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Balmoral Triathlon Club Cycling Time Trial Bike Test

triathlonaddict — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:19:44 +0000

On Saturday the 24th October 2009 I used the Cycpro prototype in the Balmoral Triathlon Club 20km time trial to see what these new breed of bikes can do. For someone like myself who is a handy cyclist but not the very fastest going around this was going to be a real test of the difference these bikes will make.

The Cycpro Prototype

The time trial was held at Centennial Park Sydney. The distance is 5 times around Centennial Park remaining on or to the left of the white line which marks the right hand side of the cycling lane. We call this a 20km event however it is a ‘triathlon’ 20kms. In reality it is 19.35kms.

Last season my last two time trials on my other bike (standard road bike with tri bars and a 73 degree setup) where both done in 28:26 at an average speed of 40kmh. My plan was to do this in 28:00 flat. I had my lap times worked out. The first thing you notice when you ride the Cycpro bike is that you are in a very aggressive riding position. The angle is 80 degrees. The bike feels fast! My first lap was on 28:00 pace which is unusual. I usually do the first lap slower. The second lap I was on just under 28:00 and as I went around each time I felt stronger and stronger. This bike has me in a position which does not seem to fatigue my legs like normal.

My finish time was 27:38 at an average of just over 42kmh. This was significantly faster than my expectations and I finished second overall to Duncan Houston who is an unbelievable up and coming triathlete.

This bike is awesome. I can’t wait for the production models to be available. I will be buying one of the first!

ITU Triathlon World Championship 2009, Gold Coast Australia

triathlonaddict — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:18:46 +0000

The 2009 ITU Triathlon World Championship on the Gold Coast, Australia was my first time representing New Zealand. As someone new to the sport and having started at 39 years old this was a great experience. A memory that I will enjoy for years to come. Whilst I am not any danger to the top ten in my age group (40-44)

Karl Hayes Finishing the 2009 Olympic Distance ITU World Championship

I didn’t come last! My bike split was respectable, my swim was average and my run suffered from my respectable bike split. Lesson learned! This was only my third Olympic Distance triathlon and including other distances I had never had a bike leg that was flat, fast with no wind to slow us down or assist us. As a result I got off the bike effectively having done an hour on an indoor trainer with no rest. My legs were blown. So much for my target of a sub 40min 10km.

I still managed just under a 2min personal best for the distance. The big take away from this race was I love sprint distance and olympic distance is not so much fun after all! I also place higher in the shorter races. I think I will leave the longer races until I have a couple of more years of running under my belt.

This was a huge week for triathlon in Australia and it was a resounding success. It was great to see so many people I know having a lot of success.

Possibly the best overall performance was Christell van Niekerk who was the fastest women in the Sprint Distance World Championship and finished almost 4min ahead of the second place woman in her (30-34) age group and over a minute ahead of the 2nd fastest woman overall. Some other great performances by some people I know and great members of the Balmoral Triathlon Club were posted by Matt Webster (Sprint Distance, 3rd M35-39), Matt Palmer (Sprint Distance, 3rd M30-34), Adam Radford (Sprint Distance, 2nd M40-44), Mark Preston (Sprint Distance, 2nd M55-59), Merri Mack (Sprint Distance, 13th F60-64). Also Amanda Bott finished a great 9th in the F16-19 age group in the Sprint distance.

One of my great mates, Hansjoerg Knieling (racing for Germany) had some tough luck after crashing at about 40+km/h. He pulled himself together and managed to finish with a respectable 2:17 in the Olympic distance. His helmet was smashed and he had a lot less skin than he had when he went to the event.

Amy Wilkinson from the Balmoral Triathlon Club in Sydney was, like myself, also racing for New Zealand. Amy was going extremely well after the swim and bike but blew up on the run. Considering this was only her third Olympic distance Amy has an awesome future in triathlons and she will be a big mover over the next two years.

I am looking forward to a summer of Sprint and short races with just a couple of Olympic distance races. I need to have fun this season and after a winter of hard training under Bruce Thomas of Energylink Coaching I am looking forward to a rest next winter. Well maybe one or two sessions less per week.

Australian National Duathlon Champs in Canberra August 16 2009

triathlonaddict — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:14:38 +0000

I finished one of my toughtest weeks of racing and training in my short triathlon career with the Australian National Duathlon Championship in Canberra on August 16, 2009. This was the first ‘longer’ distance duathlon I have done. Previously the Sydney Duathlon Series (3.2/19.2/3.2) was the longest. I approached this race as a training hitout with no real expectations of a fast time. In the week prior I had done the City 2 Surf and also some pretty serious training.

The first 10kms was tough but okay and I managed to amble around in 41:30, the bike was slow with a bit of wind and also a nasty little hill at the far turnaround,\. I was lucky to be give one of the Cycpro bikes by Marc Battistella for the race. He loaned me the pink ‘Stella‘. The final 5km run was murder! My legs felt like concrete and it hurt.

