Innehållsförteckning för February 2020 från 220 Triathlon

Launched by Ben Eldridge, a former BSc sports technology student, FIT is new, but its debut wetsuit is worthy of attention. A key feature of the FIT (Frequency, Intensity, Time) suit is the inclusion of ‘bio-ceramic infrared reflection’ technology located beneath the neoprene. This is said to return naturally emitted infrared rays back to your muscles as you swim, reportedly improving blood circulation and thermoregulation, allowing muscles to work harder. There are relatively lean levels of Yamamoto neoprene throughout, with the thickness of the shoulders coming in at 1.5mm, the torso 2mm, the upper legs 3mm (compared to 4-5mm for most wetsuits) and the lower legs 2mm. FIT claims the suit can reduce T1 speed, thanks to the 1.5mm ‘flexi’ cuffs and shorter 3/4 lengths of both the arms and…

Two years ago, when I was 35, I had a full hysterectomy. After the surgery, they diagnosed me with cervical cancer. It was a huge shock. If I hadn’t had other gynaecological conditions, I wouldn’t have known I had cervical cancer until it was serious, because I’d missed my cervical smear tests. I came up with the idea for the Sea to Summit challenge when I was recovering in hospital. I really wanted something to focus on – I needed a goal to get better for. I’d done lots of Ironmans and slightly crazy challenges before, so I knew it had to be big. So last September I set off to swim the English Channel, cycle 544 miles to Chamonix and then climb Mont Blanc. My target was five days…

Gels have become a staple in the triathlete’s larder, their culinary convenience meaning you can bike and run to your heart’s content loaded. But when exactly should you use these speed-and-stamina sachets? It’s a broadly sweeping brush but they’re not really needed unless you’re exercising for over 90mins. That’s based on your glycogen stores being at capacity through a healthy, energising daily nutrition plan, which highlights that supplements like these aren’t maximised unless you’re fuelling proficiently as the norm, not on occasions. That means good-quality carbs, muscle-repairing and rebuilding protein, good fats, and vitamins and minerals. How many gels should you consume on longer sessions or racing? The ideal is an individualised prescription or, more likely, through trial and error in training. Start with around 50g of carbs an hour…

01 DIAL The all-important ratchet to tighten your footwear. But not all dials are the same. Softer trail shoes demand a smaller dial allowing more precision. Other options include different placings for the dials, multiple dials on one shoe and quick-release dials that pop out to loosen more quickly, or on impact to prevent damage. 02 LACES The steel used for the lacing system comes in different strengths and flexibilities. A typical lace for a cycling shoe might be made up of seven bundles of seven strands of high tensile steel. Laces might also have exposed steel or be wrapped in textile for ease of cleaning or prevent them being abrasive to the soft uppers of a more delicate shoe. 03 GUIDES These are the lace loops designed to provide…

With the winter now in full swing – heck, we’ve already had snow – it’s a great time to make improvements to our performance, and for this month’s article we’re doing 3 x 20mins at a moderate pace and with a range of cadences. Working at 80-90% of your functional capacity is a great way to maximise your training time and work on your strength. I’d do a six-week block leading into the season. And if you’re riding with a power meter it’s a great way to monitor your power-to-heart rate ratio to gauge your fitness. I like to use these type of workouts a lot in my athletes’ workouts and believe they’re the back bone of any structured training programme. With all training we’re not just looking at one…

What is surfer’s ear? Surfer’s ear refers to a condition where extra bone forms as lumps in the ear canal. It’s caused by exposure to cold water and wind. The extra bone growth, also called exostosis, is believed to be the body’s defence mechanism to protect the ear drum. But unfortunately, it will just continue to grow. To prevent it, wear earplugs. But if the exostosis becomes severe, the only way to remove it is with surgery. How much difference do tri-bars make to performance? In short, a fair amount if used properly. Although, they’re most suitable for those confident with their bike-handling skills. Tribars decrease wind resistance and drag by reducing your frontal surface area while on the bike. You can also push more power through the pedals in…

