Olympic gold medallist Gwen Jorgensen and fourth-place finisher in Rio Richard Murray have rounded out their 2016 season with victories at the Island House Invitational Triathlon – a unique three-day, pro-only event that, as the name suggests, is invite-only.
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Made up of three races over three days, the multisport extravaganza started on Friday 28 October, with individual time trials of a 750m swim, a 20km bike and a 5km run.
DAY ONE
Following this first test, Great Britain’s Holly Lawrence (the 2016 70.3 World Champ) and Australia’s Aaron Royle led the standings leading into day two, with reigning Xterra and ITU world champ Flora Duffy lying in second and Jorgensen third for the women. On the men’s side, Murray ended the day in third behind Terenzo Bozzone and ahead of training partner Mario Mola.
DAY TWO
Day two welcomed the Enduro stage, a race comprising a 750m swim, 5km run, 40km bike, 750m swim and a 5km run. In the women’s race, the mass start kept athletes close together during the initial swim leg, with a large pack exiting the water together. Jorgensen asserted herself during the first 5km run to take the lead at the start of the bike. However, non-drafting, long-course specialist Lawrence, used her bike strength to complete the bike leg with the fastest time on the day. Lawrence started the final swim and run legs with a 50sec lead over a pack that included Duffy, Helle Frederiksen, Ellie Salthouse and Jorgensen. The short-course athletes worked together on the second swim leg, narrowing the gap to Lawrence to 30secs heading into the fifth and final leg of the day. Once again, Jorgensen proved invincible on the run, covering the final 5km in 16:52mins for the fastest run split on the day and a 45sec lead on general classification heading into day three. Despite dealing with cramps after the second swim, Duffy ran her way into second place on the Enduro stage, ahead of Salthouse. Lawrence faded to fourth on the stage, but she did enough to remain second overall, 10secs ahead of Duffy.
The lead in the men’s race also switched as Murray gapped the pack during the first run leg, posting a time of 15:21mins for 5km. Cameron Dye of the USA was the biggest mover on the bike, taking the lead over Murray during the closing miles and the two started the final swim and run legs in close proximity. Once again, Murray proved strongest on the run, edging ahead of Dye to cross the line in first place and to take the overall lead after two days of competition. Dye’s performance was enough to catapult him into second place overall after the two stages, while Bozzone’s consistency during the Enduro stage kept him in third place.
DAY THREE
The final day tested the top-10 athletes from the first two days’ competition over a sprint distance on the private island of Highbourne Cay. Athletes started the race according to their deficit overall to the overnight leaders, Jorgensen and Murray.
Lawrence dove into the water 45secs behind Jorgensen with Duffy just 10secs further back. Duffy closed the gap quickly to Lawrence and the two worked to reduce the deficit to Jorgensen out of the swim to 30secs.
“I knew I had to go hard from the start if I wanted to shoot for the win today,” acknowledged Duffy. After catching Jorgensen at the beginning of the second lap of the three-lap bike course, Duffy attacked through the technical sections and gained time heading into T2.
“Flora absolutely owned the technical sections of the bike course”, noted Lawrence post-race. “It’s a pretty technical course and I need to get some tips from her for the future!”
Lawrence was second off the bike but Jorgensen refused to allow the elastic to break and remained in close contact. On the run, the American used her dominant run speed to reel in her competitors, taking the lead by the 3km mark of the run. Once in front, there was no looking back and Jorgensen broke the tape first to seal victory for the second consecutive year.
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The men’s race was expected to be a showdown between Murray and non-draft specialist Dye, winner of last year’s third-day stage. Murray retained his lead through the swim but Dye quickly ate into Murray’s lead on the bike portion of the race, catching him on the second lap. But despite his 30sec advantage off the bike, the buffer wasn’t enough for Dye as the South African took the lead at the halfway point of the run and breezed to victory.
Thrilled with the step-up in performance relative to his second place last year, Murray gushed at the finish line: “I’m very happy. This is the best race of the season. Period.”
Dye crossed the line in second place but the battle for the third and final podium spot was a heated one with Royle sneaking past Terenzo Bozzone on the run to claim third place.
