When the second edition of the MetaMan splashes off on August 31, both defending champions will be among the starters on the beach in Bintan, Indonesia, but Brett Carter and Candice Hammond will have their work cut out to repeat as a strong field of pro athletes has been assembled to chase the glory and the US$40,000 prize that comes with winning the pro titles.

It’s not just the winners who stand to gain from the generous prize fund; a total of US$142,000 is up for grabs in the MetaMan as even the sixth place finishers will net US$1,000. A further US$12,000 is on offer for the first three across the line in the MetaMan Half.

They’ll have to work for their money, as the MetaMan course is challenging. The swim, in the calm, crystal clear waters of the South China Sea, will be a breeze, but the two-lap bike course will test their legs due to its constantly undulating nature. Then of course there’s the heat and humidity associated with a race that is located just north of the equator. This will be a huge factor on both the bike and the run leg, which takes place entirely within the grounds of the idyllic Nirwana Gardens Resort.

The Men’s Field
Cameron Brown
The biggest of the male names chasing Australia’s Carter for the title of Southeast Asian iron-distance champion will be Ironman legend Cameron Brown. The Kiwi has won Ironman New Zealand an incredible 10 times, winning every year from 2001 to 2011 except for 2006, when inclement weather forced the organisers to shorten the race to a 90km bike-21km run in place of the full Ironman; Brown still finished second.

He is also a two-time Ironman World Championship runner-up, and finished third in Kona on another two occasions. Still in great shape at the age of 41, Brown came third in Ironman NZ this year and was aiming for glory at Ironman Cairns in June, but illness put paid to those aspirations. He races the iconic Challenge Roth seven weeks before coming to Bintan, which with the right post-race recovery, could provide the perfect tune-up for the MetaMan.

Brett Carter
Carter, the surprise but dominant winner of the inaugural MetaMan last year, will be hoping the return to Bintan will provide a sequel to that fairy tale ending. He raced in 2012 as a member of the mighty TBB squad, having turned pro just months earlier after putting his life on hold to chase his Ironman dream. The 32-year-old reaped a spectacular early dividend for that risky move by winning MetaMan and the US$15,000 first prize. He recently left TBB and will try to retain his title as an independent, but having triumphed in Bintan’s hot and humid conditions already, Carter will no doubt put up a strong defence.

Tim Berkel
The biggest threat to Brown and Carter might come from Tim Berkel. The Australian, who likes to keep a busy race schedule, should come to Bintan in great race shape following his strong second place at this year’s Ironman Cairns, which included an impressive 2:44 run leg. A perennial podium placer on the long-course circuit, Berkel is no stranger to the top step over the iron distance, having claimed the Ironman Western Australia crown in 2008 and the Challenge Copenhagen double in 2010 and 2011; a formidable record for a 29-year-old.

Fredrik Croneborg
One man who shouldn’t find the sweltering conditions of MetaMan a problem is last year’s runner-up, Freddie Croneborg of Sweden. Based at the Thanyapura Sports Academy in Phuket, Thailand, Croneborg might even have threatened Carter for the inaugural title if not for a puncture on the bike leg. He went on to record the fastest run split of the day by a considerable margin so he’ll fancy his chances come August 31. Freddie has some form coming into the MetaMan, having finished third in Challenge Taiwan in May.

Justin Granger
Also no stranger to racing in the heat is Justin Granger. Part of long-course triathlon’s most famous couple with wife Belinda, Justin has long graced Asia’s iron-distance races, and the Aussie has over 20 top 10 Ironman finishes to his name. Triathlon isn’t just a sport to Granger, he regards it as his lifestyle and as well as racing himself, he’s acted as coach for most of Belinda’s impressive career.

