Ali Brownlee has made a successful entry into middle-distance racing by winning Gloria Challenge Mogán Gran Canaria and setting a new course record.
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Wearing the red colours of the Bahrain Endurance Team, he extended the gap from David Giardini and Pieter Heemeryck on the bike and won the pro men’s race after a strong run in a time of 04:03:09, stripping 10 minutes and 35 seconds off the course record.
Alistair said: “This is my first attempt at a middle distance race and there is a lot to learn. I chose Gloria Challenge Mogán Gran Canaria as my first middle-distance race because I really like what Challenge Family is about and considering we are coming into the summer race season the timing is perfect.”
It was a British win in the women’s pro race too, with Emma Pallant beating the current Kona world champion Daniela Ryf (SWI) and fellow Brit Lucy Charles.
Ryf led the majority of the race after taking the lead on the bike, with Charles hot on her tail. But it was Pallant who valiantly fought her way up from third on the run, who crossed the line first.
Emma completed the course in a time of 04:35:15, knocking seven minutes and 15 seconds off last year’s women’s race – setting a new course record.
Womens PRO: top three
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1st: Emma Pallant (GBR) 4:35:15 2nd: Lucy Charles (GBR) 4:35:21 3rd: Daniela Ryf (SWI) 4:38:35
2016 was a year to remember, from Rio to THAT race in Mexico. We saw the Iron-distance world record broken, the British Iron-distance record slashed, new races launched and revolutionary bikes released…
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But which were best? We asked you to vote for your favourites in 21 categories and you responded in your thousands. So without any further ado here are the winners and runner-ups in the 220 Triathlon Awards 2017.
Men’s Elite Triathlete of the Year
1. Alistair Brownlee
2. Jonny Brownlee
3. Jan Frodeno
4. Joe Skipper
5. David McNamee Women’s Elite Triathlete of the Year 1. Flora Duffy
2. Vicky Holland
3. Lucy Gossage
4. Helen Jenkins
5. Non Stanford
Click Here: liverpool mens jersey International triathlete of the Year 1. Gwen Jorgensen
2. Flora Duffy
3. Jan Frodeno
4. Daniela Ryf
5. Mario Mola
Duathlete of the Year 1. Emma Pooley
2. Emma Pallant
3. Ben Dijkstra
4. Richard Horton
5. Alex Yee
Women’s Paratriathlete of the Year 1. Lauren Steadman
2. Melissa Reid
3. Lizzie Tench
4. Alison Patrick
5. Faye McClelland
Youth Triathlete of the Year 1. Ben Dijkstra
2. Sam Dickinson
3. Jamie Bedwell
4. Alex Yee
5. Sam Mileham
Male Paratriathlete of the Year 1. Andy Lewis
2. Phil Hogg
3. Joe Townsend
4. George Peasgood
5. Haseeb Ahmad
Men’s Age-Grouper of the Year 1. Reece Barclay
2. Andy Greenleaf
3. Mark Mills
4. Michael Smallwood
5. Phil Wilson
Women’s Age-Grouper of the Year
1. Alice Jenkins
2. Liz Dunlop
3. Jane Hansom
4. Emma Deary
5. Linda Ashmore
Coach of the Year
1. Malcolm Brown
2. Simon Ward
3. Adam Gibson
4. David Knight
5. Joel Enoch
Triathlon Club of the Year (sponsored by Skechers)
1. Leeds & Bradford
2. Oxford Tri
3. Wakefield Triathlon Club
4. Greenlight
5. Bustinskin
Race of the Year (under 500 entries)
1. Storm the Castle
2. Ilkley Triathlon
3. Bustinskin Weymouth Middle Distance Triathlon
4. Eastbourne Triathlon
5. Oxford Tri Sprint Triathlon
Race of the Year (over 500 entries)
1. The Outlaw
2. Ironman Weymouth
3. Hever Castle
4. The Outlaw Half Holkham
5. JLL Property Triathlon
Bike Brand of the Year 1. Boardman
2. Cervelo
3. Giant
4. Planet X
5. Trek
Tri-Suit Brand of the Year 1. Huub
2. 2XU
3. Zone3
4. Raceskin
5. Threo
Wetsuit Brand of the Year 1. Huub
2. Zone3
3. Blueseventy
4. Orca
5. Yonda Run Brand of the Year 1. Asics
2. Adidas
3. Brooks
4. Saucony
5. Skechers
Online Retailer of the Year 1. Wiggle
2. Chain Reaction Cycles
3. Sigma Sport
4. Planet X
5. Total Fitness Nottingham
Tri Retailer of the Year 1. Wiggle
2. Sigma Sport
3. Total Fitness Nottingham
4. Triangle Leeds
5. The Triathlon Shop Bristol
Jane Tomlinson Award for Outstanding Contribution to Triathlon* Winner: Jonathon Riall (Head Coach for the Great Britain Paratriathlon Team)
*Once the initial shortlist was drawn up from the first round of open voting, the top five individuals were put before a panel of judges, which included: 220 editor Helen Webster, 220 deputy editor Liz Barrett, 220 features editor Matt Baird, and 220 columnists Tim Heming and Martyn Brunt.