Men
1 Richard Murray 3:35:35
2 Cameron Dye 3:36:04
3 Aaron Royle 3:38:13
4 Terenzo Bozzone 3:38:19
5 Eric Lagerstrom 3:38:35
6 Leon Griffin 3:38:55
7 Brent McMahon 3:39:01
8 Joe Maloy 3:39:19
9 Sebastian Kienle 3:39:46
10 Lionel Sanders 3:41:19
Women
1 Gwen Jorgensen 3:55:01
2 Flora Duffy 3:55:19
3 Holly Lawrence 3:56:17
4 Sarah True 3:58:51
5 Rachel Klamer 3:59:01
6 Ellie Salthouse 3:59:09
7 Helle Frederiksen 4:00:00
8 Lauren Goss 4:01:33
9 Katie Zaferes 4:02:16
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10 Emma Moffatt 4:02:52
Ironman have today confirmed that the full 226km distance Ironman will not be hosted in 2017. The Ironman 70.3 distance race will return to Dorset, however, taking place on Sunday 17 September 2017. Entries opening on Wednesday 9 November at midday.
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Following speculation on the future of the full-distance race, Kevin Stewart, Managing Director Ironman UK, commented, “Weymouth was the first time we had combined a full distance and 70.3 on the same day [in Europe]. We’ve undertaken a review of this format since the event with the authorities and consultation with the local communities affected by the road closures.
The conclusion is that we’ll withdraw the full distance event from the race going forward to ensure that we can continue to deliver the best race experience for athletes.
“We’ll continue to offer Ironman UK in July and Ironman Wales in September for those looking to race the full distance.”
After a number of years as a Challenge Family event, Ironman 70.3 Weymouth was a new addition to the 2016 UK calendar and attracted over 2,800 entries in its first year making it the largest Ironman event in the UK. For 2017, the event will also continue to be a Pro race.
220 raced in September and it was a memorable day, with a 1.2-mile sea swim in the clear and warm waters of Weymouth Bay, before athletes then embark on a 56-mile loop bike course on the rolling hills and quaint villages of the Dorset countryside. Once back into transition, the final 13.1-mile half marathon run boasts a spectator-friendly multi-lap run around the town, harbour and historic seafront with bumper crowds along the route.
Ahead of entries opening on Wednesday 9th November, further information about IRONMAN 70.3 Weymouth can be found at www.ironman.com/weymouth70.3 and athlete inquiries can be directed to [email protected].
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Image: Getty
Click Here: liverpool mens jersey
Ironman have today confirmed that the full 226km distance Ironman will not be hosted in 2017. The Ironman 70.3 distance race will return to Dorset, however, taking place on Sunday 17 September 2017. Entries opening on Wednesday 9 November at midday.
Advertisement
Following speculation on the future of the full-distance race, Kevin Stewart, Managing Director Ironman UK, commented, “Weymouth was the first time we had combined a full distance and 70.3 on the same day [in Europe]. We’ve undertaken a review of this format since the event with the authorities and consultation with the local communities affected by the road closures.
The conclusion is that we’ll withdraw the full distance event from the race going forward to ensure that we can continue to deliver the best race experience for athletes.
“We’ll continue to offer Ironman UK in July and Ironman Wales in September for those looking to race the full distance.”
Click Here: liverpool mens jersey
After a number of years as a Challenge Family event, Ironman 70.3 Weymouth was a new addition to the 2016 UK calendar and attracted over 2,800 entries in its first year making it the largest Ironman event in the UK. For 2017, the event will also continue to be a Pro race.
220 raced in September and it was a memorable day, with a 1.2-mile sea swim in the clear and warm waters of Weymouth Bay, before athletes then embark on a 56-mile loop bike course on the rolling hills and quaint villages of the Dorset countryside. Once back into transition, the final 13.1-mile half marathon run boasts a spectator-friendly multi-lap run around the town, harbour and historic seafront with bumper crowds along the route.
Ahead of entries opening on Wednesday 9th November, further information about IRONMAN 70.3 Weymouth can be found at www.ironman.com/weymouth70.3 and athlete inquiries can be directed to [email protected].
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Image: Getty
The process of planning/periodising the JETS training has, I believe, been one of the central factors in our collective success, as it improves the likelihood of accurately targeted, individualised, progressive training.
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I wanted to provide an idea of the process, to help illustrate what we do. Other coaches might also want geek-out over why what we do has had a good level of success!
