Archive for the ‘Triathlon gear’ Category

Along with most big brands interested in triathlon, Speedo made sure it had a big presence at the annual TCR (Triathlon, Cycling and Running) Show at Esher last weekend. Speedo set up an endless pool and invited the likes of Helen Jenkins and Hollie Avil to demonstrate their new TriElite wetsuits in it.

Most intriguing though was the Big Black Box. The Big Black Box takes some of the art out of finding the right wetsuit and turns it into science.

When you step into the Big Black Box a Speedo technician (who waits outside) asks you to strip down to your underwear. You then move into the inner sanctuary, a dark cubicle about the size of a photo booth.  A woman’s voice commands you to stand straight with your feet shoulder width apart, hold your chin up and grab the two handles to your left and right. Press the start button when ready and stay still.

A humming noise starts and lights flash. Is this a prank? Have you volunteered for a walk-on part in Dr Who?

Joel Enoch raves about ORCA’s new merino wool clothing, and reveals how to save 15% on any of the ORCA range.

When finding an edge over the enemy, James Bond has Q supplying him with all sorts of gizmos and techno wizardry that can help him overcome whichever metal-toothed, hat-throwing or cat-stroking evil villain has surfaced. The equivalent in the world of sport is ‘Operation Squirrel’, the secretive department of the British cycling team that looks to utilise the most recent research and technology to maximise ‘marginal gains’ over the competition at Olympic Games.

Eventually Operation Squirrel’s innovations in sporting equipment filter down to us, the general sporting public, but it can take us a while longer to cotton on to their advantages and to cut through the myths surrounding them.

One of the most recent developments to be released onto the open market is a new range of clothing made by ORCA, constructed from New Zealand merino wool. When I first came across this new range I was sceptical; after all, my opinion of wool is still based on the scratchy, knitted wool jumpers I was forced to wear as I was growing up. However, wool has come a long way since then and just might be the next big thing in the world of sports clothing.

When it comes to swimming, despite their running and cycling leg strength, triathletes are notoriously bad kickers. Unfortunately, although the feet provide only a relatively small proportion of forward propulsion, they have the potential to create lots of drag. Sinking feet act like an anchor.

Reasons for failing to kick well include poor ankle flexibility, excessive bending at the knee and simple lack of practice. Leg muscles have to become accustomed to kicking even if during a race you want to save them for later. If you’ve trained them better you’ll come out of the water feeling stronger.

Training with fins – either as part of a kick set or using them while swimming full stroke – is one way to tackle the problem. Fins help in several ways: they help stretch your ankle and hence improve flexibility, they make you work your kicking muscles harder, they encourage you to keep your feet in the right position and the give you the satisfaction and sense of swimming faster.

We tried out a pair of Zoggs Four Stroke Positive Drive Fins. According to the blurb these are:

• Uniquely designed for all four stokes

Here’s something that might work for you if you’re plagued by misty swimming goggles: Foggle wipes.

Whether you’re in the pool or swimming outside, being able to see clearly can make a big difference to how much you enjoy the experience and how well you perform. Many modern goggles are treated with anti-fog coatings. Some have anti-fog technology impregnated within the lens.  Both of these systems work well – up to a point.

While manufacturers advise us to air dry our goggles and store them in protective cases the reality is often that goggles are stuffed into the bottom of swim bags or ripped off and flung into the mud during a high speed transition. After a while of this sort of treatment, anti-fog treatments can wear a little thin.

Various methods to keep goggles clear include good old-fashioned spit, anti-fog spray or even smearing a drop of shampoo on the lens, and all of these work to an extent.

At the beginning of 2010’s triathlon season I raced at Grendon Triathlon. My toes froze. My feet were so cold that when I put my running shoes on I didn’t feel the tongue was twisted and rubbing up a wonderful blister until after the race. I wish I’d known then about neo toe caps.

If you want to race competitively in a sprint triathlon, stopping to pull on socks or overshoes before jumping on the bike isn’t really an option. The beauty of these toe caps is that you can pull them over the ends of your shoes and leave them in place. They don’t affect putting your feet into your shoes or clipping your shoes onto the pedals but they do make a difference to how your toes feel. I’d expect to see a lot more people using toe caps if the start to the 2011 season is as cold as this year.

Of course, toe caps are never going to keep your feet as cosy as thick socks and overshoes but sometimes all you need is something to keep the cold wind off your toes – ideal also then for autumn and spring rides. Snugg have come up with another winning idea.