Judge Tim Heming said of winner Riall: “It would be easy for the achievements of the Paralympic team to be overshadowed after British Triathlon’s most successful Olympic Games ever, but Riall, a mature head on young shoulders, full of verve and enthusiasm (and a pleasure to deal with as a journalist) marshalled a formidable band of paratriathletes to great feats in Rio.
“In many ways this was a step into the unknown. A funded programme that had to serve the needs of a mixture of athletes, from wheelchair competitors to visually impaired triathletes and their guides, all with their own requirements and demands to give them the optimal chance of winning medals at paratri’s inaugural Paralympics. As a fellow Gloucestershire boy, it was also a pleasure to see Riall’s hard work capped with gold for Lydney’s Andy Lewis, whose progression through 2016 was a lesson in peaking to perfection.”
Other nominees
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Alistair Brownlee
Jack Maitland
Colin Pink (Wakefield Tri)
Mark Steen (Bustinskin Events)
2016 was a year to remember, from Rio to THAT race in Mexico. We saw the Iron-distance world record broken, the British Iron-distance record slashed, new races launched and revolutionary bikes released…
Advertisement
But which were best? We asked you to vote for your favourites in 21 categories and you responded in your thousands. So without any further ado here are the winners and runner-ups in the 220 Triathlon Awards 2017.
Men’s Elite Triathlete of the Year
1. Alistair Brownlee
2. Jonny Brownlee
3. Jan Frodeno
4. Joe Skipper
5. David McNamee Women’s Elite Triathlete of the Year 1. Flora Duffy
2. Vicky Holland
3. Lucy Gossage
4. Helen Jenkins
5. Non Stanford
International triathlete of the Year 1. Gwen Jorgensen
2. Flora Duffy
3. Jan Frodeno
4. Daniela Ryf
5. Mario Mola
Duathlete of the Year 1. Emma Pooley
2. Emma Pallant
3. Ben Dijkstra
4. Richard Horton
5. Alex Yee
Women’s Paratriathlete of the Year 1. Lauren Steadman
2. Melissa Reid
3. Lizzie Tench
4. Alison Patrick
5. Faye McClelland
Youth Triathlete of the Year 1. Ben Dijkstra
2. Sam Dickinson
3. Jamie Bedwell
4. Alex Yee
5. Sam Mileham
Male Paratriathlete of the Year 1. Andy Lewis
2. Phil Hogg
3. Joe Townsend
4. George Peasgood
5. Haseeb Ahmad
Men’s Age-Grouper of the Year 1. Reece Barclay
2. Andy Greenleaf
3. Mark Mills
4. Michael Smallwood
5. Phil Wilson
Women’s Age-Grouper of the Year
1. Alice Jenkins
2. Liz Dunlop
3. Jane Hansom
4. Emma Deary
5. Linda Ashmore
Coach of the Year
1. Malcolm Brown
2. Simon Ward
3. Adam Gibson
4. David Knight
5. Joel Enoch
Triathlon Club of the Year (sponsored by Skechers)
1. Leeds & Bradford
2. Oxford Tri
3. Wakefield Triathlon Club
4. Greenlight
5. Bustinskin
Race of the Year (under 500 entries)
1. Storm the Castle
2. Ilkley Triathlon
3. Bustinskin Weymouth Middle Distance Triathlon
4. Eastbourne Triathlon
5. Oxford Tri Sprint Triathlon
Race of the Year (over 500 entries)
1. The Outlaw
2. Ironman Weymouth
3. Hever Castle
4. The Outlaw Half Holkham
5. JLL Property Triathlon
Bike Brand of the Year 1. Boardman
2. Cervelo
3. Giant
4. Planet X
5. Trek
Tri-Suit Brand of the Year 1. Huub
2. 2XU
3. Zone3
4. Raceskin
5. Threo
Wetsuit Brand of the Year 1. Huub
2. Zone3
3. Blueseventy
4. Orca
5. Yonda Run Brand of the Year 1. Asics
2. Adidas
3. Brooks
4. Saucony
5. Skechers
Online Retailer of the Year 1. Wiggle
2. Chain Reaction Cycles
3. Sigma Sport
4. Planet X
5. Total Fitness Nottingham
Tri Retailer of the Year 1. Wiggle
2. Sigma Sport
3. Total Fitness Nottingham
4. Triangle Leeds
5. The Triathlon Shop Bristol
Jane Tomlinson Award for Outstanding Contribution to Triathlon* Winner: Jonathon Riall (Head Coach for the Great Britain Paratriathlon Team)
*Once the initial shortlist was drawn up from the first round of open voting, the top five individuals were put before a panel of judges, which included: 220 editor Helen Webster, 220 deputy editor Liz Barrett, 220 features editor Matt Baird, and 220 columnists Tim Heming and Martyn Brunt.