The Women’s Field
Gina Crawford
The favourite for the women’s title is probably Kiwi Gina Crawford, who will be making her debut in Bintan on top of a super run of form. Crawford started her roll by winning Challenge Wanaka in January then followed that up by taking the runner’s up spot in Ironman New Zealand seven weeks later. Crawford, an 11-time champion over the iron distance, was incredibly back on the start line at the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships in Melbourne just three weeks after New Zealand. She “only” took fifth place there, but two months later she was back chasing more glory at Ironman Cairns, where she claimed another second place prize. Her strong first half of the year could work for her or against her come August 31.

Candice Hammond
Defending champion Candice Hammond also looks to be in great form in the lead up to the MetaMan, but ominously for her, her second place in Challenge Wanaka and third spot in Ironman New Zealand left her just behind Crawford on the podium in both races. The 29-year-old New Zealander has, however, claimed a victory of her own this year, winning the New Plymouth Half Ironman. While Crawford runs the risk of having peaked too early, the former rower Hammond could be timing her run at double MetaMan majesty to perfection.

Joanna Lawn
Rounding out the trifecta of strong New Zealander women contenders is Jo Lawn, another legend of Kiwi sport. A seven-time Ironman New Zealand champion, Lawn also has six top-10 finishes at the Ironman World Championships to her name, with her best showing a pair of fourth places in 2005 and 2007. The 39-year-old is another athlete who likes to keep a busy schedule, but her third place at Challenge Wanaka aside, she has concentrated on the half-iron distance this year, with a victory at Tapua and podiums at St. Croix and Florida.

Belinda Granger
Last year’s MetaMan runner-up Belinda Granger is back to see if she can go one better. While she’ll have her work cut out, the always smiling and ever-popular Granger, is a tough cookie and still has what it takes at the age of 42. The MetaMan will be the 46th iron-distance race of her illustrious career, during which she’s notched up 14 full-course victories and an endless stream of other wins and podium places over the shorter distances. In addition to her experience, Granger comes into the MetaMan with the confidence of having stood on the top step of the podium this year already, with wins at Challenge Taiwan and the Hawaii 70.3.

Michelle Gailey
Australia’s Michelle Gailey could also provide some quality competition. Gailey has raced a light program this year due to some injury problems, but if fully fit, the 2012 Ironman Australia and 2011 Challenge Barcelona champion will be one to look out for. A crucial factor in Gailey’s favour is that she is based in hot and humid Darwin in the Australian far north, so she shouldn’t find the weather conditions in Bintan to be a problem.

Visit www.metamanbintan.com for full details of the race.

Denmark’s second largest city, Aarhus, is hosting the half iron distance race KMD Challenge Aarhus for the third time on June 23rd.

The race is a 1,9 km swim at Hoerhaven in the bay area in Aarhus, a 90 km two-looped bike ride with rolling hills through Aarhus Municipal and back to Tangkrogen again where the athletes face the 21,1 km run on a 3 looped run course in downtown Aarhus. The finish line and transition zones are located at Tangkrogen. For a detailed look at the courses – click here.

In the men’s field it’s difficult to predict the favorite. Among the podium contenders must be Germans Konstantin Bachor, Markus Liebelt and Swen Sundberg along with Croatian Dejan Patrcevic.

Great Britain has a couple of strong guys on the start line in Stephen Bayliss and Nicholas Ward Munoz. Should the Danes make their way to the podium, the hopes are on European Middle Distance bronze medallist and Challenge Fuerteventura winner Jens Toft and on Allan Steen Olesen.

In the women’s race three strong Danes take on two strong brits. Defending Champion Camilla Pedersen will take on Michelle Vesterby and former long distance World Champion, Lisbeth Kristensen. Contending for the win and the podium is birthday girl Jodie Swallow who is 70.3 World Champion in 2010 as well as 2nd placed last year, Bella Bayliss.

Camilla Pedersen is the 2013 European Middle Distance Champion from Challenge Barcelona a few months back and must be the woman to beat in Aarhus.

Strong performances last year
Last year we saw some fast racing in the men’s field where Olympian Reto Hug took the win in a nail biting final sprint with Mads Vittrup-Pedersen in a race where the two took command of the race with blistering 1:12 runs.

