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Sunday 10th of June started grey and overcast in Leeds, forcing organisers to cut the age-group swim to 750m due low visibility in Roundhay Park. But as the clocked ticked round to 1:06pm – the women’s start time – it was clear blue skies and air temps of 26°C.
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With Series leader Flora Duffy (BER) a DNS due to a foot injury, number.1 status passed to Katie Zaferes (USA), who had celebrated becoming World Relays Champs with Team USA just three days earlier.
For Team GB, race morning brought with it the disappointing news that Non Stanford, who had helped Team GB to Relays silver, had had to pull out due to sickness. But with a five-strong showing for GB’s ladies, hopes were still high for a podium finish.
The day started strong with Leeds’ lass Jess Learmonth first out of the 1.5km swim and first into T1. But in her wake, came the forboding US trio of Zaferes, Summer Cook and Taylor Spivey. But she wasn’t alone for long as teammate Vicky Holland ran in for fifth.
Frustratingly, Holland just missed the lead quartet as they shot out of Roundhay and hit started their assault of Leeds’ streets. Cook couldn’t stick with the pace though, and soon fell back into the vast chase group, which was 30+ athletes by the end of lap one of seven on the 40km course.
Over the next six laps, a lead that had started at 50secs plus, was gradually chipped away until it was less than 10ecs at the end of lap 6. Lap six also saw the demise of GB’s Jodie Stimpson and Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), the former due to a puncture, the latter unknown at time of print.
Halfway through the final lap, one large group had formed at the front, obliterating the work the leading trio had put in since leaving T1. In a complete mix in T2, it was GB’s Sophie Coldwell and Georgia Taylor-Brown who capitalised on the scrum, pulling ahead on the first lap of four over the 10km run. Zaferes looked like she was going to make a move on the two Brits, but instead started going backwards as Coldwell pulled out a comfortable lead by the end of lap two.
With 6km to go, it was Coldwell, Holland and Traylor-Brown who had command of the British race. But it was experience that ruled the day, as the Rio bronze medallist took the lead with 5km to go. Taylor-Brown, meanwhile, moved into second and Coldwell third… until Zaferes swept into view for that final podium spot.
And so it was that Holland took her first WTS race in three years, becoming the first British woman to take the tape at the home race. In a career best, Taylor-Brown ran through for second, Zaferes third to take the Series lead.
“I battled and battled to stay with that lead group on the swim,” said Holland at the finish, “which put me in no man’s land at the start of the bike, and I was in lactic debt! Then the British girls were all so strong on the bike, and made my life really really hard all day long!
“It was only that very final bit of the run, on the hill, where I thought ‘okay, you’ve got this now, you’re going to win this.’
“To win in Leeds, it couldn’t have happened in a better place for me. Absolutely unbelievable, amazing day.”
“I wasn’t expecting a great deal, to be honest,” said Taylor-Brown post-race. “I just wanted to enjoy it!
“On the bike, when we made a big group I just thought ‘I really don’t want this many people’. But I was really happy that we managed to get the group a bit smaller by T2. And then even on the run, when I was second behind Sophie [Coldwell] I thought ‘what have I done? Why am in second? This is not going to end well.’ And I felt like I was shuffling. But I managed to hang on somehow, but I don’t think anyone ran fast today. It was just survival out there.
“Running in for second and seeing Vicky with open arms, it definitely gave me goosebumps all over my body, it’s an amazing feeling and I definitely want it again.”
Learmonth, who finished eighth at the line after spending most of the day up front, was as honest and self-deprecating as ever: “Yeah it was pretty horrendous. I was absolutely screwed after T2, this course doesn’t let up. To see your lead whittle down is just really depressing, knowing that everyone is going to be fresher than you. I could hardly get my bike in! but I’m still happy, I loved it! It could have just have been better!”
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Coldwell rounded out the Brit finishers in 12th.
ICYMI, this happened today! Congratulations to @vixholland Phenomenal performance in bloody hot conditions!!! Smashed it
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Buoyed by the glorious British weather, the crowds came out in force today to cheer on their hometown hero, Jonny Brownlee; the sole Brownlee racing as brother Alistair pulled out a week ago with an Achilles injury.
