Here we go again, a fresh multisport season full of new hope, the promise of PBs and perhaps some new Lycra to boot. And, it seems, the mother of all duathlon wardrobe dilemmas. Do I run in my bike jacket? Wear a running jacket and switch into the bike jacket on the bike? Neck buff or headband? Gok Wan, where art thou?!
I settle on the winter run jacket for the run option, and I’m soon a sticky mess as the field heads out onto the 4.5km run course of Trimax Events’ Taurus Beast Duathlon in the Forest of Dean, that slither of England nestled between the River Severn and the Welsh border generally marked by the River Wye. We exit the Taurus Crafts visitor centre over a soggy field to Lydney High Street, before the run route hits Watery Lane for what’s essentially a gritty 2km climb with a 2km descent to finish.
Bar the frontrunners, the pace of the duathletes around me is mostly and wisely conservative, with plenty of chat filling the soundwaves. The turnaround point comes and widescreen views of the Severn Channel loom into view. I fight the urge to hit the gas and create a bit of daylight before most of the field effortlessly glides past me on the bike leg. I’ve learnt my lesson from going out too fast, too soon at too many duathlon events, and paid for it by carrying the dreaded duathlon bear on my back for the entirety of the second run leg.
This precarious pacing balance is one of the reasons, not forgetting the often cold and wet weather, that duathlon is such a difficult customer to tame and remains why many multisporters, including myself, deem it tougher than triathlon, despite the lack of neoprene neck rub. The sense of peril and cleanly navigating it are also what makes duathlon so rewarding, and there’s an array of multisporters both new and old here in GL15 giving the run/ bike/run sport a blast.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...
Whichever distance triathlon you're racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. While it's possible to top up your tank on the go, it's better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.
The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...
The opening line of the race report read how 20 years on from New Zealand’s first and only Olympic triathlon gold medal, Hayden Wilde had put in a careerbest performance to regain the title for his nation. Then Alex Yee comes around the corner.Yee’s charge, seemingly from nowhere on the final lap of the 10km run in Paris, didn’t just help him become the most decorated Olympic male triathlete of all time, and didn’t just cap a rivalry that has been building for six years, it left seasoned watchers of swim, bike, run in awe. It will go down as one of the greatest triathlon races; Yee, still just 26, as one of the greatest triathletes. His medals from Paris added to the two from Tokyo, leaving his haul at two gold, a silver and a bronze, and counting.
"I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE THE GROWTH OF TRIATHLON"
British Triathlon CEO Ruth Daniels talks Paris, her plans to grow tri and her own personal goals... knees allowing
ZWIFT RIDE
£1,199.99 Zwift's new Ride is an indoor bike that might help you break your PB... but won't break the bank
PARIS SHOWED THE VALUE OF OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE
With the spotlight on triathlon like never before at these Games, debutant athletes talked about being overwhelmed by the unique environment
GAMES AT THE GAMES
After watching and enjoying the Olympic triathlon events, Brunt amused himself by playing the 'guess how far into each event I would die' game...
WHERE EAGLES DARE
With little heat prep, the wrong gear choice and a course-recce mistake, would experienced extreme triathlete Sean McFarlane soar like an eagle or drop like a stone in Italy?
HOW TO INCREASE RUN PACE WHEN FATIGUED
The ability to dig deep in the latter stages of a race helped Alex Yee achieve Olympic gold. Here Ben, a member of Team GB's coaching staff in Paris, explains how you too can find that extra gear...
BUYER'S GUIDE: BIKE COMPUTERS
Log your rides, find your way and monitor your multisport training with a quartet of impressive bike computers...
POLAR GRIT X2 PRO
\"You can't be anything other than impressed with the GPS, whose design is one of the significant changes to the V3\"
