Triathalon Dominate Podium

On what felt like the coldest morning of the year so far, a selection of Imperial Triathlon members met while it was still dark to ride off towards Paddington, and to the first race on our calendar. The team was severely dented with four members dropping out at the last minute due to falling down stairs (valid), recurring hip problems (valid), misjudged coursework deadline (crap excuse) and a no show(WTF??!). But never the less, the ten-strong team headed out into the darkness.

The event was at Hillingdon, a short train journey away. The warm, spacious, relaxing journey teased us into a false sense of comfort, and as we stepped out on to the misty platform we hurriedly got on our bikes and started pedalling to stop oujoints seizing in the cold.

Arriving at Hillingdon Triathlon club, we instantly forgot the cold. The track looked gorgeous, with its smooth curves and flawless surface, it’s rolling course tempting us in for a ride… still talking about the track… but in all seriousness, it was a great track! We had a few loops to get to know the route, and then set up kit in the transition area. For anyone who doesn’t know, a duathlon consists of a run, followed by a cycling leg, then another run, with each change-over occurring in the “transition zone”. After a short warm-up, and a debate as to how cold we’ll be in racing gear, the start was upon us.

Off went the horn, and the front of the pack shot off. Hendrik Frentrup, Keesjan de Vries and Richard Mathie all represented the club up front while I started in the back quarter. Running has never been my forte, but I was kept strong minded knowing thebike was coming, building pace and regaining a few places from people who had gone off faster at the start. I was still in the second half of the positions, and the front runners were long gone. The run was only 2 miles so before I knew it, we were on our bikes. A swift transition and I was away. The run had warmed me up perfectly. This was my first race on the new bike, and a new experience for me spending prolonged periods down on the aerodynamic tri-bars I had fitted to the bike. This is my discipline, and I started to pick people off one by one as I moved up the pack. It’s a bizarre feeling being so low on your bike, and just seeing the road ahead of you rather than handlebars and a wheel. I will admit, images from Star Wars podracer jumped into my head, and the theme tune rang loud in my mind whilst swerving between other competitors to overtake. I was loving it!

The punishing blend of long rolling flats and small swerving up-hill slugs meant my legs were beginning to slow on the inclined sections of the track. By transition two (bike to run) I was knackered. I had made up a lot of places, but I had two people hot on my heels. Despite my best efforts they tracked me down and left me for lost before the finish line.

We clapped in the remaining competitors, and the organisers wasted no time in preparing the podium ready to present the winning prizes. Imperial Triathlon had performed exceptionally, with four people in the top 10, Alex Milne with 4th place, Richard Mathie stealing 3rd, and Jean-Claude beasting in to take pole position, finishing 7 seconds ahead of second place. Sam O’Neill, who has continued with the club from last year, came in a notable 7th. A great result for the club, and a start that will be hard to rival.

Next it was the women’s race. Our team had been halved with the loss of Sophie Kirk and Josie Bowler to excessive workloads and a basejumping attempt gone wrong. It was up to Sarah Lewis and Harriet Nerva to do it for the girls! Sarah launched off the start line with plenty of gusto, despite choosing to start at the back. She soon clawed back the places and started the bike leg in a strong position, and it was here that she put herself in contention for a podium finish. Harriet did IC proud, and flew through transition like a pro, to begin her cycle. It must have been a bit disheartening for her to see the men’s team cheering her on from behind hot mugs of coffee and sugar powdered doughnuts, but we did our best to provide the two of them with much deserved support. Harriet powered in to 78th position (11th fastest female), safe in the knowledge that she did the club proud in her first ever race. However it was Sarah who stole the day for the women’s race, coming in second. She didn’t believe us when we told her, and didn’t really take it in.

The impressive result from Sarah was subsequently shattered by the fact that when the Hillingdon representative called out her name to collect the second place prize winnings, she was nowhere to be seen. She was busy, cuddled up in the club house with a warm cup of tea, completely oblivious to the megaphone calling out her name…