AT THE START
At the start of the season I make a ‘macro-training plan’ on a spreadsheet. It lists all the sessions we do and all the things that we can work on within those sessions. Along the top, each column represents one week of the year (also showing rest weeks in green) and so I then allocate an ‘x’ next to each aspect in the week we will work on it in. It looks like this:
This then gives me a structure for the planning I do for each block, in which I write a session that works on the things I know we need to target. I also add notes about tapering/recovery or anything else that is relevant so I can keep in mind who needs the session adjusted. It looks like this:
All these sessions are then added to our online platform ‘Addaero’ – which is basically a free version of training peaks. Once on here all the athletes can access the sessions from Addaero apps on their mobile phones:
The athletes I coach individually then have their session added to the squad sessions. For Scott Thomson, for example, this means his calendar looks like the below. And as you see, it allows him to upload Garmin files to his training sessions:
The individual sessions I add for these guys/girls are dictated by another chart in which I plan all their additional sessions each block…
…and these are dictated by the areas we decide to target in our 1-2-1 meetings based on how things are progressing and where we think improvements can come from. All this is tracked on a form, which is placed online (Google Docs), so that either I or the athlete can update and edit it whenever they need to. In it we don’t just look at S/B/R but also sleep and diet quality, etc:
All this ensures that the training is as focused and individualised as possible while still allowing some flexibility for when life gets in the way and things need to change. In the future I want to refine this process to make it slicker and better presented. But for year two, even in its rough form, it seems to have worked quite well and is something to build on.
In addition, I also track progression in tests (S – 200m/400m, B – 20min Threshold, R – 5km and 12min Max [this test needs to be improved]) across the season and also track recovery scores to make sure no one is too fatigued. These are also recorded online:
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If you have any questions for Joel, please visit his website www1.joelenoch.com.
Click Here: liverpool mens jersey
Click:micro star sensor
The process of planning/periodising the JETS training has, I believe, been one of the central factors in our collective success, as it improves the likelihood of accurately targeted, individualised, progressive training.
Advertisement
I wanted to provide an idea of the process, to help illustrate what we do. Other coaches might also want geek-out over why what we do has had a good level of success!
Click Here: liverpool mens jersey
AT THE START
At the start of the season I make a ‘macro-training plan’ on a spreadsheet. It lists all the sessions we do and all the things that we can work on within those sessions. Along the top, each column represents one week of the year (also showing rest weeks in green) and so I then allocate an ‘x’ next to each aspect in the week we will work on it in. It looks like this:
This then gives me a structure for the planning I do for each block, in which I write a session that works on the things I know we need to target. I also add notes about tapering/recovery or anything else that is relevant so I can keep in mind who needs the session adjusted. It looks like this:
All these sessions are then added to our online platform ‘Addaero’ – which is basically a free version of training peaks. Once on here all the athletes can access the sessions from Addaero apps on their mobile phones:
The athletes I coach individually then have their session added to the squad sessions. For Scott Thomson, for example, this means his calendar looks like the below. And as you see, it allows him to upload Garmin files to his training sessions:
The individual sessions I add for these guys/girls are dictated by another chart in which I plan all their additional sessions each block…
…and these are dictated by the areas we decide to target in our 1-2-1 meetings based on how things are progressing and where we think improvements can come from. All this is tracked on a form, which is placed online (Google Docs), so that either I or the athlete can update and edit it whenever they need to. In it we don’t just look at S/B/R but also sleep and diet quality, etc:
All this ensures that the training is as focused and individualised as possible while still allowing some flexibility for when life gets in the way and things need to change. In the future I want to refine this process to make it slicker and better presented. But for year two, even in its rough form, it seems to have worked quite well and is something to build on.
In addition, I also track progression in tests (S – 200m/400m, B – 20min Threshold, R – 5km and 12min Max [this test needs to be improved]) across the season and also track recovery scores to make sure no one is too fatigued. These are also recorded online:
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If you have any questions for Joel, please visit his website www1.joelenoch.com.
Over three years; 180 hours in the wind tunnel; 14,500 photos; countless interviews, comparisons and deliberations… it took all this and much more for bike giants Cervélo to launch the P5X, which they have proclaimed ‘the ultimate triathlon bike’.
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Cervélo P5X launches at Kona
With the top-specced Sram Red eTap version coming in at a whopping £13.5K, we were eager to see how the bike performed at the European launch event in Andalusia, Spain, where we were talked through the initial concepts, research, the build and testimony from athletes in great detail.
Cervélo were keen to stress that this bike was very much what they believed to be the ultimate ‘triathlon’ bike as opposed to time trial (for TT Cervélo have released a new P5 model), and there are numerous differences.
Cervélo P5 Six Di2 triathlon bike review
Consequently the presentation was heavily balanced towards nutrition and storage on the P5X, where we learnt that the brand analysed thousands and thousands of athlete photos to determine the most popular combination of fluid and nutrition storage on-bike – it was mostly this that determined the shape of the bike, rather than the engineers simply deciding to create a ‘beam bike’ – the geometry was built around what Cervélo believed would be the best for the greatest number of riders with regards to bottle, nutrition and tool storage.
