Tweed Coast Enduro Roll Call

I am in the enduro, but not real fit and Achilles issue, so may start run at do at least first 10-12km and see how feeling. a bit of a pussy move but want to back up for Mooloolaba and Cairns

I am also thinking about doing the race without any watch or power meter etc as its more a training race. Has anyone here ever done that.? What was it like?

After finding out that I'm not expected to start until around 0810, meaning that I'll be finished at around 1310, I've completely lost the interest in racing. Seriously considering the Aquabike instead. As someone who swims really calm trying to just make it to T1 without assistance, it opens the door to push a bit more in the drink and then really empty the tank on the bike and race it as hard as I can. That fills me with excitement.

Feeling like a bit of a sook for pulling the plug though. Thoughts?

It is, but even on QLD time that's a 10am run start. It's going to be cooking.

So, according to the provisional start lists there are 22 provisional starters in my aquabike age group (50-54) and 15 in the next (55-59). Qualifying points are awarded down to 20yh place, but are calculated as as at the athletes age on 31 December 2024 (so I’ll be racing for points in the 55-59 category. I wonder how many from my category will be ‘aging up’, and how many in the next will actually will be racing for points in the 60-64 year category?

I’m not feeling confident as i came down with a heavy cold last Saturday and spent the weekend in bed after doing my Saturday morning 3km ocean swim at North Bondi. I haven’t cycled past 2 hours for 4 years, but I did do a 2:15 brick a week ago (25 minute swim, 1:50 hours on the smart trainer at 75-80% FTP). So I’m hoping to be able to ‘hang on’ for the last hour. I hope I get some points, but at the end of the day, this is just a last training brick before the National Chmaps (so double qualifying points) at Husky in 8 days time (although the competition there should be even greater). In short, I’m not ready, don’t expect to be at optimal fitness until around November, but someone decided to have the qualifying races now and not - as logic would suggest - next summer. I’ve only been cleared to actually train since September - due to some chronic reflux related issues, so all I can do is my best with my pitiful fitness. At least there are two or final qualifying races next summer if I have to and am prepared to travel to Canberra, WA and Tassie. I’m definitely in for the Aquabike at challenge Canberra in November, so hopefully Tweed, Husky and that is going to be enough. 

BTW - does anyone know what the likely water temperature for Mooball creek will be? I’m packing tomorrow and am trying to squeeze everything into a bike bag (23kg limit) and a duffle bag (7kg take on limit). So a likley ‘no wetsuit’ ruling will help me save a kg on the packing …

Thanks. So a choice between two old tri suits. Decisions. Decisions. 

They definitely did supply Hammer electrolyte drinks on the run course but I've only every relied on my own drinks for the bike so I can't say for sure if they supplied Hammer drinks or just water on the bike. Pretty sure they would provide electrolyte as well. 

Greetings. I got my arse handed to me. First time I’d ridden more than 45km on the road since 2019; first time cycling past two hours (even on the smart trainer) since Covid. I was running out of energy by 45km and gassed on the last lap (it didnt help that the aid station heading back towards transition stopped handing out water and I’d thrown both water bottles out as I approached; by that stage the temperature was 32 degrees, and up to 35 in places - the next 6km were pretty uncomfortable until I resupplied on the way out on my last lap. This mucked up my nutrition strategy for the last lap, as I was planning on taking one two gels and a whole bidding of water in those missing 6km & boy did I feel it. Gassed.

As anticipated, given that it was a WC qualifier, even the aquabike field was pretty full. I didn’t think id end up earning any qualifying points, but it looks like I will pick up a few. Next week is Huskisson and a change of strategy is warranted - drop my power by an avg 5-7 watts for the first 60km (2 laps) of the bike. This is a national Championship (double points), and I reckon Huskisson will be stacked; so I doubt I’ll earn any points. This particularly pisses me off because the major qualifier is 18 months prior to the Townsville WC race & whilst I am generally satisfied with my progress from zero fitness in September to being able to undergo strenuous exercise for 4hrs now, I know I’ve got a full 12 months work to get back to a standard where I can do a 2km/90km aquabike in 3:30 or better, rather than simply surviving in around 4hrs. So it looks like I’ll still need to do the Aquabike qualifiers at Challenge Canberra in November and 70.3 Tasmania next February.

Glad to know I wasn’t imagining the tide running against us: noticeable at the first turn. I was swimming about 1 minute / 500M slower than my present swim fitness would indicate was possible. Swim times include the longish run into transition. I didn’t notice any swim splits under 29:30 in the results, which after deducting a couple of minutes for the run, still indicates a best swim time of around 27:30 - which is slow for a bunch of triathletes who are giving 4hrs a nudge for a HIM.

Selection is the combined points from an athletes three best races. The National Championships is worth double points. For some inexplicable reason TA chose this year’s national championships at Huskisson this coming weekend as the designated national champ qualifier, rather than next year’s championships. 

Whilst I finished 17th (go me, lol), points are actually allocated according to my age as at 31 December 2024 - which puts me in the next age group (55-59) & my time would place me twelfth. However, I have no idea how many other finishes in my current AG will age up in the same basis, or how many in the next will graduate to the 60+ AG. 

Husky next weekend troubles me, because the overall field should be around two to three times as large as Tweed Coast, so I’d expect the Aqua Bike age groups from 50-65 to have in excess of 30 starters in each of them. I’m not going to kid myself that a 4hr Aquabike is going to good enough. I think the actual benchmark for qualifying (best 3 races) will be blokes who can finish in under 3:30. Which was always going to be an 18 month project for me, given my appalling fitness and general health when I committed to this journey back in spring last year. So, while I’m grateful to have earned a few points last weekend - and to have set a relevant benchmark with lots of data for my present fitness - if I am to qualify for Townsville I reckon I’ll be reliant on a really good winter training program this year and strong results in Canberra and Tasmania next season. The good news is that Mark Newton has agreed to work with me over the next 12 months starting after Husky. 

So rereading the selection policy - TA may choose 25 (not 20) athletes per age group for each WC event, and points will be awarded down to 25th place in any qualifying race (with points determined by the finish times and the athlete’s age as at 31 December 2024).