Setting up for a fast transition.......Yesterdays 2nd round of the new UK offroad Triathlon series was to be my first crack at a full distance Xterra style event. The rules, disciplines and order were all the same as you would find at an officially branded Xterra event, so what better place to test my metal before next months assault on the European Xterra Championships!
With a tough bike course on the Northface trail. and an even tougher run course (which the day before took my girl-friend and I almost 3hrs to hike!) I knew this was going to be a great event.
After a choppy 2 lap swim in Coniston water, I hit dry land in 5th place, with a rapid transition seeing me away on the road in 2nd with 3rd right on my wheel.
With such a hard run course I knew no one would be able to make up much time on the last discipline, so I decided before the race to attack on the bike and try to build my lead there!That's just what I did, by the time I hit the dirt trails (4km away) I was in pole position and feeling strong. Using my big gears on the smoother sections and staying as relaxed as possible during the technical parts, I returned to transition with a 5minute lead. I changed into my trusty Inov8's and got away up the 1000ft climb. I was still felling strong, and with a look over my shoulder at the half way point I knew that the win was "in the bag" and so was able to ease off and enjoy the down hill run in to the finish.
I'm really pleased to have won, especially with such a solid race over the 3 disciplines, and am looking forward to racing against the Pro's in Europe over the coming months. This race was made all the more enjoyable with my sponsors support, Buff / SueMe kept me warm before the early start, Zym boosted me up during the bike and kept me hydrated throughout, and Inov8 made sure I didn't slip once during the tricky run to victory.
