Innehållsförteckning för August 2023 från 220 Triathlon

Thanks to a collab between Parcours and Classified, you can now, for the first time ever, get a Powershift-enabled disc wheel. For those not in the know, Powershift is essentially a wireless shifting system that allows you to change gear in an instant, even under full load. It’s used with a single chainring up front but is designed to deliver performance and a gear range akin to a 2by setup. HOTTEST NEW GEAR Why would you want to run a Powershift-enabled wheel rather than a 2by setup? Classified says benefits include less aero drag due to the lack of front derailleur, no risk of cross chaining, greater efficiency and instant shifting. It works by flicking a button that you’ve attached to your bars, which then sends a wireless signal to…

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FEATURE SUPPORTED BY HUUB DESIGN Water seems to exist beyond the sphere of logical science sometimes. You know the days - the ones where you get into the pool or lake and it feels like someone has tipped treacle in. Every stroke is an effort, you’re fatigued after a few hundred metres and would swear someone has attached bricks to your feet. Then there are the good days - the days you feel more dolphin than human, slipping though the water with ease, wondering why it can’t be like this all the time. Obviou sly the water is the same though (provided you’re in the same conditions) so why does it feel so much harder some days - and what can actually help to make us faster? DENSITY AND DRAG First,…

ZONE3 ASPECT BREASTSTROKE £1791 ▶ For swimmers not keen on front crawl, does this updated breaststroke wetsuit deserve a spot in your triathlon kit bag? Zone3 was an innovator in 2021 when the Aspect was launched, responding to the growth of open-water swimming popularity and acknowledging that many people want to swim breaststroke. In our review at the time we praised the suit for living up to its purpose, looking good and being affordable (it was £159 at launch). The second-generation Aspect wetsuit comes with upgraded wrist cuffs and updates to the construction in order to increase durability. As it’s designed for breaststroke swimming, it has reduced buoyancy and increased flexibility to allow breaststroke kicking, but it’s also been designed so it’s suitable for freestyle. The buoyancy of traditional wetsuits…

Q What’s the lifespan of carbon running shoes? A The research on the longevity of carbon super shoes isn’t conclusive, but anecdotally we have worries. Our doubts stem from how long that carbon plate maintains its taut propulsiveness and, moving to the outsole, how long the minimal tread lasts before wearing away. The latter is where brands look to reduce weight, meaning that some of these shoes lack wet weather grip, too. Q Are they best suited to short- or long-course racing? A Both! Mostly. The beauty of this generation of carbon shoes is that they encourage a forefoot striking, uptempo running stride (our avg. stride length regularly increased) but, in the form of the mighty midsole, there’s enough support for going long. Q Are there any disadvantages of carbon…

P62 HOW TO FUEL A LONGDISTANCE RACE ANDY BLOW Sports scientist Andy competed at an elite level in triathlon in the 1990s and early 2000s, and is the founder of Precision Fuel & Hydration Ltd. P67 ENERGYBOOSTING BREAKFASTS KATE PERCY is a nutritionist and keen amateur athlete. She’s written three books on sports nutrition and founded Go Bites energy balls. P70 ASK BEN BRIGHT AND EXPERT Q&AS BEN BRIGHT Ben is a former triathlon Olympian (Sydney 2000) and head coach of British Triathlon’s Olympic Programme. P74 PELVIC FLOOR STRENGTH LAUREN DRINKWATER is a personal trainer and group exercise instructor specialising in ante- and post-natal fitness.…

TRAINING NUTRITION Do you like to eat breakfast before a morning workout or train on an empty stomach? For me, it depends. Over the years I’ve experimented with fasted and non-fasted training and my conclusion is that there’s no hard and fast rule as to which is best. Variables such as your gender, intensity and type of the training planned, what you’ve eaten the night before, or simply convenience and what’s in store for the rest of the day, all factor. This month I bring you four pre-and post-training breakfast ideas so you can take your pick. For those who like just a quick bite before they go out, make the Banana walnut muffins in advance. Store in the freezer and defrost whenever you fancy one. Not too sweet, I like…

