisfying result against some of the nations top multisport riders and time trial specialists from Domestic Pro Cycling Teams. The new bike was a dream and aside from a few minor adjustments felt absolutley perfect from the off; another potent speed weapon for the season ahead.

With the Duathlon season fast approaching this performance inspires new optimism, strength and confidence and I intend to be a force to be reckoned with!

Ballbuster Duathlon 2007

2007-11-16T20:10:00.000Z

Saturday November 10th at the Ballbuster Duathlon at Boxhill, Surrey was my season ending Duathlon. The late season race is 5 laps of a testing 8 mile Boxhill loop - an 8 mile run - 24 mile bike - 8 mile run with a leg busting 2 mile ascent of Boxhill at the end of each lap. I really stepped up my endurance training as I felt I could really do some damage to my competitors over such a long run at the end. The months prior to the event saw me doing the biggest training blocks I’ve ever done and I was getting stronger with every week.

With a host of the big names in British Duathlon had signed up as well as strong Ballbuster regulars and former winners it was clear this was going to be a more competitive race than any previous year. GB Elite Philip Wylie was the main man to watch; his performances this year show he’s one of the strongest runners in Duathlon matching Du world champions in the discipline. Lee Piercy, Spring Ballbuster winner and 30-35 Age Group Gold medallist at the Long Course Duathlon World Champs three weeks previously was also a marked man.

A bad start to the day as I made a spectacular mathematical error and set my alarm a FULL HOUR later than intended meant having breakfast an hour closer to the start and the mad dash down to Boxhill to register left little time for race preparation and warm-up. This unprofessional error I was going to pay dearly for later on.

On the first run I wasn’t going to let my rivals any advantage but in such a long event knew it’s dangerous to push too hard early on. A group of 8 quickly formed with two race winners Richard Hunt of Army Triathlon and Piercy and I pushing the pace at the front. Wylie sat at the back of the group not making the breakaway I had expected - a sign we were setting a good fast pace. When we hit Boxhill for the first time the pace of the group dropped. I hadn’t planned to attack but with the others struggling I felt light and easy pushed on and by the top I had a 30 seconds gap on Wylie with the others a further 15 seconds back. I hit my target of 44 mins for 8 miles bang on and things were going very well!

Into transition in first place was better than I hoped and a clear transition had me out on the bike and away on my own. I took on some nutrition, put the head down and got into a smooth steady rhythm. The legs felt good and I was really pushing it but something just wasn’t right. I had reconnoitred the course 3 weeks prior to the race and looking at my speed I could see that I wasn’t hitting the speeds I had in training. Half way into lap 1 Wylie came by with Piercy and Hunt behind him. After a brief tussle with Wylie the three riders opened a gap and moved ahead. Unfortunately this was a sign of things to come. In training I was lapping sub 25 min… now in the race I was closer to 26 and way off my sub 24 min target. I lost about 3 places per lap and despite the legs feeling good and keeping my pedalling strong and smooth I just couldn’t get my speed up. 1.18:00 for the bike leg was way off my target of sub 1.12 and going into 2nd transition in 9th place was heart-breaking but I still had time. I focused my frustration and took it out on my rivals...

The second run was a very different prospect to the first and previous results showed most of the top guys lose big time here so I got straight down to business. I could see one runner way in the distance so I chased him down with a vengeance and I was really motoring when I passed him and moved the 7th place athlete ahead into my sights. By the half way point I cruised past him and another man 100m ahead with things looking up again. How much could I rescue from this race? I was back to 6th with 4 miles to run and was vying for more places up the road. But when the road straightened out all I could see ahead was empty road, a huge gap. One supporter at the bottom of the last hill shouting encouragement said “Come on! Excellent running… you’re looking far better than the man ahead”. This was just what I needed with the toughest 2 miles ahead I really dug deep and worked as hard as I could up the gruelling hill. 5th place was now just within sight! I was really flying and incredibly was passing people a lap down on their bikes!! I took 4mins 30 out of the man ahead on the run but unfortunately the finish came too soon and I ended 9 seconds down in 6th place in 2:49:36. This amazingly would have been good enough for 2nd place in the previous 2 Ballbuster races but not this year.

True to form Wylie unleashed a devastating final run making up a 3.36 deficit off the bike to take first place in 2:42:30 with Piercy behind in second in 2:43:29 and Hunt in third 2:45:03.