Judge Tim Heming said of winner Riall: “It would be easy for the achievements of the Paralympic team to be overshadowed after British Triathlon’s most successful Olympic Games ever, but Riall, a mature head on young shoulders, full of verve and enthusiasm (and a pleasure to deal with as a journalist) marshalled a formidable band of paratriathletes to great feats in Rio.
“In many ways this was a step into the unknown. A funded programme that had to serve the needs of a mixture of athletes, from wheelchair competitors to visually impaired triathletes and their guides, all with their own requirements and demands to give them the optimal chance of winning medals at paratri’s inaugural Paralympics. As a fellow Gloucestershire boy, it was also a pleasure to see Riall’s hard work capped with gold for Lydney’s Andy Lewis, whose progression through 2016 was a lesson in peaking to perfection.”
Other nominees
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Alistair Brownlee
Jack Maitland
Colin Pink (Wakefield Tri)
Mark Steen (Bustinskin Events)
Your arm recovery adds a great deal to the momentum and rhythm of your stroke, and drills that train you to position your elbows and hands correctly will improve your arm recovery and maximise your forward propulsion, in some cases drastically reducing swim times.
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Arm recovery is often overlooked by athletes trying to refine their stroke, probably because it takes place out of the water, but it’s a primary component of the front-crawl stroke. In addition to the obvious – namely, returning your arm to the water – your arm recovery performs numerous essential functions:
1. It stabilises and balances your stroke.
2. It adds forward momentum.
3. It assists the streamlining of your hand entry.
Head-up stroke
Keeping your head up positively limits body rotation, while increasing feel at the front of the stroke…
This is a simple and effective drill to ensure that your arm recovery isn’t too high due to excessive body rotation. It also ensures that the pressure you apply in the catch position of the leading arm is maintained. It’s also good for gaining a feel for the water at the front of the stroke, and also transferring momentum from the back to the front of the stroke via your arms. It helps greatly if you allow your hands to catch up slightly at the front the stroke because there’s a tendency to sink if your leading hand moves away too fast.
4. The speed of the recovery helps to control the timing of your breathing.
5. The speed of the recovery helps to co-ordinate the timing and synchronisation of both arms.
One of the key aims of the arm recovery is to use as little energy as possible. That makes sense as it’s not physically moving you any further forward in the water. So you should try to relax all unnecessary shoulder, arm and hand muscles, almost lifting your arm out of the water as if the elbow was attached to a puppet string.
Like each and everyone of the technical features of the swim, afford a small amount of time to concentrate on this aspect of your stroke and you’ll soon notice some pretty hefty results.
Recovery essentials
Remember these key points when you undertake recovery drills
Only begin your arm recovery once you’ve fully completed the push phase.
There should be no delay between the push phase and your arm recovery; it should be executed in one rhythmical, continuous movement.
Initiate your arm recovery by lifting your elbow in an upward and outward motion.
Rotate your core slightly upwards towards the recovering side to assist the recovery movement.
From a bird’s-eye view, your shoulders and hips should be aligned as your body rotates.
