The first Olympic (10k/40k/5k) race of my season this year was the "Big Cow" in Emberton near Milton Keynes. The race this year served as a qualifier for the European duathlon champs in Limerick and is always renowned for pulling together a list of some of the best duathletes in the country. This year things were a little more quiet, perhaps due to the late February date (it's usually run in April). Having already pre-qualified for the Europeans this race was more of a test run for me with no actual ranking or qualification hanging on the result. In a sense this race didn't matter.
Out onto the first run and I was right at the start for the whole of the first 10k run eventually coming through 4th in 33.51. Out onto the bike and my first Olympic of the season started to tell on the legs but I managed to find some form on the 2nd run and ended up 2nd in age group. I was always aware however that the following week would feature a real challenge in the form of the National Duathlon championships at Clumber Park so I was always racing within myself.
By contrast, Clumber was a race that really did matter. Not only was it the National Duathlon champs and therefore the most competitive Age Groupers duathlon in Britain it was also a qualifier for the World championships in September and due to my racing schedule this year my only chance to gain a spot. I knew that the other 3 qualifiers weren't an option for me so racing my best here really was the only option. Only the top 3 in age group would get Worlds slots so there really wasn't any slack at all.
Out on the first run and I felt fantastic, my pre-race practice of taking on board a Banoffee gel clearly helping me to maintain focus and run at a high tempo. I eventually came in around 3rd in age group on the first run and made a quick transition onto the bike. The first lap of the bike went well but the heavens opened on the 2nd lap and made the ride more dangerous and I wasn't willing to take any risks. The 2nd run was painful but I evetually came home strong and ended up finishing 2nd out of those entered in my age group for the Worlds and so......qualified! I now intend to develop my tan in Spain, assuming the sun is still out in September!
Racing up and down the country would not be possible were it not for the continuing support of both Torq and the tri team sponsors so thanks as ever go to:
Frames: Merida: http://www.merida-bikes.com/
Wheels: Fast Forward: http://www.ffwdwheels.com/
Power: http://www.cycleops.com/
Cycle shoes: http://www.lakecycling.co.uk/
Helmets: http://www.limarhelmets.com/
Aerobars: http://www.use1.com/
Wetsuits and compression: http://www.2xu.com/
All pro snaps courtesy of Jolekha Shasha
Photo 1: Big Cow duathlon
Photo 2: Sprinting to the line and Worlds qualification
Photo 3: New kit for the 2011 season and introducing the lean green machine!