‘A’-RACE The most important race of your season AGE-GROUPER Non-pro triathlete (most of us!) AEROBIC Aerobic exercise involves or improves oxygen consumption by the body ANAEROBIC How much energy your body can produce without using oxygen BILATERAL BREATHING Breathing every 3 strokes when swimming BONKING Running out of energy mid-race or training session…

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 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. JACK SEXTY A triathlete since blowing his student loan on a bike, sub-2hr Olympic athlete Jack moved to Ironman at Lanzarote in 2016. 2020 racing ambition? “I’m taking a year off the ITU age-group champs, so I fancy a bucket-list iron race. The Brutal perhaps?!” HELEN WEBSTER 220’s editor made the move from marathons to tri six years ago. Happiest when in…

FUNDRAISING PLEA I’m in the process of putting together a new idea to help disadvantaged people access the world of triathlon. It’s called The Squad Foundation, in which five men, five women and four young adults will be primarily recruited from local mental health services or socially deprived areas. Physical activity has been proven to benefit people with mental health issues, and we would like to introduce our Squad to the incredible sport of triathlon. Triathlon can be an expensive sport to get involved in, so, we’re trying to take as much of the financial burden away as possible and help form a team of people to take part in a summer of challenges in 2020. Over the coming months we will be fundraising in different ways. We have a…

Jan Frodeno and Anne Haug wrote history when they triumphed at the 2019 Ironman World Championships in Kona. Not only did they become the first German triathletes to win the mother of all triathlons on the same day, but Frodeno also became the first German to win Kona for the third time and Haug the first German woman to ever win on the Big Island. Furthermore, Frodono broke the course record that was set by another German, Patrick Lange, in 2018. But it’s another first that really stands out from these stats: Frodeno and Haug are trained by the same coach, the Luxembourg born (and German resident) Dan Lorang. And that makes for another record: never before has a coach had his athletes win both the male and female elite…

Goal setting is really important in a sport where you spend so much time training and a lot less time racing. Now obviously, because you’re all good athletes, you’ll have already set your goals for next season, but what about something more short-term to help you get there? Little challenges like the one in this issue are great for keeping you focused through the dark, cold mornings and evenings. The New Year Challenge asks you to run X kilometres across the month of January (or whichever month you just need a bit of a boost before the season starts). It’s X because the distance is really up to you, something that will push but not injure you and keep you focused across the month. Plan around how often you can…

COST OF KONA Q How much does it cost to race Kona? Michelle Briers A Entry for 2020’s race is $975 USD (about £778), with the online registration fees taking it over the $1,000 mark. We tracked the London to Kona flight route throughout 2019 and the cheapest flight prices were largely consistent (tracking at about £900 for the cheapest return), with a couple of fluctuations. The lowest fare was £705 some 191 days before the race, with the highest price coming 235 days before (£1,175). The cheapest prices, however, were often flights with more than one stop and long connection times. We settled on an American/BA combo at £1,150 return (including seating fees and taxes but with no hold luggage) with a night in Los Angeles, which helped with…

1 Canada Man Xtreme Triathlon returns to Lake Mégantic in the forests of Quebec on 4 July. The figurative and literal high point is the climb to the Mont Mégantic Observatory on the marathon run. 2 The Manx Xtreme Triathlon moves to a more favourable 25 July spot in 2020, but that’s about as favourable as things get given the 3 .8km Irish sea swim, 185km bike leg with 3 ,000m+ elevation gain and marathon climb to Snaefell. 3 With swim, bike and run legs totalling a combined 5 , 400m of elevation gain, Hispaman (north of Valencia on 26 September) is one of the toughest races on the Xtri circuit. 4 Entries open in early January for the Xtri classic that is Patagonman. The race returns to Chilean Patagonia…

WETSUITS Build quality, comfort, flexibility and insulation – the four key factors when choosing your neoprene. Spend more and the quality for each factor tends to increase. ZOOT Wave 1 £2 2 0 Solid construction, warm and buoyant. Love the chest panels, too. Issue 36 6 zootspor ts.co.uk ORCA Equip £2 39 Peerless comfort and flexibility for the price. Great for frugal swimmers. Issue 36 6 orca .com ROKA Maverick Comp III £32 5 Superior arm flexibility and reach, plus assured buouyancy. Issue 365 roka .com AQUA SPHERE Racer 2.0 £399.99 Striking graphics, a decent price and a superior build – winning! Issue 365 aquasphereswim.com/uk YONDA Ghost 2 £549 A highly comfortable and superb all-rounder wetsuit. Issue 364 yondasports.com AERO ROAD HELMETS Decent ventilation, low weight, comfort and how easy…