In the women’s race Camilla Pedersen led from start to finish, building up a solid gap on the bike and holding off a charging Bella Bayliss on the run and took victory with a 7 minute margin.

But most of all the day belonged to all the age group athletes that competed and went through all the emotions, agony and pain that brought them to the finish line in what for many was the challenge of a life time. They were the every day heroes that stood out and embraced the personal and unique wins that makes KMD Challenge Aarhus a great Challenge event.

New bike course
This year the athletes will do a two looped 90 km bike ride. The bike course is quite technical and with the rolling hills we know from the Danish country side.

See the new course here: kmdchallengeaarhus.com/race/bike/

1.350 so far has signed up for the challenge in the streets of Aarhus.

Pro men’s field – favorites:
#1 Ben Hammond, Australia – 5th, Dextro Energy ITU Sydney Triathlon 2012
#2 Dejan Patrcevic, Croatia – 3rd KMD Challenge Copenhagen 2011, 3rd Challenge Barcelona 2011
#7 Allan Steen Olesen, Denmark – 2nd Danish Sprint Championships 2013 (1 second short)
#11 Nicholas Ward Munoz, Great Britain – 2nd Challenge UK, 5th IM Lanzarote, 11th ITU World Champs Long Course – all in 2011
#12 Stephen Bayliss, Great Britain – Multiple Ironman winner
#14 Konstantin Bachor, Germany – 3rd Challenge Fuerteventura 2013, 6th Challenge Roth 2012, 2nd IM Lanzarote
#13 Markus Liebelt, Germany – 6th KMD Challenge Aarhus 2012
#16 Swen Sundberg, Germany – 2nd Ironman Switzerland 2010

Pro women’s field – favorites:
#21 Camilla Pedersen, Denmark – European half distance champion 2013, winner KMD Challenge Copenhagen and KMD Challenge Aarhus 2012
#22 Michelle Vesterby, Denmark – Winner Ironman Lanzarote 2012, 12th place Ironman Hawaii 2012, 3rd place Abu Dhabi 2013, 2nd place Ironman Los Cabos 2013
#23 Lisbeth Kristensen, Denmark – Former long distance World and European champion, 2nd in KMD Challenge Copenhagen 2012
#24 Jodie Swallow, Great Britain – 70.3 World Champion, 2010
#25 Bella Bayliss, Great Britain – 15 x Ironman winner and former long distance World Champion

KMD Challenge in Denmark has launched an app for iPhone and Android smart phones. The App is all you need to follow the race. It has all the information including maps, courses, info on hot sports and of course live tracking so everyone can keep an eye out for their own personal favorite.

The App can be downloaded free for both iPhone and Android. Search for ‘Challenge DK’ in App Store or Android Market.

For more information go to KMD Challenge Aarhus’ website.

Photo: Delly Carr

Corinne Abraham did her first Ironman in Regensburg 2010 where she was the fastest female age grouper and third overall female athlete. It was a big start to her long course career and in 2011 decided to have a shot at racing full-time as a pro. Things didn’t go to plan when a back issue forced her to pull the plug at Ironman Texas and Ironman Wales. An undeterred Abraham sorted the back problem and returned in 2012 with a fourth place at Ironman Texas and third place finishes at Frankfurt and Arizona. With things back on track she spent last winter building upon this and unleashed a devastating performance at Ironman Melbourne on March 24. In the process she took down some big names including Caroline Steffen as she went on to win with the fastest bike and a 2:56:50 marathon. Abraham is a talented athlete who is ready to take on the best in the world at the Ironman World championship in Hawaii this October.

Tell us about the sports you did growing up?
I did all sports growing up, anything that involved running around or being outdoors. I’m lucky in that my parents are both active and live by healthy principles, so this has doubtless been a good grounding for me. Through secondary school it was all the usual sports like hockey, netball, gym, cross-country and athletics. Whatever lunchtime or after school club was going on I was part of it, as well as Judo, which was separate to the school clubs. Then when I went to university in Chichester I played volleyball and hockey, gave up Judo and took up Kung Fu, kickboxing and Tai-Chi. And there has been some yoga in there as well since.

