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Fernando Alarza captured his first World Triathlon Series victory in Cape Town today, with pre-race favourite Mario Mola of Spain, looking to claim a 3rd straight WTS victory, unable to catch up after failing to get in the lead bike group.
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With Alistair Brownlee sitting out due to illness, it was down to brother Jonny to lead the British contingent. Fellow Brit Adam Bowden was also racing, looking to impress selectors with an outside chance of gaining a place on the GB Olympic team. Richard Murray was also missing with an injury, as was Javier Gomez – otherwise it was a stacked field, with Mario Mola being the one to beat due to his blistering run speed.
Off the pontoon in the sprint-distance race it was one long line for the duration of the 750m swim, with almost no breaks whatsoever in the 64-strong field. It was business as usual for super-swimmer Richard Varga (SVK), who exited the water in 8mins 54secs, followed closely by Henri Schoeman (RSA) and Jonny Brownlee.
Mario Mola came out of the swim almost 30 secs down, and found himself in the chase group on the bike. The front pack included all those tipped for potential podium places barring Mola, with Brownlee pushing the pace early on. The chase group never managed to claw back more than 6 secs over the whole 20km bike leg, and it was Brownlee, Fernando Alarza (ESP), Dorian Coninx (FRA) and Shoeman who came into T2 first.
Jonny Brownlee comes into T2 well positioned before going on to take 2nd place, with eventual winner Alarza going neck-and-neck. Image credit: ITU
The front group slimmed down to three after the first 1km of the run, with Brownlee, Alarza and Coninx breaking away. After 3km it was looking like Mola had left himself too much to do, 20secs back from the leaders but running blisteringly fast and under 14min pace for 5km.
With under 1km to go Coninx finally dropped off the pace and Alarza put the hammer down on Brownlee, and continued all the way to hold on a massive first WTS victory, surely securing a spot on Spain’s Olympic team. Mola finished in 4th, putting in the fastest run split of the day (14:24) but ultimately unable to secure a place on the podium. Adam Bowden put in a solid performance to finish in 16th place, with an impressive sub 15min 5km run.
Speaking to ITU Triathlon, Jonny Brownlee commented: “I’ve felt pretty bad after what happened at Gold Coast, I’m just happy not to finish on a stretcher! But from where I was two weeks ago it’s a decent result, I worked really hard on the bike and hopefully I can turn it round in the races leading up to the Olympics.”
Alarza said: “I’m really happy today, I think now I’ve finally earned my spot for Rio and I can concentrate on training hard for that now.”
Results, top 10. (Full results at triathlon.org)
1. Fernando Alarza (ESP) – 54:12
2. Jonny Brownlee (GBR) – 54:17
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3. Dorian Coninx (FRA) – 54:23
4. Mario Mola (ESP) – 54:33
5. Pierre Le Corre (FRA) – 54:38
6. Henri Schoeman (RSA) – 54:40
7. Aurelien Raphael (FRA) – 54:48
8. Vicente Hernandez (ESP) – 54:52
9. Richard Varga (SVK) – 54:53
10. Andrea Salvisberg (SUI) – 54:55
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What did you think of the race? Let us know in the comments!
It wasn’t just a good weekend for British triathletes in Cape Town as the paratriathlete squad won two gold and two silver medals at the ITU World Paratriathlon Event in Penrith, Australia.
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The course was a sprint distance (750m swim, 20km run, 5k run) and the two golds were won by George Peasgood (PT4) and Andy Lewis (PT 2), while the silvers were won by Joe Townsend and Clare Cunningham (PT4)won silver, collectinvaluable ranking points that will help qualify slots for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Unfortunately, Lauren Steadman was unable to start due to illness.
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Peasgood used his swim and bike strength to set up a big lead, which he held on to during the run, and won by a comfortable margin of well over a minute from Alexander Yalchik of Russia, while in his section Andy Lewis was an emphatic winner, being the fastest swimmer, cyclist and runner on the day.
Joe Townsend finished second behind five-time ITU world champion, Bill Chaffey of Australia in the PT1 event. Afghanistan veteran, Townsend was the fastest over the bike and run sections, but Chaffey’s superior swim set up his victory. After a strong start Clare Cunningham she lost time on the bike, but ran well to secure silver.
