Innehållsförteckning för July 2017 från 220 Triathlon

We’re big fans of Swedish brand Salming, and their wide new range of run trainers, apparel and accessories is certainly striking and stylish, highlighted by the updated Ultralite Jacket 2.0 seen here. Available in a black and grey men’s cut, and the women’s pink on show above, the Ultralite is, as the name suggests, light and lean, clocking the scales at 136g. The polyester/elastane mix is water repellent and offers a smattering of wind protection, with the brand also recommending its freedom of movement due to the ergonomic design. Run-friendly features include ventilation under the armpits, a hidden side pocket, a headphone exit and reflective prints throughout. Elsewhere in Salming’s new collection are the Elements trainers targeted at swimrun athletes, as well as new Miles and EnRoute mileage shoes. We’ll…

Boasting clinical design and tri-specific features at wallet-friendly prices, Fabric’s saddles mightily impressed us on their launch by Charge Bikes in late 2015. It’s obvious that this is a range that’s evidently been shaped on the road and during race day, instead of just the lab. Designed specifically for triathletes and time-triallists, the updated 176g Tri Flat Pro (fabric.cc) seen here is the top-of-the-range model in the 2017 collection, featuring carbon rails as opposed to the chromoly (£59.99, 240g) and titanium (£74.99, 232g) versions. Noteworthy spec includes the central pressure relief channel, which elevates pressure on your perineum and also acts as a drain for water after the swim leg. The rear bottle mount, meanwhile, is removable and doubles as a hook for a secure position on transition racks. Look…

“Purchasing a bike on the internet is very popular, but I pass people on ill-fitting bikes all the time” HEATH, MEET DAVE ROBINSON! I recently raced the Eton Sprints with this contraption I knocked up from an old drinks bottle, a straw and some duct tape. After seeing so many people dropping bottles during a fast draft-legal race in Cozumel last year I rigged up this contraption for next to no money. If I’d had more time to think about it I may have used red tape to match the bike! It worked well, shame my legs didn’t on the day!! Dave Robinson, email 220 says: Excellent job, Dave. We applaud your ingenuity, and as a reward we hope your spanking new tri-suit will help you achieve your next PB.…

MEET THE TEST TEAM HELEN WEBSTER 220’s editor is your go-to for women’s multisport kit. MATT BAIRD Has spent years testing tri kit and accessories for 220. JACK SEXTY He’s a strong age-grouper focusing on top-end gains. ROB BANINO Is a journalist who specialises in all-things bike. JAMES WITTS He’s a published author writing about sports science. OUR RATINGS BUY NOW A GENUINE CLASS LEADER IMPRESSIVE ONE OF THE BEST YOU CAN BUY GOOD A DECENT PERFORMER AVERAGE IT’LL DO THE JOB WELL ENOUGH POOR SIMPLY PUT, DON’T BOTHER! MOST WANTED “Clear attention to detail is evident. We get the sense these suits have been designed by actual triathletes” DHB BLOK SHORT SLEEVE £76 Can a tri-suit really be high-performing without a high price? Backed by the might…

HIGH5 ZERO £5.83 High5’s pink grapefruit Zero is a great little product, though only when you drop in two tablets per 750ml (High5 recommend one or two). Each tablet contains 200mg of sodium, 70mg potassium, 9mg calcium and 56mg magnesium. Just a note on magnesium, that’s applicable for all the tablets here; it’s rare an individual is deficient in magnesium even when sweating. Like the Nuun it comes with vitamin C (28m), which again might be better for taste than adaptation. It also contains 1mg green tea for a very minor caffeine hit. At less than 30p per tablet (£5.83 for 20), these are the cheapest on test here. highfive.co.uk VERDICT HIGHLY AFFORDABLE OPTION THAT TASTES GOOD POWERBAR 5 ELECTRO’ £3.99 This is one for hot races punctuated with stiff…

SWIM STRENGTH SESSION DURATION 45MINS COACH JOHN WOOD “Your comfort pace is a relaxed, easy swim that allows you to breathe easily” FORM As you accelerate and get faster, hold your form rather than trying to go crazy with your arms and legs. PACE Start slow! The first set of 100s/ intervals should be at a pace that you can do all day! FOCUS Don’t get hung up on times, focus on consistency and a change in effort that makes you travel faster. Setting pace in a swim can be a challenge. Especially in open water when you don’t have any solid markers to tell you how far you’ve travelled. It’s tough to go hard enough that you have your best race, but not so hard that you need transition…

