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With the dust barely settled on 2018’s Tour de France, it was triathlon’s turn to take on cycling’s most famous climb in early August at the Time Alpe d’Huez Triathlon, a legendary triathlon that we named 9th best, must-do, triathlon in the world and 9th toughest short-distance tri in the world.
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Held since 2006, the Long Course version of the race (there’s also a ‘Short’ edition and duathlon on offer) swiftly became a bucket list triathlon to rank alongside Escape from Alcatraz, the Norseman and Challenge Roth.
It commences with a 2.2km swim in Lac du Vernay, the EDF-owned lake that’s opened once a year to swimmers for the event. The race then sends long-course athletes off on a 118km venture along roads etched in Tour de France history, taking athletes via smooth French roads over three steep mountain passes, before the pièce de résistance, the 21 hairpin bends on the ascent up the Alpe d’Huez.
The 20km run leg is a three-lap affair at high altitude, which takes place on a mixture of mountain paths and asphalted roads within the majestic setting of the resort of Alpe d’Huez.
The 2018 race was won by the 2013 Ironman world champion, Belguim’s Frederik Van Lierde, in 5:59:52, with Switzerland’s Emma Bilham taking the women’s title.
Alpe veteran and Goal Specific Coaching’s Fran Bungay is penning the seven page report for issue 356 of the magazine (out on 6 September) and described it as the “slowest and hardest Alpe d’Huez Tri ever, with crazy hot 35C temperatures and over 300 DNFs illustrating just how tough it was.”
Registrations will open on 17 September for 2019’s race (set for 22-26 July) at www.alpetriathlon.com/en.
Alpe dHuez Long Course Triathlon
2.2km swim/ 118km bike/20km run
MEN
1st – Frederik Van Lierde (BEL) – 5:59:52
2nd – Alberto Moreno (ESP) – 6:06:24
3rd – Timothy Van Houtem (BEL) – 6:08:14
WOMEN
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1st – Emma Bilham (SUI) – 6:51:21
2nd – Alexandra Tondeur (BEL) – 6:52:22
3rd – Carrie Lester (AUS) – 6:53:06
Short-course triathlons: the 11 toughest
The 31 best triathlons in the world
France’s Pierre Le Corre won his first ever European title this afternoon at Strathclyde Park, in Glasgow, with Spaniard Fernando Alarza claiming silver after an astonishing run leg and Belgium’s Marten Van Riel finishing in third place.
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In an afternoon filled with scattered showers, no one was surprised to see Slovakia’s Richard Varga exit the 1.5km swim in first place. Two laps around Strathclyde Loch proved brutal for most of the athletes, with only Jorgen Gundersen (NOR) and Germany’s Linus Stimmelwere able to follow Varga in.
Reigning European sprint champion Varga was first to mount his bike for the 40km bike leg, but was quickly caught in T1 by a group of eight more athletes, including crowd favourite Brownlee, Jonas Schomburg (GER), Pierre Le Corre and Marten Van Riel, among others.
The nine-man group tried hard to work together, building a lead of 1min by the halfway point over a big chase group led by Spaniard Fernando Alarza. A pre-race favourite, Alarza worked tirelessly to keep the gap at a run-surmountable distance.
On the first lap of the run, all eyes were on the two-time Olympic champ Brownlee, waiting for him to make his usual move to the head of the race. And while he flirted with the top three positions for the first half of the 10K, it soon became apparent that he still wasn’t up to full race fitness, slowly dropping back into the clutches of a fast-approaching Alarza, who made by the 4k mark was already in fourth place.
It was then that both Le Corre and Van Riel upped the pace and left the older Brownlee in their dust. Seeing his prey up ahead, Alarza used his considerable run strength to climb into a medal position. With petrol still in the tank, he then set about taking down Van Riel, who lost contact with the Frenchman on the final lap.
Le Corre managed to maintain his lead to the tape to claim his first European title, stopping the clock in 1:47:17, just 11secs ahead of Alarza, who was all smiles in the final few metres, knowing that his was not only the silver medal, but also the fastest run split, by far, of the day: 30:44mins, more than a minute faster than anyone else. Third place went to an exhausted Van Riel, while Brownlee took fourth place and Belgian Jelle Geens rounded out the top five.
