With the beginning of the summer racing season starting in MTB and triathlon last month, this month has been a bit quieter racing-wise but things are feeling like they are and can go in the right direction at the moment.
Southern XC RD.2
I headed over to Basingstoke for round 2 of the Southern XC series. After finishing 6minutes off the top 3 at round 1, and finishing 4th I was looking to improve on things much more this time round.
I had a good start initially, but wasn’t positioned too well on the grid, and we were only 4 wide and I hit a deep patch of gravel 20s in, and lost all my momentum and dropped to the back. Being last into the woods after the first corner was less than ideal and not how I hoped on improving my race.
I worked my way through the field and up to the front group of 4 at the beginning of lap 2 of 5, 14-15mins into the race.
Unfortunately my legs felt like they went, half way round lap 2 and I fell off the back on the climb. I spent a lap on my own and then going onto the 4th lap could see the group in the distance.
I put my head down, and going on a bit of momentum and determination, pulled back hard from 5th until I was with the front again, overtaking 4th and then getting onto the front group, of now 3 riders.
Onto the last lap, and an hour of fast racing, I put in several attacks, more towards the end, to try and break the group up. My last proper effort dropped all but 1 of the riders off. I was off it a little bit into pretty much the final corner and let him come up the inside too easily, in which he had the best line into the finish.
However, I still didn’t want to give up, and gave it my all to the line and finished 2nd by 0.6s.
A little gutting, but not really disappointed at all in the overall aspect, as I got myself back to the front and didn’t give up, plus I felt like I found some mental and physical strength and showed a much better improvement from round 1.
This was the main highlight of the month, and the only race but a good one to take my first podium in the Juniors, in my first Junior MTB season.
I’m looking forward to the next one, but still have a little preview for next month below and a bit on my recent training:
May Preview:
Over these next couple weekends I’ve planned to race XTERRA UK Weston Park, first this weekend, and round 2 of the British Triathlon Super Series in Llanelli, Wales.
XTERRA UK – Weston Park, Staffordshire 📍
XTERRA Weston Park will be the first time I’ve raced there and the qualifier for XTERRA Youth Worlds back in Italy, which I am the current World Champion for, and looking to qualify for again this year.
With a lake swim, and a less technical looking MTB, set in estate grounds through a mix of grassland and wooded sections I’m looking forward to it, with what looks to be quite a flat and fast run course to finish it off too.
The distances will be 750m swim/16k bike/5k run, so I will be racing the sprint distance on Saturday morning.
With the weather warming quickly here, this weekend is looking like it’ll be much the same.
British Triathlon Super Series RD.2 – Llanelli, Wales 📍
I’ll be heading to the Welsh south coast, the weekend after, racing on the road for triathlon at the super sprint distance this time, which would be my 3rd time at this event.
The swim is in a sort of loch, and in my experience there the weather has been quite warm and the water a nice temperature too. The course is flat for both the bike and run, and isn’t too technical, with just 3 dead turns a lap on the bike and an out and back run, so provides for fast racing.
I am ranked 7th currently, but look forward to having the opportunity to improve on my result from the Performance Assessments, with the first proper road triathlon of this season.
Training:
I’ve been enjoying training too, and have seen some good progression so far.
The weather has made for better cycling the most, but good run weather too, and last weekend I enjoyed the first OW swim of the year, albeit pretty cold at 15C, just before I got in at 7pm, and then the sun started to set.🥶
I’ve been getting in some good long rides, racking up some good elevation gain, reaching over 2000m for the first time and making the most of some of the good lanes and hills I have near me, here in East Sussex.
Thank you to Pedal Potential for their ongoing support and to XMiles.co.uk too for their support towards nutrition, across 100’s of the highest quality sports nutrition and apparel brands.
You can follow the XMiles link or here, to get a free discount on the whole of the XMiles range yourself!
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My Triathlon Journey 
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