Innehållsförteckning för April 2024 från 220 Triathlon

1st place World Triathlon Para Championships Pontevedra, 2023 Dave says: “Winning back-to-back titles was tough, but it felt quite a bit of pressure to be under to win three in a row. To pull it off was pretty special.” 1st place World Triathlon Para Championships Abu Dhabi, 2022 Dave says: “We'd come off a long year and even though the French boys were in pretty good form and it was a tough race, we managed to hold on to win.” Gold Commonwealth Games Birmingham, 2022 Dave says: “Probably our only chance to race the Commonwealth Games and we had really good crowd support that we don't normally get.”…

The aim of February and early March is to gradually introduce tri-specific training variables without putting too much training stress on the body. By the end of February, a strong idea of any weaknesses will be identified and an appreciation for the demands of racing will be recognised. SWIM Now's the time to introduce open-water swim drills in the swimming pool. For example, swimming with your head above water and practising sighting in order to increase upper-body strength and awareness. Also aim to increase the swimming volume and shift to faster-paced efforts in the pool. BIKE Focus on developing strength and endurance. This can be achieved by adding Over Gear (big gear, low RPM) and Under Gear (light gear, high RPM) sessions into the training plan. Also introduce threshold (just…

FEATURE INJURY-BEATING TIPS As sure as night follows day, at some point in your triathlon career you'll pick up an injury. Hopefully, it'll be the lightest of strains and your time away from swim, cycling and running will be minimal. But whatever the injury, it'll fall into one of two categories: overuse or acute. Overuse is, as the name suggests, an injury that stems from repetitive stress over time. As each session ticks by, the injury flares up more and more until a minor niggle's left you in a major pickle. Acute, on the other hand, is an injury that happens suddenly, like a bike crash. The severity of injuries for both is on a spectrum of severity with some more common than others. And it's those common ones that…

KIT ZONE POOL GOGGLES For many swimmers, their goggles can be an afterthought. Often seen as a budget purchase that's more of an annoyance than a help (fogging, leaking, marks on your face all day… We've all been there), they can be a constant source of frustration. Goggle technology has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, though, so whatever your preference, face shape or needs there will be a pair out there to suit you. For triathletes there's an additional consideration too: will you buy one pair for pool and open water, or one for each? Our advice is to have a separate set and keep your OW goggles for specific use (and therefore they'll last longer). Pool goggles often don't need the polarisation and lens tech of outdoor…

The Ultimate CF SLX 8 Di2 is the least expensive of three builds Canyon offers in its second-tier, all-round road race bike CF range, which sits between the flagship CFR tier and more value-oriented CF SL tier. The CF SLX carbon frame is a touch heavier than the CFR (only 84g, medium), but it's the more compliant of the two bikes and no slower for it overall. And given the build is practically unimpeachable, it's one of the most well-rounded race bikes available for the money today. AERO GAINS Canyon says the CF SLX's carbon frame has been optimised to produce a more compliant ride compared to the top-level bike, while keeping a comparable stiffness to the CFR. Aero tweaks made to the Ultimate chassis in summer 2022 include flatter,…

TRAINING NUTRITION Training takes its toll on your body. That's where nutrition comes in. Packing in the right type of calories will fuel your workouts, reduce the risk of injury and keep your immune system as strong as possible. Your primary source of energy comes from carbohydrate such as starchy vegetables, lentils, pulses and wholegrains like oats, brown rice and quinoa. These provide both a slower release of energy and micronutrients for immune health. Combining protein with carbohydrate foods will slow down the release of energy and keep you going for even longer. It's important not to skimp on healthy fats, too, as these not only provide energy and anti-inflammatory properties, but also transport the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and support nerve function and hormone production. Unsaturated fats…

HOW TO BOOST YOUR AEROBIC SWIM SPEED Back in the 90s on the Gold Coast, Australia, I used to swim with a well-known squad coached by one of Australia's greatest-ever swim coaches, a man called Dennis Cotteril. Dennis has too many achievements to list here but he's probably best known as the coach of Grant Hackett, former world record holder in the 1,500m and multiple Olympic gold medallist. Dennis set his squad up so that in the mornings, if you were fast enough, he would let triathletes and surf athletes train with his swimmers. This was when the ‘grunt work’ would get done, volume sets developing aerobic capacity and fatigue resistance. In the evenings it was swimmers only, where they would do their discipline-specific work. One of the many great…

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Now that the racespecific sessions are starting to become a regular feature of your training plan, it's time to increase the volume and distance of these workouts. The focus is on improving endurance and getting used to pushing the body under fatigue, while maintaining form and technique. SWIM Your open-water drills are in full swing and now's the time to incorporate these skills into your swim stroke during high-intensity efforts. Replicating racing situations-such as swimming in a group, swimming on other athletes’ feet, and practising sighting-will help you stay relaxed and calm with other athletes around you on race day. BIKE Accessing the strength improvements from last month's block, you should now focus these developments into race-paced intervals and time-trial workouts on the road. Simulating race distances at race pace,…

