BUCs Olympic 2016

After polishing up my open-water skills at Racehub with the rest of the Loughborough University students triathlon club, it was time to get ready for my first race of the year. This would be the BUCS Olympic distance triathlon held at Southport Marina, and run by Vital Events. As a non-drafting race I felt I would get the opportunity to put into use my cycling strength, and prep myself for a number of other Olympic races I had planned for the 2016 season.

Registration was the day before the race, so the journey was made on the Saturday with an overnight stay being necessary due to the early start. My girlfriend (Kathryn) and I stayed at my Auntie and Uncle's house which also happened to be a 5 minute walk away from the start line- ideal! The alarm was set for the following morning, and the usual pre-race, terrible night's sleep ensued. The morning came, and on arrival at the venue I set about sussing out the course as well as ensuring I was properly warmed up. Registration the day before certainly helps minimise the race day stress, and there was plenty of time for a great warm up lead by the Student's club coach Piers. The race was a two lap swim, followed by a two lap bike, followed by a two lap run. Being by the sea the profile for the course was pan flat with only the wind being a potential concern. Luckily there was next to no wind, and the race began at 7 prompt. A solid start saw me well placed in the swim, sitting at the front of the second pack of swimmers who were approximately 30 seconds behind the lead group. A slow transition and a tentative bike start meant I had plenty of work to do if I wanted to give myself any hope of placing well. By the end of the first bike lap I had caught the front runner and moved into the lead, however at the next turnaround point I looked back expecting to have seen my lead grown and was greeted by a very different sight to what I expected. A group of around 10-15 athletes were riding in a peloton- style group, metres from my back wheel. Being a non-drafting race, this was obviously disappointing to see but there was little I could do other than put my head down and try to get away. By T2 I had a lead of no more than a few seconds over a large group of athletes that rolled in behind me. A NP of 316 watts and an average speed of nearly 42km/h meant I had the fastest bike split of the race- I was disappointed not to see the true effect of this due to the various bike packs rolling around the course, but happy with where my cycling was at for the time in the year. As soon as the run started I knew it was not going to be easy. My calves cramped up and the first couple of ks were spent getting into my stride. Trotting over the line in 36:47, I felt that I had definitely got into my stride over the second lap with my time decreasing by 30 seconds from the first 5km. My final placing was 7th in what was to be my final BUCs race ever! There were a number of lessons to take away and work on for the rest of the season.

Before heading home, we went to Southport's pier and spent a penny... in the penny pushers obviously!

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