“30min sessions are fine as long as you swim with intent” Paul: I only have 2 x 30min sessions per week for swimming. How can I best use this time to improve? I do standard-distance triathlons and have a 1,500m PB of 33mins but would love to go under 30mins. John: 30min sessions are fine for bettering yourself, as long as you swim with intent. Each session that you do should have a point to it – whether it’s a fast/interval/ threshold session, or more aerobically and steady paced. Paul: I know I should do drills, but should I be concentrating on distance work or speed/ technique? John: You can include drills in your warm-ups and cool-downs. Then if you’re doing an aerobic (steady-paced) session, you could do 10 x…

GET FASTER WITH FRODO Entered an Ironman? Aiming just to complete rather than compete? Think again and smash your predicted times with these tips from Ironman World Champ Jan Frodeno p47. TRI BIKE SHOES RATED Why would you buy different bike shoes for tri? Well, speedy transitions, comfort and breathability are just three reasons you could consider... See p65 for our complete buyer’s guide. SHED WEIGHT, GET FAST There’s no point buying a lightweight race bike if your body is carrying a lot of extra load. Our head coach Dave Scott tells you how to lose weight and really achieve your potential on p102.…

In triathlon, nutrition has a significant impact on race-day performance. And, according to Professor Asker Jeukendrup, your gut can be trained as acutely as your muscles, heart and lungs by such simple methods as training straight after a meal and with relatively large volumes of fluid. But, importantly for your race, you can also train your body to absorb more carbs. Jeukendrup has already taught us that by mixing glucose and fructose, you can ingest up to 90g of carbs per hour without gastric issues. But for many, that’s still not possible. Jeukendrup’s recent paper, however, explains how athletes have increased carb absorption after slowly increasing intake over 28 days. “From a practical viewpoint, increasing in-training carb intake for one session a week for between five and 10 weeks is…

UNDER £50 TOPEAK JOEBLOW ELITE £49.99 The Joeblow Elite is a solid, versatile and fairly weighty option from the reliable Topeak. It delivers 160psi and features a smart top-mounted analogue gauge that’s easy to read compared to those positioned at the base. extrauk.co.uk UNDER £55 BIRZMAN MAHA APOGEE III £54.99 We love a wooden handle on a floor pump, especially one matched with a chrome barrel. As well as fine looks, the easy-to-use Birzman boasts a pressure-control button for finding the exact tyre pressure and delivers a high 220psi. i-ride.co.uk UNDER £100 TRUFLO AIRSTORE £99.99 Marketed as the ‘tubeless rider’s go-to track pump’. The USP is a secondary cylinder that can be pre-loaded to 260psi, stores pressure for days and can be instantly released via the air tap on the…

PAD Ultra-lean saddles look extreme but should provide more comfort than bigger ones due to supporting you in the areas you need it. The broadest section should support the rider’s sit bones, but it’s worth noting that men’s sit bones are closer together than women’s. CUT-OUT The cut-out or drainage channel will naturally aid ventilation and drying of your shorts. It’ll also take the pressure off your perineum. The channel can be a reduction in the pad’s thickness or something as extreme as a hole, as seen in ISM’s designs. NOSE Triathletes, especially long-distance ones, will spend extended periods of time on the aerobars. So a tri-friendly saddle should have a narrow, flat profile due to the rider being in this aggressive forward position, with their weight placed towards the…

1 Stay hydrated in the days before the race and fuel on race-day with fluid, electrolytes and the proven 2:1 mix of glucose and fructose intake for carbohydrate replenishment, as shown in Torq’s Hypotonic sticks, £7 for six. 2 Designed to be consumed without water, SiS Go Isotonic Energy Gels, £42 for 30, are a convenient and speedy way to prevent carb depletion. Some gels also contain caffeine, a proven performance hit. 3 Fuelling a race, especially a long one, on energy gels alone can lead to gastric problems so vary your fuelling with natural sources such as bananas. These Clif Shot Bloks, £2.69, will also provide some variation and a carb/caffeine hit. 4 Beer may be more tempting but ensure you aid recovery within 30mins of your finish by…