Weren’t you on the Welsh Judo squad?
Yes, when I was six. I wanted to join the brownies the same as my older sister. I think my parents thought I probably should do something different rather than do whatever she did and because Judo club was on the same night as brownies, I got to go to Judo. I think that I started to go to the National training sessions in my early teens and continued to train with them (and still trained with the local clubs) until I needed to knuckle down and pass my A-levels.

Didn’t you ride the Race Across America (RAAM)?
The RAAM was one of the best things I have ever done. I was working at St. Mary’s University in Twickenham as a biomechanics lecturer and managed one of the degree programmes as well. A group of us were sat at lunch discussing a documentary on the RAAM that had been shown the night before on TV. From there a group of four of us made the decision to enter, cycled Lands End to John O’Groats as a bit of training and team building, and off we went. We had the most amazing support team of five, mostly post- grad students, who without a shadow of a doubt made it possible to us to ride for 4,800 kilometres non-stop from California to Maryland in just under seven days.

How and when did triathlon come into your life?
I did the London Triathlon in 2004. I enjoyed the event and the training for it, but was pretty consumed with my work at the time and left it at that. Following the RAAM in 2009, I went to Switzerland to watch my boyfriend, Rob Holden, race Ironman Zurich and was drawn to the challenge of the longer distance triathlon. With Rob’s encouragement I entered Ironman Regensburg in Germany in 2010.

How did Ironman Regensburg go?
I came third overall female and was first age group athlete. In winning my age category I qualified for Hawaii.

Were you hooked from the start?
I was hooked to long distance triathlon following Regensburg. I’ve always been encouraged to pursue ambitions or to work hard on something that you want to be better at. For me to have the opportunity to pursue my ambitions and develop my athletic talent for long distance triathlon is something that I am very grateful for.

Which discipline did you find hardest to get to grips and why?
Initially running, but that quickly sorted itself out by training for and racing a three day ultra marathon. Now the swim is my biggest challenge.

You raced Hawaii as an age grouper. How was that?
Going to Hawaii was an eye opener. Being a newbie to the sport I didn’t really have any idea what it was all about. I was totally ignorant really to the history of the sport or who any of the “stars” of the sport were. Needless to say it was a bit of a shock but it was a great experience. Of course all of that has changed now and I’m much more a student of the sport than I ever was.

What happened in 2011 when you DNF’d at Ironman Texas and Ironman Wales?
The first at Texas was totally out of the blue. I had no previous history of back injury or pain and my back totally seized up before I was 10K into the run. Following that I was able to train without pain and raced at 70.3 Antwerp with only minor discomfort, but come Ironman Wales it was a repeat of Texas with my back seizing up on the run. I had a diagnosis of a partial disc prolapse in my lower back and received treatment for it. At the same time, I started working more closely with the physiotherapists at the Drummond Clinic in Maidenhead and I continue to practice many of the strength and core exercises and preventative principles that they taught me now. My back was good through all of last season and I’ve not had so much as a whimper out of it since. The training and racing places huge demands on our bodies and I know that I need to look after myself if I am to expect my body to stay in excellent working order.

What did you learn from this year?
Perseverance and how supportive others could be in helping me to develop my potential.

In 2012 things picked up with a fourth at Ironman Texas, third at Ironman Germany and third at Ironman Arizona. Tell us about your year?
This was the year that I’d hoped I’d have in 2011. I started working with my coaches David Tilbury-Davis (PhysFarm Training) and Tim Armstrong shortly after Ironman Wales. I was able to put down some consistent training through the winter and also started working with the Drummond Clinic with regular massage and conditioning work, which was an excellent foundation for the season and this continued through the year. Every race I’ve been able to learn a bit more about myself as an athlete, a bit more about the event, and how to prepare, race and recover.