The next round of the ITU World Paratriathlon Event Series will coincide with the ITU World Triathlon Series event in Yokohama, 14-15 May.
The results
PT1 Men
1. Bill Chaffey, AUS, 58:53
2. Joseph Townsend, GBR, 1:00:43
3. Benjamin Lenatz, GER, 1:08:11
PT2 Men
1. Andrew Lewis, GBR, 1:10:47
2. Brant Garvey, AUS, 1:14:08
3. Lionel Morales, ESP, 1:14:54
PT4 Men
1. George Peasgood, GBR, 1:02:33
2. Alexander Yalchik, RUS, 1:03:56
3. Carlos Rafael Viana, BRA, 1:04:29
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PT4 Women
1. Kate Doughty, AUS, 1:12:10
2. Clare Cunningham, GBR, 1:14:21
3. Claire Mclean, AUS, 1:15:47
The difference between elite athletes and the ‘almost’ greats is their internal drive to overcome adversity a new study has discovered.
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The research found elite athletes approached training with a “never satisfied” attitude, whereas ‘almosts’ might avoid challenging training exercises, while following an injury or a failure to perform, high performers were determined to get back to their sports, stronger than ever. Low achievers, on the other hand, often expressed surprise at their failures, telling how they lost enthusiasm after such incidents.
Despite these differences in the athletes’ attitudes, there was surprisingly little variation in the nature or number of the challenges themselves. All had roughly comparable traumatic incidents during their careers. More than the challenges themselves, the differences came down to how the athletes reacted to these obstacles and the champions’ positive, “learn from it” attitudes.
“We’ve found that there are universal psychological characteristics amongst those who are aspiring to get to the top,” says lead author Professor Dave Collins from the Institute of Coaching and Performance at the University of Central Lancashire. “We have a good idea of what makes people excellent and how we can help them reach peak performance.”
Through interviews Collins and his team sought to find distinguishing characteristics between the best of the best, the good, and those that didn’t quite make the cut. For each participant, they collected information about career trajectory, perceived challenges and the participant’s reactions to such obstacles. Interview questions also explored participants’ commitment to their sports and their interactions with coaches and families.
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“From our research, we’re assembling a set of rules to guide what a coach should be doing and what skills an athlete should end up with,” says Collins. “Furthermore, these characteristics hold true for other fields as well, from sports to music to any environment.”
While challenge may be integral on the path to success, this research suggests that challenge is not sufficient in itself. An aspiring athlete’s attitude towards challenge is what most distinguishes the champions from the rest.
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Sports psychology: less thinking equals better results
Take an in depth look at our new kit for #Rio2016 #100DaysToGohttps://t.co/A8l0VuR7gX pic.twitter.com/7HdUV6C7g2
— Team GB (@TeamGB) April 27, 2016
The Brownlees with Lizzie in the new kit
Yorkshire GB contingent are suited and booted ready for Rio @adidasUK @AliBrownleetri @jonny_brownlee
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A single minute of very intense exercise produces health benefits similar to longer, traditional endurance training researchers have found
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“This is a very time-efficient workout strategy,” says lead author Martin Gibala, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Canada. “Brief bursts of intense exercise are remarkably effective.”
The team of scientists set out to determine how sprint interval training (SIT) compared to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). They examined key health indicators including cardiorespiratory fitness and insulin sensitivity, a measure of how the body regulates blood sugar.
A total of 27 sedentary men were recruited and assigned to perform three weekly sessions of either intense or moderate training for 12 weeks, or to a control group that did not exercise).
The McMaster team has previously shown that the SIT protocol, which involved three 20-second ‘all-out’ cycle sprints, was effective for boosting fitness. The workout totalled just 10 minutes, including a 2-minute warm-up and 3-minute cool down, and two minutes of easy cycling for recovery between the hard sprints.
The new study compared the SIT protocol with a group who performed 45 minutes of continuous cycling at a moderate pace, plus the same warm-up and cool down. After 12 weeks of training, the results were remarkably similar, even though the MICT protocol involved five times as much exercise and a five-fold greater time commitment.