“I feel really great,” enthused Le Corre post-race. “That was really tough today with Ali Brownlee. I was really scared of him as he is an opponent who’s really hard to beat. Alistair’s not in his best shape right now, I could see it. But he will be back and thanks for me he was not great today.”
Le Corre’s gold follows his compatriot Cassandre Beaugrand’s bronze in the women’s event yesterday. They will both now be hoping to collect another medal in tomorrow’s Mixed Relay event.
“I am super happy,” said Alarza at the finish line. “It’s my first medal at the European Championships. The swim was a bad swim for me, I had to fight a lot and the bike was very hard as well. But in the second transition I thought I could do this and take a medal but I did not know which colour. So I kept a cool mind. On the second lap of the run, when I passed Ali, then I thought ‘OK, a bronze medal would be good’ but finally Pierre was too fast for me. He was better than me. We are friends so I am happy for him and I am happy with the silver medal,” he explained.
Fourth-place Brownlee said: “I didn’t quite know what to expect today and I suppose that’s about where I was. I have been training really hard so I knew I was probably going to be a bit tired going into it as well. If I can put all my training together I know I can do well. It’s been an awful year and at times I’ve had to question what I’m doing. I’m just happy to be racing.
“I got really beaten up on the first 100 metres [of the swim] and that was really tough. The performance itself is irrelevant, I’m just happy to be here competing again. I knew I was going to struggle today on the run, but I enjoy racing.” He has a few more weeks to prepare for his next race, the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in South Africa in early September.
xResults: Elite Men
1 Pierre Le Corre, FRA 1:47:17
2 Fernando Alarza, ESP 1:47:28
3 Marten Van Riel, BEL 1:47:40
4 Alistair Brownlee, GBR 1:48:12
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5 Jelle Geens, BEL 1:48:47
Seventy-four days into his epic 100+ day swim circumnavigating Great Britain, Ross Edgley is the only man in history to have swum so far, for so long. Speaking to Ross on the west coast of Scotland, we talk jellyfish, tongue loss and a severe case of rhino neck…
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220: Congratulations on setting a new world record, how are you feeling after having swam 74 consecutive days at sea?
RE: Do you know what? Not too bad. All of the cuts and bruises and ailments and chafing, we kind of discovered how to manage all of those now. So, I actually feel good. It’s now almost a case of mentally celebrating a little bit, but knowing we’ve got so far to go as well.
What main challenges have occurred mentally and physically throughout your journey?
We joke a lot but probably one of the lowest points was when the chafing was at its worst – we called it ‘rhino neck’ –and I was waking up with chunks of my tongue on my pillow, I was just in absolute pieces. If you start getting any sort of wounds and cuts, they can just deepen and turn into sea ulcers. These get deeper and deeper until they reach the bone and tissue. So that was a concern.
Your shoulders were tight before starting, how do you rehab and recover on the boat?
Generally, you should look at your kinetic chain of how the muscles join and how everything works cohesively together. If you have a weakness, it will manifest itself over days, weeks, or in this case, months. So, it’s actually helped iron out a lot of bad habits that I’ve picked up swimming. With shoulder injuries, it was more about prevention than cure. So, I modified my swimming technique. Instead of being fast in the water like I’d want during a triathlon, I’ve had to become more efficient instead.
Did you ever feel like giving up?
My thinking has always been: ‘Be so naïve that you start but so stubborn that you finish.’ Honestly, I didn’t quite realise just how hard this was going to be. But even in the darkest moments, I was thinking: ‘Well I’m not going to give up.’ Worst-case scenario is that I’m pulled out by a safety boat, best-case scenario is that I finish this and arrive at Margate!
What would you say has been your favourite moment so far?
A minke whale followed us for 5 miles across the Bristol Channel. We reckon that the whale thought I was an injured seal because it basically just guided us all the way to the Welsh waters. Another of my favourite moments was in Sidmouth. I was exhausted and the entire crew was asleep. Somebody came out to the boat. Realising what would make me feel better, they bought us fudge and cake. Seeing that we were all asleep, they just left a little note saying: ‘Keep going and all the best, didn’t want to wake you’. It was so sweet!