Has all of this your win at Melbourne given you a lot of confidence for this season?
In some ways yes, but I’m under no illusions as to where my weaknesses lie or the depth of field that I’m racing against. The win has given me confidence in my physical and mental ability to race, but also it’s given me confidence in my capacity for further improvement, and that is a great motivator.

Will you do another Ironman and do you have plans to qualify for Kona this year?
I’m pretty sure I’ve just qualified. This depends on how the ranking system changes in the next few months, based on the 2011 and 2012 seasons, the points that I have already accumulated are likely to rank me high enough to be offered a place on the start line. Although I qualified to race at the world champs in Hawaii last year, I made the decision not to race for business reasons. Even with two third place finishes and a fourth, the stark reality is that the prize money is simply not enough to even afford you to race around the world. Pair that with the fact that you are not just racing for yourself, but you have a responsibility to your sponsors interests, it made better sense for me to race in Arizona in November where I could commence my plans for Kona qualification in 2013.

What are your plans for the rest of 2013?
Currently I don’t have any further race plans. The plan was to race Miami, Arizona and Melbourne, then see what I needed to do to gain enough ranking points to qualify. Now I have an open diary until October, so I will sit down with my coaches and work out the best preparation plan for Hawaii.

How does it feel to be talked about as another potential British female Hawaii winner?
Let’s not get carried away! It is one win, and granted a pretty big one, but I’m under no illusions that there is a lot of work to be done. I’ll just be focussed on the process of my training and getting to the start line in the best possible shape.

How many hours on average do you train each week?
Swim, bike and run is anywhere between 24-34 hours. Then there is the strength and conditioning work, and stretching on top of that.

How hard is to stay motivated to train and race?
It ebbs and flows but generally it isn’t hard. I don’t think that you can do this full-time without proper commitment. I love what I do.

Do you see strength and conditioning as important?
Yes. My background is in sports science and I know that there are many things that make up the profile of a good athlete. I think that strength and conditioning work is necessary to correct weaknesses or imbalances. These help to prevent injury as well as develop strength and power in the muscles that can then be translated to swim, bike and run performance. What is your favourite session? Sunday long runs. Least favourite session? Tempo swim sets.

What are your strengths?
Persistence and capacity for improvement.

What are your weaknesses?
Swimming.

What will you do to take things to the next level?
Continue to train hard and smart. I continue to critically review myself, my progress and make changes as necessary, and not get caught up in any hype.

What would you like to achieve over the coming year?
Progression in my swim performances and to maintain consistent training, and deliver good results for my team and sponsors.

Photo: Frederic Courbet

Consider, if you will, the following illustration of deductive reasoning: Great runners often make very good triathletes. Kenya is a nation that produces lots of great runners. Therefore Kenya ought to be able to produce some very good triathletes. Many of us have thought through this three-step logical sequence in the privacy of our minds. Some of us have gone a step further and played a little parlour game with fellow triathletes, of predicting what would happen if one or more Kenyan runners added swimming and cycling to their training and entered a major triathlon competition. One triathlete has gone even further and carried out this experiment.

In 1998, Kevin Schwieger, a triathlete and Presbyterian minister in Ohio, started a triathlete development programme in Kenya. Born and raised by missionary parents in that country, Schwieger retained a passion for all things Kenyan that got mixed with his passion for triathlon as an adult.

“I began to think, boy, Kenyans have dominated the sport of distance running,” he recalled. “It just makes sense that they would also be good at triathlon, which is also an endurance event.”

A frequent visitor to Kenya for missionary work, including sports-related projects, Schwieger organised a triathlon camp in the capital city of Nairobi with a view toward grooming some Kenyan athletes for the debut Olympic Triathlon in 2000 and establishing a national system of triathlete development that would eventually make Kenya a global powerhouse in the sport.

Schwieger began to see how naive his ambition was on the first day of the first camp, when exactly one boy showed up. Schwieger was able to round up more attendees by advertising free lunches, which goes over well in a nation with rampant poverty, only to discover that none of them knew how to swim.