When I watch people like Peter Walker I can only imagine what it would be like to be able to run like that. On one hand I think ‘if only I had taken this up 20+ years ago’ but on the other hand I am fit at 41! I’ll take what I can. Having only started running seriously this year I am not doing too bad. Although I noticed it more in the second run. It really hit me. I have to do more running and back off the bike a bit.

The race in Canberra was really enjoyable and the team there put on a fantastic day. I will be back in January for the Olympic distance if it is on.

Another City2Surf done and dusted!

triathlonaddict — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:49:24 +0000

As someone who is fairly new to competitive running (first race in 2007 at 39 yrs old) I am finding it incredibly satisfying and intriguing as I get to know more about running. Over the last Australian summer I picked up the basic running techniques that I have never had the chance to learn. This has helped immensely. The science behind running techniques is varied and when you take it all in and process one thing at a time the gains are fantastic.

I completed my 3rd City2Surf last weekend. In 2007 I did 75:16, in 2008 I did 60:42 and this year my time is down to 58:00 (if only I had a slightly longer stride. I could have been telling everyone I did 57mins for the next year). This year was a significant achievement as I ran 13 of the 14kms in an average of 4min kms. The only speed bump was between the 6km flag and the 7km flag when it took me 6mins to run up Heartbreak Hill. I did take the hill way to conservatively.

The good thing to come out of this is that my goal of running 10kms in 38mins at the triathlon world championships in September on the Gold Coast is looking acheiveble.

A number of members from the Balmoral Triathlon Club also completed the City2Surf this year with some fantastic results. Click here to view them all.

I am also booked in for my 3rd Blackmores half marathon on September 20 this year. My goal time will be 90mins. This may be a slight stretch but hopefully not. It is a week after the worlds so I should be in good shape (or I could have fallen in to a heap somewhere). 2007 time was 1:07 and 2008 was 98mins. Both of these times where done with no serious training. Fingers crossed.

Sydney Duathlon Series 2009 – Race 2

triathlonaddict — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:52:12 +0000

Race 2 of the Sydney duathlon series was held yesterday at Parramatta Park, Sydney. The weather just managed to hold out for the race even though we had slightly more than a few spits just before the gun went off. Once again the race was a sell out. I had a goal of shaving one minute off my time from race 1 in July and also coming in under 55mins. I made it by 1 second. My time of 54:59 was almost perfect according to my plan. I took 56 seconds off. One of the most satisfying elements of the race yesterday was that I came out of T2 in 11th place over all. I ran down three guys to come in 8th overall and 3rd in the 35-44 age group. All three guys were in this age group. My second run was the strongest yet for the duathlon series over the last two years.

It was great to pass Sven Pischke and Ian Kennedy and also with only a few hundred meters to go I finally took Nick Glozier. Hansjoerg Knieling and I had a great dual on the bike after he finally caught me on lap 4 of 6. I was determined to make amends for my poor hill work in the previous race. I put in a sprint just before the top of the hill on each lap and this turned out to be the difference between myself and these guys. In particular I made sure I put a gap between Hansjoerg and I at the top of the hill on each lap as I knew he had the legs to ride me down around the course. I needed to come out of T2 at the same time as him to make sure I finished ahead.

The Hills Triathlon Club have once again put on a great duathlon series and I look forward to race 3 in August.

Full results can be found by clicking here.

Balmoral Triathlon Club – Age Group Winners and Club Awards

triathlonaddict — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:34:25 +0000

The Balmoral Triathlon Club has awarded the age group winners and special trohpy recipients. I am both proud and a little embarrassed to have been awarded the 2009 Guy Yates Memorial Trophy for clubmanship. I didn’t do anything for the club this year to gain this sort of recognition. Triathlons and the Balmoral Triathlon Club have been one of the most enjoyable things I have done in my life. One thing that I did get a huge thrill out of was taking out the Male 40-44 age group championship.

Congratulations to everyone that took part in the club this year.

Triathlete of the Year - Sophia Amor-Smith

Ironman of the Year – Paul McClarnon

Rookie Ironman of the Year – Louise Harvey

Guy Yates Memorial Trophy – Karl Hayes

Rookie of the Year – Claire Irwin

Aquathlon Champion Female – Lisa Cash

Aquathlon Champion Male – Anthony Bates

Age Group Winners – Full List

2009 Sydney Duathlon Series – Race 1

triathlonaddict — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:45:44 +0000

Race 1 of the Sydney Duathlon series was on Sunday. The conditions were almost identical to the races in last years Western Sydney Duathlon Series. There were some fast times with Tim Reed going well over a minute quicker than last year to again take out race 1.