Maintain your leg kick to provide better balance.
The recovery phase is when you should inhale air.
Extend your leading arm to add stability, balance and streamlining when you make the initial recovery movement.
Your elbow leads the movement of your recovering arm around your body.
Keep your hand below your elbow throughout the recovery.
Use the forward and outward movement of your elbow to drive your hand forward.
Keep your body rotated until your stroking hand passes through the catch position and is about to begin the push phase.
Return your head to the centre line after breathing and keep it still.
In the final part of the recovery phase, roll your body to switch your weight from the stroking side to the side that’s about to finish recovering and begin stroking. This helps you transfer momentum onto your leading arm in preparation for the next stroke.
Extend your hand below the water’s surface in a streamlined position to repeat the supporting role of stability and balance for the opposite arm.
Click here for 3 drills that will help you improve your arm recovery
Head-up stroke
Keeping your head up positively limits body rotation, while increasing feel at the front of the stroke…
This is a simple and effective drill to ensure that your arm recovery isn’t too high due to excessive body rotation. It also ensures that the pressure you apply in the catch position of the leading arm is maintained. It’s also good for gaining a feel for the water at the front of the stroke, and also transferring momentum from the back to the front of the stroke via your arms. It helps greatly if you allow your hands to catch up slightly at the front of the stroke because there’s a tendency to sink if your leading hand moves away too fast.
1. You can see how you need to roll your body into the extension of the stroke, and also how the downward pressure of your hand provides enough lift to keep your chin out of the water. Notice also the hand beginning its recovery movement from the back to the front of the stroke around the side of your body.
2. This shows the body starting to transfer the rotation to the opposite side. Your arm and body work together to bring maximum momentum forward to the front of the stroke.
3. Your hand isn’t able to enter the water in a normal streamlined position because your head is so high. Also, because you head-up has sent your legs lower, when your hand reaches the front of the stroke it has to overemphasise the press into the catch position in order to maintain stability.
Finger trail
It’s amazing how a gentle trailing of the fingertips can refine your arm recovery as well as increase stroke length
The beauty of this drill is its simplicity, combined with the way it improves your arm recovery. It works by conditioning your stroke length and recovery action, as well as putting your body in a near perfect swimming position. The recovery action during this drill is almost the same as in the normal stroke, the only difference being you trail your fingertips along the surface of the water. It would be worth using fins for this drill because the added momentum from your legs will help control the movements which must be performed slowly.
1. Trail the fingertips of your recovering hand in the water around the side of your body. It’s important not to bring your hand too close to your head as you could over rotate, placing your shoulder in an awkward position and inhibit the recovery action. This shows the drill performed with the opposite arm. Your head is low during this drill, but using fins to aid your kick and the positioning of your leading arm will help you maintain a level body position. From here, you can simply rotate to gain a breath as normal.
2. Keep your body positioned horizontally – using fins and a steady, consistent leg action will help. Look directly down at the bottom of the pool. Slightly exaggerate your stroke length but roll your body as normal.
3. Keep your fingertips in contact with the water all the way to the front of the stroke. Using a catch-up stroke (your recovering hand almost catches up with your extended hand before the next stroke begins) will help maintain balance.
Trail drill progressions
Once you’ve perfected finger-trailing, it’s time to move on to the hands and forearms…
These drill progressions should be performed over short distances (25-50m for beginners) and be followed, like all drills, by an easy, full-stroke swim practising best technique. The number of reps you perform depends on your ability. If you’re just starting out then practise each drill 2-3 times. If you’re a more experienced athlete, then try 3-4 reps over slightly longer distances. Remember: what you concentrate on with one arm, you have to match with the other and always practise the correct full stroke before moving on or you’ll finish your session feeling slightly unbalanced.
Hand trail drill
This drill is effectively the same as the fingertip drill but places more resistance onto the recovering arm. The extra resistance created by trailing your hand makes you concentrate fully on the correct action through the whole stroke because you aren’t able to rush through it.
Forearm trail drill
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This drill really loads your recovering arm with resistance and you should take care not to force the recovery. The emphasis is the same as the finger and hand trail drills but the resistance your forearm creates is much stronger, making you work harder on recruiting the correct muscles to perform the movement.
How to improve your ‘catch and pull’ phase in front crawl
Open-water swim technique: the key components
Front crawl technique: paddle or rake hand position?
