Sunday the 7th of
August saw the sixth year of the Bideford Sprint Triathlon, a fairly low-key
event run by the Bideford Bridge Rotary Club and North Devon Triathletes. It
was used by my club, Exeter Triathlon Club, to serve as the annual Club
Championship race. Normally this would have been at Plymouth Triathlon but this
was cancelled, as was another alternative at Dawlish.
So, we braved the trek up the M5,
risking nosebleeds, passport controls, and check-points to cross the border
into North Devon- an ordeal for some of the Southern locals, I’m led to
believe! An early registration that closed at 7:30 meant an uncivilised start
in the dark from Exeter to make sure we arrived on time, though this certainly
beat having to travel up the night before for races further afield.
Eighteen people (10 men, 8 women) from the club
entered, though Pete Wilby registered under his sponsored team, Team Reko. This
was a turnout lower than hoped, but with the timing and circumstances that lead
to this race being used, it wasn’t a great surprise.
We arrived to find ample parking
available which, in keeping with the general Devon parking situation, needed to
be paid for all day every day. With about 200 on the start list the
registration tent wasn’t too busy and I was seen to quickly and efficiently by
the registration team.
Going into transition to rack my
bike wasn’t quite as impressive: it’s not that anything delayed me or
complicated things, but nobody checked if my numbers were on my bike and helmet
(which they weren’t) or to check the condition of my helmet (or even if I had
one). This wasn’t a problem for me as someone who is really quite used to
triathlon, but it is the sort of race that would likely tempt first-timers and
novices, who really ought to have a bit more guidance with rules and regulations. It was also a potential security
issue too: in theory I could have stuck my number on someone else’s kit without
them knowing, then taken their bike after the race. Unlikely to happen of
course, but a genuine risk that is easy to avoid.
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| Pre-race team photo |
It was up to the athletes to
choose where in transition they racked and this seemed to work quite well. It
was all very polite and from what I saw everyone respected each other’s space
for kit etc. I can’t imagine it would work so well for a bigger event, but the
two parallel rows of bikes made it a straightforward affair. The race briefing
then followed which I struggled to hear so can’t pass comment on its content.
The swim start was organised into
eleven waves of 15-20 people, starting in reverse order of swim speed. This was
presumably to partly minimise the difference between faster and slower
athletes, but caused a bit of a problem for the first three waves: the swim was
down-stream with the river’s current but you had to first navigate out to a
buoy about 25m from the entry ramp. The weaker swimmers seemed to try swim
directly to the buoy, but the fairly swift current took them all past it,
leaving them having to swim back upstream to get around it. For quite some time
several swimmers looked like they were in an endless pool as they simply didn’t
have the strength or speed to go against the water. This looked exhausting, and
in the end a couple of people were directed to just miss it out.
 |
| Paul & Andy looking for a modelling contract |
Unfortunately a large number of
people in the second and third waves made the same mistake, despite seeing the
first ones, and ran into similar issues. One lady eventually got out so didn’t
do the race in full (though she may have been allowed to complete the bike and
run anyway).
I set off in the penultimate wave
and erred on the side of caution to make sure I didn’t fall into the same trap
and, once round the first buoy, flew down the 500m course in a time that is
completely unrepresentative of my actual swimming ability: 7m08s, or 1m25s per
100m. This still only put me 6oth in the swim times (not counting relays) which
is about where I normally sit- top 30% out the water. The multiple small waves
meant there was no nasty scrum to cope with so I could just concentrate on my
own stroke which would have been nice for the nervous or the novice.
Getting out of the water was straight
forward affair: a broad set of about twenty stone steps leading up to the car
park where the bikes were racked. Once up these I started to remove my wetsuit
and used the little trick of holding my hat and goggles in one hand then
pulling the sleeve over them, meaning they were safely inside my wetsuit- one
less thing to worry about. I got to my bike, took my new-ish Blue Seventy Helix
off, put on my helmet and race belt, then set off with a pleasing T1 of 1:05.
I managed what was only my second ever flying mount
without incident and quickly joined the bike course, waiting about 50m before
putting my feet in my shoes, and another 100m or so before doing up the straps.
This gave me some time to get my speed up and also to navigate a roundabout and
the small amount of traffic that was about.
The bike leg was a nice route: it
was varied with some decent climbs but nothing too hard, some fast, sweeping descents,
a few slower technical corners, and a couple of flat sections. I did see a
number of people pushing up a couple of the ascents- a mixture of mechanicals
and fatigue I think. There was a mandatory foot down at one junction which
caused no difficulties or great inconvenience and as a safety measure is sometimes
important.
One of the great things about
having a load of other ETCers was seeing people en route. On the bike leg I saw
and said hello to about eight of my team-mates which was really nice and also
motivating. As I hadn’t had the opportunity to recce the route I took it
sensibly on the descents. This was the prudent thing to do as there was some
moisture on the ground and a few tight corners to navigate. I don’t think that
this cost me much time and is infinitely better than falling off, risking
injury and kit damage.
I managed to make up quite a few
places on the bike and a lot of the credit goes to my Wattbike training sessions which have helped me learn how hard I can push and how much I can
suffer without blowing up. A couple of times I lost concentration and realised I
wasn’t working hard enough, particularly in the first 5k, so had a little word
with myself which helped me to push on. There were four decent little climbs on
the course, the longest of which was about a mile long. The final six or seven
km were largely downhill or flat, which was a nice lead-in to the run. Overall I
was pleased with the bike, recording a time of 44:32 which was good for 15th
fastest on the day. The only downside was that I lost my beloved Rudy Project sunglasses that I was waxing lyrical about only a couple of weeks ago on this
here blog! Absolutely gutted.
 |
| Andy, Paul, and Bernie in convoy on the run |
So, approaching T2 I prepared by
taking my feet out of my shoes before the right-hand turn into the car park. At
this point I saw (but mainly heard) some vociferous support from fellow
club-members Paul and Monica Hitt who were there with their daughter Rebecca,
and Siobhan (our erstwhile Vice Chair’s partner), cheering on all of us and
taking some nice pictures.
