8th in Dallas but moving up the ITU rankings
7 October 2008
I have just competed in the US Open Triathlon in Dallas and finished 8th.
I’ve got mixed emotions with my eighth place as half of me is disappointed but the other half knows that I raced well and in hindsight these type of ‘non-drafting’ races take different skill sets that I’ll work on over the NZ summer and you also need the appropriate equipment.
I came here to see what the series is like and whether it’s an option for next year.
However I was stupid to think that I could be competitive on a standard road bike when the other girls are on fully equipped modern time trial bikes. That coupled with my lack of knowledge on how to race non drafting rules, when all the other girls worked off each other, really showed on the bike leg.
I had a good swim and got out with the front pack. Through transition one I was well positioned and came out with the leaders in a group of around 8 about 20 seconds behind the sole leader from the swim Sarah Haskins of America.
We’d been warned and warned about ‘drafting’ at the pre-race meetings, this is where you use the person in front of you to break the wind and thus shelter you. Normally in ITU races this is acceptable and hence why you always get bunches of riders together, but here in the USA it’s not allowed. The penalty for drafting was a minute's stand down for each time you drafted and I was so scared of getting a penalty that I kept at the back of the group, just sort of hanging off the back even when it was obvious that the other girls weren’t quite as worried as me! At one point it was a joke because it was just a pack. However after a few miles (that’s right they still work in miles over here?!) It settled down.
I kept on the back to avoid the pack but that was the wrong decision in hindsight as obviously I did not realise that if I’m at the back I’m working twice as hard although not drafting, every time the front person went around a bend or up a hill it was like a long piece of elastic stretching and then me sprinting like crazy to tighten the elastic back up after the corner or rise! I would have been much better placed at the front of the bunch and then you can dictate the pace and almost control the other girls in the ‘pack’. By the time I realised this it was too late though.
I felt strong up the hills but on the down hill sections the girls would go past me as if I was standing still. Admittedly they all had specialist time trial bike with really stream lined positions where as I had my standard triathlon bike that is more suited to drafting races.
I got off and ran strongly so I was pleased with that because I just treated it as a training session. Luckily I finished eighth so it covered our costs for staying in Dallas. My good friend Lisa Norden of Sweden who finished one place ahead of me in Lorient last weekend won and pocketed $60,000 US so the drinks were on her this trip!
The hotel we’re in is not only expensive but they charge for every little thing. So I covered my cost but deep down, I am very disappointed as I want to win every time I race these days!
I did enjoy this style of racing as it’s all about pushing yourself on the bike. In ITU racing where you can draft the swim is really important as you want to get out near to a pack so you can save energy on the bike. But in these races the swim really isn’t as important, the stronger you are on the bike, the better race you’ll have. Next time I’ll definitely be racing on a time trial bike!
So we got what we came for, we know what I need to do to be competitive here next year and we’ve got the NZ summer to get it all put in place. Look out Mike, Lee, Katherine, Nicola and Simone; we’ve got some hard bike rides over Mount Tiger this summer!
Another positive to come from today’s race is that it has made me even more determined to secure that No.1 spot in the World Cup in three weeks time. I actually got a nice little surprise this past week. ITU have two sets of rankings, one being the World Cup that I’m currently second in. But they also have the ‘ITU Rankings’ which covers all races, not just World Cups, but National Championships, Continental Cups etc. Well just this week they announced that I’m number one in the World and it’s the first time that’s ever happened for me so I’m really proud at the moment!!
So I’m off to Siri for a two week intensive training camp all aimed at getting that number one spot in Mexico three weeks from today. Then it’s a well earned break in Northland before it all starts again with the Contact Energy National Series in NZ this summer.
Thanks again for all your support,
Sam.
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