Tell us about your diet, you’ve mentioned gaining weight – Is that deliberate insulation or a fuelling miscalculation?
Haha, it’s a bit of both. I knew that the Scottish waters weren’t going to be kind in terms of temperature. I thought look, if ever you’re going to put on a decent amount of seal blubber, now’s the time. With everything I was asking of my body, the least I can do is make sure I met its calorie requirements. Also, if ever you’re going to be able to eat 10,000 calories a day, swimming around the coast of Great Britain is probably one of those times. So I thought I’d just take that opportunity because I love my food!
What have been your go-to foods for fuelling hard exercise?
Before I started this, I did quite like a curry or something spicy. But because of salt tongue, now I just want something stodgy and bland. It started with just porridge oats. Then I was like okay, get some chocolate sauce on that. Once you’ve done that, get a pack of biscuits and crumble them on top. Put it back in the pan to thicken up, and it’s just like cookie dough. That’s become my go-to.
How do you find swimming in the dark?
The night swims just don’t get easier, especially now in Scotland with the giant jellyfish. You’re putting on a wetsuit, it’s 2am in the morning, and you’re thinking: ‘I’m probably gonna get stung. I don’t know how many times. I don’t know when it’s going to happen. I don’t know what sort of jellyfish it is.’ Yeah, the night swims aren’t great…
What tips would you give someone just starting out and feeling the pull of adventure?
I believe that everyone has something unique that they can do. I’m not a fast swimmer, but one thing I am good at is just eating and floating very far every single day. Getting started, one of the first challenges I ever did was a marathon, pulling my own car. All I had to buy was a harness and some rope. You start small, with something that you don’t need any funding or support for, that you could do this weekend. It [doing extreme challenges] attracts like-minded people who want to get on board, that’s the beauty of it.
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Follow Ross’s Great British Swim journey via live tracker at RedBull.co.uk/GreatBritishSwim and tune in to weekly vlogs at youtube.com/redbull
The worldwide event organiser IMG has announced that the Brownlee Brothers will compete in the seventh annual Beijing International Triathlon, set to take place on Sunday 23 September at the Garden Expo Park in the Fengtai District of Beijing, China.
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The double Olympic gold medalist Alistair Brownlee, and Olympic silver and bronze medalist Jonny Brownlee will head a field of 30 professional triathletes.
“I’m looking forward to racing in the Beijing International Triathlon again this year,” said 2016 Beijing International Triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee. “I really enjoyed the challenging course as well as the sightseeing before the race. I’m pleased Jonny is coming this year, I know he’ll enjoy it as well.”
This year’s pro line-up also includes: 2016 Rio Olympian Ben Kanute, 2012 Olympic silver medalist Lisa Norden, 2008 Olympian Jarrod Shoemaker, current Escape Triathlon Series points leader Cameron Dye, Brit elite Non Stanford and more.
2017 Beijing International champions Henri Schoeman and Paula Findlay will also return to defend their titles and compete for the $100,000 prize purse. The complete list of professional triathletes set to compete in the 2018 Beijing International Triathlon includes:
MEN
Alistair Brownlee (GBR)
Jonny Brownlee (GBR)
Mark Buckingham (GBR)
Brian Duffy (USA)
Cameron Dye (USA)
Zhou Fang (CHN)
Keeghan Hurley (USA)
Ben Kanute (USA)
Eric Lagerstrom, (USA)
Chris Lutz (USA)
Matt Nelson (GBR)
Max Neumann (AUS)
Henri Schoeman (RSA)
Jeremy Stagg, USA)
Jarrod Shoemaker (USA)
Ben Shaw (IRL)
Jason West (USA)
WOMEN
Claire Davis (AUS)
Sophie Corbidge (NZ)
Paula Findlay (CAN)
Ashleigh Gentle (AUS)
Andrea Hewitt (NZ)
Lucy Hall (GBR)
Alicia Kaye (CAN)
Lisa Norden (SWE)
Barbara Riveros (CHL)
Erin Storie (USA)
Kearci Smith (USA)
Non Stanford (GBR)
Radka Vodickova (CZE)
The Olympic-distance course will showcase the cultural attractions in Fengtai, including a 1.5km swim through Garden Expo Lake; a challenging 40km bike race through the quaint villages of Fengtai and up Qian Ling Mountain – the highest peak in Southwest Beijing; and a 10km run through the gardens and up the steep steps of the Garden Expo Park.
