In the article below Duathlon247 columnist and one of Great Britain's most popular duathletes, Jez Cox, has put together a UK Autumn duathlon season preview. The races sound so challenging, exciting and fun it makes you want to get your entry in straight away - after nearly four-years of retirement from the sport it's certainly made me want to get back on my bike and start training again...

As the summer triathlon season winds down the UK Duathlon scene really hots up and works it’s way through a series of tough and exhilarating road duathlons before the winter off road races kick-in. In Europe these are known as ‘Cross Duathlon’ and come to think about it it’s about time the UK caught up so (rewind….) that’s when the Cross Duathlons kick in over here.

Although this summer has seen the number of July and Autumn duathlons growing with incredibly tough events such as the Gower Duathlon in Wales and the Tan Hill Duathlon in Yorkshire it is still the Autumn that harbours some of the longest running and best known events. One of the advantages of the Autumn events is that they tend to be shorter than the Spring classics such as the Clumber Park Duathlon and the Nemesis that is ‘Ashbourne’. Lots of the Autumn races follow a 5k/20k/3k or similar format. This allows duathletes the opportunity to compete in more events with less recovery time needed in between. They are the perfect way for a triathlete to wind down and the best way for a duathlete to wind up.

Here’s my pick of the best the Autumn has to offer with a little insider knowledge; in chronological order naturally:

Chelsea and Westminister Health Charity London Duathlon - Challenge Distance

Date: Sun 13th September 2009 | Location: Richmond Park | Distance: run 9k / bike 20k / run 5k

The London Duathlon is, by number of competitors, the largest duathlon in the world and takes place in the tranquil surroundings of London’s cycling mecca that is Richmond Park. Just watch out for the deer which regularly cross the road as cyclists and runners go past!

Race Tip: It is an event which favours the runners with a proportionally shorter bike leg than a normal classic distance race. However; lots of time can be made up by planning ahead on the bike. Stronger bikers will find themselves passing lots of cyclists on the road so if that’s you, try to use those you are passing as targets to catch and work your way along. Even if you only catch a few they will have given you something positive to focus on during the bike leg.

Hillingdon Summer Club Duathlon Series Race 7

Date: Mon 14th September 2009 | Location: Hillingdon Cycle Circuit, Minet Park, Hayes | Distance run 1mile / bike draft-legal 10mile / run 1mile

Although the last of Hillingdon’s year long duathlon series is on a Monday night it does provide a unique opportunity as it is a draft-legal race. It presents a great chance for people to experience a short, sharp and often closely fought drafting duathlon in which the 10mile bike leg is sandwiched between two very short 1mile runs. It’s all based on the purpose built Hillingdon cycle circuit and so you are left to just get on with the racing without worrying overly about safety.

Race Tip: Take the first run hard but be aware of who is around you. Ideally you want to end the first run in a small group who are going to work together to make up time on the bike. If people can’t or don’t work with you on the bike and you are strong enough then don’t wait. Drop to the back, swing to the outside (carefully!) and attack. Then settle down again. If you’re not feeling like Lance though then ‘sit it’ and enjoy the ride whilst drafting along and being allowed to (then open a can of woop-ass on the final run before apologising to those who were in your group on the bike).

The Ipswich Duathlon

Date: Sun 20th September 2009 | Location: Alton Water Leisure Park, Holbrook, Suffolk | Distances: Run 5k / Bike 23k / Run 5k

The Ipswich Duathlon is now in it’s seventh year and it is well known for it’s testing bike course. The two 5k runs start with a run along a reservoir’s Dam wall and then after a few undulations settles down to be a flat run and the bike leg has a sting in the tail with the climbs of Bourne Hill, Brantham Hill and "The Stutton Struggle" coming in the second half of the bike leg.

Race Tip: Two tips for the price of one!: A wide, dead straight start in du usually means one thing: people start too fast! Pace out your own run. Now, on the bike course, with those three climbs at the end it’s also a case of measuring things out. Make sure you haven’t already killed yourself by the time you get to them and when you do, remember to spin because churning a big gear over them wont help your final run at all.