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“Our study shows that an interval-based approach can be more efficient — you can get health and fitness benefits comparable to the traditional approach, in less time.”
Jan Frodeno, the current World Ironman and Ironman 70.3 Champion, will take the start of Ironman Lanzarote on May 21st 2016.
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Frodeno is only man to have ever won both the Olympic gold medal and the Ironman World Championship, and also won another honour last week with the Laureus Action Sportsperson of the Year Award, the first triathlete to receive a Laureus Award. He is also reported to be going for the for long-distance world record at Challenge Roth
“I’m looking forward to heading back to my old training grounds. I’ve spent many weeks on the island, and at Club La Santa, with the German team, preparing for the summer and always enjoyed its hospitality.”
Frodeno will join more than 1800 registered athletes from over 60 countries, including our staff writer Jack Sexty. Reckon you can take him on Jack…?!
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Jan Frodeno’s 10 top tips for stepping up to iron distance
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Ronaldo, Gerrard, Mansell, Baird… the shortlists for the 2016 Cross Sports Book awards have been announced, with two triathlon titles on the list.
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Our features editor Matt Baird’s debut book Triathlon! (Aurum Press) has been selected for an Illustrated Book of the Year nomination, while Lucy Fry’s Run, Ride, Sink or Swim (Faber & Faber) has been selected for the Freshtime New Writer of the Year gong.
Featuring chapters on the greatest triathletes in history, Triathlon! covers the men and women who have made the sport their own, inspiring thousands to follow in their footsteps.
Alongside the athletes that have made their mark on the sport, Triathlon! profiles some of the world’s greatest events, from classics such as Challenge Roth and from Alcatraz, Brit races The Outlaw, Slateman and more, to the far-flung challenges of the Norseman, Challenge Wanaka or Ironman 70.3 Bintan.
Triathlon! also explores the evolution of triathlon gear – the bikes, aerobars, tri wetsuits, GPS devices and nutrition developed to give triathletes the edge against their competitors.
CROSS SPORTS BOOK AWARDS
The 2016 awards will be presented by Sky Sports news presenter Mike Wedderburn and Test Match Special’s Alison Mitchell which takes place at Lord’s Cricket Ground on 1st June. An hour long highlights show will be shown on Sky Sports with multiple repeat shows on June 4th and 5th.
After the individual category winners have been announced on 1 June, each winner will then be promoted in a media and retail campaign with an online public vote determining the Overall Cross Sports Book of the Year.
The list of full nominated titles:
Illustrated Book of the Year
Matthew Baird ‘Triathlon! A tribute to the world’s greatest triathletes, courses and gear’ Aurum Press
Paul Connolly ‘Richie Benaud: Those Summers of Cricket 1930-2015’ Hardie Grant Books
‘Tour de France 2015 – The Official Review’ Vision Sports Publishing
Bob Martin ‘1/100th – The Sports Photography of Bob Martin’ Vision Sports Publishing
Roger McStravick ‘St Andrews in the Footsteps of Old Tom Morris’ St Andrews Press
Mark Platt ‘This is Anfield’ Carlton Books
Freshtime New Writer of the Year
Emily Bullock ‘The Longest Fight’ Myriad Editions
Ed Caeser ‘Two Hours: The Quest to Run the Impossible Marathon’ Viking
Lucy Fry ‘Run, Ride, Sink or Swim’ Faber & Faber
Martin Hardy ‘Touching Distance’ DeCoubertin Books
Lizzy Hawker ‘Runner – A short story about a long run’ Aurum Press
Anne Lauppe-Dunbar ‘Dark Mermaids’ Seren Books
Cycling Book of the Year
Peter Cossins ‘Alpe D’Huez – The Story of Pro Cycling’s Greatest Climb’ Aurum Press
William Fotheringham ‘Bernard Hinault & the Fall & Rise of French Cycling’ Yellow Jersey Press
Ian MacGregor ‘To Hell on a Bike’ Bantam Press