Front crawl technique: the key components
How to streamline your swim
Your arm recovery adds a great deal to the momentum and rhythm of your stroke, and drills that train you to position your elbows and hands correctly will improve your arm recovery and maximise your forward propulsion, in some cases drastically reducing swim times.
Advertisement
Arm recovery is often overlooked by athletes trying to refine their stroke, probably because it takes place out of the water, but it’s a primary component of the front-crawl stroke. In addition to the obvious – namely, returning your arm to the water – your arm recovery performs numerous essential functions:
1. It stabilises and balances your stroke.
2. It adds forward momentum.
3. It assists the streamlining of your hand entry.
Head-up stroke
Keeping your head up positively limits body rotation, while increasing feel at the front of the stroke…
This is a simple and effective drill to ensure that your arm recovery isn’t too high due to excessive body rotation. It also ensures that the pressure you apply in the catch position of the leading arm is maintained. It’s also good for gaining a feel for the water at the front of the stroke, and also transferring momentum from the back to the front of the stroke via your arms. It helps greatly if you allow your hands to catch up slightly at the front the stroke because there’s a tendency to sink if your leading hand moves away too fast.
4. The speed of the recovery helps to control the timing of your breathing.
5. The speed of the recovery helps to co-ordinate the timing and synchronisation of both arms.
One of the key aims of the arm recovery is to use as little energy as possible. That makes sense as it’s not physically moving you any further forward in the water. So you should try to relax all unnecessary shoulder, arm and hand muscles, almost lifting your arm out of the water as if the elbow was attached to a puppet string.
Like each and everyone of the technical features of the swim, afford a small amount of time to concentrate on this aspect of your stroke and you’ll soon notice some pretty hefty results.
Recovery essentials
Remember these key points when you undertake recovery drills
Only begin your arm recovery once you’ve fully completed the push phase.
There should be no delay between the push phase and your arm recovery; it should be executed in one rhythmical, continuous movement.
Initiate your arm recovery by lifting your elbow in an upward and outward motion.
Rotate your core slightly upwards towards the recovering side to assist the recovery movement.
From a bird’s-eye view, your shoulders and hips should be aligned as your body rotates.
Maintain your leg kick to provide better balance.
The recovery phase is when you should inhale air.
Extend your leading arm to add stability, balance and streamlining when you make the initial recovery movement.
Your elbow leads the movement of your recovering arm around your body.
Keep your hand below your elbow throughout the recovery.
Use the forward and outward movement of your elbow to drive your hand forward.
Keep your body rotated until your stroking hand passes through the catch position and is about to begin the push phase.
Return your head to the centre line after breathing and keep it still.
In the final part of the recovery phase, roll your body to switch your weight from the stroking side to the side that’s about to finish recovering and begin stroking. This helps you transfer momentum onto your leading arm in preparation for the next stroke.
Extend your hand below the water’s surface in a streamlined position to repeat the supporting role of stability and balance for the opposite arm.
Click here for 3 drills that will help you improve your arm recovery
Head-up stroke
Keeping your head up positively limits body rotation, while increasing feel at the front of the stroke…
This is a simple and effective drill to ensure that your arm recovery isn’t too high due to excessive body rotation. It also ensures that the pressure you apply in the catch position of the leading arm is maintained. It’s also good for gaining a feel for the water at the front of the stroke, and also transferring momentum from the back to the front of the stroke via your arms. It helps greatly if you allow your hands to catch up slightly at the front of the stroke because there’s a tendency to sink if your leading hand moves away too fast.
1. You can see how you need to roll your body into the extension of the stroke, and also how the downward pressure of your hand provides enough lift to keep your chin out of the water. Notice also the hand beginning its recovery movement from the back to the front of the stroke around the side of your body.
2. This shows the body starting to transfer the rotation to the opposite side. Your arm and body work together to bring maximum momentum forward to the front of the stroke.
3. Your hand isn’t able to enter the water in a normal streamlined position because your head is so high. Also, because you head-up has sent your legs lower, when your hand reaches the front of the stroke it has to overemphasise the press into the catch position in order to maintain stability.
Finger trail
It’s amazing how a gentle trailing of the fingertips can refine your arm recovery as well as increase stroke length
The beauty of this drill is its simplicity, combined with the way it improves your arm recovery. It works by conditioning your stroke length and recovery action, as well as putting your body in a near perfect swimming position. The recovery action during this drill is almost the same as in the normal stroke, the only difference being you trail your fingertips along the surface of the water. It would be worth using fins for this drill because the added momentum from your legs will help control the movements which must be performed slowly.