In the past, we've found some shoes in On's range a little firm underfoot. That certainly wasn't the case with the brand's new Cloudsurfer, though, which came out last year and was incredibly plush. What we have here in the Cloudstratus 3 is something in the middle and it works well. It's far from firm underfoot. In fact, On describes the cushioning as plush, though it's much less-so than the Cloudsurfer. It's still comfortable, though, and in no way harsh, which is in part thanks to the Helion superfoam midsole. There's more good news, too. The Cloudstratus 3’s updated Speedboard has been designed to encourage a forward roll as part of the ride and it's certainly noticeable, especially when you push the tempo, as things feel smooth and efficient. It…

PREP 10mins COOK 35-40mins SERVES 4 V INGREDIENTS • 300g orzo • 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil • 1 medium squash (butternut, queen or crown prince) • 1 medium onion, finely chopped • 1 stick celery, finely chopped • 2-3 cloves garlic • 2 tsps dried sage • 4-5 sage leaves (optional) • 30g roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped • 1 litre hot vegetable stock • 50g freshly grated parmesan Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds. Arrange cut side up on a baking tray, season, add 1 tsp dried sage and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Roast for 30mins or until the flesh is soft and golden. Remove and leave to cool. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a deep pan and sauté…

Wondering what the ‘washing machine’ is, or where to find your M-dot?! Make things easy with our guide to common tri terms… ‘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 Aquabike Race with just swim and bike elements, no run Bilateral breathing Breathing every 3 strokes when 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…

Running started as a way to spend more time with my dad when I was 15. When he decided to do a 100-mile ultra I trained alongside him, and on race day I ran from place to place to see him and accidentally ran my first ultra, too! I break long events down into bite-size pieces and the cool thing with triathlon is that it's three disciplines. Every time something gets old you're shaking it up a little bit. It's not like ultra running where it's either mnning or walking. Triathletes and ultra runners are 99% the same and 1% different. We both love being outside and being in a world of discomfort, and we all love moving our body. It's a privilege to be able to put yourself in…

Dave Ellis and his guide, former RAF supplier Luke Pollard, head into 2024 as GB's best hope for Paralympic paratri gold. With success in Spain last year giving them three consecutive world titles in the visually impaired class, the experienced duo also thrilled crowds and TV audiences in 2022 when they sped to Commonwealth gold in Birmingham. With Ellis switching to paratri from a para swimming background in 2013, the pair have been an established partnership since 2019. But while they should start the race in Paris in September as favourites, they'll face tough opposition and know that best laid plans don't always work out. The cruel misfortune of a snapped chain in Tokyo robbed them of glory in 2021, so when 220 caught up with the pair to talk…

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!…

When condering parting with a large pile of your hardearned cash in exchange for a shiny new race bike around the five- to six-grand price point, just what are the key factors to think about? Good question… 01 RACE GEOMETRY A bike's geometry largely dictates the kind of handling that it'll deliver. Steeper frame angles normally equate to sharper, faster handling, while slacker angles calm the ride experience. Nailing the balance is key, and adjusting things such as stem length can help you tweak this if necessary. 02 CARBON LAY-UPS Brands often offer bike framesets with different carbon lay-ups to meet a certain price point, so it's worth looking into which level you'll be getting. The Scott Addict RC 40, for example, uses the lower grade of two tiers offered…

01 CRITICAL SWIM SPEED TESTING Critical Swim Speed Testing, or CSS test, uses a 400m and 200m time trial to estimate aerobic threshold swimming speed. The basic version takes the pace for the 2nd 200m as your threshold. E.g. swimming 6:30mins for 400m and 3:10 mins for 200m, your CSS is (6:30-3:10)/2 = 1:40mins/100m. AIM: To estimate your aerobic threshold swimming speed and training zones EQUIPMENT: Stopwatch RANGE OF RESULTS: 1:10-3:00min/100m FREQUENCY: 4-6 weeks 02 STROKE RATE TEST Swimming speed is a function of stroke rate and length. Using a tempo trainer, set the cadence and swim 50m repeats, increasing the stroke rate each time. Measure the times, your rate of perceived exertion and heart rate for each interval. There are sweet spots where the effort feels easier for the pace or…

WHOLESOME LUNCH TRAINING BOWL VE PREP 10mins COOK 45mins SERVES 3-4 INGREDIENTS • Mix of vegetables – carrots, aubergine, peppers, mushrooms • 1 clove garlic • 2 tbsps olive oil • 1 tsp cumin seeds • 80g quinoa • 40g buckwheat • 450ml vegetable stock • 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed • 2 large handfuls of kale • 2 tbsps pumpkin seeds • 1 red onion, finely chopped • 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds For the dressing • 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil • 2 tbsps lemon juice • 1 tbsp tahini For the Tex-Mex seasoning • 1 tsp each garlic powder, paprika and ground cumin • 1/2 tsp each chilli powder, black pepper, salt, ground cinnamon and cloves METHOD 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lay…