An early design concept of the P5X shows that Cervélo didn’t set out just to create a ‘beam bike’; the bike took shape based on research and what they believed was the fastest and best
The bike is also incredibly adjustable, and you can add or remove storage options according to your preference. Cervélo claim none of the storage boxes alter the aerodynamics.
Cervélo claim disc brakes are better in every condition, and say they are soon releasing a white paper to show why they are no less, and perhaps even faster than rim brakes. “Disc brakes free up the frame design, you’re not having to build the front end around a brake caliper. From a net result it ends up been more aerodynamic, so building with a disc you end up with a more aerodynamic system. Disc brakes themselves might not be more aero, but you get a bike that’s overall more aero.”
The shifting on our test bike had full Sram eTap, with shifting options at the end of the aerobars, on the base bars and a ‘blip box’ with a cap that can hide it away if you don’t wish to use it. The base bars can be flipped either way, and the front end is unique as the bar adjustment actually works like a seat post – all you need is an allen key to mover it up or down, and there’s 112mm of stack adjustment.
The ride
After a fitting by Matt Steinmetz, who Cervélo employed specifically to advise on fit and position for the P5X project, we headed out for an initial 50km test ride of the P5X around the rolling tarmac of Andalusia. On first impressions it’s remarkable how ‘normal’ the bike feels, and down on the base bars you could be forgiven for thinking you were riding an aero road bike; until the crosswinds hit, where we inevitably felt some instability. This was no better or worse than any tri bike with deep-rimmed wheels, however, despite the absence of a seat tube and seat stays and the huge slab of monocoque carbon at the front end.
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The top tube feels completely robust and strong, and we could feel no movement whatsoever. During testing Cervélo claim they only managed to get 3mm of flex out of it when loading the saddle with 300kg, so despite it being the off-season we were ensured there’s no way we’d get it to budge…
1. SOFT AND STRONG
Spent time on the physio’s couch due to a run-related injury? According to Harvard professor Irene Davis, it’s down to stomping rather than floating. Davis and her team recruited 249 female athletes who each ran over 20 miles a week. They investigated the participants’ strides by having them run over a force plate that recorded the impact of each step, and found that the ‘lighter landers’ were injured significantly less. Not only that, weight played no part. You can practise landing softer by running at a higher cadence without changing your pace.
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2. TRAIN HARD, SUCCEED IN LIFE
Want to exceed at everything you do? Well, it’s time to increase your tri training time. Professor Samuele Marcora, who proposed the noted psychobiological model of fatigue, compared the cognitive abilities of 11 professional and nine recreational cyclists. Each set undertook a TT before repeating the effort after a mentally taxing task. Marcora observed that while the AGer’s performance dropped off, the pros weren’t affected. Though largely hereditary, Marcora suggests that willpower and resistance to mental fatigue can be achieved through hard training.
Race fatigue: how to beat it mentally and physically
Mental toughness found to be key to elite cyclists success
3. SLEEP EASY,TRI HARD
As many know, twitchy muscle fibres and restlessness often follow an evening workout. Hugh Fullagar of Oregon University examined the effect of hygiene strategies on the recovery of soccer players following a late-night match. Fullagar ensured the players were in bed as soon as possible post-match with lights dimmed and the option of eye mask and ear plugs; room temp hovered at 17°C; and no light or technological stimulation was allowed 30mins before bedtime. The result? An extra 1:30hrs sleep compared to the players’ normal routines.
Struggle to sleep after exercise?
Six ways to sleep like an athlete
Scientists find sleep deprivation affects athletic performance considerably
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4. EVENING GROWTH
Researchers have deduced that sessions later on in the day could result in greater physical benefits. The team investigated the effects of 24 weeks of morning versus evening combined strength and endurance training on physical performance, muscle hypertrophy and hormonal levels responsible for muscle growth. After the first 12-week block, both groups exhibited similar increases in the cross-sectional area of the quadriceps and their one-rep max. But by week 24 the evening training group showed greater gains in muscle mass.
Heat training could offer same benefits as at altitude
Bukayo Saka says Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang “can be quite angry” during matches but always gives him “so much confidence” on the pitch for Arsenal.
Saka has played regularly alongside the Gunners’ goalscoring talisman since his promotion to the Arsenal first team in 2018 and has formed a productive bond with his captain.
OPINION: Milner’s influence on Reds remains as engine starts to fail
And the 19-year-old insists the Gabon striker is always working to get the best out of him despite occasionally getting “angry” in the heat of the battle.
“Every time I played with him I’ve always had so much confidence,” Saka told beIN Sports.
“Sometimes he would tell you, you would have to pass to him and if you make a mistake then he can be quite angry.