1. Trail the fingertips of your recovering hand in the water around the side of your body. It’s important not to bring your hand too close to your head as you could over rotate, placing your shoulder in an awkward position and inhibit the recovery action. This shows the drill performed with the opposite arm. Your head is low during this drill, but using fins to aid your kick and the positioning of your leading arm will help you maintain a level body position. From here, you can simply rotate to gain a breath as normal.
2. Keep your body positioned horizontally – using fins and a steady, consistent leg action will help. Look directly down at the bottom of the pool. Slightly exaggerate your stroke length but roll your body as normal.
3. Keep your fingertips in contact with the water all the way to the front of the stroke. Using a catch-up stroke (your recovering hand almost catches up with your extended hand before the next stroke begins) will help maintain balance.
Trail drill progressions
Once you’ve perfected finger-trailing, it’s time to move on to the hands and forearms…
These drill progressions should be performed over short distances (25-50m for beginners) and be followed, like all drills, by an easy, full-stroke swim practising best technique. The number of reps you perform depends on your ability. If you’re just starting out then practise each drill 2-3 times. If you’re a more experienced athlete, then try 3-4 reps over slightly longer distances. Remember: what you concentrate on with one arm, you have to match with the other and always practise the correct full stroke before moving on or you’ll finish your session feeling slightly unbalanced.
Hand trail drill
This drill is effectively the same as the fingertip drill but places more resistance onto the recovering arm. The extra resistance created by trailing your hand makes you concentrate fully on the correct action through the whole stroke because you aren’t able to rush through it.
Forearm trail drill
Advertisement
This drill really loads your recovering arm with resistance and you should take care not to force the recovery. The emphasis is the same as the finger and hand trail drills but the resistance your forearm creates is much stronger, making you work harder on recruiting the correct muscles to perform the movement.
How to improve your ‘catch and pull’ phase in front crawl
Open-water swim technique: the key components
Front crawl technique: paddle or rake hand position?
Front crawl technique: the key components
How to streamline your swim
The Brownlee Centre sits alongside a new 1 mile (1.6km) cycle circuit – one of the longest in the country – at the University’s Bodington Playing Fields in north Leeds.
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It will also be a new National Elite Training Centre for Triathlon. The UK’s first purpose-built triathlon training base, it will combine a strength and conditioning training suite, physiotherapy, medical and other support services, to provide world-class facilities to enhance triathlon training in the region.
Alistair said: “This day marks a great day for cycling in Yorkshire. The start of the Tour de Yorkshire builds on a fantastic legacy and, thanks to these new facilities, Leeds continues to be a real centre for excellence when it comes to cycling and triathlon.”
Alistair Brownlee’s key triathlon training sessions
Jonny added: “A big thanks to the University and all of the supporters, because this centre and circuit will inspire everyone, from beginners through to elite athletes.”
The facilities, open to sports enthusiasts of all ages and abilities, will be available to use from next Tuesday [2 May] and include changing rooms and a café.
The cycle circuit has a full programme of activity including ‘pay and pedal’, HSBC UK Breeze Rides for women and girls and special training sessions for elite athletes, University and local clubs. Bikes for children and adults are available to hire, along with hand cycles, trikes and tandems for use by riders with disabilities.
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Partnership funding from British Cycling, British Triathlon and others contributed £1million to the project, with the remaining funding provided by the University of Leeds.
The Brownlee Centre sits alongside a new 1 mile (1.6km) cycle circuit – one of the longest in the country – at the University’s Bodington Playing Fields in north Leeds.
Advertisement
It will also be a new National Elite Training Centre for Triathlon. The UK’s first purpose-built triathlon training base, it will combine a strength and conditioning training suite, physiotherapy, medical and other support services, to provide world-class facilities to enhance triathlon training in the region.
Alistair said: “This day marks a great day for cycling in Yorkshire. The start of the Tour de Yorkshire builds on a fantastic legacy and, thanks to these new facilities, Leeds continues to be a real centre for excellence when it comes to cycling and triathlon.”
Alistair Brownlee’s key triathlon training sessions
Jonny added: “A big thanks to the University and all of the supporters, because this centre and circuit will inspire everyone, from beginners through to elite athletes.”