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Hoping to spoil the crowd’s day was one of the strongest fields we’ve seen all season, including Commonwealth victor Henri Schoeman (RSA), Series leader Mario Mola, bike supremo Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway and the consistently swift runner Richard Murray.
Sticking to the well-worn script, Richard Varga was first out of the 1.5km swim, pulling in a group of 12, which included Brownlee and Schoeman.
For the first half of the seven-lap 40km run, there wasn’t much movement, just a couple of attempted, albeit short-lived, breakaways; the first from Ben Kanute (USA), the second from Schoeman and Le Corre.
But try as they might, the lead group just couldn’t hold off the chasing pack, which boasted the likes of Blummenfelt, Murray and Mola; the gap closed permanently with just three laps to go.
British hopes were further dashed with one lap to go, when a visibly distressed Brownlee was seen hanging off the back of the group.
Out of T2, and it was Murray who led the way, chasing down what would be his first Olympic-distance win in the World Tri Series.
After a troubled 1km of the 10km run, Brownlee called it a day, cluching his stomach and pulling into finish area to disappear into the medical tent.
With Murray having tied up first place, the battle was on for second as Mola exchanged places with the two Frenchman Luis and Pierre Le Corre.
But it was the Spanish flag that would rise over second place on the podium, with Luis edging his teammate for bronze; Mola’s silver also cementing his place at the top of the Series at the halfway point of the year.
GB’s Tom Bishop finished a solid sixth, to the great delight of the home crowds.
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For full results, head to www.triathlon.org/results
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One of the most eagerly-awaited full Ironman debuts took place in Cairns, Australia, this weekend when Spanish superstar Javier Gomez took on 226km for the first time.
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And the record ITU world championship-winning athlete didn’t disappoint, breaking the eight-hour barrier on debut to finish two minutes down on race winner Braden Currie to clinch silver at the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship event.
Gomez, the five-time ITU and double Ironman 70.3 world champion and Bahrain Endurance athlete, emerged from the 3.8km sea swim in first place after clocking a swift 46:42 spilt. Onto the bike, and Gomez’s 180km time was 4:25:09, the seventh fastest of the day as Terrenzo Bozzone entered T2 first.
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Currie was first to bridge the gap to Bozzone, but Gomez was increasing the pace and moving through the field, catching the two experienced iron athletes at the 14km mark. It would become a duel between Gomez and Currie for the top spot but, with 10km to go, Currie put in the breakaway to produce the win.
So I’m an Ironman now!
Celebrate the build-up to one of the world’s biggest annual sporting events with the ONLY UK Official 2018 Tour de France Race Guide.
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Put together by the team behind Procycling magazine, BikeRadar.com and Cyclingnews.com, this year’s guide is out now priced at £9.99 and can be ordered with FREE UK delivery.
Inside your souvenir pack you will find a huge 220-page official programme packed with profiles of every team, stats for every rider, maps of every stage, interviews with the stars, expert analysis and so much more.
In addition to the official programme, the souvenir pack also contains:
* A giant wall chart for filling in the stage winner and jersey holders after each day’s racing
* A 68-page Tour de France Miscellany extracts book packed with tour trivia
* The official full-size fold-out route map
* Limited-edition postcards
Don’t miss out order your copy today with FREE UK delivery. You can purchase it here.
The Official 2018 Tour de France Race Guide is also available as a digital edition for Apple iOS devices, Android or Zinio.
Apple here
Android here
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Zinio here
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Human Race have released the following statement regarding the incident which occurred at the Royal Windsor Triathlon on Sunday 17 June.
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“We are aware of the incident that occurred during the 28th Royal Windsor Triathlon on the morning of Sunday 17 June. We are in direct contact with the horse rider who was involved, and we have offered our sincere apologies for the danger and upset that this incident caused.
“Our events are permitted by British Triathlon and therefore adhere to all industry guidance regarding event delivery. Competitors are further required to abide by the British Triathlon Competition Rules, applied by the Technical Officials in attendance. Alongside British Triathlon and its Officials, we are currently reviewing the evidence, and those found at fault of dangerous cycling or in breach of the rules will be disqualified from this event and banned from participating in any future Human Race events.
