Non Stanford was forced to sit out the 2014 season due to injury, but left the ITU circuit on a high as she beat Jorgensen for the 2013 World Championship title in front of a home crowd in London’s Hyde Park. Stanford is one of the few women that can rival Jorgensen down the finish chute, making their meeting highly anticipated.

Jorgensen has been simply unstoppable this season so far, and is undefeated since her victory in Yokohama last year. The only other British athlete on the start line will be Heather Sellars, with Vicky Holland having a rest after her impressive victory in Cape Town.

Jorgensen’s teammates Katie Zaferes and Sarah True will also miss this race, but Americans Chelsea Burns, Jessica Broderick and Renee Tomlin will look to keep the US winning streak alive. Other rivals include Emma Moffatt (AUS), Andrea Hewitt (NZL) and Barbara Riveros (CHI).

The women’s race will get underway at 10:05am local time (2:05am UK time) on Saturday (16 May), full start list here.

Americans currently dominate the WTS leaderboard, with Zaferes top on 2905 points, followed by Jorgensen with 2400pts and True third with 1947pts. The highest-ranked British athlete is Vicky Holland in 17th position with 800pts.

Men’s race

Alistair Brownlee is looking to make up for lost time after injury and currently stands in 16th position with 800 points, all of which he gained at WTS Cape Town a few weeks ago.

Younger brother Jonathan (2186pts) won’t be racing this Saturday, meaning that Alistair’s main rivals will be the Spanish trio of Javier Gomez (2707pts), Mario Mola (2273pts) and Fernando Alarza (2221pts).

Others in the top-10 on Saturday include Brits Tom Bishop and Adam Bowden, and some lesser known names looking to break through like Crisanto Grajales (MEX), who has posted two top-10 results already this season.

Ryan Bailie (AUS) posted a career high fifth in Auckland and has raced consistently this season. Portugal’s ITU veteran Joao Pereira (1175pts) will also be racing.

Click Here: Pumas UNAM soccer tracksuit

The men will get underway at 13:05pm local time (5:05am UK time), full start list here. Brits can watch the action live on BT Sport 2 or triathlonlive.tv (£), and there will be repeats on BBC Two from 4:30pm on Sunday 17th.

We’ll be carrying full reports of both races right here on the 220 website shortly afterwards.

(Images: Delly Carr / Janos Schmidt / ITU)

Advertisement

Who do you think will win this WTS Yokohama? Let us know in the comments below!

This means that as things stand the only way to get into Kona will be by achieving a qualifying time or through the ‘Legacy Program’, which grants 100 places to entrants who have previously raced in at least 12 Ironman-branded events.

Ironman are looking at other models with which to open up the 100 slots that can’t be given out through the lottery from 2016 onwards; although it is unlikely they will make a similar arrangement quickly because of the risks with falling foul of their agreement with the US Government.

Ironman cooperated fully with the investigation and the settlement was arranged out of court; however Ironman Chief Executive Andrew Messick stated that they believed the lottery system was legal but were forced to bow to pressure. It was reported that ironically Jimmy Muench, an Assistant US Attorney in the case against Ironman, is an 8-time Ironman Florida finisher.

Click Here: FC Barcelona soccer tracksuit

Advertisement

Do you think the system was fair? Let us know in the comments! 

We caught up with her at the Halfords Bike Show in London and asked her for some tips on how women can get the most of the sport…

Click Here: wallabies rugby merchandise
Invest in some good kit

“You want to be able to focus on the effort rather than how comfortable you feel, so invest in some good shorts for training in to start with! I’m not sure how you triathletes do it with the thinner shorts but if you are spending hours out training definitely get comfortable and invest in some good kit.

In the winter especially, a good windproof jacket that fits well can make a big difference, as your not going to enjoy your ride if you feel cold or uncomfortable from having poor fitting kit.

In my career probably one of the biggest things that changed was the improvement in technology with kit, it actually works now and does either keep you cool or warm. My mum actually used to make my cycling shorts for me as they didn’t make them in the right size at the time for teenage girls, and I used to borrow my dad’s woolly socks and pull them up over my knees!