Carsington Duathlon

Date: Sun 4th October 2009 | Location: Carsington Water, Derbyshire | Distances: run 5k / bike 30k / run 5k

This is another race with a long history and a list of previous winners which reads as a who’s who of the sport in the UK. It’s effectively the little brother of the Ashbourne Duathlon which is held in April. It uses much the same course but is around half the distance. This race may suffer this year from being on the same day as the Oulton park national series not far down the road in Cheshire. On the other hand though this could be a chance for athletes not competing at Oulton Park to grab some glory for themselves at when has to be described as the home of British Duathlon. The course incidentally was the scene of the last Powerman UK in 2005, a race in which the late Benny Vansteelant literally crushed the opposition.

Race Tip: The first run is an almost flat and gravely affair. Hang in there and save a little for the bike leg and it’s climbs to Middleton Top and the one just before it (which escapes my memory but not my lungs). These are fairly long steep climbs but their gradient tends to be consistent and so your effort needs pacing out carefully over them. Sit back in the saddle and spin. Concentrate on slow deep breaths and work on maintaining a rhythm.

Stirling Duathlon - Scottish Championships

Date: Sun 11th October 2009 | Location: Scottish Swimming Academy Stirling University | Distances: run 10k / bike 40k / run 5k

This year’s Stirling Duathlon incorporates the Scottish national championships as well and as such is a classic 10k/40k/5 k distance event. It is held amongst some of the most stunning scenery that the region has to offer. This event also has a sprint and junior du run alongside it and so it appears to cater for all. The prizes as well as the scenery may also attract athletes from across the boarder too with £300, £200 and £100 on offer for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the championship race. I took part in the Scottish Championships myself in 2005 and was honoured to come 3rd as an English man and it was great to see how fiercely fought for every position was in such a proud nation.

Race Tip: There aren’t a massive number of Scottish duathlons and with this being the National Championships it can be easy for an athlete to become ‘over hyped’. Try to chill out on race day and remind yourself why you love doing this. Usain Bolt is the epitome of cool and look how he performs. Chill and perform better. The dictionary definition of an Olympian actually reads (believe it or not) 'a person of super-human calm and detachment'. Read that again and remember it.

The New Forest Sandy Balls Duathlon

Date: Sun 25th October 2009 | Location: Sandy Balls Holiday Park | Distances: run 6k / bike 20k / run 5k

The New Forest has got to be one of the most perfect places to race and train in the UK. It has wonderfully smooth roads, a blanket 40mph speed limit and seemingly the perfect combination of smaller rolling hills and flat lands. The off-road running is also exquisite and the Sandy Balls (stop sniggering at the back!) Duathlon makes perfect use of all of this. This race could be seen as the perfect ease out of the road Duathlon season and into the Cross Duathlon window with it’s mix of heath land off road trails and smooth tarmac sections. After the finish there is the option to use the site’s Jacuzzi and swimming pool. Enough said.

Race Tip: When racing in the New Forest in 2003 I had the misfortune of seeing current Pro Jonathan Hotchkiss crash right in front of me on the New Forest’s own front door scraper, the dreaded Cattle Grid. It wasn’t pretty. He would be the first to admit that we both learnt from the experience. So if you follow one simple rule they will never cause you a problem: always ride over them in a straight line. Make sure you square up to it and then hold a straight line over it. Freewheel and relax as you glide over it. Slowing down can actually make it more dangerous!

Merrell MudMan

Date: Sat 21st November 2009 | Location: Camberley, Surrey | Distances: run off-road 7.5k / bike off-road 15k / run off-road 7.5k

And so begins the Cross Duathlon winter season with a whole series of well organised, mud embracing (if you don’t embrace it it will embrace you!) events. The Merrell Mudman is one such popular event which is held on steep undulating trails with energy sapping gravel paths and what the organiser describes as ‘dirty trail runs’. The forest setting will be a welcome change from all the road based summer multisport events and it’s an event where it’s easy to feel that you are taking on the terrain rather than your fellow competitor. This in itself is a big part of it’s appeal.

Race Tip: This event is known for it’s short and steep inclines on the run. You should tackle these by taking short sharp steps rather than trying to stride up it. Use you arms as the metronome for your legs. Sharp, quick arm action on the hills will normally instigate a similar leg action. Once over the top allow four to five seconds of slightly slower running just for the heart rate to drop a few beats before lifting the pace again. Without this some find their heart rate and breathing take considerably longer to recover.

What a great and varied collection of races. There should be something in there to suit every taste. Good luck if you are tempted to try any of them. Don’t forget though, when you try, you always du. And that’s true.

Enjoy the Autumn!