Cosmeston Triathlon 2009 – June 14th
An early Sunday morning start of 7am in Cosmeston Triathlon nr Cardiff. The result wasn’t too bad and show’s a steady improvement. Still I’m not happy about my bike performance as I think this should be coming on a bit quicker. The course was a genuine 750 metre swim, near enough to 20k and run was 5k according to the race organisers. I came overall 5th and I guess registers as a PB but every course / venue is different.
| No | Name | Swim | Bike | Run | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Steffan Ford | 00:10:34 | 00:35:28 | 00:20:35 | 01:08:28 |
Some learining experiences
- Don’t follow a runner without a number (I went the wrong way on the run course and had to run back (lost at least 30 secs at a guess).
- Clipped on too early on the bike on T1 and had to get off and then remount again.
On another note, it’s a small world as I met some people that I use to Swim/Run with when I was a young lad in Cardiff Swimming Club / Cardiff AAC. He came 2nd and has been doing Triathlon for 3 years and represents GB
Grendon Sprint 2009 Result
Well it’s finally time for me to share my first triathlon race result. The race was on a Sunny day and came on the back of a stressfull week as Beca had been in Hospital. The journey started with Tony Shortland driving to the Northampton venue. I was amused with him checking the top of the car on the way to ensure my bike was still on stop, he was very nervous.
I finally got my bike racked and got down to the lake to start the swim. The swim didn’t go to plan and I followed a bad line. The time wasn’t disapointing but could be better. My exit was the issue as I had my Garmin wrist strap on and caught the wetsuit and caused some damage (what a muppet). After finally getting the wetsuit off, I ran to the transition area and grabbed the bike. Well I say grabbed this was after I ran past it 3 times. Finally I got off the bike and felt strong on the hills but couldn’t shake off some stragglers that cheated by drafting me and Kevin Smart(FVS). Once off the bike I put in a good transition change and a good run. The run wasn’t on the best terrain and was difficult due to the narrow area you had to pass others. Anyway, the cobwebs are now off and the Triathlon season has officialy started, next venue Cosmoston Cardiff.
| Overall Position (OP) | Age Group Position (AGP) | Club Position | Swim (OP / AGP) | Cycle (OP / AGP) | Run (OP / AGP) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | 17 | (8/46) FVS TRI | 00:13:13 (95/15) | 00:42:03 (111/20) |
00:18:17 (74/14) | 01:13:33 |
When will I get a mechanic like this ?
Wow, did you see the Giro d’Italia stage 21 in 2009. Dennis Menchov was coasting to vicktory when his back wheel simply went under the cobbles and nearly ended in him losing the overall win. But his mechanic came to the rescue.
<object width=”560″ height=”340″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/wZBUJkfgbG0&hl=en&fs=1″></param><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”></param><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></param><embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/wZBUJkfgbG0&hl=en&fs=1” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” width=”560″ height=”340″></embed></object>
I wanted to know
- Why doesn’t Delyth follow me on Time Trials with a spare cycle on the roof?
- How did the mechanic jump out so so quickly – does he get a prize?
- Who took the damaged bike as it was left behind. I’ll buy it on ebay !
Will have some progress updates soon but due to my laziness I haven’t been doing much with eford except for reading emails.
Milton Keynes Winter Duathlon 2
Well I completed the 2nd race today and shave a massive 2 seconds from my time. Although the conditions were not great for racing and the weather was overcast. Within the bike section we had some hail stones. I even managed to fall off my bike on coming out of T1. Think I should do some practicing to improve that. I seem to be going slower than the rest of the field and may need to concentrate of getting improvements out of my bike. I also had a poor 2nd run and put this down to being running on my own and nobody behind or in front of me. I just put this down to more training on the bike. Also, the art of preperation needs some work as I lack organisation skills the night before the race and today forgot my energy bars and gels.
| Pos | Overall | Bib | Competitor | Category | Team | Club | Finish | Run1 | Cycle | T2 | Run2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 24 | 35 | Steffan Ford | Senior | FVS TRI | 01:03:51 | 00:16:11 | 00:29:48 | 00:00:34 | 00:16:45 |
Serpentine 5k – March 2009
Wow… my best place to date in the Friday 5k Race. This is a really good race that breaks up work and gives me a quick lunchtime run. I managed to come 15th in a time of 18:07. The run was windy and may have had an impact on my time as I felt good before the race and fancied a PB. To see the full results follow this link.
Triathlon Bike Insurance
It’s time for me to consider insurance for my bikes.Although I have a house-and-contents insurance that includes pedal cycles it doesn’t really cover me for events that I participate in or the correct value as the max is 1,500 GBP.
Things we consider when choosing a cycle insurance policy ?