Rope your pals in

Cycling is a social sport, obviously if you need to do a specific effort then you sometimes have to go it alone, but going out with a group of pals or getting involved with a cycling club can make all the difference.

You’ll improve your bike handling skills and you won’t get bored, plus it’s great to ride with people who are better than you –even if you can’t sit at the front you can go in the slipstream and just get a bit more out of yourself that you would on your own.

When you bonk it’s horrible!                              

It’s so important that you’re prepared nutritionally for the distance you’re riding, and a lot of people wait too long before they eat which can make the end of your ride unpleasant. When you hit the wall it is horrible, a can of coke and a chocolate bar from the service station will get you home but it’s not ideal, so it’s essential to prepare some snacks before you go out.

Having a strategy and planning is important, so making your own snacks or even preparing what you would eat in a race is always useful, because you shouldn’t try anything new for the first time when you’re racing. And keep an eye on your watch or computer, so you know when you need to eat or drink something according to what strategy you’ve set out for yourself.

Being disciplined and remembering to take on fuel at scheduled times will make your training so much more enjoyable and manageable – if you’re uncomfortable and hit a wall it’s hideous!

My dad always said…

…when you start cycle training it takes around 12 months to actually get proper enjoyment out of it. That first 12 months is a bit of a battle because you’re still learning the sport and building your skills. But when you get there it’s so great, you’re comfortable with the distances and the pace you’re doing and have that feeling of flying along, that’s when it becomes absolutely addictive!

It sounds a bit strange to start a sport knowing full well that it’s going to be hard and you will hate it sometimes, but you just have to strive towards that feeling of floating along, and you’ll never want to give up then!

My experience of seeing people out on the roads…

…has changed dramatically since I started training at the elite level, I think I see ten times as many people out training on the roads at the weekend nowadays – and lots of ladies as well! I remember when I used to go out with my dad it was a really special day if I saw another woman out cycling, I’d point it out and be totally surprised!

I had to race with the boys because there wasn’t enough women to create our own races. When I started out on the GB sprint team I was one of the only women, now it’s pretty much a 50/50 split which is awesome.

(Image Credit: johnthescone)

To keep cycling popular…

…obviously on the roads the success of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome has really helped get people into road cycling. Training facilities and cycling provisions are improving, and the more that improves the better.

I think people are generally more tolerant of cycling nowadays – if you’ve never been on a bike and experienced a lorry coming past giving you three inches it’s hard to understand how that feels, so obviously the fact more people are cycling now has meant that isn’t such a regular occurrence, though I’d still like to see cyclists have even more respect on the roads.

Seeing your progress is key to improving

I always loved my training and I loved the repetition, because I knew exactly my reason for doing it. I never lacked motivation and I loved charting progress and seeing my peak speeds going up week by week, that was what I lived for!

Obviously sometimes you plateau or overtrain, but keeping track of your overall improvement should keep you going. Rewarding yourself is important as well, if you can get round a cycle route a minute faster than you could a couple of months ago then sit back and take that in, think about where you started from and how far you’ve come! 

If you don’t try you’ll never know what you’re fully capable of

There are so many cynical people out there who live in their comfortable world and never properly challenge themselves – if you don’t try these things, whether it be an Ironman race or whatever you might always wander what you could have been capable of. It’s easy to be stuck in your comfort zone doing sweet FA, so I have respect for anyone who goes out and does these things, whether they win, lose or fail!

I’m not involved in British Cycling any more

I’m concentrating on my new passion at the moment which is horse riding, and it still feels too early for me to go back into cycling in any capacity. I am doing a corporate coaching course at the moment, but I could see myself in a role as a more holistic, lifestyle coach type thing – I don’t think I’d be the best person for shouting at athletes at the side of the velodrome, I’d definitely have more skills in a mentoring role!

My swimming is terrible

My Australian husband had a look at me swimming once and didn’t know where to start, he said it looks like my legs are peddling underwater! For that reason I don’t think I’ll be doing a triathlon any time soon, but I did run in a triathlon relay team last year so I think a duathlon might be an option for the future!