Into T2 I achieved a comfortable
flying dismount, a clear run to my kit, and a swift change into my New Balance Minimus running shoes. I was very happy with 34s and don’t think I really
wasted any time.
The final leg of course was the
5k run, which is my strongest discipline. This was a flat out and back, though I
didn’t know this at the time so was just waiting to see what I came across. It
took us across a nice old bridge and then along the Tarka Trail for a while,
before turning around and reversing the route. I set off at a reasonably
comfortable pace of 3:55min/km (6:18min/mi) to get into my stride and saw a
couple more club-mates. I upped it slightly for the second km to 3:50 and then,
just after the turnaround, saw Anthony Snow (who started in the same wave) and
Alan Hughes (who started in the final wave) hot on my heels, only about 50m
behind me. However, I don’t often get overtaken on the run and felt confident I’d
be able to hold them both off.
I decided to keep it steady for
the time being and maintained about 3:50 for the third and fourth km. Coming
into the last bit I could hear Alan getting closer. Even though I knew now his
overall time would be slight faster than mine, there’s something about not
being passed during the race that we all understand!
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| Sprint finish! |
Rounding the final bend and into
the last 100m I felt confident I’d be able to put in a good sprint and hold him
off, which I did, making sure I crossed the line with a strong finish. My run
time of 18:55 was good enough for 9th overall and I was relatively
satisfied with this, though I know I could have pushed a bit harder and probably
got an 18:30. One of the difficulties was that there was nobody near me of a
similar pace until the latter part of the race, so I didn’t push quite as hard
as I could have.
The presentations followed soon
after the last competitor came in and Exeter was well represented in several
categories (see below for details). I was extremely surprised to find I’d
earned 3rd place in the men’s Open category (under 40); my first
time placing in a triathlon, so I was really pleased about that. The organisers
also kindly provided a barbecue for our club as well, so we stood about in the
sun having a chat for an hour before heading home.
Verdict:
Organisation: 7.5/10
A clearly marked course, but more
warning for the weaker swimmers would have been welcome I’m sure, and my concern
re: checking athletes going into transition was a genuine one. The website was somewhat lacking in design and content.
Course: 9/10
The swim was quite good fun for me as
I’m decent but not terribly fast, so the short, current-assisted route was
good. The bike was varied and scenic on quiet roads. The run was flat and
straight forward, with some nice views along the river.
Nutrition: 7/10
Only a sprint distance so no feed
stations required, but there was water available at the run turnaround. A goody
bag with crisps and a couple of small chocolate bars was a nice touch. Nothing
to criticise.
Marshalls: 6.5/10
Not very vocal, but did their jobs well enough. One person on the
junction by the bridge at the end of the bike route didn’t seem too bothered
about signalling, whereas others out on the lanes gave clear indications that
it was safe to go. I did my usual thing of trying to acknowledge and/or thank marshals for their time/support
For spectators: 8/10
Good view of the swim along the
river; nice open and visible transition; various points to see the run if you
wanted to; nearby toilets; and lovely views along the river when you weren’t
watching the action. It was a pretty spectator-friendly event all in all.
Value: 7.5/10
I often think that triathlon events
are over-priced but at £39 for a sprint this was in the fairly standard
cost-range. However, it is a fundraiser for the Bideford Tri Club and a local
charity so no complaints. The wooden beer mat suits me more than the normal
medal so I was happy with that. No t-shirt (I have too many anyway) but I did
get a canvas shopping bag which will come in handy, though they seemed to run
out of these.
 |
| Team photo after the event |
Overall: 8/10
A fun race that would have benefitted
from a few organisational tweaks but overall enjoyable and in a nice setting. A
bigger ETC turnout would have made it even more fun, but we had a great day
with a nice team atmosphere.
Nice for beginners and more
experienced triathletes alike, though the hills would be a challenge for some.
Men
|
Time
|
Category Position
|
Overall Gender Position
|
Pete Wilby
|
1.06.26
|
2
|
2
|
Alan Hughes Vet
|
1.11.11
|
2
|
8
|
Wai Ming Loh Open
|
1.12.16
|
3
|
9
|
Anthony Snow Vet
|
1.12.24
|
3
|
10
|
Tony Arnell SupVet
|
1.14.13
|
3
|
20
|
Ian Dabbs Vet
|
1.15.18
|
8
|
24
|
Bernie Ewan SupVet
|
1.17.31
|
6
|
30
|
Paul Merchant Open
|
1.17.54
|
13
|
33
|
Andy Watts Open
|
1.18.41
|
16
|
39
|
Elliot Snow SupVet
|
1.28.35
|
14
|
73
|
Women
|
Time
|
Category Position
|
Overall Gender Position
|
Vikki Thompson. F
|
1.12.34
|
1
|
1
|
Laura Wakeham F
|
1.15.33
|
3
|
3
|
Linda Dabbs Vet
|
1.18.27
|
1
|
4
|
Rebecca Hitt Open
|
1.26.09
|
3
|
10
|
Jessica Day Open
|
1.29.11
|
4
|
13
|
Katie O’Boyle Open
|
1.34.07
|
9
|
23
|
Ellen Sanders Open
|
1.38.14
|
14
|
35
|
Corinne Parnall SupVet
|
1.44.14
|
13
|
47
|