I had a look at a lot of small print to make sure we get the best deal. For example, ensure the bike is ,covererd in Triathlon Transition, is it replaced as new or 10% of the value each year.
Is it worth it?
Perhaps the first question! The price of the premium over a year is high due to the sports I partipate in. However, I have to consider would I be able to replace the bike in case of an accident or theft. I guess as the answer is no then I should pay the premium.
I’ve found comparing insurance premiums quite difficult, as every policy has slightly different things and has different exceptions, excesses, restrictions, maximum values, number of cycles covered and so on. Also, there are the two risks to insure – theft and damage.
I just got a quote from AUA (as recommend by some TriTalkers), with EU cover it was £136 for a year which included racing. WOW I thought then decided that I would seek advice from this forum before I go with AUA. Does anyone use them? I would think they are brokers – which insurance company do they use? My current insurer I know pays quickly and is efficient and recommended. Has anyone claimed from AUA???? What are your thoughts????
We look at the excess (the first amount of the claim that will not be paid out) – the higher the excess, the lower the premium, so we sometimes decide to go for the maximum excess, and then compare again. Sometimes the excess is already set to maximum on simple website calculators to make the insurance look good.
I just got a quote from AUA (as recommend by some TriTalkers), with EU cover it was £136 for a year which included racing. WOW I thought then decided that I would seek advice from this forum before I go with AUA. Does anyone use them? I would think they are brokers – which insurance company do they use? My current insurer I know pays quickly and is efficient and recommended. Has anyone claimed from AUA???? What are your thoughts????
The small print is revealing. If the bike is stolen or damaged beyond repair, but is a few years old, the company might decide to pay out less after deducting a percentage for wear and tear. Which brings us back to ‘Is it worth it?’..
Security requirements
A lot of policies specify exactly what type of lock to use for outbuildings, and what type of lock to use to secure bikes when out and about. Unfortunately, in the light of research done on these Gold cycle-specific locks, this could just give a false sense of security. I considered using the Garage Door Defender, however, would this make it obvious to a thief that I had something to protect ?
What’s covered? Or perhaps what’s not covered?
The exclusions list can be as long as your arm.
The Insurance Companies
- Butterworth Insurance Services (Many sites)
- CycleSure
- BTF triCYCLE
- JLT Online
- AUA Insurance
- CycleGuard
There are also more specific insurance policies from Butterworth – Urban Cycling (for London Cycling Campaign members), Ecoinsure (which includes a donation to Sustrans) and BTF triCycle (for British Triathlon competitors).
My Choice
Well I’m going to use AUA. I searched on google and quote somebody on tritalk
“I just got a quote from AUA (as recommend by some TriTalkers), with EU cover it was £136 for a year which included racing. WOW I thought then decided that I would seek advice from this forum before I go with AUA. Does anyone use them? I would think they are brokers – which insurance company do they use? My current insurer I know pays quickly and is efficient and recommended. Has anyone claimed from AUA???? What are your thoughts???? ”
Please note
I am not am insurance advisor or broker and are merely sharing the relevant information from personal experience.
Google near you….
Watch out has google van passed your house. Well it hasn’t passed mine but it has passed my parents house in Cardiff. I was amazed to see the detail of the pictures.
A bag for work
Been looking for a Bag for work for Del that achieves the following
- Easy to carry on Scotter
- Looks formal
- Can carry files and lunch box
Have narrowed it down to a Hama Notebook Messenger Bag. I hope Del will like it. Will get a review from Del once tested. But which colour will she get ?
Butlins (That’s the bike behind the car)
On our way to Butlins we had some things we needed from Boots and Halfords before heading to Minehead. We visited Boots and got Catrin a swim costume, we then proceeded to Halfords to get some Tyre Levers for the bike as I had left my bike bag in Trisports. My thought was that I could pick these up quicker than going to Letchworth. Big Bad Mistake, Del was driving and I was in the passenger seat. As she drove to halfords, she took the ramp that I thought I never go this way. I now know why !!!
“Bang” a noise echoed.
“Was that under the car” said Del
“No that wasn’t under the car how about behind the car , my BIKE!!!!!” Said Me…
To say my blood was boiling would be an understatement. I was livid but I consoled del as she was upset at her mistake of driving under a low barrier. We took the bike back to trisports and they fixed the bike within the week, although it still has a dent.
We proceeded to Butlins and meet the crew. The apartment was nice and we viewed the shows. Beca and Catrin had a fab time and really enjoyed the swimming and the shows. I managed a few training runs and found myself falling down a trail.
Mapping with mapmyride
Started using a great website called MapMyRide.com. It can map your ride and you can upload to your device of choice (mine is the Garmin Edge 705). Mapped a route that I’ll be doing tomorrow to meet up with other members of my club FVS. The route is basically from Great Ashby to the Vanstone Park Garden Center. To view the route :
