Tri Alliance E News

Welcome to the fourth addition of Tri-Alliance e-news!

We hope you are enjoying our editions of Tri-Alliance e-news, and are getting the information that you need to help yourself through your training program in the off-season. If you would like to see any specific information in these newsletters that we have not yet covered, please contact us at news@tri-alliance.com.au, or for an answer requiring a quick response, go to http://www.triathlon-forum.com/

Enjoy!

Buffalo Springs has long been a place where Australians have excelled and this weekend's jaunt to Texas for the 70.3 race should be no exception. A couple of Australia's brightest stars will be on hand to see how their form measures us with the locals. Rumour has it Luke Bell will be out there to try and repeat his winning performances on the 70.3 circuit. Luke's form is coming and the Australian is trying to run himself into form. As an old cycling buddy once said, "you can afford not to train, you can't afford not to race."

The Tour de Suisse like the Dauphine Libere is one of the key lead up races to the Tour de France. We have been going on about how important a good preparation is and, like the famed Dauphine with its' climbs and hard racing the Tour de Suisse is also full of that. This race acts as both a form finder and a last chance for riders to convince their teams to take them on the lap of France. Like every Pro Tour race the racing is full gas from the gun and we took a look at the Tour de Suisse to see what could be taken from the last big pre Tour event.

Now I know we have written a bit about this race but with one of the biggest paydays in the sport Des Moines is certainly a bright light on the ITU calender. This year saw both men's and women's races putting up $200,000 US for the win. The U.S Olympic team was also being decided and in the men's event it was a race to be across the line first.

The Hy-Vee ITU Triathlon World Cup in Des Moines is one attractive race, though after a week of biblical-styled rainstorms, the race could have seemed less so. After a change of venue, the race went on and in a very competitive environment with U.S Olympic selection on the line, Emma Snowsill was left standing as the winner. The race attracts many of the big names due to the whopping $200,000 on offer for first place. The Australian Women's Olympic Team was there and left with a fantastic result.

Luke McKenzie has certainly done the business this weekend in an action packed three days of Ironman racing. This weekend was full of exciting racing across three continents. From former polka dot jersey winners of the Tour de France, to a man on a mission to win his first Ironman and a wrong turn mid race this weekend seemed to have it all.

When it rains it pours and this weekend in the world of Ironman it must be hailing with three races scheduled across the world. The United States, France and Japan all play host to the Ironman show. There seem to be more and more events each season. That said it is still very difficult to win one and the depth of talent world wide is also very good. Ironman France in Nice, will see plenty of action from the European athletes whereas Japan seems to be dominated by Australians. Coeur d'Alene sees a raft of professionals from all over vying for their chance at being an Ironman champion.

The Dauphine Libere and the Tour de Suisse are two of the most important races on the Pro Tour calender. Both are very close to the Tour de France and can act as form finders for those who have lofty aspirations during the month of July. We here at firstoffthebike.com love the Tour and every June get very excited about the prospect of what is to follow during the next month. But as we wrote last week, being strong in June may mean the razor's edge of form is lost for the biggest race of the year. With the Dauphine finishing up this weekend, here's our version of the important points to come from this race in the lead up to the Tour.

For those who don't know, this week in Kansas will see the re emergence of a great young talent in the world of triathlon. Now we might be getting a bit premature in our predictions but we like to go out on a limb. This week's 70.3 caravan rolls into Kansas and an impressive pro field comes along with it. We have said it time and time again that the 70.3 race concept keeps throwing up top level athletes week after week. The great talent for the 70.3 athlete is to be able to back up to race again and again.

Javier Gomez has firmly asserted himself as triathlon's best after winning his first elite world championship today in Vancouver, Canada. He joins teammate and friend Ivan Rana as the only Spanish athletes to win elite world titles. New Zealand's Bevan Docherty, the world champion from 2004, took the silver just ahead of Switzerland's Reto Hug.