THIS MONTH’S COACHING PANEL ANDREW SHEAFF Front-crawl timing US swim coach Andrew has been helping people improve their swimming for over 20 years. He specialises in helping triathletes improve their swimming skills through online coaching. HELEN O’LEARY Strength training for cyclists Helen is a chartered physiotherapist and Pilates instructor. BETH POTTER Half-marathon times Beth is a former pro track runner and now a GB triathlete aiming for Paris 2024 selection. RACHEL MCCULLOCH Pinched nerve in shoulder Rachel is a consultant physiotherapist and Pilates physio at Six Physio, London. FRONT-CRAWL TIMING Q Is there an easy way to improve front-crawl timing? Peter Sharpe A Timing in freestyle is a critical skill that’s constantly overlooked. The focus is always on the specific motions of the arms and the legs, and the technique…

✔ Do kegels/pelvic squeezes on a daily basis. ✔ Maintain a healthy balanced diet. ✔ Manage weight gain. ✔ Do not smoke as this affects tissues and may bring on a chronic cough increasing the risk of further strain. ✔ Avoid heavy lifting and activities that put excessive strain on the pelvic floor. ✔ Gradually increase the intensity of your regular exercises as you gain strength and confidence. ✔ Aim to incorporate at least a 30% activation of the pelvic floor where possible into your exercise (i.e. squats, lunges, low impact cardio, leg raises, medium to light weight work). ✔ Continue to incorporate pelvic floor exercises into your routine even after recovery to help prevent future issues and to maintain over all pelvic health - your pelvic floor will thank…

WHY I TRI I was always a runner, but in my early 60s started picking up calf injuries, so I bought an old bike and the farmer next door gave me permission to swim in his lake. Some blokes turned up and asked what I was doing swimming in ‘their’ lake. It was a local Derby tri club, MVH, and they got me started. My first race was Derby triathlon. I cycled with mudguards, lights, a bell and swimming goggles around my neck! I won the 60-64 age-group, started looking at qualifying times for GBR teams, and realised it wasn’t utterly undoable. I qualified for the ITU World Championship in London in 2013 in my first year in triathlon and came in off the bike course a lap too early…

FEATURE 102 IRONS IN 102 DAYS For most of us, cycling around the world would be a decent enough achievement that we could dine out on for the rest of our lives. But not for Sean Conway. After doing that in 2012 (including 12,000 out of 16,000 miles done with a compression fracture on his spine), he decided to swim the length of Britain the following year. A 4,200-mile triathlon around the coast of Britain followed in 2016 and two years later he set the record for the fastest solo ride across Europe. If we had the space, we’d be listing over a dozen other adventures, too. An endurance athlete in every sense of the word, Sean’s latest challenge is to break the Iron Cowboy’s record of 101 full-distance triathlons on…

NEW HOKA TECTON X 2 £185 Trail carbon shoes haven’t exploded in the off-road world due to their lack of stability, but there are outliers. The Tecton X boasts two parallel plates in the midsole, which aim to independently kick back and propel you forward as you stride, hoka.com HIGHLY RATED SAUCONY ENDORPHIN EDGE £200 The Endorphin Edge has a carbon-fibre plate inside its PWRUN PB midsole foam. Unlike the rigid plates found in road shoes, however, this plate is said to be stiff in one direction for forwa rd propulsion, yet flexible in the other to help runners stay nimble, saucony.com…

As a mid-pack runner, this tester has previously been ambivalent about the benefits of carbon super shoes to runners of our ilk. But the latest generation is, as you’d hope, the best yet at delivering speed and support on the run. Many here aren’t ideal for triathletes, however, and we’ve factored that into the scores. The Kipruns are a noble attempt to bring carbon-plated shoes to a more affordable pricepoint, the fiscal friendliness aided further by the 1,000km warranty. The Brooks are overpriced and forgettable, and we’d question if the Under Armours are worth the extra £100 over their non-carbon siblings. The Ons felt too firm for going long, while the Saucony, Nikes and Hokas were close to being contendersbut lack some triathlon race-day appeal. That leaves the Asics and…

PREP 5mins COOK 20-25mins MAKES 12 INGREDIENTS For the muffins 125g wholemeal self-raising flour • 125g self-raising flour • 1 tsp baking powder • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda • 1/2 tsp salt • 80g soft brown sugar • 1/2 tsp ground ginger • 1/2 tsp cinnamon • 75g walnuts, chopped • lOOg dates, chopped • 90g butter, unsalted, melted • 2 large eggs • 2 bananas • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 90ml milk • 35ml natural yoghurt For the topping 1 tbsp demerara sugar • 1 tbsp plain flour • 1/2 tsp cinnamon • 25g butter, softened Preheat the oven to l80°C/gas mark 4. Make the topping: mix the sugar, flour and cinnamon, add the butter and rub in with your fingers until you have a crumbly mixture.…

