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My first event of the year. I’d never attempted a Duathlon before so this was an opportunity to get out on the new bike without any swimming concerns – plus a chance to ride the famous Grand Prix circuit.

Myself and Chris got there in ample time and were relieved to see that some people had mountain bikes so our fears about coming last were rested slightly. On the other hand transition was quite full of some serious bike porn. It was clear that the chance of wide smooth traffic-free tarmac had attracted quite a number of competitors who’d be looking at very quick times.

The schedule was a little worrying, pre-race briefing at 18:50, race start and 19:00, prizes at 20:00! Maybe I could wave at the medal winners whilst I completed my last couple of laps! Then during pre-race briefing the organizers explained that the revised GP circuit now meant the bike leg would be 12 miles rather than 10.

Anyway, the race started well I did my first 2 miles at a quick (for me) 7.04 and 7.16 before heading through T1 onto the bike. T1 wasn’t too bad, but I failed to clip in properly on the mount line which is just before a steep hump back bridge. The bike flowed quite easily and sharp corners for cars became fast bends on a bike, I think my splits probably got quicker over the 3 laps. I’d planned to spin down approaching T2 but enthusiasm for the speed got the better of me and I came in quickly then tackled the bridge again. This left me completely ruined for the 1st lap of the 2nd run, by the second lap I’d got my breathing back and felt some power come back into my legs.

All done at 1hr10m46s, which for me was a great result – especially considering the bike stage was longer than expected.

Things I can take from this race
- First run pace was good.
- Need to practice clipping on with the new shoes
- More biking required, I’d only done a little over 100 miles ever prior to this
- Stick to the race plan, a few seconds of over enthusiasm prior to T2 may have cost me minutes on the second run