On making sushi (we went slightly off topic…)

You have to rinse the rice at least three times, then put exactly the right amount of water in to cook it. And get really good quality sushi rice, this is important. You put a small amount of water in and jiggle it around a bit then rinse it again, then keep doing that in little steps and add your seasoning and filling after, lovely!

There is also a contraption you can get called a Sushezi which does it all for you, you just wack everything in and out comes sushi so it’s a Sushezi! I do like making sushi… Anyway where were we?

Victoria Pendleton CBE is Britain’s most successful female Olympian, winning 2 gold and 1 silver medals over two Olympics. She also won 9 world titles and was European and Commonwealth champion during her career.

Victoria has recently set her sights on becoming a jump jockey, and is aiming to gain a Category A amateur licence to ride at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival by qualifying for the Foxhunter Chase.

Victoria’s ‘Pendleton’ range of bikes and accessories are available exclusively at Halfords.

Advertisement

The Sushezi is priced from £19.95, available at a very limited number of online retailers!

“This is huge and exciting news for the triathlon, it really marks the event moving to the next level,” says Jenson. “The closures will create a fast flowing course that should be a real thrill for all competitors and spectators. It will be fun to be racing on a street circuit!”

Competitors will start the triathlon with a 200m swim in Markeaton Park lake. They will then swiftly change into cycling gear and head out of the park onto Markeaton Lane on a 10km circular route along Kedleston Road to Five Lamps and around the Cathedral Quarter.

Back at the park, they will then complete a 2.5 km run. Individuals and three-person teams will have the opportunity to race twice – once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Individuals and three-person teams will have the opportunity to race twice – once in the morning and once in the afternoon. In the individual event, the top performers will go on to the final, 400m swim, 20km cycle (twice around the cycle stage) and 5km run, with the runners up entering the wooden spoon race.

Click Here: welsh rugby jerseys

The UK’s favourite tri magazine will have its own corner of the bike route near Five Lamps, with planning underway for what ‘220 Corner’ may include…

For more information and to register for the event visit www.jensonbuttontri.com, and for latest news and training tips, follow @JBTrustTri on Twitter. 

Advertisement

Will you be racing at JB Trust Triathlon? Let us know in the comments below!

Crossing the line alone with a lead of over one minute, the win for Jorgensen marks her ninth World Triathlon Series victory in a row and catapults her back to the number one position in the Threadneedle Rankings.

Taking the silver medal was Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), who raced perhaps her best performance of her career to earn her first WTS podium. Fellow Australian Emma Moffatt also joined her compatriot on the podium when she took bronze to earn her first medal since the 2013 WTS Grand Final in London.

Jorgensen looked back on a curious race, one in which she was more concerned about staying upright in the wet bike conditions than the actual pace that was being ridden. 

“It was wet out there and I knew I had to be careful so rode at the front a little more to stay away from any crashes. I heard something behind me, I wasn’t sure if anyone went down or not but it is better to be safe.

“I came here knowing this is the last 10k before the Rio test event so I really wanted to get a good 10k in and push myself and really go hard.” She added: “The number one goal for this season is to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games, so I need to be top 8 at the Rio test event and first or second American, that is the thought top of mind.”

Water temp 19C this morning #WTSYokohama Bring your wetsuit on this cruise! pic.twitter.com/SNPQvLdsiR

— World Triathlon (@worldtriathlon) May 15, 2015

Penalty for Non

Stanford seemed to be in with a chance of bronze right until the final stages of the run, despite serving a 15sec penalty for her wetsuit being out of the box in the transition zone.

“I’m happy but not satisfied,” said Non afterwards. “It was great to be back racing and my goal was always to get to the finish line in one piece, but after 20 months away, I can’t complain. If anything, today has given me more motivation to get it right come August 1st.” Fellow Brit Heather Sellars finished 43rd. 

Choppy waters greeted the women elites as they started out the Japanese race that marked the halfway point of the 2015 World Triathlon Series. With wetsuits added to the uniform, it was USA’s Summer Cook, Japan’s Yuka Sato and Spain’s Carolina Routier who dominated in the swim. Pushing through the rough surface, the three athletes were the first out of the water and led into the first transition.