1 GET AHEAD Tri coach Mark Threlfall says it’s crucial to get clear of thrashing arms and legs at the start of the swim A good start will help you get ahead of the ‘washing machine’ and in to clear water, but you’ll need to be able to swim a little faster than your target race-pace. So in training, include some maximal efforts followed by some tempo swimming to get you used to starting hard before settling into race pace. 2 QUICK CHANGE Mark Threlfall says brick sessions will help you make your transitions smooth and swift Transitions are just as important as the swim, bike and run legs. Make sure you find the time in training to learn how to remove your wetsuit, clip your helmet up, and mount…

HEEL TAB Essential for pulling your shoe on in T1 and off in T2. STRAP Tri shoes often have one big Velcro strap for minimal faff in transition. UPPER The bulk of your tri shoe, usually made from either synthetic leather, real leather or microfibre. SOLE Where the pedal cleat is mounted. Made from either polyamide or carbon. Almost all tri-specific clothing and equipment has been adapted from cycle-specific products in some form or another but in the case of the modern clipless pedal system, it’s the other way round. Created by Look in 1984, the French brand adapted ski-binding technology to make the first widely-used ‘clipless’ pedal system (named to distinguish them from toe clips) and they were initially used for triathletes to make transitions faster. After triathlon blazed…

CYCLING BRICK SESSION DURATION 1:10HRS COACH NIK COOK “This session is all about packing in as many bike-to-run bricks as you can. It’s fast, furious and fun, so definitely one to share” AERO Do the bike intervals on your race bike and hold race position, to check that it’s sustainable. RELAX The key to being quick through transition is to be relaxed and methodical. FAST FEET Cut down your stride length, get your legs turning over quickly then start to lengthen your stride. It’s staggering how many athletes, even seasoned competitors, never put the three tri disciplines back to back in training. I’ve always been a huge fan of brick sessions and, especially when I was training for long-course events, would always follow my long rides with a run. Even…

TRI-SUITS Comfort is key when buying a tri-suit. Ideally it needs to be supportive, lightweight and include pockets. Also check for any irritating seams. Here we’ve included both sleeved and vested options. ZONE3 Activate+ £89.00 Cool, comfortable and good value. Small back pocket but fine for short-course. Issue 337 racezone3.com BLUESEVENTY TX2000 £100.00 A top quality, good value performance suit with plenty of padding and roomy side pockets. Issue 337 blueseventy.co.uk HEART SPORTS Tri-suit £115.00 This small British brand continues to impress with great design and features. Issue 337 heartsports.co.uk ORCA 226 Race Suit £119.99 A flawless suit in execution and comfort. Stylish, techy and durable – ticks every tri-suit box. Issue 337 orca.com LOUIS GARNEAU Course Lgneer £269.00 Excellent suit that’s…

We take gear testing seriously – you need to know that the kit you buy will help you reach your goals in all three disciplines and work as hard as you do on race day. Our test team is made up of experienced triathletes, cyclists and runners who test each product that appears in 220 to the max during training and racing, rating it honestly for performance and value. JAMIE WILKINS A handy time triallist and road racer, Jamie is the former deputy editor of Procycling and a fiercely analytical reviewer. July goals A road race win, hopefully, and lots of training for the UCI Masters World Champs. JACK SEXTY A serious triathlete since blowing his student loan on a bike, sub-2hr Olympic-distance athlete Jack moved up to Ironman last…

“After an event it was straight off to the pub to rehydrate!” I got into sports photography when I was at high school. I was made to wear braces on my teeth, so contact sports were out of the question. In order to be with the cool kids, I asked if I could take photos of the rugby matches for the weekly school newsletter. After a season, I was hooked. Fast-forward a few years and I was working as a corporate marketing manager. But I wasn’t enjoying the ‘suit and tie’ world at all, so one day I decided to make the jump and pursue my dream of becoming a sports photographer. Here I am, almost 30 years later. In 1988, I was asked by a friend to join him…