Personally I felt strong on race day but the awfully slow bike leg was a major cause for concern. I’ve been riding very well recently, better than ever and expected to finish the bike in 1.12 or quicker. Four weeks before the event doing a recon of the route I clocked laps of 25.08, 25.05, 24.59 and 23.59. Averaging laps of 26.00 in a race situation just made no sense. I’m not one to make excuses but I may have found the explanation as I collected my bike from transition. As I wheeled it back to the car post-race I could feel the back brake rubbing, A LOT. I hadn’t properly checked the bike pre-race as I had arrived so late which was a schoolboy error. I don’t know how much time this could make me lose but I’m guessing it’s roughly equivalent to riding with a small parachute attached to my back. It certainly makes sense of the fact that I could never get the bike up to speed. A lesson learnt at high cost.

Race Video available at http://youtube.com/watch?v=Nba9tb-xaV8

I take a lot of good from the experience but there are big improvements to be made; it gives me very clear goals to work towards next year. I can run with the best of them so when I get my power up on the bike and make sure everything’s 100% ready pre-race 2008 should be a great year and the potential to go Elite in 2009 is definitely there.

A good workout at Billericay 10k

2007-11-11T11:39:00.000Z

Bright and early on Sunday 4th Nov I returned to do the Billericay 10k having won the '06 edition, breaking the course record and setting a Personal Best (PB) on the way. Repeating all that was going to be a tall order but I felt good and certainly capable of a PB.

Simon Powell of Woodford Green stormed off from the gun with a small group establishing behind. I moved to the front and got into a steady rhythm and that was it, from there on I never saw any other runners. I could hear the third placed man behind until 4km when he dropped back. Powell continued to pull ahead setting a blistering pace.

Having lost a little time over the early hills I knew i was going to be pretty close to my PB time of 33.13 and coming into the finish I could see the clock ahead just ticking over 33 mins with about 60m to go. After a final sprint I had ran 33.14 ONE SECOND away from a PB. Powell smashed my old course record in 31.50 which made me glad I didnt try to match him in the opening stages!

Second place in the race and an almost PB matching performance is pretty pleasing though. This was only really a warm-up race for the big test next week at the Ballbuster Duathlon which I can now go into with confidence that I am running at my very best.

My clubmate and chauffeur Katherine Philp of Garden City runners was first placed lady in a time of 37.42 after a close three way battle.

London Duathlon Elite Race '07

2007-10-28T09:29:00.002Z

My Elite Duathlon Debut….

Exactly a year after my Multi-sport debut in the Worlds largest Duathlon -The London Duathlon- I returned again but for the first time ever there was an Elite category race; the first of many Elite races I’m hoping to blag my way into!

With distances of only 4.8km run -10.7km bike - 2.3km run I knew it was going to be fast from the gun and having studied the entry list I knew Matt Moorhouse was the man to watch so the plan was to stick with him to get into the lead group for a rest/draft on the bike. After a 15.32 run I came into T2 12 seconds down in 4^th place and coming through transition in 5^th with the leaders agonisingly just ahead.

I knew there was a big gap behind and with nobody to work with I made a big effort to try and bridge the gap to the leaders. I was closing but when Moorhouse made an impressive lone breakaway after 4k it was clear the group ahead weren’t working well together. Painfully it took the whole bike section to catch them so I didn’t enjoy any draft benefits of racing Elite but as the leaders fumbled with their bike shoes I cheekily rode straight by and into T2 in 2^nd place only 12 seconds off the lead! But having had my eyes fixed solely on the riders up front I had failed to notice a preying peloton which had caught us from behind and 2^nd place into T2 was only 5 seconds ahead of 12^th place.

Having pushed myself so hard riding alone on the bike there were some fresher legs showing as we went out on a super fast final run. I knew it was going to be eyeballs out over such a short final run but having 10 pairs of feet close behind I made a long hard effort to drop as many athletes as soon as possible. I soon found myself running shoulder to shoulder for 3^rd place with the others stretching out behind. An excruciating 7.22 for 2.3km was good enough for 4^th place in 42.02 but with many well established GB Elite athletes in my wake I thought I wasn’t half bad for an Irish Age Grouper! However, it was Matt Moorhouse and Melissa Vandewater who took the plaudits, winning in 41:21mins and 47:29mins, respectively.