“Various measures were put in place to mitigate the chance of an incident of this nature, including the erection of advance warning signs about the event, the plans for which were drawn up by a professional traffic management company, this signage was put up along the route on Thursday 7 June. Additional cycle event signage was also installed a day in advance of the event to bolster awareness for all road users.
“We are reviewing all signage & communication plans as part of our internal review exercise following this incident. In addition, all participants in the event are informed in pre-event communications and event-day briefings to follow the Highway Code, and we do not condone dangerous cycling of any kind. We are assisting the local police with their enquiries, and we will be looking at ways that we can improve through this experience, including engaging more with horse riding communities in the local area.
“Human Race operate in this industry because of the positive impact it brings to individuals, charities and local communities. We work hard to deliver high quality and safe events, and it is saddening when the actions of a few individuals undermine an experience that is so positive for so many. We take our responsibility as an event organiser very seriously, and as such will be working with all relevant stakeholders to implement learnings from this experience. A spokesperson from British Triathlon said; “We are supporting Human Race events with the investigation of this incident and will look to take any action deemed necessary once we have all of the relevant information.”
Key Questions
“Why can you organise a Triathlon on open roads? We follow best practice as per guidelines from British Triathlon. Throughout the planning process we liaise with the local council’s highways department and with the relevant Safety Advisory Groups about the event and its routes. The bike course takes place on open roads so individual participants are required to always ride within the rules of the Highway Code, and act with due care and to ensure their own safety as well as that of all others also using the road.
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” Were there warning signs about the event taking place for road users. There were signs up at all major junctions from 7 June, following consultation with a professional traffic management company. In addition, further cycle event warning signage was put in place at key locations across the course the day before the event. We understand in this case that the individual affected was not aware of the event taking part despite this. Human Race has initiated a review of the signage to see if this can be improved in the future. We are also assessing our communication plan and working on ways to communicate better with the local community including local stables and other horse owners where possible.
“Was the incident something to do with the last-minute route change? No, there was a late change required to the Olympic length course due to road works, however the route change meant that the participants used a road that was already signposted from 7 June for our sprint distance event.
“Are the riders being prosecuted/reported to the police? Human Race Events are currently reviewing the video footage to identify the individuals involved. Once it has been established who was at fault, we will be able to take further action. If any competitor is found guilty of causing this incident they will be disqualified and banned from all future events. We will also pass this information on to British Triathlon. Human Race Events will assist the police, by supplying them any information they require for their own investigation.
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“What will you be doing to educate cyclists about horse riders? We currently inform all our participants before the race that they need to adhere to the Highway code in our event communication. We repeat this on event day in our briefings to each wave. In addition to this, moving forward at our briefings we will specifically highlight the need for riders to be aware of horses and the need to pass with due care. In the future we will be working with the individual affected to look at ways to work more closely with the local riding community, so they are aware of any events we hold.”
Ironman have teamed up with Facebook to provide live coverage of the 2018 Ironman season. The coverage will be available globally to fans of www.facebook.com/IRONMANnow, and debuts on Sunday, June 24 for Ironman France. In total it will cover a total of 16 races across 3 continents. This includes extensive coverage of the 2018 World Championship, which will also be available on NBC Sports for fans in the United States.
In addition to the live race coverage, there will be 20-episode live weekly show titled “Ironman: 40 Years of Dreams,” which celebrates Ironman’s 40th anniversary, will debut on Facebook Watch July 5, 2018 and run through November 15, 2018.
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“We are thrilled to add Facebook to our lineup of global digital and broadcast partners.” said Matthieu van Veen, Chief Revenue Officer for Ironman. “We are excited to bring this live and interactive experience to our global community, giving it a new way to watch and engage with Ironman. We are confident that our lineup of programming will have broad global appeal to our loyal athletes and fans and will introduce new athletes to our community.”
The live events will be hosted by IM World Champion and Hall of Famer Greg Welch, three-time IRONMAN Champion Michael Lovato, and three-time IM champion Dede Griesbauer. Ann Wessling and Michael Lovato will host the live weekly show and provide a comprehensive and interactive round-up of the previous week’s races, as well as deliver race previews and news around the season. Eight-time IM World Champion Paula Newby Fraser will also provide her unique perspective on the quest to qualify for the 2018 IM World Championship.