Dave Millar ‘The Racer’ Yellow Jersey Press
Edward Pickering ‘The Yellow Jersey Club’ Bantam Press
Geraint Thomas ‘The World of Cycling According to G’ Quercus
Cross Autobiography of the Year
Steve Davis ‘Interesting’ Ebury
Steven Gerrard ‘My Story’ Penguin
David Lloyd ‘Last in the Tin Bath’ Simon & Schuster
Nigel Mansell ‘Staying on Track’ Simon & Schuster
AP McCoy ‘Winner’ Orion
Max Mosley ‘Formula One and Beyond’ Simon & Schuster
The Times Biography of the Year
Guillem Balague ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’ Orion
Andy Bull ‘Speed Kings’ Bantam Press
John Cross ‘Arsene Wenger’ Simon & Schuster
Donald McRae ‘A Man’s World’ Simon & Schuster
Richard Tomlinson ‘ Amazing Grace: The Man Who Was W.G.’ Little, Brown
Luke G. Williams ‘Richmond Unchained: The Biography of the World’s First Black Sporting Star’ Amberley
Littlehampton Book Services Cricket Book of the Year
Scyld Berry ‘Cricket: The Game of Life’ Hodder & Stoughton
Stephen Chalke ‘Summer’s Crown’ Fairfield Books
Steve James ‘The Art of Centuries’ Bantam Press
Tim Lane and Elliot Cartledge ‘Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck’ Hardie Grant Books
Simon Lister ‘Fire in Babylon’ Yellow Jersey Press
Richard Tomlinson ‘Amazing Grace: The Man Who Was W. G.’ Little, Brown
Barclays Football Book of the Year
Guillem Balague ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’ Orion
Michael Calvin ‘Living on the Volcano’ Century
John Cross ‘Arsene Wenger’ Simon & Schuster
Andrew Jennings ‘The Dirty Game’ Century
James Lawton ‘The Forever Boys’ Wisden
Ronald Reng ‘Matchdays’ Simon & Schuster
Blink Publishing General Outstanding Sports Writing Award
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Darren Barker with Ian Ridley ‘A Dazzling Darkness: The Darren Barker Story’ Floodlit Dreams
Ed Caesar ‘Two Hours: The Quest to Run the Impossible Marathon’ Viking
John Daniell ‘The Fixer’ Saltway
Willie Finnegan ‘Barbarian Days A Surfing Life’ Little, Brown
Richard Moore ‘The Bolt Supremacy’ Yellow Jersey Press
William Skidelsky ‘Federer and Me: A Story of Obsession’ Yellow Jersey Press
Cross International Autobiography of the Year Award
Dan Carter ‘Dan Carter: The Autobiography of an All Blacks Legend’ Headline
Didier Drogba ‘Commitment: My Autobiography’ Hodder & Stoughton
Michael Lynagh and Mark Eglinton ‘Blindsided’ HarperSport
Marco Negri with Jeff Holmes ‘Moody Blue: The Story of Mysterious Marco’ Pitch Publishing
Ronda Rousey ‘My Fight, Your Fight’ Arrow
Mark Webber ‘Aussie Grit’ Pan Macmillan
Arbuthnot Latham Rugby Book of the Year
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Tony Collins ‘The Oval World: A Global History of Rugby’ Bloomsbury
Stephen Cooper ‘After the Final Whistle’ History Press
Tom English ‘No Borders: Playing Rugby for Ireland’ Arena Sport
Stephen Ferris ‘Man and Ball’ Transworld Ireland
Adam Jones ‘Bomb: My Autobiography’ Headline
Phil Larder with Nicholas Bishop ‘The Iron Curtain – My Rugby Journey from League to Union’ Pitch Publishing
Training at altitude is a popular method for athletes wanting to improve their physical performance as the low oxygen causes the body to produce more red blood cells. in turn these help transport the reduced oxygen around the body more efficiently. This enables an enhanced performance at lower altitudes because the greater numbers of blood cells created at altitude means more oxygen can be delivered to the muscles.
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This is the first investigation that compares the effects of heat and low-oxygen training side by side and the findings suggests that heat-based exercise can offer a more efficient means of improving altitude tolerance and physical performance than normobaric altitude training can provide.
“We show that when the duration and frequency of training performed in heat or at altitude are the same, the heat-based training can offer a more obtainable and time-efficient method to improving tolerance to altitude,” says lead author Dr. Ben J. Lee, from the University of Coventry.