“There are very few opportunities to even get in a body of water in Kenya,” Schwieger said. “There’s just a handful of swimming pools in the whole country.”

One of those pools existed at the private school where the camp was held. Two of the young men who proved brave enough to enter it were Silvester Daudi and Titus Mutinda.

“These guys had literally never been in water up to their waists before,” Schwieger said. “The first time they jumped in the pool they were so fearful that water was going to go in their ears and up their noses. They literally just kind of fell down in the water. It was like teaching a toddler to swim.”

To their credit, Daudi, then 22, and Mutinda, 34, persevered, eventually learning to swim with competence, if not with much speed. They also learned how to ride bikes without falling over, and were able to transfer some of their running ability to two wheels. Running itself, of course, was not a problem. While Daudi and Mutinda were nothing special by Kenyan standards, they were both exceptional by triathlon standards. Daudi was capable of running marathons in the low 2:30s, and Mutinda was even faster.

In 2002, Schwieger brought the two men to the United States to continue training and to compete in some triathlons. They gained valuable experience in a series of short-course events in Ohio and then travelled to Madison, Wisconsin, for the inaugural Ironman Wisconsin. This was to be their grand coming-out party, the shocking debut that would make the world stand up and take notice.

It didn’t quite work out that day. Daudi finished 442nd, in 11:43:47. Mutinda (whose name appears as Titus Nzwili in the results) was almost 40 minutes back, in 774th position. “They spent several hours looking forward to the run,” Schwieger summarised.

But they did not even run especially well. Mutinda ran a 3:23:36 marathon, 37th best in the race, while Daudi managed a solid but unexceptional 3:16:35, which was bettered by 16 others.

Both men were pretty much done with triathlon after that. Considering where they started, they achieved quite a lot. However, they fell far short of achieving enough to unleash the great Kenyan invasion of triathlon in the way that Ethiopian Abebe Bikila’s surprise victory in the 1960 Olympic Marathon opened the floodgates for the East African takeover of distance running.

The process of tapering, or lowering training volume, in the lead-up to competition was developed by swimmers and track athletes looking for every last scrap of performance. The results spoke for themselves.

The standard taper varied. In general, though, sprinters tended to take as long three weeks, while endurance swimmers, for example, were inclined to take as little as one week.

Despite clear evidence that a shorter taper is most beneficial for endurance athletes, many Ironman training plans today include a full three-week taper. Ironman triathletes can blame marathon runners for this perverse development. In the 1970s, intensifying competition at the elite level of marathon racing led to a sort of arms race in training loads. Athletes kept training more and more until overtraining was the norm. It takes about three weeks for the body to recover from overtraining. Thus, the marathon runners of the 1970s had to taper for three weeks before racing just to recover from their excessive training.

For some reason, a marathon and an Ironman were deemed very similar, so the three-week taper was also adopted for Ironman racing. There are two problems with this practice. First, the three-week marathon taper is essentially just recovery time from overtraining, and by following this taper, we are assuming overtraining is the norm in Ironman preparation. More importantly, though, an average marathoner will take four hours to reach the finish line whereas an average Ironman triathlete takes 12 hours—eight hours is a big difference.

Ironman athletes would have been better off looking to ultramarathon runners for an example. Ultrarunners typically perform either a very short taper or none at all, thus falling much more in line with conventional wisdom.

To fully understand the taper and the best way to approach an Ironman, we need to look at how the body adapts to training stimuli and what we need the body to do on race day.

Let’s look at the three main components of fitness—speed, strength and endurance—and how each of these is affected by training.

Knowing how to ride a bike is one thing, but having the ability to comfortably and safely share the road with other cyclists at a race like a triathlon requires another level of skill all together. These basic handling techniques will help you enjoy the transition from bike rider to full-blown cyclist, and, as an added bonus, can help save a little time on race day.

Hold a straight line
Whether riding on an open road or in a race, always look over your shoulder before swinging from one side of the road to the other. Before carving through a corner, always check your blind spot, especially in a race since the noise created by fellow cyclists isn’t always enough to alert you of their presence.

