Report by Robert Wright
First off thank you to the gods of weather who held off the rain for Cleveland sprints, the sacrifice is in the post. This is the first time trial triathlon that I have done, so it was all new to me. A rest in between events I hear you cry, we mock you with your inadequacy and lethargy. Well its not as easy as that, three times the nerves and three times the expectancy from myself to do better than if it was all in one go.
Three lanes greeted us on entrance to the pool, with swimmers going off at minute intervals, so time soon came around for us to enter the water. It was a lovely temperature, not the shock of cold pool water, but more a neutral bath water where your thinking should I get out or put more hot water in mmm. The lane was wide so you could pass swimmers, or be passed depending on your ability without a problem, 18 laps later and the float was in telling me I had two laps left to complete the required 400 m.
I would say a majority of the 100 entrants rode their bikes the 2 miles from the pool to the bike start, but we decided not to and took the car . Competitors were sent off at one minute intervals, with a push start if you wanted it, but no matter how much you pleaded or offered bribes, they would not let you off earlier to catch your twin brother, that meant I was going to have to try it the hard way. I had never experienced a push start before, but it all went off without a problem well the marshal had done 62 before me that day.
A fast bike course on quiet roads, great fun, as long as you like the feeling of burning muscles, the wet roads had basically dried up where the sun was able to shine on them, so only a few corners were hairy (trust in the tyres, trust in the tyres). I can remember a couple of times that I was in my lowest gear and only one significant short steep hill. There was a fast right hand turn after a hill descent, which could have caused problems for a few if they didn't know about it, but it was mentioned in the race details and well marshalled. If you rode your bike to the start you had to ride back, two extra miles, a cool down possibly, your choice, as I said before we had taken the car, so a leisurely drive back interlaced with tales of bike heroics on the wet bits.
The run was fast, with a steady but mild incline on the way past the Blue Bell pub (its in my BTF rule book that there must be a pub on the run, admittedly its at the back and in crayon, but its in) and up to the round about by the garden centre, all with spray paint markings to keep you on the right track. Then it was into a green belt with a wide combined twisting bike and foot path, a left hand turn at a marshals car and you were heading back to the sports centre and the finish. Finished, finally, but it was done, been there got the T-shirt, bring on the next challenge.
Sun City finished as follows
33 Robert Wright 01.10.23
39 Chris Wright 01.11.29