Trying to keep warm on a bike in winter is always a struggle. Piling on ever more clothes works for a while but however good the wicking properties of technical fabrics, they don’t seem to cope when you need them most. After a long climb, my under layers are invariably damp (and I’m guessing I’m not the only one who suffers from this) and then the big chill sets in while descending.

Snugg have come up with a clever but simple piece of kit that does exactly what it says on the tin. It keeps your lumbar region warm. Maybe surfers have been using these things for years and the genius was just to offer them to cyclists.

Our tester woke up especially early one frosty Sunday morning to try out it out. The lumbar warmer consists only of a 4mm thick neoprene tube that you wear around your waist. Rather than wicking your sweat away, the neoprene absorbs it, but that isn’t a problem. Just as with a wetsuit, the lumber warmer keeps your heat in even when it’s damp. And it works.

After three hours of cycling our tester reported he felt a warm glow around his lower back while his fingers and ears were quite chilled.

Music can really lift your mood. It can overcome the tiredness from a day at work before the drums even kick in. Music can inspire you to find an extra burst on that final rep.  To be used effectively in your training though, music needs to be delivered to your ears in comfort, hassle-free, so that you can truly forget yourself and get absorbed in the moment. A moment that can be shattered by a flat battery, or headphones that keep falling out, cables getting caught when you run. Sennheiser cannot remind you to charge your mp3 player before every workout, but they can do a good job of getting the tunes from your mp3 to inside your skull.

To get to grips with this product, we’ve examined the aesthetics, the sound, the design practicality, road tested it thoroughly and also considered what you get for your money.

Looks

The sport range of Sennheiser headphones tend to be sleek silvers and gun metal greys highlighted with vibrant colour. The CX380 Sport II range is no exception to this trend, sporting silver and grey on earphone itself, while cables and connectors are jacketed in a bright orange rubber.

One of the challenges in triathlon, both training and racing, is how to carry stuff with minimum inconvenience. On a long bike ride, it’s always good to have a stash of food and energy gels to hand, as well as a tool kit, spare inner tube, pump and rain jacket. Sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be enough space in your pockets or saddle bag. On a run it’s even worse.

A possible solution is to strap on a waist bag. We recently tested out one from Jeep. As you’d expect from something carrying the Jeep brand, the bag is well designed, tough and rugged. It seems shower proof too and may even withstand heavier downpours. It has one large compartment suitable for a tightly rolled gilet or small rain jacket and three slim zipped compartments for coins, keys and possibly a gel. One of the small compartments has a pull-out pouch for a mobile phone.

We thought the bag would be more useful for a day’s hiking or mountain bike exploring than serious running or road cycling. The strap lacks padding and can become uncomfortable on long runs and the lack of a dedicated bottle holding pouch is also a disadvantage (although this wouldn’t matter so much on a bike).

With the triathlon season drawing to a close, the days shortening and ground conditions softening, we asked Brett Hochfeld to test a pair of Walsh Spirit Lite trail shoes to help keep us running through winter. This is what he said:

Walsh has a distinctly British Heritage, and is one of the last remaining British athletic companies. The inventors of fell running shoes they have over 50 years experience designing shoes for some of the fell running’s best athletes.

Walsh’s pedigree is in fell running, racing up and down steep, loose terrain in muddy and often wet conditions. These shoes need to be light, durable, dry quickly, have excellent grip for the steep ascents and descents and be stable enough to prevent the ankle from rolling over. Although the Walsh Spirit is aimed at the trail-running market (rather than fell-runners), many of these design features have made their way across into this shoe.

The Spirit’s are extremely light, have a good lacing system and breathe well. The heel has a very rigid cup, to prevent the foot from rolling over on rough terrain. The soles are stiff, with deep studs throughout. Its classic Walsh Blue styling looks dated, but is a nod to the original Walsh Fell shoes that were the same colour with a dash of yellow. The original shoes have become cult hits in Japan.

An Ironman Machine.

The cogs and wheels of a bike are plain to see, but the components of human muscle are much less clear. A little background biology and some time invested in bike set up can help you towards faster, more comfortable cycling. There are consequences of the speed at which you pedal and the gears you use that can affect your race day performance. Your position on the bike can also improve your training and racing, whilst gadgets like tri-bars can see your splits shrink.

How Do Muscles Work And Why Does It Matter To A Triathlete?

A detailed knowledge of sports physiology may not seem like the fastest way to a new PB, but if you understand how your body works, you are in a better position to fine-tune it through training effectively than someone who is blindly powering through junk miles. We’ll start with the body tissues that get you up in the morning; muscles.