Click Here: UK football tracksuit

While an early lead group of 22 formed early on the bike, which included the likes of Jorgensen, Cook, Sato, Andrea Hewitt (NZL) and Claudia Rivas (MEX), the lead was short lived.

The rain created wet-pavement conditions that saw riders focusing on remaining strategic instead of fast on the nine-lap course since each lap contained over 20 corners that could have caused crashes if the athletes were not careful. The initial leaders soon doubled in size and eventually increased to over 40 athletes as the chasers caught up and closed the gap with two laps to go before the run.

Happy…but never satisfied! Great to be back! Thank you to all who got me to the start and finish lines #teameffort pic.twitter.com/ua8vEG8Axg

— Non Stanford (@NonStanford) May 16, 2015

Gwen’s signature move

The large bike group caused a lot of congestion in the second transition that saw a pack of runners join together to start out the third discipline. However it did not take long for Jorgensen to bust out her signature move of breaking away from the rest and easing into a solo run that carried her well into the finish line with time to spare.

Gentle also capitalised on a breakaway performance in the second lap of the run that positioned herself into the second-place spot. While the battle for the bronze seemed to be up for grabs for awhile between the likes of Moffat, Non Stanford (GBR), Renee Tomlin (USA) and Hewitt, Moffatt pulled away in the last lap to secure the medal and give Australia two spots on the podium. Full results here.

Elite women’s results

1.

Gwen Jorgensen

USA

01:57:20

2.

Ashleigh Gentle

AUS

01:58:33

3.

Emma Moffatt

AUS

01:59:03

4.

Renee Tomlin

USA

01:59:13

5.

Gillian Sanders

RSA

01:59:19

6.

Aileen Reid

IRL

01:59:22

7.

Non Stanford

GBR

01:59:22

8.

Andrea Hewitt

NZL

01:59:23

9.

Kirsten Kasper

USA

01:59:24

10.

Barbara Riveros

CHI

01:59:26

(Images: Delly Carr / ITU)

Advertisement

What did you think of the race? Let us know in the comments below!

After the rain and slippery conditions of the women’s race had largely abated, the men enjoyed largely dry roads and clear skies to cap off the fifth stop in the WTS circuit and mark the halfway stage of an exciting season that has now produced four winners in five races.

The run enthralled the large crowd lining the course and in the grandstand watching every stride on the big screen, with Gomez, Brownlee and Mario Mola (ESP) breaking clear early and taking turns to push the pace, with the medals only unfolding in the final kilometer for Mola and the final few hundred metres for Brownlee and Gomez.

Henri Schoeman (RSA) set the pace through the two laps in the water, and carried with him a small pack that would follow into the first transition. That pack, tallying seven, included the likes of Gomez, Brownlee, Igor Polyanskiy (RUS), Joe Maloy (USA), Aaron Royle (AUS) and Schoeman.

The lead group could not extend on the bike though, with the chasers highly motivated and well organised, soon closing to form a large lead bunch that would stay together till the end – that is apart from a brave solo bid by Marten Van Riel (BEL), the daring move saw the Belgian extend to over 30 seconds within touching distance of transition until he crashed inside smelling distance of the food vendors in Yahamshita Park and T2, ending his hopes of a brief time in front on the run.

Sven Riederer (SUI) was another to be prominent early on the run, the 34 year old winding back the clock with his laconic, rolling running style taking him to the lead inside the first kilometer, before the big three took control and made the race their own.

“I was probably running against the best runners in the sport in Mario and Alistair,” said Gomez afterwards. “I was feeling good and had something left, I tried with two k to go and dropped Mario but Alistair stayed and then surged.

“It reminded me a little of Cape Town but this time I kept up and it came to the last 200 meters and at that point anything can happen because we are both very tired and luckily I had a bit more than him and took the win which is great, the first one of the year.”

Alistair was more circumspect on his silver: “Three weeks ago if someone told me I would have a win and a second in the World Series, that is okay for now, I am pleased with that and hopefully it gets better from here. 