Personally this was my first real opportunity to really see how much I have improved since starting to train for triathlons reasonably seriously in July 2008. Prior to this, even though I had completed my first season of triathlons in the 2007 to 2008 Australian season, I had never trained with any knowledge or a proper training structure. In fact I didn’t start proper running training including interval and technique until November 2008.

I was incredibly pleased with the improvement. My fastest time last year in the Western Sydney Duathlon series (now called the Sydney Duathlon Series) was 58:16. in the first race of last years series my time was 59:16. On Sunday in race 1 of the 2009 Sydney Duathlon Series I did 55:56! I was incredibly happy with this result. Now I need to find another minute at least by race 3.

I stuffed around in T1. For some stupid reason I decided I would run with no gloves and then put some on in T1 for the bike leg. In hindsight it was not as cold as I seemed to think it may be. I am sure I lost about 30-40 seconds on my normal transition of around 33 seconds. And then to make matters worse I took them off in T2. Somebody slap me! So I think I almost have another 1 min from the transitions up my sleeve.

The bike leg went very well. Am I riding faster or did the Softride help me around at a quicker pace? My legs were dead from the weeks training and a first long run in two months. So overall I am happy with how things went. I have some good things to focus on for race 2. These include a bit of a taper, transitioning and eating better leading up to the race.

I know it is only a short race but when you are 40, only have one serious season in triathlons under your belt and a lack of serious race knowledge you do need to plan and taper for an event like this. I suspect people like John Hill and Peter Walker have a lot more in their engines and don’t need to taper for a race like this.

Another major achievement for me was beating Steve Nielsen and Sven Pischke for the first time in my relatively short race career. I was very happy about that!

Full results are available on the Balmoral Triathlon Club’s website by clicking here. These results also have the age group placings for race 1 of the Sydney Duathlon Series.

New Five Spoke Gravity Zero Carbon Race Wheels

triathlonaddict — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:45:27 +0000

I have recently started riding with Gravity Zero wheels. My first experience with Gravity Zero was at the recent 2009 NSW triathlon club championship where I was lucky enough to be loaned a Gravity Zero disc wheel by

Gravity Zero TT 5 Spoke Race Wheel

Marc Battistella of Cycpro Bikes. This combined with my general improvement in triathlons saw my bike time drop from 56:21 to 53:07. The wheel was amazing. It was not just about the disc wheel though. The Gravity Zero hubs, which have been developed by Gravity Zero in Melbourne Australia, are something you need to expereince.

The Gravity Zero hubs have what is referred to as ‘Zero Lag’.

The theory is by eliminating hub lag, the rider becomes smoother and more efficient in the pedal stroke and improves the legs momentum. The Gravity Zero X one hub instantly transfers power from the first turn of the pedals to the last.

When I raced with the Gravity Zero disc wheel the feeling was simply amazing. Clearly noticeable is how you are instantly propelled forward with an improved power stroke. Both legs work together as one. You generate more torque with the same amount of effort, compared to riding a conventional hub.

This page on Gravity Zero’s website shows the results of tests carried out by Victorian University, Melbourne, Australia.

Pictured here is the Gravity Zero 5 spoke TT wheel. I haven’t tried this wheel yet but am using the hubs and a standard aero wheel from Gravity Zero.

The Great NOSH footrace – Lindfield to Seaforth

triathlonaddict — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:33:30 +0000

I ran my first Great NOSH Footrace yesterday. This event has been going for 35 years. It was my first decent run for a month and boy did I feel it. I took 79mins to complete a grueling 15kms through some of Sydney’s most beautiful bushland. The tracks were wet and very muddy, the rocks were tough to climb and the downhills were both great fun and hair raising. I twisted my ankle at the 2km mark but carried on even though I knew I would suffer today (Monday). It looks like I have hidden a golf ball in my ankle right now. For full results click here.

The Great NOSH Footrace - Sydney

If anyone is thinking of doing this race but has never got around to it, do yourself a favour and put it in your diary for next year. Everyone there had a great time and seeing the satisfaction on everyone’s faces at the end was well worth being there. For more information click here.

Smashing Hills on the Softride Rocket

triathlonaddict — Mon, 25 May 2009 10:51:36 +0000

Even though Softride have stopped making bikes I have recently been riding one as an experiment while I work on the marketing of the new Cycpro bikes. The first thing I have noticed after two weeks is ‘no sore back’! On Sunday I rode the same loop for the second week. I am getting a real feel for the bike now. we rode up the hill to Terry Hills from Church Point. I smashed the hill. This was the fastest I have done this hill in and it seemed so effortless.

There is deifnitely a science to these bikes. Having ridden the early protoype of the new Cycpro bikes already I can see why Marc Batisttella is so passionate (yeah I know those of you that know him know that this is an understatement) about bringing these new beam bikes to life.