The sprint element of the triathlon will take triathletes on a 750m lake swim, a 20km bike ride and a 5km run through the lush grounds of the expansive Garden Expo Park.
As part of the Escape Triathlon Series, the Beijing International Triathlon will award the top male and female finishers per age group a guaranteed spot at the 2019 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.
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For more info, visit www.BeijingInternationalTriathlon.com, or follow at www.facebook.com/BeijingTri, www.instagram.com/Beijing_Tri and WeChat: BEIJINGTRIATHLON.
Rio Paralympic silver medallist Lauren Steadman has announced that she is to be part of the BBC’s popular programme, Strictly Come Dancing, this autumn.
The timing is perfect as the BBC series kicks off with a launch show in September (dates TBC), just after she returns from the ITU World Champs in Gold Coast, Australia, where she will be hoping to go one better than at last year’s Worlds to bring home gold in the PTS5 category.
The all-important launch show is where she’ll find out who her partner will be. But whoever it is, her fitness levels and renowned competitive nature will certainly ensure she’ll stand up to whatever her partner throws at her.
Back in 2016 pre-Rio, in an exclusive interview with 220, she also revealed a love of dancing.
“I’ve been doing salsa for two years. I was working with my psychologist, Chris Wagstaff, and he said ‘When you’re younger and you did sport it was a hobby and you loved it, but now it’s no longer a hobby, it’s your career, so find something else.’ I already do the baking, the reading, and then I saw a poster for salsa. I do it twice a week.
“When you dance you forget about all the stresses,” she continued. “If I’m feeling stressed with sport and uni then I can go and dance with my friends.”
Let’s hope dancing in the show remains stress-free, even as she faces the infamous judges. But then if anyone can stand up to competitive pressure, it’s Steadman.
Strictly’s launch show will be on BBC One in September, with the full series returning later on in the autumn.
Say hello to the #Strictly class of 2018!
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The Starman Night Triathlon took place for the second time at the weekend with double the amount of competitors than its 2017 debut.
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Set against the backdrop of the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands, the middle-distance Starman (sharing a name with one of Jeff Bridge’s greatest films/Bowie’s best songs) saw competitors kick off the unique 113km challenge (see also the iron-distance Midnight Man in Kent) by slipping into the black waters of Loch Morlich for a 1.9km swim in the dark of midnight. This was followed by a 90km cycle along the silent Speyside roads before taking on the summits of Cairn Gorm and Meall a Bhuachaille as the dawn rose.
People from as far afield as Caerphilly in Wales and Peterhead in Aberdeenshire took part, with the overall winner Chris Watson, 32, from Crieff, finishing in 6:20:55. The first female competitor to cross the line was Claire Campbell, 42 from Fife in 7:50:57. Relay team winners – Andrew Jones, Mark Madigan and Ryan McLennan from the Moray Firth Triathlon Club – crossed the line first in just 6:02:28.
The event is managed by True Grit Events, who set up the Starman Night Triathlon in 2017 to offer something different for triathletes and outdoor adventure addicts.
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For more information on True Grit Events or Starman visit www.truegritevents.com and www.starmannighttri.com
Just two races stand between Vicky Holland and what could be her first-ever World Tri Series title. In what has been her most successful season to date, the 32-year-old Rio bronze medallist is currently second in the standings on 3579 point, 591 behind Series leader Katie Zaferes (USA). And with 1,000 up for grabs for the winner, and 1250 at the Grand Final, it’s all to play for in this coming Saturday’s Montreal race and the final event in Gold Coast on Saturday 15 September.
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“I’m just taking it one race at a time,” said Holland on the phone the day before she flew out to Montreal. “Montreal’s a race I’ve not done before but I have noted the key areas, and will take a closer look at those when I get over there. I’ll hopefully then put together a race that I can be proud of.”