“I knew Cape Town I wasn’t in great form and I thought I had come on from there and I probably have. I think this was one of those days, there was maybe a bit of jetlag and I thought I was better prepared but maybe now I can freshen up and be better for the next race.

“I am proud of that though, anyone can race well when they are having a good day and I have had some fantastic days over the years but a mark of you sometimes is what you can do on your bad days so I am pleased with that.”

For full results head here.

1.

Javier Gomez Noya

ESP

01:47:00

2.

Alistair Brownlee

GBR

01:47:02

3.

Mario Mola

Click Here: Roma soccer tracksuit

ESP

01:47:20

4.

Mark Buckingham

GBR

01:47:48

5.

Crisanto Grajales

MEX

01:47:52

6.

Sven Riederer

SUI

01:48:00

7.

Adam Bowden

GBR

01:48:04

8.

Fernando Alarza

ESP

01:48:14

9.

Jacob Birtwhistle

AUS

01:48:17

10.

Alexander Bryukhankov

RUS

01:48:28

(Images: Delly Carr / ITU)

Advertisement

What did you think of the race? Let us know in the comments below!

>>> Podium change at Challenge Dubai after first three men cut the bike course

Planning is currently underway for an alternative venue to host the prestigious Triple Crown Series with its record-breaking $1 million prize purse, and this will be announced shortly.

The triathlon world will watch as Daniela Ryf (SUI) and Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) battle against the world’s top pros to keep in the running for triathlon’s ultimate prize and the chance to become an instant millionaire. 

“While we are disappointed not to be able to showcase the beauty of Oman to the world, cancelling the race and moving the Triple Crown for 2015 is in the best interests of both the athletes and the local community,” said Challenge Family CEO, Zibi Szlufcik. 

For further information, visit www.challenge-family.com.

(Image: Pranav21391)

Advertisement

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Click Here: FC Bayern München soccer tracksuit

>>> Britain’s pioneering approach to elite paratriathlon training

The elite juniors started off the proceedings on Saturday morning featuring Britain’s top under-20 performers. Athletes raced over the sprint distance in order to decide who will be put forward for ETU European Cup and Championship selections.

Top of the class in the junior elite women’s race was British Junior Duathlon Champion, Kate Waugh. The 16-year-old saw off competition from NYP Tri’s Bronwen Owen to finish in 1:05:47 over the sprint distance course. Owen was just over a minute adrift of Waugh, crossing the line in 1:06:56, with Olivia Matias taking the final podium spot with 1:07:04.

Jimmy Kershaw led from the start of the race and put in a strong all-round performance to win in 58:11. Ben Dijkstra had to settle for second on this occasion, the recent London Mini Marathon champion coming home in 58:35. Bronze went to James Teagle in 58:51, rounding off an all East-Midlands podium.

Paratriathlon

Paratriathlon was in the spotlight from 4pm, where athletes were looking to finish in the top two of their category in order to be put forward for selection for the ETU European Championships and ITU World Championships.

ITU World Champion, Alison Patrick, guided by Hazel Smith, won the PT5 title pushed along by competition from international medallist Melissa Reid. She managed a solid victory in very windy conditions that made tandem riding a challenge for the new pairing.

Alison said: “Hazel and I had a really good swim and bike and just tried to keep it steady on the run today. We were first out of the water, which I’m really happy with, and I felt strong during the bike. I can’t wait for the rest of my season now.” 

PT4 world champion, Lauren Steadman achieved a convincing win and British title. The former Paralympic swimmer used her speed to her advantage against Clare Cunningham to gain an early lead and held on to finish 6 minutes clear in 1:12:32.

Lauren said; “I really enjoyed it and felt strong the whole way. I was expecting at some point to feel it start to hurt, but I had a good swim, pushed hard on the bike and then ran it home.

“With great race locations like Geneva, Rio and Chicago to come this year, there’s going to be some great competition ahead and hopefully it will push me even further.”

George Peasgood put on a fine display to win the men’s PT4 category in 1:07:18. He said; “It was a cracking race. I wanted to get away on the swim and just hold it as best as I could.