Great Britain's Helen Tucker pulled off one of the most shocking upsets in recent triathlon history as she became the new triathlon world champion today in Vancouver, Canada. It was a thrilling sprint finish between Tucker and American Sarah Haskins down the final stretch. Less than a minute later, the fans were treated to another scintillating battle for the bronze with Samantha Warriner edging out Australians Erin Densham and Emma Moffatt.

SWIM

SWIM SESSIONS

As we are now currently well into our off season for triathlon, you should all be well into some heavy sessions for swimming to increase your strength in the water, and build a good base for you to work on when it comes round to the race season. But if you havn't already been hitting the water on a regular base for whatever reason it may be, then here's some good sessions that may motivate you to get up on those cold, dark mornings, and actually do the training!!

SESSION 1

400m w/u
4x100m medley
8x50m solid effort
2-4x200m
6-10x50m kick

200-400m cooldown

SESSION 2

400-600m warmup
2x200m medley
4x50m solid effort
4(150m paddles & pool buoy, 2x50m kick)
6-12x50m hard

cooldown

SESSION 3

400-600m warmup
2x200m medley with flippers
8x50m
3-5(400m freestyle, 100m backstroke)
10x50m (odds fast, evens cruisey

cooldown

BIKE

WET ROAD SAFETY

So, this is what happened the other weekend. We're riding up King Lake (yes, i know, a nice, relaxing, cruisey drive......BUT WE WERE RIDING UP IT!!!), and upon finally making it to the top, having a nice snack from the local bakery for energy, and jumping back onto the bike to ride home with the rest of my riding compatriots.......it started raining. No, this term is not correct. I believe the correct term is that it started bucketing down!! This was of particular concern for us, as we now had to make the already dangerous decent down the hill for 5km.

So this article is goin to be based on how to try to be safer if you ever get caught in the rain on your long rides.

-- Make sure you always have lights on your bike. Flashing ones tend to get the attention of drivers more so than others, but any bright lights will essentially do.

-- When it is wet, DO NOT sit as close to the wheel in front of you as you usually would. It is much easier to skid or slip on a wet road, so the further away you are from the person in front of you, the more time that you have to manoeuvre your way through any potential crashes, or obstacles on the road.

-- If it is already heavily raining when you get up in the morning, and the weather report suggests that it's just going to get worse throughout the day, it might be an idea to pull out the rollers or windtrainer for a couple of hours instead. It's better to be safe than sorry.

-- You know how bad it is to drive in the wet with regards to vision and how much harder it makes it, so don't give drivers a chance to not see you. Make sure that you dress in easy to see clothing. Yes, i know, this may mean getting out the daggy fluoro rain coat!! 

-- Change your tyres if they are old and dodgy!! Bald tyres makes it even easier to slip or skid on the road.

-- Try to avoid those white lines. When it starts raining, the road lines tend to become very slippery, and make it very easy for you to fall off.

-- tram tracks are already the mortal enemy of the bike rider!! But they are even worse in the wet. So just try to avoid them altogether!!!

RUN

POSTURE

When running, possibly the most easiest way to ensure that you are on the way to faster running id to make sure that your running posture is correct. I know, it doesn't make as much sense as hitting the big k's or the fast running sessions, but if you don't have the correct posture when you are doing this, it;s almost all a waste of time.

When we talk about perfect posture during running, we are talking about having a strong, upright carriage which allows you to move forward as one unit, and means your muscles won't be wasting energy on trying to maintain as much balance as they may have had to. Think about it.......if you have a car that is out of wheel alignment, it is going to take up more power to drive than it usually does. If you're body alignment is also out of whack, then you too will take up more energy than is necessary.

An upright body also allows you to increase speed straight away, as it allows you to stretch out your legs more so than you would be able to if you are slumped over in posture.

Correct posture will also lead to less injuries, as there is not as much strain or stretching on the muscles in your lower back and legs when you have a good posture to work with.