Live race coverage of the following events as well as live weekly episodes and a range of on-demand programming will be available in the United States on Facebook Watch and globally via the IRONMAN now Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/IRONMANnow.
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Event Name
Location
Race Date
IRONMAN France
Nice, France
June 24
IRONMAN Austria
Klagenfurt, Austria
July 1
Mainova IRONMAN European Championship
Frankfurt, Germany
July 8
IRONMAN UK
Bolton, England
July 15
IRONMAN Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York
July 22
IRONMAN Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany
July 29
IRONMAN Maastricht
Maastricht, The Netherlands
Aug 5
Subaru IRONMAN Mont Tremblant
presented by Sportium
Mont Tremblant, Canada
Aug 19
IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun
Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria
Aug 26
IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship
Nelson Mandalay Bay, South Africa
Sept 1-2
IRONMAN Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Sep 9
IRONMAN Italy Emilia Romagna
Cervia, Italy
Sep 22
Little Debbie IRONMAN Chattanooga
presented by McKee A Family Bakery
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Sep 30
IRONMAN Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
Oct 7
IRONMAN World Championship (*)
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Oct 13
IRONMAN Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Nov 18
(*) Live coverage on NBC Sports in the United States
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That feeling. I can not describe. I can not dream of what just happened. Thank you for all the support it means the world to myself and my family. Big shout out to @ryanfisher20
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Zoggs have announced, as a precautionary measure, they are recalling all Zoggs Fogbuster Anti-Fog & Lens Cleaner sold from January 2018 onwards. This is due to a potential manufacturing defect which could cause temporary discomfort and short-term eye damage. No other products are affected.
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They are advising purchasers of Zoggs Fogbuster Anti-Fog & Lens Cleaner to stop using it immediately and return it to the retailer from which it was purchased for a full refund.
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They have now permanently discontinued this product.
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If you have any concerns at all you can contact Zoggs for more information on their consumer helplines (open weekdays 8am-7pm, weekends 9am-5pm): 01276 486513 or 01276 486545, or email them at [email protected]
Human Race have released the following statement regarding the investigation into the incident that involved cyclists overtaking a horse and rider, which occurred at the Royal Windsor Triathlon on Sunday 17 June;
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Since the recent incident at the Royal Windsor Triathlon on 17 June, we have been going through our internal review process and liaising with other stakeholders including the police, who are investigating the matter further.
We believe we have identified two individuals at fault, but we won’t be revealing further details or sharing their identities, as this is a police matter. One cyclist will receive a lifetime ban from all Human Race events, a 2nd (who did come forward after the incident) will receive a 12 month ban from all of our events. As the investigations are still ongoing this is pending any further information or mitigating circumstances that may come to light in the future. We are liaising with British Triathlon, who will be responsible for taking their own actions.
As a result of our internal review, we will implement the following actions as an organisation:
– We will improve our signage for the Royal Windsor Triathlon, to ensure all road users are aware of the event. We are holding a review of the event with the local SAG (Safety Advisory Group, which includes the council and police amongst others) on signage. This will include a thorough review of advance warning signage and on-the-day event signage. The end result will be additional signage along the course.
– We will improve communication to the horse riding community in the area, through direct contact with stables, polo clubs, etc. This will provide advance warning of the event to this group. We take responsibility to make sure this is as thorough as possible.
– We will improve education to our participants and the wider cycling and triathlon community about the Highway Code and the likelihood of horses (or other users) being on the road. This will be over and above ensuring competitors are aware the Highway Code is to be abided by in our pre-event communications and pre-race briefings. Moving forward we will implement the following:
For all our participants we will specifically communicate the details of the Highway Code that are relevant, to ensure triathletes are informed of what to do and how to keep everyone safe in a similar situation.
We will also be creating an educational advertising plan to our wider audience in the cycling and triathlon community, about how best to deal with any similar situation they may find themselves in.
We take this incident very seriously and are committed to improving our processes.
We believe this mishap is a poor representation of the triathlon community. The vast majority of triathletes and cyclists do follow the rules and ride with due care towards others.
