Checking out from Europe and back home into Melbourne
While overseas enjoying the luxuries of sunny days and warm nights, getting carried away with the triathlon routine makes it feel like an endless summer. But unfortunately my time in Girona had to come to a close for the year as the circuit of ITU races headed back towards the southern hemisphere.
My final European races had some mixed results including some strong performances but also some to learn from.
I was really happy with how I performed at the London Mixed Relay Cup racing for Team Australia. I went second for the team and put together a strong swim, bike and run combination which left me feeling like I had done my part to help the team as we finished in 3rd overall. Triathlon Australia is putting more and more emphasis on the Mixed Relay since it is a new event for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. So any chance I get to race this new format is a great opportunity to practice the small intricacies which make the Mixed Relay such an exciting event.
Following the London Mixed Relay Cup I competed in the Lausanne World Cup in Switzerland. This course was always going to be a testing one as it included a very tough bike course with steep hills. I went into the race feeling like I was ready to mix it with some other strong athletes; I had performed well in the prior weeks of training which also gave me confidence. Unfortunately the way I had envisioned the race to pan out didn’t really happen. I had an average swim and then found myself struggling to get around the course on the bike. I was surprised and disappointed with my body that it wasn’t responding with what I wanted it to do. It turned into a long tough day for me in Lausanne and although I don’t have great memories from the race, I hope to be able to redeem myself the next time I am there.
My final race in Europe was for my French Team, Sainte Genevieve, competing in the French town of Quiberon. Once again the relaxed nature of the French races made for an enjoyable trip. A rough ocean swim getting swum over a number of times left me in the second bike group out of transition 1. I did my best to help salvage some time to the front pack by contributing to the chase however by end of the bike we had lost a fair chunk of time. Onto the run, I was able to stick with a couple of other faster runners from our bike group and could pick off some of the back markers from the initial front group. I finished up in 14thplace and the team finished in 8th which was something for us all to be happy with. Overall I am pleased with my year of racing for Sainte Genevieve finishing consistently in the top 15 and I look forward to racing for them again next year!
At the start of the year, I sat down with my coach Danielle and we outlined some goals for the season. The main idea of the year was to get some solid results in World Cups, race a couple of WTS races and aim to make the Elite team for the WTS Grand Final on the Gold Coast. In August I was notified that I was a reserve for the Elite team for the WTS Grand FInal and that I would be put on the waitlist with the potential of racing. This meant that my fate in racing was determined by whether enough athletes from other countries would pull out, allowing me to roll onto the startlist. It was a let-down to not be picked as a definite start but I had my fingers crossed that I would get my chance.
Triathlon Australia agreed to support my decision in wanting to race and allowed me to be a member of the Grand Final team, getting me to Gold Coast and waiting until the last possible moment to hopefully get that spot on the start line. And that is exactly what I ended up doing, I waited to the last possible moment, from being ready to go 1 hour before the start of the Elite Men’s race. But unfortunately it wasn’t to be and I didn’t end up competing. Was I disappointed? Of course I was. However it was something that was out of my hands and I did all that I could to put myself in a position to race.
Although the feelings from Gold Coast weren’t exactly what I had wanted to walk away with, I left with my visions set on my next couple of races to end the season. I have two World Cup races, one in Tongyeong, South Korea and one in Miyazaki, Japan at the end of October/start of November.
Usually the final races of the season can be tough to make it to as the body begins to show signs of wanting a break for the year. I am looking forward to finishing the year of racing and giving my body the chance to reset, but at the same time I am excited to head to Asia to race. I feel that I am really motivated and focussed with making sure that I finish the year well. Only a few more weeks of tough training to go!
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