Dr. Lee and his co-authors asked a number of male cyclists to perform a time trial and tested their tolerance to low-oxygen levels before and after a series of ten daily 60 minute training sessions in either low-oxygen or hot conditions. In addition, blood samples were taken to see how their cells responded to the different training methods experienced by the cyclists.
Heat-based training reduced the physical strain experienced by the cyclists, as measured by their temperature and heart rates, as well as improved their time-trial performance. These positive effects matched those experienced by the cyclists that undertook low-oxygen training. The blood analysis showed that the stress response at a cellular level was also the same, indicating that there was little difference between the two exercise methods.
“There are many companies that provide normobaric altitude training and acclimation sessions prior to completing mountainous treks. However, the evidence that this form of training offers any enhanced adaptation to ‘real world’ altitude is limited. Therefore people preparing for an altitude trek may be better off training with a heat stimulus rather than paying for expensive altitude sessions,” suggests Dr. Lee.
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The authors of the study stress there are some limitations to their findings, with the results only relevant to the recreational, rather than high-performance, athlete. In addition, the cyclists were not tested for their performance at high altitudes. “Our results have only been tested using artificial altitude oxygen levels and not real-world altitudes,” explains Dr Lee.
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Heat training: What are benefits of using a heated-room for training?
Five great altitude training destinations for triathletes
These new protein bars mean you can enjoy the unmistakable chewy centre, distinctive caramel and delicious chocolate of a Mars bar or the nutty flavours of Snickers with nearly 20g of protein. Both bars contain less than 200 calories, and the Snickers Protein bar has 18g of protein, while the Mars Protein bar has 19g.
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MARS Protein and SNICKERS Protein bars are available on Amazon. From May RSP £2.19.
Daily bar of chocolate boosts performance
It will be the GB’s Paralympic triathlon team’s final racing opportunity ahead of the 2016 Paralympic Games, taking place in Rio in September. In addition there will be competitors looking to qualify for the 2017 ETU Paratriathlon European Championships in Kitzbuhuel, Austria will have the chance to add points to their tally.
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“The British Paratriathlon Championships arrive at a fitting point in the 2016 calendar. With a month to go until the sport makes its debut at the Rio Paralympics, athletes will be looking to make their final preparations ahead of the Games and get race-ready on home soil,” said Jonathan Riall, British Paratriathlon Head Coach.
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The paratriathletes will be competing over the sprint distance, a swim of 750m, cycle 20km using hand cycles, bicycles or tandem bicycles with a guide, and a 5km wheelchair or running race. Athletes compete in six categories according to the nature of their physical ability.
Paratriathlon: the ultimate guide
“Not only do the championships offer an occasion to showcase some of the country’s finest sporting talent, they also create a chance to unearth potential stars of the future and increase paratriathlon participation; giving novices the chance to race alongside established names. It should be a great day combining all aspects of multisport for spectators to enjoy,” said Jonathon.
Participants who are physically or visually impaired who aspire to compete in national or international paratriathlon can obtain an official classification before Tri Liverpool by emailing the paratriathlon team at [email protected].
CEO of British Triathlon, Jack Buckner, said: “This announcement is significant for our sport, as we look to bring together both triathletes and paratriathletes to compete on the same iconic course. With flat terrain, swift transition and a looping urban route, it’s a chance for all our competitors to aim for a smooth performance, whether it be a potential Rio rehearsal for our elite paratriathletes, or just for fun.”
Further British Championship races taking place at Tri Liverpool are the British Elite Sprint DistanceTriathlon Championships and the British Age-Group Standard Distance Championships. A fully inclusive event which aims to cater for participants of all abilities and experience, Tri Liverpool will also host a sprint distance race, sprint relay and GO TRI+ beginner event on the day. Around 2000 participants are expected to take part, with the standard distance race already at maximum capacity with a waiting list of over 100 people looking to enter.
For more information about Tri Liverpool, visit www.triliverpool.com
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Commonwealth Games to host Paratriathlon for first time
Paratriathlon’s qualifying criteria set for 2016 Paralympic Games
Britain’s pioneering approach to elite paratriathlon training