ITU World Cup - Mooloolaba

This was my second World Cup start and my first in Australia, so I was very excited about racing in Mooloolaba. This course is arguably the hardest course on the world cup circuit due to the technical bike course and challenging hills, so I knew you had to be smart throughout the three legs.

It was a beach start so I was confident of getting out in front without any hassles. This was the case and by the first buoy (300m) I was sitting comfortably in 4th position. I stayed in this position the entire way until the final meters where I exited the water in third.

In past years, this course (2 hills per lap, 7 laps) has offered opportunities for a break away and his race was no different. A small group of 5 including myself formed a break for the first lap. I conserved my energy in the group and tried to be patient until the run leg. A small group swallowed us up on the second lap but two athletes continued on and formed a leading break. They held this lead coming into T2 with a 1min 50sec gap. Several groups were able to catch the pack I was in and there was a large group of riders heading in to T2.

On to the run and my legs felt heavy during the first kilometer but I thought I could run my way into the race (4 laps, 2 hills per lap). This wasn’t the case as I continued to fade each lap and struggled for the latter half of the run.

I finished 30th and was disappointed with this result but if I look at where I was 12 months ago to this race just gone, there has been massive improvements! I’m now looking forward to training hard before heading to Europe.

French Team - Besancon

Hi,

This year I will be racing in a French team for the French Grand Prix Series.I will be doing all five races for the team. My team is Besancon and they were promoted from Division 2 into the top division this year. I am very excited about this as I will be racing the best in the world over a sprint distance (750m/20km/5km) in preparation for my Olympic distance triathlons.

A link is below to the other athletes in my team including training partner and Aussie Ben Allen. Click on Team D1 2010 'Overview' on the right hand side.


Besancon athletes

Shane

Oceania Championships - 3rd!

Windy Wellington lived up to its name with the conditions being exactly that. The night before the race we witnessed cyclonic conditions with howling winds, torrential rain and cold temperatures so race day was not looking good. However, the weather settled overnight and only the wind remained for the race

The swim leg proved to be quite different than my past experiences as it was the first time (since my switch to triathlon) that it was rough and slow. Holding your position was challenging with a lot of people swimming on top of each other and I did not get into a rhythm until the second half of the 1500m. This did not bother me as I grew up in Surf Life Saving and was a regular occurrence in a surf swim race. It actually brought back some memories! I still manage to exit the water in 2^nd position but after a terrible transition jumped onto my bike in 10^th.

As the swim was slow everyone was bunched up and all the main ‘players’ were in the front bunch so it was a matter of patience for the 40km bike. Staying out of the wind was crucial and with a challenging hill put in each lap (5 laps), positioning for this was important. I felt as though I did this successfully and stayed near the front of the bunch. Coming into transition for the run was like a Tour de France sprint finish, with everyone wanting to get a good position at the front. I had a much better transition and was out onto the run in the top 10. I wanted to have a fast run!

In the week leading up to the race I had a big confidence booster with a fast 5km running time on the track so I wanted to be in the race and be a contender for a top ten finish. Frenchman Laurent Vidal and Kiwi Kris Gemmell were a class above the pack and established an early lead with a group of seven closely behind including myself. I stayed with the group up until the 7.5km mark where I gradually lost them, and started running on my own for the last few kilometers. I managed to pass one athlete from the group in front and finished 3^rd U/23 athlete, 8^th overall at the Oceania Championships.

To get a bronze at the Oceania Championships is great, but I am still looking forward to running faster and improving again. This is definitely achievable in the near future! I have one last race in Australia in Mooloolaba before heading to Europe, so I want to have another good race.

Upcoming race schedule

Upcoming Calender / Results

• Illawarra Aquathon 26 January
• National Sprint Series (Caloundra) 7h February
• NSW Pro Tour Triathlon (Huskisson) 21st February
• National Sprint Series (Raby Bay) 28th February
• ITU Oceania Championships (Wellington) 14th March
• ITU World Cup Mooloolaba 28h March 2010
• French Grand Prix Race 1 (Dunkurkque) 23rd May
• French GP Race 2 (Beauvais) 13th June
• ITU European Cup (Belgium) 27th June
• ITU World Cup (Holten) 11th July
• French GP Race 3 (Paris) 18th July
• ITU World Cup (Tiszaujvaros) 8th August
• ITU World Championship Series (Kitzbuhel) 15th August
• French GP #4 (Tours) 29th August
• ITU U23 World Championships (Budapest) 12th September
• French GP (La Baule) 19th September
• ITU Pan American Cup (USA) 26th September

*subject to change


Shane

New Sponsor!

I am happy to announce that PoweBar will be my sports nutrition sponsor for the year (and hopefully for a long time in the future). To have the best nutrition company supporting you is very exciting when you have to race the worlds best. I'm sure it will give me that extra advantage!

2010!

2010 has begun and I hope the festive season for you was a safe and happy one. I enjoyed a small amount of down‐time having a few cold ones with family and friends. Also, with the presents I received from Santa, I definitely must have been a good boy!

December started with a two‐week camp in South Golden Beach (approximately 20km north of Byron Bay) with hot and humid conditions. It was really good to catch up with the other
interstate athletes and punch out some good aerobic training as a massive bunch, and to have
some laughs along the way. Riding was the main focus for the camp, to which there was plenty of! The area is a constant undulation, so we rode plenty of hills to achieve strength and endurance over the two weeks. In regards to my running, I started to do more kilometres with my shins slowly getting better each week so the progress is falling into place. Once returning from camp, I had numerous testing to do for all three sports at both NSWIS HQ (Sydney) and Wollongong. I haven’t got the data back however I should receive them very shortly. To have testing in the early part of the season is helpful for training and seeing progression during the season.