“But the game where I scored my first goal for Arsenal against Frankfurt, before the game he said to me, ‘Bukayo, you know you’re very good player. If you’re there in front of goal and you want to shoot – shoot! I’m not going to say anything’.
“My parents love him so much as well!”
Aubameyang has scored 84 goals in 138 games for Arsenal since joining from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018.
But only 14 of those have come in 2020-21, with the Arsenal skipper struggling for both form and fitness this season.
With his lack of goals Arsenal have endured a disappointing Premier League season.
Having finished the last campaign on a high – beating Chelsea to win the FA Cup – Mikel Arteta’s side were expected to kick on this season but are currently languishing in tenth place ahead of the north London derby on Sunday.
But Saka has backed Arteta’s project and insists he is helping him to become a better play.
“He’s always telling me how to be one step ahead of the opponents and always try to be proactive instead of reactive,” Saka added on his manager.
“That means instead of reacting, always being ahead of the game and trying to read where the space is going to be and be there a step earlier so that I can have a bit more time.”
1. SOFT AND STRONG
Spent time on the physio’s couch due to a run-related injury? According to Harvard professor Irene Davis, it’s down to stomping rather than floating. Davis and her team recruited 249 female athletes who each ran over 20 miles a week. They investigated the participants’ strides by having them run over a force plate that recorded the impact of each step, and found that the ‘lighter landers’ were injured significantly less. Not only that, weight played no part. You can practise landing softer by running at a higher cadence without changing your pace.
Advertisement
2. TRAIN HARD, SUCCEED IN LIFE
Want to exceed at everything you do? Well, it’s time to increase your tri training time. Professor Samuele Marcora, who proposed the noted psychobiological model of fatigue, compared the cognitive abilities of 11 professional and nine recreational cyclists. Each set undertook a TT before repeating the effort after a mentally taxing task. Marcora observed that while the AGer’s performance dropped off, the pros weren’t affected. Though largely hereditary, Marcora suggests that willpower and resistance to mental fatigue can be achieved through hard training.
Race fatigue: how to beat it mentally and physically
Mental toughness found to be key to elite cyclists success
3. SLEEP EASY,TRI HARD
As many know, twitchy muscle fibres and restlessness often follow an evening workout. Hugh Fullagar of Oregon University examined the effect of hygiene strategies on the recovery of soccer players following a late-night match. Fullagar ensured the players were in bed as soon as possible post-match with lights dimmed and the option of eye mask and ear plugs; room temp hovered at 17°C; and no light or technological stimulation was allowed 30mins before bedtime. The result? An extra 1:30hrs sleep compared to the players’ normal routines.
Struggle to sleep after exercise?
Six ways to sleep like an athlete
Scientists find sleep deprivation affects athletic performance considerably
Advertisement
4. EVENING GROWTH
Researchers have deduced that sessions later on in the day could result in greater physical benefits. The team investigated the effects of 24 weeks of morning versus evening combined strength and endurance training on physical performance, muscle hypertrophy and hormonal levels responsible for muscle growth. After the first 12-week block, both groups exhibited similar increases in the cross-sectional area of the quadriceps and their one-rep max. But by week 24 the evening training group showed greater gains in muscle mass.
Heat training could offer same benefits as at altitude
Pep Guardiola has insisted that John Stones “deserves” an England recall due to his great form for Manchester City.
Stones, who has resurrected his City career this term, opened the scoring when tapping home a Joao Cancelo free-kick as Guardiola’s side won 3-0 at Craven Cottage to move 17 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Gabriel Jesus scored City’s second after benefitting from a lucky ricochet as Fulham tried to clear before Sergio Aguero netted his first league goal in 14 months from the penalty spot.
FEATURE: Van Basten would have shattered records without injuries
Southgate is due to name his England squad next week for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland.
“He deserves it (an England recall),” Guardiola said.
“Of course Gareth Southgate knows better than me what he needs but just in case it happens, the one person who will be delighted and happy about his comeback for the national team will be me.
“Another great performance, apart from the goal his performance was so important the way he played.”
Fulham, who had conceded two goals in their previous seven league outings, managed to keep City at bay until two minutes after half-time.
The visitors netted three times in 13 minutes, the last of which came when former City defender Tosin Adarabioyo conceded a penalty after a clumsy foul on Ferran Torres.
“Tosin’s made an error initially with what he tried, and then after that we often see the compounding of that with another mistake as he’s desperately trying to make up for that (original) mistake,” Fulham boss Scott Parker said.
“He’s learnt quick and he will learn quick, he’ll be the type that will come in, we need to understand the differences, and we need to grow and Tosin needs to grow in those moments and we will do that individually and as a team.”