Q What’s the best way to treat a calf muscle tear? A The first job is to establish the severity of the injury and discover which grade it falls into. Protecting the muscle from further injury is the next priority and often involves some level of rest. Controlling inflammation and swelling come next. The goal is not to remove inflammation completely, as this is the first step to our healing journey, but to make sure it’s in proportion to the level of injury and not increasing. Then we need to start giving the muscle some positive stimulus to recover. It needs that sweet spot of strengthening where we encourage the muscle to start building bridges over the torn areas so that it can repair and start laying down scar tissue.…

3 OF THE BEST BIKE BOTTLES UNDER £7 SIS 800ML WATER BOTTLE £6 Possibly one of the most widely used bottles, this SiS option just does what it’s supposed to. The 800ml capacity allows for lots of fuel, though a 600ml version is also available, scienceinsport.com UNDER £8 ZEFAL SENSE PRO 65 £7.99 The BPA-free Sense Pro 65 is a no-nonsense, odourless bottle that has a high flow rate and stays leak-free in transit. Plus, the removeable nozzle is easy to clean, zefal.com UNDER £20 CAMELBAK PODIUM CHILL £16 CamelBak’s Podium range is a popular option and this 600ml insulated version helps keep things cool. It’s 100% BPA-free and has a lockable nozzle for leak-free transport, camelbak.co.uk…

STAR LETTER Got an opinion to share? Then email us at fao220@22otriathlon.com 2001: A TRI ODYSSEY I’ve been a subscriber to 220 Triathlon for many years and thought it’s about time I sent in a picture for the magazine. I was in a bad place in 2001, weighing 17 stone and having 15 operations, including Achilles rupture, proximal hamstring rupture, spine operations and five operations on my foot, so I decided to take up triathlon. Since then I’ve won many age-category (60- 65) events and eventually represented GB in Ibiza this May in the aquathlon. I came third Brit and eighth overall - I was so proud! I also qualified for the Olympic-distance at this year’s European Champs in Madrid, but financially couldn’t afford it. If you set your mind…

Over the past two years, 26-year-old Leon Chevalier has become one of the world’s best long-course triathletes with two top-10 finishes in last year’s Ironman Worlds and winning some of the toughest iron-distance races on the planet. With more success at IM South Africa in March, he’s firmly established himself as a contender for the 2023 world title in Nice, in September. But chances are, you won’t have heard of him until now. Well, let’s put that right… 220: Your accent is tricky to place. Is it explained by your upbringing? Leon Chevalier: I was born in Paris and my whole family is French, but just before I turned two, mum got a job offer in New York, so we lived in Long Island for five years. I’d speak American…

OUR RATINGS 90+ % BUY NOW A GENUINE CLASS LEADER 80-89 % IMPRESSIVE ONE OF THE BEST YOU CAN BUY 70-79 % GOOD A DECENT PERFORMER 50-69 % AVERAGE IT’LL DO THE JOB WELL ENOUGH 0-49 % POOR SIMPLY PUT, DON’T BOTHER!…

Back in the early 90s I spent 18 months living and training in Alpe d’Huez. While you might think that living at the top of a mountain is good for your bike riding, you’d be wrong. Every ride would end with a 50-60min slog back up the mountain just to get home. It was particularly bad if you were out riding with [2004 Olympic triathlon gold medallist] Hamish Carter. While my ability to push power didn’t improve, one area that did was my ability to go down hill. For much of the time I was based there I was with a group of 4-6 other late-teen/early 20s males, so you can imagine what happened at the start of every ride when faced with a 14km, 21-switchback descent - race! With…

‘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 ANAEROBIC How much energy your body can produce without using oxygen BILATERAL BREATHING Breathing every 3 strokes swimming BIOMECHANICS The forces applied to your body during exercise BONKING Running out of energy mid-race or training session BRICK SESSION When you ‘brick’ two disciplines together, e.g. bike & run CADENCE Pedal rate on bike, in revolutions per minute (rpm) CARB-LOADING Eating a carb-heavy meal prior to a race to boost energy CATCH The part of the swim stroke where you pull on the water DNS/DNF Did not start, did not finish DQ Disqualified, abbreviation in race results DRAFTING Hitching a ride on someone else’s slipstream in…