The facilities, open to sports enthusiasts of all ages and abilities, will be available to use from next Tuesday [2 May] and include changing rooms and a café.
The cycle circuit has a full programme of activity including ‘pay and pedal’, HSBC UK Breeze Rides for women and girls and special training sessions for elite athletes, University and local clubs. Bikes for children and adults are available to hire, along with hand cycles, trikes and tandems for use by riders with disabilities.
Advertisement
Partnership funding from British Cycling, British Triathlon and others contributed £1million to the project, with the remaining funding provided by the University of Leeds.
Challenge Family have announced a new event in Switzerland, the Challenge Davos Festival. Taking place September16-17 it will include a middle-distance triathlon, as well as a range of shorter distance events that form part of the national Swiss Tri Circuit.
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The festival also features a 12 km time trial, The Flüela Challenge, that athletes can either bike, roller ski, inline skate or run.
On Saturday competitiors in the Olympic distance triathlon will swim 1.5km in the clear waters of Lake Davos before biking a 24km bike course. This course will take the athletes up to the high mountain pass Flüelapass, which has an elevation of 2,383 metres.
Although the bike course is shorter in distance than in other Olympic distance tris the time needed to complete it will approximately be the same as an Olympic distance triathlon elsewhere.
The run leg will take athletes along the shores of Lake Davos before heading towards the finish line.
On Sunday the middle-distance tri will start at the edge of the beautiful Lake Davos where athletes will swim 1.9km, before cycling the 50km bike leg, which includes having to conquer the Flüelapass from each side.
The final third of the race will take athletes on a 21.1km run around the picturesque lake.
OC president, a water ambassador and former Swiss Olympic Triathlon coach, Ernst Bromeis, said: “It’s a dream to organise an event at the Flüelapass. It’s a unique experience to enjoy the scenery in silence and to hear only your own breathing rhythm, the wind and the flowing water. I would like to thank the authorities and the Destination Davos-Klosters for great cooperation.”
Challenge Family have announced a new event in Switzerland, the Challenge Davos Festival. Taking place September16-17 it will include a middle-distance triathlon, as well as a range of shorter distance events that form part of the national Swiss Tri Circuit.
Advertisement
The festival also features a 12 km time trial, The Flüela Challenge, that athletes can either bike, roller ski, inline skate or run.
On Saturday competitiors in the Olympic distance triathlon will swim 1.5km in the clear waters of Lake Davos before biking a 24km bike course. This course will take the athletes up to the high mountain pass Flüelapass, which has an elevation of 2,383 metres.
Although the bike course is shorter in distance than in other Olympic distance tris the time needed to complete it will approximately be the same as an Olympic distance triathlon elsewhere.
The run leg will take athletes along the shores of Lake Davos before heading towards the finish line.
On Sunday the middle-distance tri will start at the edge of the beautiful Lake Davos where athletes will swim 1.9km, before cycling the 50km bike leg, which includes having to conquer the Flüelapass from each side.
The final third of the race will take athletes on a 21.1km run around the picturesque lake.
OC president, a water ambassador and former Swiss Olympic Triathlon coach, Ernst Bromeis, said: “It’s a dream to organise an event at the Flüelapass. It’s a unique experience to enjoy the scenery in silence and to hear only your own breathing rhythm, the wind and the flowing water. I would like to thank the authorities and the Destination Davos-Klosters for great cooperation.”
Are you tough enough to race the Monster Triathlon, a 550-mile event in September that sees teams and individuals swim, cycle and run from Loch Ness to London?
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Open to the general public for the first time, participants will complete a 5km swim in Loch Ness, cycle 100 miles a day for five days, before finishing with a 50km run/walk from Windsor to Richmond on the final day.
The event was pioneered by charity Sabre Trust in 2016, where a team of both novice and experienced triathletes from corporate partner Tullow Oil completed the challenge in eight days.
“We are delighted to see the Monster Triathlon evolve into a full public event this year after a very successful pilot last year,” said Dominic Bond, Managing Director at Sabre Trust. “We are looking forward to establishing the Monster in the challenge event calendar, and increasing the crucial work our teams do to improve the quality of education for Ghana’s youngest school children.”
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The Monster Triathlon takes place September 17-23 and you can find out more at www.monstertriathlon.org