FOCUS YOUR SWIM SETS ON SPRINTS The key to a strong 3.8km swim, says Frodeno, is to include sprint work every session FRODO’S KEY ADVICE Whether you’re training for your first Ironman or getting your PB down, it’s a mistake to neglect the swim leg — even though it counts for just 10% of the race, says Jan. “The key to Ironman preparation isn’t to lose all your speed. It’s not all about doing long repetitions or long intervals. I have some sprint work in every session, especially in the warm-up. “It’s in the winter that I’ll actually do proper speed work with other swimmers” Jan adds. “I swim five times most weeks. And probably two of these are really hard, but there’s intensity in all of them as well.”…

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that we’ve increased the number of tri-suit buyer’s guides in this mag for 2017. Back in issue 338 we had sleeved women’s tri-suits, this issue is the turn of vested and next month we turn our attention to two-piece women’s suits (men, you’ll find men’s suits in issues 337 and 339). So, with so much choice out there, why would you go for a traditional vested version? Well, the thinking behind the sleeved versions is they’re more for long-course racing, as the sleeves keep the sun off your shoulders and make you more aerodynamic, whereas the vested versions are marketed more toward shorter races. However for us, there are no hard and fast rules, so if you’re looking for your first trisuit then try a few…

MAX EFFORT (RPE 9–10) Redlining. Things are getting very difficult at this level. You can barely breathe and are struggling to speak. At the top end, it feels almost impossible to keep going. VIGOROUS (RPE 7–8) The pain cave. Your activity is starting to become uncomfortable. You’re short of breath, but can speak a sentence. In short, it’s getting tough: but you can carry on. MODERATE (RPE 4–6) Adding some load. Things are starting to become more challenging. You’re having to breathe harder, but not so much you can’t hold a conversation. EASY (RPE 1–3) A ‘go all day’ effort. Light activity, which at the lower end takes hardly any exertion and towards number 3 is still easy enough that you feel like you could maintain it indefinitely.…

RUNNING 5KM PACE SESSION DURATION 45MINS COACH SPENCER SMITH LISTEN Use your breathing as a guide to your RPE and pace. The body is smart; listen to it. FOCUS Embrace the freedom of running without looking down at your watch. Concentrate on your body. FORM Athletes can get so immersed in pacing with their gadgets that they forget to focus on form. Through 28 years of racing, I’ve seen how technology has changed how athletes train, and some may argue that it’s becoming less about the person and more about the devices that hold them accountable. Personally, I think the increased dependency on modern training tools has reduced our ability to make sound, common sense decisions. We’re humans, after all, and factors such as sickness, heat, dehydration and fatigue, to…

EUROPEAN CHAMPS QUALIFIER WORLD CHAMPS QUALIFIER BRITISH AG CHAMPS TRI ENGLAND NATIONAL CHAMPS JULY 1/2 BOWOOD HOUSE TRIATHLON (various dists). Bowood House, Wilts. lpsevents.co.uk 1 THE DRAGON DUATHLON CHALLENGE (7 legs, 290km total). Llangadog, Carmarthenshire. dragonduathlon.com VOTWO SALTY SEA DOG TRIATHLON (various dists). Boscombe, Dorset. votwo.co.uk RIPON TRIATHLON (various dists). Ripon, North Yorkshire. ripontriathlon.co.uk THE ISOMAN TRIATHLON (various dists). Redditch, Worcs. isomantri.com 2 OUTLAW HALF HOLKHAM (1.9km S/90km B/21.1km R). Norfolk. osbevents.com CLEVEDON TRIATHLON (400m S/21km B/5km R). Clevedon, Somerset. cadence-events.co.uk IRONMAN 70.3 EDINBURGH (1.9km S/90km B/21.1km R). Scotland. ironman.com WORTHING TRIATHLON (various dists). Goring Beach, West Sussex. rawenergypursuits.co.uk FAMBRIDGE YACHT MIDDLE DISTANCE TRIATHLON (1.9km S/90km B/18km R). Chelmsford, Essex. dengieevents.co.uk THE GLADIATOR FULL DISTANCE TRI (3.8km S/180km B/42.2km R). Fordingbridge, Hants. racenewforest.co.uk HEREFORD TRIATHLON (400m S/19km B/5km R). Hereford.…