AG Podium at The Challenge Championships

Finally getting into the swing of things after a couple of triathlons so far this year, it was soon the turn of the Challenge Championship after the postponement from 2020.

Preparation leading into the race had been okay. I think I managed 4 weeks of solid training before tapering which wasn’t too bad but definitely could have been better.

After the usual stress of dismantling my bike which was some challenge with a few seized screws and the ever present covid concerns looming over the flight and being able to leave the country it was great to arrive in Slovakia raring to go albeit with a horrendous cold.

Paul and I opted to watch the Collins Cup on the Saturday which was a fun experience but not something I would shout about. The coverage wasn’t great and you probably got a better watch on the tv since the course wasn’t very spectator friendly with just one lap in each discipline. Seeing the pros boss it in real life was quite something though.

Onto the actual race which consisted of a 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run… The swim was horrendous for me! The wind was pretty strong and the current also played a factor. I ended up swimming 35:08 which was probably one of my slowest ever swims at this distance. It’s definitely going to be a focus over winter because I can’t afford to be losing at least 5 minutes straight away from a poor swim. Anyway, I knew I had some work cut out for me on the bike and run to catch up and make a respectable time.

A swift transition and onto the bike which was mega fast! It was on the newly surfaced highway which was very flat and the easiest course to navigate so you could just get your head down and stay aero. The only limiting factor was the massive headwind cycling east to west which definitely slowed down the average speed.

I had a plan to sit at around 4w/kg but with the wind playing such a factor I had to be wary not to try and chase watts. On the whole I was overtaking everyone except a few power houses that were caning it with the tailwind. I just let them go as I didn’t want to burn all my matches at once.

The majority of the bike was quite uneventful which was probably a good thing. On the second section of headwind which lasted about 20km, I thought I’d up the power as I felt good and try and catch those that overtook me in the tailwind. Thankfully it didn’t take too long as I caught them 5km after the turnaround point but I then seemed to pull them all along. I looked over my shoulder a few times and they were all there staying about 10m behind one another (not the 20m rule put in the place). As annoying as it may be, there’s not much I could do as a surge would cost me quite a bit. In the end a couple passed me again on the tailwind section but I was to get my revenge for them drafting me on the run later.

Finishing the bike in 2:10:15, not quite a PB, it was soon onto the run after a quick transition. I felt really good heading out, my legs got better after a few kms but I knew I had to push it to challenge the podium spots.

The course was pretty unique running through the sports complex on a variety of different surfaces twisting and turning. It definitely kept your brain active trying to watch out where to go and I thought it could be a slow run but I was pretty wrong there.

On a bit of a side note, for those interested in race nutrition, I had 7 Gu gels and 1.5L of precision hydration and energy on the bike and 4 gels on the run. It seemed to work well for me and I had no gut problems and didn’t feel too dehydrated when I got to the finish line. The main thing is to trial and test it in training so come race day it’s a breeze and second nature.

Somehow I managed a 1:16:11 half marathon which managed to bring me from 5th to 2nd in my age group, so I’m delighted to see my running is finally coming into play and I don’t have to rely solely on my bike.

Overall I crossed the line in 4:08:12 which was 2nd in my age group and 9th within the overall age groups. On the whole a solid day out and getting closer to that sub 4.

It’s been great racing abroad again and having some father-son bonding time too.

Next up, Shropshire triathlon in just a week’s time.