And most importantly, it will increase lung capacity. When you are upright you will breathe easier and get more oxygen to those working muscles.

So the next time your out there for a running session, make sure you pay special attention to posture when you are running. It may even be worth substituting a hard interval session with an easy long run, just so that you can pay more attention to your postural habits. It will be worth it in the long run.

Getting back into the heavy training usually always results in an athlete having a complaint about that annoying "niggle". It usually sounds something like "it's about this area, in my knee, but it's not that bad. I can still train through it. So it's ok right?"

But this is a common misconception with most athletes. Having the "It should be right" attitude is what can often lead to greater damage of an area, and consequently mean taking extended periods of time off training.

So as soon as you get a niggle, make sure that you head down to a physio, myotheapist, osteotherapist or masseur to get the problem checked out and addressed. It may just be that you needed a massage to loosen up your hamstrings to release tension in your back. A simple matter that can easily be fixed....if you get to it early enough.

So the next time you start to feel the start of an injury coming along, GET IT CHECKED OUT IMMEDIATELY!!! It could save you from a whole lot of injury rehab, time off training, and dollars.

TRI BARS

Well, what can i say about tri bars. They've helped me out on many a windy race day or training ride. Just being able to get into that aerodynamic position and getting a little bit away from that constant and annoying wind is a blessing. So this is why we suggest tri bars.

But before you go out and buy a set of aerodynamic tri bars, make sure you look into it. There are many types, varieties and styles available to you, and you need to find the one that is most comfortable for you.

So get out there or get onto the net and have a look at what is most suitable for you.

Here's some examples of designs and types of bars on the market:

The CBD program will now have a brand new timetable with 2 swims, 2 bikes, 2 runs.The new timetable is:
--Monday Swim 6.30pm
--Tuesday indoor wind trainer session 6.30pm
--Wednesday swim 6.30pm
--Thursday run 6.30pm
--Friday based on numbers and if the program goes well, possibility of a swim at 6.30
--Saturday long ride with squad
--Sunday long run to either start from the corner of Pickles and Beach Road, or alternatively, if feedback provides, MSAC  

MSAC Multi-Sport now offers a new comprehensive multi-sport program at Melbourne’s MSAC

L1 Casual: The Tuesday Swim-Spin sessions are available for
RunRideRun.Com competing level members to join in. Entry fee: $10 cash or cc paid on the night. See us on the night to join.

L2 MSAC Multi-Sport Mini Program: The mini program is the perfect multi-sport program for individuals either starting out or just wanting to train socially.
With this you will get the choice to participate any 3 Multi sports full sessions including entry to any of the MSAC sessions.
Entry fee: 50 VTX through www.RunRideRun.Com which
will cover the first 3 weeks of participation. You will then be contacted by Tri-Alliance to arrange your $25 pw Direct Debit which will commence at the end of week 3 of the program.  This program is ongoing.

L3 Full MSAC Multi-Sport Program: The full program is the perfect multi-sport program for athletes of all levels from beginner to advanced. Entry fee: 50 VTX through www.RunRideRun.Com which will cover the first 3 weeks of participation. You will then be contacted by Tri-Alliance to arrange your $35 pw Direct Debit which will commence at the end of week 3 of the program. JOIN NOW

If you have any further question about this please let me know.

In the mean time please feel free to join up with RUNRIDERUN.COM for Free.  Follow the instructions below.

For more information contact CBD Cycles on (03) 9639 2299 shop 1 top of Bourke St or (03) 9642 8766 at shop 2 bottom of Bourke St Melbourne.

Email, sales@cbdcycles.com.au

For all the latest Tri Alliance cycling gear including jersey's, bib and brace and shorts as shown below.

For more information contact CBD Cycles on (03) 9639 2299 shop 1 top of Bourke St or (03) 9642 8766 at shop 2 bottom of Bourke St Melbourne.

Email, sales@cbdcycles.com.au