Braking
Despite the chorus of concerned mothers teaching their children not to use the front brake, lest they flip over their handlebars, relying primarily on the front brake is the best way to slow your bike. It’s substantially more powerful than the rear. Don’t be afraid to squeeze the front brake with some gusto but, like moms say, don’t go crazy. Scoot back on the saddle when braking particularly hard so your weight rocks forward into the bike rather than forward and past the bike.

When to brake
As racecar video games have taught a generation of kids, tires have a limited amount of traction that can be used to corner, brake or accelerate. So, if you brake while turning, less traction is left over to stick you to the road. Slowing your bike before entering a corner then releasing the brakes when entering the turn will allow you to corner faster, safer and with more confidence.

Control through the corners
Body position and weight balance on the bike greatly impact balance, stability and traction when cornering. To create a solid foundation, turn the outside pedal to the lowest position and press hard through it with your foot. Use your inside hand to lean the bike toward the corner by pressing down on the bar. Rather than watching your front wheel, look 5-10 meters around the corner. The bike will follow your line of sight. If you ride a road bike, lean over into the drops for extra leverage on the brake levers and improved balance between the two wheels.

Two-by-two
When riding with other people outside of a race, either line yourself up side-by-side or completely in front of or behind your partners. Don’t allow your front wheel to partially overlap another rider’s rear (an unsafe position known as half-wheeling). The rider in front probably doesn’t know you’re there and can take you down with even a soft bump against your front wheel.

Shift before you stop
Downshift to an easier gear before slowing or stopping—whether for a red light or an aid station—so the bike is in the right gear when you start reaccelerating.

Steady bottle grab
Learn how to reach your water bottles without taking your eyes off the road. Even a quick break in concentration can cause your bike to swerve erratically, so practice pulling a bottle without looking down.

Enve's SES aero bar brings adjustability and clean lines to the time trial bar market. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com

The SES TT Bar will be available late this summer, coming in at an estimated $1,300 for the full kit.

Part of what sets the SES TT Bar apart from other offerings is that the included carbon extensions can be left at the J-bend, or trimmed to an S-bend, or a straight extension. Buyers don’t have to purchase additional extensions to achieve the proper fit. Each bend’s cut point is marked on the extension and length markings are etched at the rear of the extension for those wishing to shorten up the reach to the shifter.

The SES TT Bar’s pricing is in line with the Zipp Vuka Stealth system, though Vuka Stealth buyers have to purchase aero extensions on top of the $1,070 stem and base bar combo.

“The aim of our TT bar was to fulfill a laundry list of rider needs, aerodynamics and adjustability being the two of most importance,” said Enve design engineer Kevin Nelson. “The market has a lot of aerodynamic or adjustable bars, but few that are both.”

To that point, the SES TT Bar has its airfoil shape shifted a bit further forward, which results in a more robust look in line with the brake hoods, which are coated in an anti-slip material. The airfoil shape is reminiscent of the blunt nose on Enve’s SES wheels.

The Smart Bar system will include a range of armrest spacers so that riders can reach the proper saddle-to-pad drop. The extensions can be mounted on the top or bottom of the base bar, as well as inside or outside of the arm rests. Additionally, the base bar itself is completely symmetrical on the top and bottom so it can be mounted with the hoods sloping upward or downward from the stem clamp.

Besides its hefty price tag, the other downfall of the SES TT Bar is that is available in only one width, 38cm center-to-center. The amount of adjustability in pad width and extension options could still make the SES TT Bar attractive to those of us with broad shoulders. For riders willing to spend the money on a set of Enve Smart or other high-end wheels, the SES TT Bar will likely become a staple, even with a high price tag.

Photo: ITU Media

This weekend, Edmonton will welcome an ITU World Cup race to its city for the ninth time. The familiar host city will break from the standard race format in favor of a super speedy sprint 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run course. The fast and furious race will see top athletes like Erin Densham and Peter Kerr battle for bragging rights in the women’s and men’s races.

