With the first rounds of the ITU World Triathlon and Paratriathlon Series having happened in quick succession, the 2015 season is well and truly under-way. Here’s what’s coming up this weekend and how exactly to get involved...
What: The 2015 ITU Triathlon World Cup in Mooloolaba opens the World Cup circuit this year. The race welcomes athletes back for the 13th time, with a tough one-lap swim, four-lap bike, four-lap run sprint course.
When: Saturday 14 March. Elite Women’s race – 11:45am, Elite Men’s race – 1:30pm (local time).
Where: The Queensland coastal town on Mooloolaba, 97km north of Brisbane plays host to the course.
Who: Tom Bishop will be flying the solo British flag on Saturday. The 23-year-old is part of the British Triathlon’s UK Sport Lottery funded World-Class Performance Programme and trains in Leeds, coached by Jack Maitland and Malcolm Brown.
He competes for the second consecutive year in the event, giving him an air of confidence for his return to action. Tom will face competition from both Crisanto Grajales (MEX) and Vicente Hernandez (ESP). Tipped for top-place finishes, it’s to be seen whether they have recovered from last weekend, having competed at the ITU World Triathlon Series race in Abu Dhabi.
France’s Pierre Le Corre will be one to also keep in check, as he can close a race as fast as he can open it and will have the added advantage of competing on rested legs. Americans Ben Kanute and Tommy Zaferes and David Hauss (FRA) will also be in the mix.
How to follow: The women’s race will get underway at 11:45am, while the men will toe the line at 1:30pm local time. Follow the races with live timing at triathlon.org and on twitter @triathlonlive.
We spoke to Tom earlier today on his thoughts about the upcoming race: “I'm quite excited and a little nervous to tell you the truth as well! But excitement is the overriding emotion - I can't wait to be back racing, it's what I've trained all winter to do. Being out in Australia definitely adds to the whole enjoyment.
“Training has gone well this winter. I've reduced my volume a little from what I've done in the past and focussed more on recovery and adapting from training. It's meant I've had a fairly consistent winter, and I suppose I'm going to be fit after that.
“The first race is always a bit unknown and I guess it's a good way of finding out where you are in comparison to the rest of the world, and if there is anything more to work on. I'm not really focussed on a position as such - I just want to compete to my best ability. In the past I've been focused on placing; top 10s, top 5s and podiums, but I've never really hit my potential and that's because I've lost focus on actually performing at my best.
"This year if I can go into each race aiming to swim, cycle and run at my best, I know I'll get some good results.”
