Bratislava ETU Sprint Triathlon European Cup, Slovakia

Running through puddles

 On Wednesday the 14th May I travelled to Slovakia to prepare for my third Continental Cup race of 2014, the Bratislava ETU Sprint Triathlon European Cup. I felt like I had learnt a lot in my first couple of races and was looking forward to racing again and hoping to improve on my previous results.

The elite woman's race wasn't until the Sunday, so I had a few days of light training in the build up to the race with British team mates Hannah Drewett and Kirsty Anderson for company. We swam in a 50m pool quite near to our hotel and I found a grass track even closer to do some running on. However, finding somewhere suitable to cycle was a bit more challenging. The roads were very busy throughout the day and so after our initial attempt to find a quiet circuit we stuck to the stationary bikes in the gym.

On race day, I had my usual pre race breakfast and did a bit of stretching before heading over to the course ready for a 11.30 start. The water temperature was 14⁰C, the air temperature was 12⁰C and it was raining, needless to say the athletes from warmer countries were not impressed. For me though, the conditions were perfect- I don't mind the cold (must be my Scottish blood) and I'm used to training in the rain.

The swim was one 750m lap of a lake. I had quite a good start and got stuck in. I wasn't in a great position at the first buoy, but I managed to swim past girls throughout the second half of the swim, coming out of the water in 23rd place.

The start of the swim

The bike course was four laps of a 5.1km circuit which was quite technical with lots of pot holes, drain covers and tram lines. I held on to Emma Pallant's wheel as she powered up to a group ahead, which turned out to be the second group on the road. Quite a few athletes came off their bikes early on and unfortunately Emma was one of them. I then stayed at the front of the group for the rest of the bike but was unable to close the gap to the front pack who came into T1 with a one minute lead.

Chasing on the bike

The run course was two laps of a 2.7km loop. I set off at my own pace and quite a few of the girls in my bike pack came past me over the first kilometre, but I caught and passed a few of them before the finish to cross the line in 13th. I was happy with my result, which is my best of 2014 so far and I loved racing, especially on the technical bike course.

Results here

Thanks to Peter for the photos.

Antalya ETU Triathlon European Cup, Turkey

The start of the swim

On Thursday the 1st May I flew out to Turkey to prepare for my second Continental Cup race of 2014, the Antalya ETU Triathlon European Cup. I travelled out with British team mates Hannah Drewett and Jess Learmonth. Apart from it being nice to have their company, it was also handy to have someone to wake me up when I fell asleep at the gate so I didn't miss the flight.

The elite woman's race was on the Sunday, so I had a couple of days to swim in the sea (which was warmer than the hotel pool), do a few short rides and runs and read Bradley Wiggins' autobiography. I didn't enjoy it as much as Mark Cavendish's, but it was still interesting to read. On race day, I spent the morning relaxing and doing a bit of stretching before heading over to the course ready for a 10.30 start.

The swim was 1500m in the sea as 2 x 750m laps with a very short beach run in-between laps. I had quite a good start but in trying to avoid getting caught up in the fighting, I let the main pack get away leaving me out of the race pretty early on. I passed a few girls over the remainder of the first lap but swam by myself on the second lap and came out of the water in 38th place.

Quick run around the buoy before heading back in for lap two

Exiting the sea at the end of the swim

The bike course was eight laps of a 5km circuit which included two dead turns on each lap. I caught and passed a few girls before a small group led by Emma Pallant caught me up. Together we caught a few more girls forming a group of about 15 athletes but unfortunately only about five were willing to do any work and we lost time to the large lead pack.

The run course was four laps of a 2.5km loop on the seafront. I set off at my own pace and quite a few of the girls in my bike pack came past me. But by the final lap I had overtaken all but two of them, Emma Pallant and a Russian girl. Emma was now well ahead and chasing down the girls in the lead pack, I started to catch the Russian girl but couldn't quite reach her and finished in 28th. I was disappointed with my swim and therefore my overall result, but I still really enjoyed racing and can't wait for the next one which will be the Bratislava ETU Sprint Triathlon European cup in Slovakia on the 18th May.