I arrived at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra on January 2nd, and will be here until the 22nd January with Triathlon Australia’s high performance team. We are participating in a study through the University of Canberra and the AIS to see if different types of altitude training can improve running performance for triathlon athletes. The group is split into two groups ‐ one living in the altitude house (approx 3000m) and the other breathing through a machine for one hour each day (approx 5000m) with run testing at the start and finish of the camp. I have never been involved with any sort of altitude training so I’m excited to see the end results and the effects of it.

Again, I hope you had a merry Christmas and I wish you only the best for the year ahead!

Back into training

So i have been back in training now for about 3 weeks....started off real slow and not doing much besides spending more time at the coffee shop! :) But now it is ramping up and pushing out some good km's on the bike and building the run. I haven't started swimming but that should start in 2 weeks.

Have a total of 5 weeks of camps in December and January in Nth NSW and Canberra respectively which should be good to get a good base. Racing wise I haven't decided my season but first race will probably be Hobart in February, so a lot of training to come! :)

Also, went caving at Bungonia National Park with the NSWIS boys 2 weeks ago. This was very challenging mentally to push yourself to fit through gaps that are smaller than crawling/sliding under a car. 'The squeeze', as its known, can't be explained how small it was! But the feeling of achieving these challengers was unreal and something I look back on while training is getting tough.

Ill post my schedule when I finalise it!

And try and get some photos up...

Shane

World aquathon champs @ Gold Coast

With the last race of the season on the Gold Coast for the ITU World Aquathon Championships, I didn't really know what to expect. It comprised of a 2.5km run, 1km swim and 2.5km run to finish. Very short compared to the normal triathlon race! Managed to finish 6th....bit disappointed with the result but looking forward to the off season and getting my knee injury right for next year. I'm currently on a 4 week break and catching up with friends and family while I have the time. I start back training in late October!!!!

Talk soon,
Shane

In the spotlight

This is from 'In the spotlight' from the National Talented Identification and Development (NTID) Triathlon Newsletter Volume 4


How did you get involved in triathlon?
I gained selection in the National Talented Identification and Development (TriChamps) program by the Australian Sports Commission.

What is the best part about being involved in triathlon?
Getting to travel the world and meeting different people while doing something that you love. Also, trying to speak a new language, which can be hilarious!

What is the worst part about being involved in triathlon?
Excess luggage!

Greatest sporting moment?
Usain Bolt’s 9.58…

If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be and why?
Pat Rafter…when I was growing up I idolised him because he was so humble when winning and I think he would have some interesting stories.

What keeps you busy outside of triathlon?
I am currently in the middle of my university degree so that I have a something to fall back on after my sporting career. I also like to spend time with family, like drinking coffee with friends and try to relax with a movie every now and again.

Favourite movie?
Shawshank Redemption…but recently watched The Hangover and I found it extremely funny.

Favourite music?
I like a bit of everything…Jack Johnson, Beautiful Girls, Hilltop Hoods, The Kooks, and Empire of the Sun.

Number one place in the world you would like to visit and why?
Ibiza because of the stories I have heard about being a crazy place for a party! ☺

Philosophy on life?
Don't wait for your ship to come in, swim out to it.

WCS Race - Yokohama

Another first for me again this season with my first start at Yokohama for round seven of the ITU World Championships Series . I was pretty nervous going into the weekend with all the big guns racing and staying with the other Australian members. I went into the race wanting to have a good swim and no expectations for the ride and run.

The swim was a two lap course and I looked at the start line before race day and wanted to start as far left as possible, as it was the shortest distance to the first buoy. I was shocked to see Daniel Unger start on the far right furthest away from the buoy. This meant I got a better position as other athletes ranked higher then me chose to start near him, which was stupid in my view. The start horn went and I had a great start and tried to get clear water in the first 150m. Managed to get the first buoy on the feet of first person and felt good in the water. Josh Amberger went to the lead on the way back after the second buoy. I just sat on his feet comfortably for the rest of the first lap and second. Exited the water equal first and headed to T1 with a long run to transition.

Managed to get onto the bike first and work my way out of transition. A group of about 10 athletes formed and I was struggling from the first straight to hang onto the front bunch. I felt as though I didn’t have the strength in my legs. It wasn’t a matter of lack of fitness. The body felt really good, but coming out of corners I didn’t have the strength in the legs to keep up with the bunch. I.e. the stop and go. I found myself off the front two bunches (formed later in the race) on my own riding for about half a lap until Drew Box crashed from the front bunch and got back on his bike near me. We rode together for the remainder of the bike and almost got caught by a little pack behind us. Had a decent T2 and set out for the run. My legs felt super heavy for the first lap with the other guys who come into transition with me put a gap into me early but managed to build into the run and catch a couple. I started feeling a lot better on the third and fourth lap but still have a lot to improve on. I would of liked to see how my form was racing against the best if I didn’t have to knee injury for the last 6 weeks. But injuries are apart of the game and they happen.

I was happy to race my first World Championship Series race in Yokohama in the hot and humid conditions. It has given me a taste of what I want to race in the future!