Stirling Sprint Duathlon 2015

Race reports from Roy and Daniel who both took part in the Stirling Duathlon which was this years Team GB Age group qualifier for the World Championship.  Even though they both qualified rumours that it is ridiculous to go to Adelaide, Australia to compete from Susan are not true 😉

Roy’s report –

In my pre-triathlon life I had done a few short duathlon events so this event in March seemed like a good incentive to focus through the winter on my short run/bike training. Various recent excuses meant I felt less prepared than I would have liked but knowing that Stirling tri club always put on a well organised event and that this race is a qualifier for GB age group selection for the World Duathlon Champs later this year, I knew there would be some serious competition so I was still keen to do it.

Leaving home at 7.30am, weather was cold and threatening rain so all clothing bases covered when packing the bag the night before. Unfortunately no contact lenses packed (embarassing mistake) so any rain would make things a bit more difficult. Usual reg and set up at Stirling Uni with c160 lining up for our Sprint event. Clothing choice always tricky for a duathlon as warm on the run doesn’t equate to warm on bike, Opted for thin gloves and a gilet over a base layer – seemed to work. Would def have some toe covers on my cycle shoes next time though.

Run1 – 20.30 – always tough being 2 x 2.5k loops with a hill in the middle & hoping for closer to 20 dead but given lack of recent training, ok and about 20th into T1.

Bike – 38.12 – faster than I expected but passed by about 12-13 riders on TT bikes, grinding out big gears – course well suited to that as pretty much a straight out and back – wind behind on the way out – rain arrived 5k from the end.

Run 2 – 20.39 - painful calves coming off bike given lack of brick training but ran through it and got back about 4 places to finish 29th overall.

still couldn’t catch number 1 son though…

Daniel’s report  -    

After a solid run on a dreary Sunday in Stirling, I hopped onto the bike feeling confident. Not even 2 minutes had passed before my tri-bars started to feel strange and before long the were rotating freely around my handlebars. This forced me to revert to the more uncomfortable position of down on the drops for the remainder of the ride. My final run was fortunately an improvement on the bike, however the lesson learnt is the importance of checking your race equipment BEFORE you race, not during.