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http://humanrace.co.uk/news/follow-up-incident-windsor-triathlon/
How to cycle past a horse and rider safely
The announcement from Ironman UK that they are to shorten the bike leg by 17 miles, making it 95 instead of the custom 112, has caused debate and outrage on social media.
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Ironman made the decision because of the Winter Hill fire near Bolton, saying that this was the only solution, “which enables the race to go ahead, and ensures our athletes, volunteers, marshals and staff remain safe.’
#heroes #winterhillfire #home
However many are questioning on social media whether those that complete have the right to call themselves an Ironman, and why they couldn’t include an extra loop to make up the distance. There are also calls for compensation/entry fees to be reimbursed or the right to defer the entries.
So with the implementation of the new bike course #IMUK is no longer an IM. 6 months of hard training feels like it’s no longer worth it. Still they’ve got our cash now, haven’t they?
— Ben Belcher (@BenBelcher76) July 10, 2018
If you were gonna run a marathon and the distance was cut from 26.2 to say 23.1 miles. Would you still have the balls to look back on your day and say you’ve completed a marathon or just a long old day in your Asics?? #imuk #ironmanuk #itwontbeanironman
— Rob Irwin (@RobbieSwayzie) July 11, 2018
There are also concerns about the swim going ahead due to higher than normal blue-green algae levels at the swim venue Pennington Flash, however indications are that the swim quality there is improving
We spoke to Ironman and put these questions to them;
What’s been changed on the bike course and why?
Due to recent wildfires, and after extensive consultation with our council partners, local authorities and other key stakeholders, a decision was taken to implement an alternate bike course for IRONMAN UK. Athletes will exit Transition 1 at Pennington Flash as normal and ride 15 miles to the start of the 2-lap section.
After climbing Babylon Lane athletes will now TURN LEFT onto Nickleton Brow instead of heading past New Road Rivington. The aid station will now be located on Nickleton Brow.
Athletes will cross Rivington Reservoir via Knowsley Lane and continue onto Moor Road. Moor Road is a technical climb with a long descent. After climbing Moor Road athletes can enjoy panoramic views of the North West before starting the technical descent.
The course will then merge onto Higher House Lane before taking a right onto Hollin Lane, left onto Coppice Lane, right onto Tithe Barne Lane merging onto Chapel Lane before re-joining the original course in Wheelton on the A674.
What will happen to competitors who decide to repeat a loop on the bike leg to make up the distance?
Athlete safety is our priority. Athletes who decide to repeat a loop will present a safety risk to other competitors which can result in a disqualification, in accordance with Competition Rules 5.01.e
Has the bike cut off times changed?
No. Cut-off times have not changed.
Are those who really want to do the distance allowed to defer their entry?
Deferrals are unfortunately not possible. All events are subject to change due to external occurrences and with this year’s race affected by wildfires, the changes are necessary for the race to safely go ahead. While we sympathise, we aim to continue to deliver an athlete experience to its fullest possible extent. Unfortunately the environmental effects on Ironman UK have occurred beyond our control and our team, who have planned and prepared for the race for more than a year, do not take lightly this decision to change the planned course.
Why has the race remained a Kona qualifying race?
Kona slots are allocated to all Ironman races on a pre-determined basis. It is standard procedure that an adjusted race remains an official qualifier. Kona qualification is awarded to athletes that perform top in their age group. As all Ironman UK athletes will continue to compete against others in their age category, and all complete the same race distance, Kona qualification still stands.
Does these changes make it easier to qualify for Kona from IMUK, compared to other Ironman qualifiers?
No, Ironman UK remains a challenging event and every athlete completes the same distance. Qualification is based on age group position, not finish time in relation to other events.
Is the swim affected by algae?
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The recent heatwave across the UK has caused a rise in blue-green algae levels and rising water temperature at the swim venue at Pennington Flash. With weather conditions affecting the presence and dissipation of blue-green algae, we will continue to monitor the swim venue through water quality testing. If the swim gets cancelled the event will commence as a bike-run.
Was cancelling or postponing the race ever an option?
Our aim is deliver a safe race despite the circumstances. Cancellation is a last resort if the race cannot be delivered safely, however the changed course allows for a safe race.
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What do you think? Should Ironman have offered compensation/deferred entry?