Dare To Tri Life: March 2015

The King Rides Again - Stephen

Sport Relief 2015,
1Hour Cycle Challenge

MACPool, Lochgilphead.

We did it ! Thanks to superb support we received £301 raised from cyclists on the day while the Ford Bog Trotters (Sue Creech, Pete Creech, Olwen Hemmings and Michae Burfordl) added a terrific twist by having folk sponsor them for their combined distances. This magnificent 4 collectively did an amazing 109k accumulated distance giving another £159+ to Sport Relief - making the whole thing worth well over £450.

Special thank-you to the cycling Elvis's from the DareToTriLife Winter class : Rona Young, Stephen Whiston, Sally MacLeod, Cliff Acklam, David Smart and Rebecca Helliwell who had each a £20 donation in their Winter course fee. MACPool very kindly gave us the venue for free and put up with 4 rounds of the same very loud music. Many thanks to Kirsty Young and the MacPool team. Very well done everyone involved. Can you believe an hour could be so long ? A terrific day and such positivity in the midst of deep adversity !

The Queen - Rebecca

The very impressive winners of the Hour Challenge might have been Stephen Whiston (35.7k) and Rebecca Helliwell (33.27k) but really all 20 participants were stars in their own right. Each wave had it's own drama - Colin MacFarlane and David Smart in Wave 2 playing cat & mouse as distances ebbed and flowed. Rona, Carol Lawson, Caroline Waterhouse and Olwen glued to their pacer as if their lives depended upon it. Pete toying with Michael in Wave 4 until 40mins and cycling an incredibly clever tactical race. We've never had a fixed wheel bike on a session before and Michael's CompuTrainer calibration was spectacular. There were determined performances from Iain MacNichol, Sue Allen, Cliff and last year's winner Tina Barrie. Cheers rang out as Wave 4 clocked up mile after mile fundraising with very pedal stroke. Sue Creech was a model of determination and despite her heavy cold she exploded through 25k at the 59 min mark. Yes there were twangs of cramp & deep discomfort but everyone hung on. Claire Harris and Bill Halliday produced a surge of power in the last third that I think surprised even them and in Claire's case only just kept her ahead of Olwen.

Sarah Griffin commented on last year's challenge ... "I remember it was deeply unpleasant". You bet Sarah. Yet the mental toughness shown by Martin Waterhouse, Iain, Caroline, both Sue's, Rona and the whole crew yesterday was heroic - many personal battles were won on the course as people dug in, got through it and, against the odds, all ended up with smiling red faces. For me the highlights were Stephen's grim determination, embracing the pain and finding, somehow, a way through. David goading Colin - trying to break him and pacing himself to ensure the age adjustment worked in his favour. Cliff, Pete & Rebecca cycling very clever races - knowing themselves and pacing the hour accordingly - but all of them striking when the time was right. Martin, Olwen, Sue (Allen) & Iain's understated consistency. Rona and Caroline would simply not be beaten - at any price - by that wretched pacer and they produced performances to be proud of. Hazel Manson dug in gritted it out and delivered a very creditable 5th category position - a masterclass in mental toughness. Claire's look of "what have I got myself into" was simply priceless at 50mins.

What makes this event unique is the application of VTTA age calibrations which allows us to standardize everyone's distances - it allows an 18 year old to compete fairly with a 60 year old. The age adjustment worked in Sue (Allen), Rona, Bill, David & Cliff's favour as they were promoted in the final rankings while Michael, Claire, Olwen and Colin paid the price of youth. It was an excellent result for both Rona and David which secured their respective second places. There was just 825m between David and Stephen and only 700m from David to Colin. Very close and all to play for next year. Rebecca's win was more emphatic but Rona should be delighted by her gutsy performance. Only 735m seperated Sue from Rona and the understated Sue never fails but to impress. Very well done to the each of the Ford Bog Trotters who made the most of the opportunity.

Elvis with ..... Elvis !

Stephen Whiston has improved his average power output by 10% year on year in this competition and that's clearly why he won his category. It's a staggering achievement and highlights an inspiring multisport dedication - which has led to that Team GB age group selection. David also showed a slight increase in power output year ony year but seemed to have lost top-end speed over the flatter part of the course ? Perhaps David's tactics this year were very different ? Chasing the runaway train that was Richard Barrie is a very different proposition to playing cat & mouse with a youthful Colin ? So the net effect of this was that Stephen increased his distance by 700m and David lost 700m year on year. But David played this Smart indeed and he's been 2nd now for two years in succession - so he knows a thing or two about strategy. The caliber of athletes in 2015 was generally stronger - Tina's year on year distance was only 200m different from her winning 2014 performance but her 2015 result only earned her a 4th place. To me that makes the Rebecca, Rona & Sue's 1,2,3 yesterday very sweet indeed.

I would like to thank the Cycling Elvis's in Waves 1 & 2 for setting the tone for the day and photo's follow. Thanks to Stephen for coming back to the pool and his motivatation for Wave 3. It was a great pleasure to meet some of you for the 1st time and lets do it again sometime. The winners are now rejoicing with their Long Chain Omega 3 rich M&S Lochmuir salmon delicacies - all produced in Argyll. Even now the anti-inflammatory properties of this super-food are helping them to recover and taper for the Stirling Duathlon. We all hope you crush it (Rona, Stephen and Rebecca) ! Oh, and do you know that people generally don't eat enough salmon ?

Stuck for ideas this easter ? Then do yourself a favour and try this
Pancetta-Wrapped Scottish Lochmuir™ Salmon, Cod & Prawn Roast. Healthful, ethical and farmed with skill on your doorstep.