Despite a consistent season, which has included two wins (Leeds and Edmonton), the absence of the reigning and two-time world champion Flora Duffy (BER) in the second half of the season due to injury hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“That’s opened up a window for someone else to come in and become world champion,” said Holland. “And I’m definitely working towards that being me. All I can do is go to these last two races in as good a shape as I possibly can, and I think I’ve put myself in a good position for that.”
Joining Holland on the start line is the full GB senior women’s squad (minus Non Stanford): Jess Learmonth (currently fifth in the rankings), Georgia Taylor-Brown (sixth), Jodie Stimpson (10th) and Sophie Coldwell (37th)
For Learmonth, 2018 has also proved a consistent year, with two top-five finishes on the World Series and silvers at the Gold Coast Commies and Glasgow European Champs.
“Things have come together well at the end of the season so I’m hoping to get a couple of good results in and finish as high up the Series rankings as I can,” said Learmonth pre-Montreal. “Obviously there’s a lot of travel involved, so managing that will be a big factor. I need a decent result in Montreal to give me a chance of being competitive overall in the Series, so that’s what I’m focusing on now.”
While Coldwell, 23, won’t be challenging for the Series win, several stand-out performances (most notably in Leeds where she led until halfway through the run) means she’ll be lining up on the Gold Coast in her first senior final.
“I’m feeling confident for Montréal, I’ve had a good block of training. I’ve not raced the WTS for a couple of months now, as I’ve been off on leave, so I’m excited to be racing back at that level. As far as goals, I’d like to swim better than I have been this year. It’s just getting that confidence back, so if I can have a good swim that’ll be really good.”
But while team tactics usually come into play at one-day competitions, such as the Olympics, the presence of such a strong GB women’s squad in the last two races does not mean there will be any role-playing.
“We’re not approaching these races in a team capacity,” said Holland. “No one’s playing a role for anyone else, and we haven’t done that all season. At the same time we do work together quite well and it’s always good to have a lot of Brits on the start line. We’re in such a strong position at the moment, especially with the girls, whichever race we go to we’re going to have a full start line and that’s great really.
“The girls are ruling the roost this year, but that’s a real testament to the team we’ve got and the way in which we encourage each other,” continued Holland. “We’ve done a great job of nurturing the talent coming through. And that’s a real testament to what British Triathlon have done and what the girls at the top over the years have managed to continue to nurture and cultivate. And hopefully that just keeps going.”
If all goes as planned in the next two events, Holland will join her 2012 London teammate Helen Jenkins and 2016 Rio teammate Non Stanford in an exclusive group of British female world champions.
“At the end of it [Montreal and Gold Coast] we’ll count the positions, see where I am and count the points! On the Gold Coast it could absolutely be all to play for, and that’s more exciting than anything else.”
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220 will be on the ground in Montreal, bringing you all the action as it happens. Don’t miss out by following us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
After last year’s accident and the ensuing emotional rollercoaster, Tim Don, qualifies for 2018 Kona Ironman World Championship in the final roll-down.
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His last chance to qualify was this past weekend at Ironman Copenhagen. Tim started off strongly in the first half, but began to struggle in the second half due to digestive issues, having to stop around the 26km mark and pull out of the marathon leg.
There was initial disappointment, believing he’d missed out on automatic KPR (Kona Pro Rankings) qualification. But this soon turned to elation with the realisation that one of the final 10 places had not been accepted. Tim, ranked as the first athlete to be offered the ‘roll-down’ spot, was quick to accept his place and can now begin his final preparations for Kona.
It was last October that Tim Don got hit by a truck while doing a final ride in Kona. Tim suffered a C2 vertebrae fracture at the top of his spine, being fitted in a metal halo brace which he had to endure for six weeks. “It was like facing the dentist’s drill, but 100 times worse,” Tim says. Thankfully, this accident did not call for surgery, but it still meant putting a halt to his training plans for the upcoming triathlon season due to the halo being screwed into his skull.
Only three weeks into his determined recovery, Tim made it his mission to be on the starting line of Kona to race. He patiently regained mobility through minor exercises at the gym and intensive rehab. “It was good to get back to training but it was also mentally hard as well as I wanted to do more but just couldn’t,” said the world triathlon champion.