Elite Women
In her return to ITU racing after winning Olympic bronze in London last year, Erin Densham (AUS), will again headline the women’s start list. Though her form is a question mark, as she has elected not to start in any World Cup or World Triathlon Series events since the 2012 Auckland Grand Final, this Aussie super star’s history suggests she will be in prime podium position.

Flora Duffy (BER) returns to the Canadian city after earning bronze here last year to line up second next to Densham. Duffy’s condition will also be a surprise, as she has not yet raced this season. Look for Claudia Rivas (MEX) to lead off the start. The Mexican is superb on the swim, as well as the bike. With just 5km on the end, Rivas may be in medal contention if she can hang with the leaders on the run.

Joanna Brown is Canada’s highest ranking female on the start list, having finished fifth in the Huatulco World Cup in May just behind Rivas. Brown looks ready for a breakout performance, having raced to bronze in the Under23 division at the Grand Final in Auckland last year.

Teammate and rising star Amelie Kretz will also look to make an impact on the elite field. Just 20 years old, she’s been steadily knocking off top performances this year like her win at the Bridgetown Sprint Pan American Cup.

Elite Men
Peter Kerr (AUS) will be one of the men to watch this weekend, as he won the Continental Championships in Australia earlier this year in both the sprint and Olympic distances. He also scored bronze at the Mooloolaba World Cup against a talented field and will look to continue his strong season in Edmonton.

Local hopes lie with Canadians Andrew Yorke and Kyle Jones. Yorke is currently the second-highest ranking Canadian in the men’s charts, while Jones won his first ITU World Cup in Edmonton last year. He continues to looks fierce in the sprint distance having finished fifth in the Clermont Sprint Pan American Cup behind a stellar group of men.

Richard Varga (SVK) is always exceptional on the swim, but with just 750m to work with on the front, it may not be enough distance to secure a strong lead. Varga’s bike form appeared improved at ETU European Championships in Alanya last weekend before suffering a punctured tire that ended his race.

Grégory Rouault (FRA) could be a threat on the World Cup circuit this year with a fourth-place finish in Ishigaki and a win in the sprint distance at the Geelong Oceania Cup under his belt. Sergio Sarmiento (MEX) continues his elite comeback from last year after a bike accident took him out of the sport for five years. Sarmiento closed the 2012 year with a win at the Cancun World Cup with solid shape in all three disciplines.

The pull through is a simple lower body exercise that will help you to isolate and strengthen the muscles in your legs and lower back.

Question: With power meters and GPS devices, what role does a heart rate monitor play, and how should it be used throughout the year?

Answer: In the late ’80s and early ’90s, heart rate training was cutting-edge technology. Today with the vast majority of athletes using power meters and GPS devices, many athletes have ignored heart monitors. But if done properly, you can integrate heart rate training with power meters and GPS devices.

One device doesn’t solve all needs. Heart rate monitors are not effective for short, high-intensity intervals as the heart rate will often lag a minute or two behind the actual intensity level. Additionally, in hot environments or during indoor training with low ventilation, heart rate monitors may become unreliable due to dehydration and the body’s ability to cool itself. Here are four ways to better utilise your heart rate monitor.

In the off-season or base building, the heart rate monitor can be used to set an upper ceiling, which is equivalent to your aerobic threshold level. This will allow you to develop your aerobic system and metabolic efficiency. As your fitness and efficiency develops, you’ll notice that you will be going at higher paces/wattage for the same heart rate level.

Recovery sessions are best done based upon low heart rate numbers. Speed or pace is not important here, but maintaining a low-stress workout to facilitate recovery is.

Using heart rate to dictate the length of a recovery interval is a great use of the monitor. As the athlete improves fitness, the recovery time will shorten.

During long endurance sessions or long interval sessions, the heart rate monitor becomes a reliable indicator of intensity level. By comparing sustainable heart rate and pace/wattage levels, athletes can figure out their optimal long-course race pace.