UNDER £20 SUPREME NUTRITION £18 This concentrated shake offers 31g of whey protein per 40g serving, and as whey is faster acting than milk-derived casein, it maximises muscle repair. The salted caramel taste is good, but there’s a £1.29 cost-per-serving. supremenutrition. UNDER £30 WYLDSSON PROTEIN £29.99 This vegan drink replaces traditional whey with a pumpkin, pea and sunflower protein blend, which gives 20.3g of protein per serving. It mixes well and is tasty enough, although dominated by the pea flavour. wyldsson.com UNDER £45 OTE £42.50 Each serving of OTE’s Soya Protein Drink offers 25g of essential proteins and 19g of carbohydrates to aid the recovery process. There are also electrolytes for rehydrating the body and vitamins for an immune system boost. It’s also gluten- and dairy-free. otesports.co.uk…

Wondering whether your credit card can take a battering for that coveted carbon bike? Research suggests you should lock away your Amex. A team led by Bastien Blain examined the impact of exercise on decision-making and found that when we’re fatigued, our ability to make pragmatic choices is hindered. Thirty-seven male triathletes split into two groups followed the same nine-week training programme, apart from a three-week block where the overreaching group undertook a 40% greater training load. The researchers then gauged behaviour via a series of economic-choice games. The men measured their fatigue levels using a questionnaire and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Unsurprisingly, the heavier training load group reported extreme tiredness, which led to more impulsive decision-making. Why? ‘Diminished activation of the lateral prefrontal cortex, a key region of…

MOST WANTED LIMAR AIR KING £299.99 Has the Air King’s long development process been worth the wait? The Limar Air King is the result of extensive research and development with input from the Astana pro cycling team, and the Italian brand are confident they’ve created the fasted TT lid money can buy. It first debuted at the Tour de France way back in the summer of 2018, and since then has been through numerous refinements and tweaks to arrive at the finished product that the public can finally buy for the princely sum of £299.99. Astana tested the Air King at the Magny Cours F1 facility in France before it underwent further wind-tunnel analysis. Limar claim the latest results show it outperformed two other renowned TT helmets at a 2.5°…

Triathletes love gear! And when it comes to swim paddles many think bigger is better and more powerful. But, if you don’t have sound technique, is just the quickest route to shoulder injuries, and not faster swimming. While developing your stroke and specific shoulder strength, invest in technique paddles that will enhance biofeedback (feel of the water) when performing technique drills. Attach paddles to your hands loosely and don’t grip them. If they move rather than catch water in certain phases of your stroke, you’ll feel this and can then focus your attention on fixing this part of your stroke to generate more powerful propulsion. Once you’ve honed your technique you can then start to introduce paddles in conditioning sets in order to develop strength and more power through your…

It’s a new year and you’ve decided triathlon will be your next adventure. Welcome to the world of multisport. No doubt you’re targeting a sprint-distance tri to start. A sensible choice. It’s a great introduction to triathlon and will help take you forwards within the sport. The sprint-tri distances appear achievable when taken on their own, and many people will have completed these distances and more at some point. But the key is training for all three disciplines and finally putting them together for an event. This plan will guide the novice triathlete through 12 weeks of training all the way to race day when you tackle the 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. It’s designed to be manageable for those who are tight on time, so none of…

MATT BAIRD Cost of Kona 220 features editor Matt experienced his first Kona in 2019, doing a DIY race with a 3.8km swim, 120km bike and 11km run. JAMES WITTS Sodium bicarbonate in training Freelance writer and former 220 editor James specialises in sports science and endurance. JOHN WOOD Hypothermia signs An award-winning multisport coach of 10 years, John is also a former international swimmer. KIRSTY HILLIER IM training if trying to conceive Long-distance triathlete Kirsty is a level-3 tri coach. She had her first child in July 2019 and continued to exercise up until 37 weeks.…