Tim’s first comeback race was the Boston Marathon with a targeting finish time of 2:50. He finished in a fantastic 2:49, which is even more impressive given the bad weather conditions.
Following his success in the Boston Marathon, Tim competed in the 70.3 Costa Rica Triathlon finishing in a time of 3:49:59, taking first place and Ironman Hamburg.
Ironman Hamburg was initially planned as his only shot for Kona qualification. With a fourth place or higher, he would have secured an automatic qualification. A fierce battle saw Tim in contention for fourth place until the middle of the run leg, when he began to fade. Post-Hamburg, he decided to sign up to Copenhagen as one final opportunity to qualify for Kona.
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Tim said, “The road to recovery is rarely linear, the last 10 months have been all about perseverance. To get the first roll down spot was not in my vision, but life is funny like that. See you all in Kona!”
Canada has proven happy hunting ground for GB’s Vicky Holland as she today added Montreal to her Edmonton win from just one month ago. Today’s victory sees the Rio bronze medallist with three wins under her tri-suit heading into the Grand Final on Gold Coast in just three weeks’ time, yet because of the ITU points system she will start that final race behind the USA’s Katie Zaferes, who today finished second ahead of Holland’s teammate Georgia Taylor-Brown.
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If the start was anything to go by, though, the win for Holland looked unlikely, as confusion over the starting horn caught several short, and which left the Brit entering the water in last place. Coming from a strong swim background, however, helped Holland stay relatively in contention, exiting the water in sixth after the first lap of 750m.
As in all her races this season, GB’s Jess Learmonth led the field out of the non-wetsuit 1.5km swim into T2, pulling through with series leader Zaferes, teammate Sophie Coldwell and Summer Cook (USA). Entering T2 alone in fifth, almost a minute down, Holland raced for almost the entire first lap with Italy’s Alice Betto, before the chase pack, led by reigning European champ Nicola Spirig, swallowed the pair up.
The Swiss Olympic champ set the pace from the off, and it was fast, bridging the gap to the lead now trio (Cook quickly dropped off the pace into the second chase group) after five laps of nine over the 40km city-street course. Now a group of 13, including all five GB girls (Jodie Stimpson made five), they worked tirelessly to pull out a lead over 3mins as they hit the blue carpet for the second transition.
And so the podium chase was on, with a quartet of Brits taking to the front in a dominant display of red, white and blue. Unfazed by the less-than-perfect start, Holland led from the off, making her title intentions known. Trading places behind her were her three teammates, Zaferes and Spirig, the latter the first to drop.
Unfortunately the Fab Four were forced to split at the start of the second lap, as Learmonth dropped down the chain, leaving Stimpson and Taylor-Brown to hold off the chasing American. With no chance of catching Holland, Zaferes set about chewing into the Brit pair’s podium places, finally making the move that stuck on lap three of four over the 10km run.
As the thermometer hit a high of 29°C, Holland ran down the finish chute to claim her third victory of 2018 and the fifth WTS win of her career, taking the title chase to the wire at the Grand Final.
Zaferes brought it home for second, while Taylor-Brown ran through for her third podium finish of the year.
Crowd favourite Joanna Brown of Canada took fourth, Spirig fifth, Stimpson sixth and Learmonth eighth.
Sadly the heat proved too much for Coldwell, who despite finishing was quickly wheeled off to the medical tent.
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For all post-race interviews with the GB girls, check out our Instagram TV feed.
In a complete contrast to yesterday’s women’s race under cloudless skies, what looked like an entire year’s worth of rain arrived on the Sunday morning for the start of the men’s race in Montreal. Not that the weather would have much bearing on the outcome of the seventh race in the 2018 World Triathlon Series, such was the two-time reigning champ Mario Mola’s lead at the start of the penultimate race in Canada’s second largest city. Wherever he finished he would still be in the lead for the Grand Final on Gold Coast in three weeks’ time, thanks in part to the absence of Vincent Luis (FRA), second in the rankings pre-race.
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Yesterday ☀️ vs today