Click Here: new zealand blues jersey

“My swim has improved a lot over the last six months with me training in Loughborough. The bike has always been my favourite discipline and the run is where I usually get caught, so it was great to hold on to it today and pick up my first national win.”

In the men’s PT1 race, it was world silver medallist, Phil Hogg, who won the battle between himself and Joe Townsend. Derby’s Hogg finished two and half minutes ahead of his close friend and rival in 1:09:02.

Elsewhere, Russell White took the men’s PT3 title in 1:19:31 and Chris Goodwin claimed men’s PT5 in 1:11:12. Women’s PT1 went to Lizzie Tench with 1:35:48 and PT2 gold was picked up by Emily Harris.

For full results of the British Triathlon Junior Gateway event, head here. And for the Paratriathlon event, visit here.

Advertisement

Did you race in Llanelli? Let us know in the comments below!

>>> Slateman 2014 race action

Day one saw more than 500 triathletes embark on the Slateman Triathlon Sprint event. The first day also included the Slateman Junior race where over 170 youths participated.

On Saturday Andrew Nash and Ruth Purbrook emerged as individual winners of the men and women Slateman Tri Sprint, after storming around the course in a time of 1:10:29 and 1:21:06 respectively.

The sprint in Llanberis consisted a 400m Padarn lake swim, 20km bike leg – which took in the beast-climb that is the Llanberis Pass – and a scenic but demanding 6km trail run in the quarries above the race village.

Nash went on to dominate the field, winning with over 3mins to spare. Second place went to Kieren John, with Dan Gennazzini claiming third.

There was a shock in the women’s race as The Manchester Tri athletes who had dominated last years sprint were beaten into first place by Ruth Purbrook.

Purbrook produced a scintillating performance to finish in first place ahead of last year’s winner Pauline May (Manchester Tri) and Kate Morris who finished second and third place respectively.

The race was decided when Purbrook displayed her sheer power and quality in the bike leg were she produced a scintillating time of 42:08, over 2mins quicker than any other female competitor.

Slateman Full

After 500m of swimming, 51km on the bike and closing with an epic 11km trail run, it was 2014 winner Ewan Brown who emerged victorious in Sunday’s men’s race with an incredible time of 2:16:22. Brown beat Lewis Eccleston who finished in second place and Alex Foster, who finished third.

Last year’s women’s winner Suzie Richards also regained her Slateman Triathlon Champion title, although it wasn’t all plain sailing as Natalie Seymour pushed her all the way to finish line.

Richards’ unbelievable time of 2:36:54 proved to be enough to keep Seymour at bay who finished just 47secs behind. Slateman Savage sprint winner Ruth Purbrook finished in third to complete the women’s podium. 

Mark Palmer was the quickest athlete completing the legendary Kinetica Quarryman challenge with a sensational time of 09:14. Palmer was rewarded for his amazing effort with loads of Kinetica goodies!

Slateman Savage

This year saw the introduction of the Slateman Savage, in which competitors raced over both days in the Sprint and the Full distance races.

The winner of the Slateman Savage in the male category was Dan Gennazzini, who produced and extraordinary time of 03:50:28.

The winner of the Savage in the women’s category was Ruth Purbrook, who completed the eye-watering challenge in 04:02:58.

“Wow, what a weekend! The Slateman was the first ever event Always Aim High Events organised. In the first year we had around 400 athletes participating, so to see over 2,200 athletes come to Llanberis over the weekend is something to be really proud of,” said events director Tim Lloyd.

“The race action across the weekend was superb. All the winners were worthy of their titles. I want to reserve special congratulations to Ewan and Suzie who retained their Slateman Triathlon title; it really is a great achievement.

They’ve set themselves up nicely for the Sandman and Snowman to really kick on and challenge for the Always Aim Tri-series, which will see the champion fly to the beautiful Caribbean Island of Nevis and compete in the Nevis Triathlon.” 

For full results head here.

(All pics: Mel Parry)

Advertisement

Did you race the Slateman? Let us know in the comments below!

Click Here: gold coast titans rugby store