<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Travel - Duathlon247</title><link>http://www.duathlon247.com/index.html</link><description>Latest travel articles from Duathlon247</description><item><title><![CDATA[Raf's Corner: The International Duathlon of Gernika]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_5723.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Spain is renowned for holding some great multisport events and the International Duathlon of Gernika definitely falls in the category of great events! This month in Raf Baugh&#039;s corner Raf takes a look at one of the longest standing international duathlons and explains why it&#039;s a race not to be missed.



The month of April features what I believe is the world&rsquo;s premier non championship event- the International Duathlon of Gernika, on April 24th. Gernika is the famous site of the 1937 bombing by German and Italian forces during the Spanish Civil war and a subsequent commissioned painting by Pablo Picasso famously depicts the town http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(painting). Gernika is the historical home of the Basque parliament and a town with a rich and proud cultural heritage. 

In duathlon terms, the city hosted the 1997 World Duathlon Championships on a brutally challenging bike course and has had an International Duathlon dating as far back as 1989. The list of past winners is a who&rsquo;s who of Duathlon/Triathlon and outside of the World or European Championships attracts arguably the most top heavy field of any race in the world. Included on the winners list is Jonathon Hall, Spencer Smith, Javier Gomez Noya, Irma Heeren, Javier Garcia (5* Spanish Champion), Segio Silva and Vendula Frintova (2009 ITU World Duathlon Champion).

Race organizer, Cesar Ramos and his team have a big budget and the event is featured extensively in National print media, Basque Television (ETB 1) and through local media platforms. The race is now held in recognition of the late Paul Seco, a famous Basque athlete who died in tragic circumstances. An event is also held in Bilbao annually in his honour.

The course itself is a sprint distance of 5.2k run (2 laps) 27k bike (draft legal for pro and age group) and 2.6k run (1 lap). The run features a crowd of between 5,000 and 10,000 spectators (depending on the weather) and there is the famous &ldquo;African Drummers&rdquo; at the juncture of &ldquo;the hill&rdquo;, which athletes ascend and descend on each run lap. The atmosphere is electric as spectators negotiate around the course to gain the best vantage points. The bike course is a challenging out and back course to the beach and features continuous climbing and descending over rolling rather than mountainous terrain. Typically, the race splinters on the bike which is always indicative of a fair test for athletes overall strength.

Having spent a lot of time in Gernika over the past two years the best thing about this race is the hospitality and culture of the local people. The town really gets behind this race and rallies together to invite and welcome the best duathletes from around the world every year.

The funds to host the event are raised through both private and government funds and the profile and prize money grows every year. It is a race which has a great contribution from the people, teams and sponsors of the region, but particular mention must go to Cesar Ramos. This is a man who can recall all the great races and athletes who have visited Gernika, tell stories about how they raced and always has a laugh. He also appreciates a beer (or 10) so make sure you don&rsquo;t try to keep up with him if you go to the after party!
If there is one duathlon in the world a real duathlete should not miss, it is the International Duathlon of Gernika. I cannot recommend this event or organization highly enough. For the UK athletes a plane to Bilbao will have you within one hour of Gernika and easy access to a race to remember. 

For more details check out www.duatlongernika.com or email duatlongernika@yahoo.es ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Raf's Corner: Desert Classic Duathlon]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_5683.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Following on from Raf Baugh&#039;s (ITU World #3 duathlete) first article on &#039;the biggest short distance duathlon races in the world&#039; this month he takes us to the USA to what he considers as one of the finest quality duathlons stateside! It may have come a little early for duathletes who&#039;ve been dealing with a colder than normal European winter, but once you&#039;ve finished reading this article you&#039;ll seriously be considering adding it to your race calendar in the future - perhaps it could even be combined with a holiday and good some warm weather training!



February in the USA- Desert Classic Duathlon
I&#039;ve often wondered how big duathlon could be right now if the International governing body for the sport had started out in the USA and it had really caught fire. When you observe the Ironman juggernaut, you observe first hand a lot of key features in the American business model- a heady mix of relatively low regulation, excellent marketing and branding, and a can do/will do attitude. Anything and everything is possible in the USA. This month we take a look at what is happening at the moment in the USA duathlon scene.

In terms of our great sport, the American Duathlon circuit has been on the slow decline since the dizzy heights of the late 80&rsquo;s- when full-time multi-sporters raced duathlon and triathlon inter-changeably (Allen, Welch, Tinley, Molina etc), the Coors Light Biathlon  Series was in full flight, and America&rsquo;s own superstar- Kenny Souza was World Champion. In the 90s, the Dannon Duathlon Series continued to provide a showcase National Series for duathletes, but with the title sponsor choosing to redirect  =sponsorship to 5k running events the bottom fell out of the domestic scene.
 
Frequent World Championships in the USA this century (Dallas, Muncie, Richmond, Alpharetta, Concord etc) have normally resulted in stronger years at National Championships. A big positive has been the push by the Richmond area and USAT to really build the national championships and last year Richmond had a record 1200 participants looking for spots in the World Championship Team for Concord. However, the overall domestic scene is now quite sparse with a few National class events and no regularly scheduled events attracting significant interest from outside North America.

Most of the top US Duathlon races are in the late Winter/Spring as a prelude to tri season and better weather ahead. Some of the most popular include the Duathlon Nationals in Richmond (April), Powerman Alabama (April) and the very popular Apple Duathlon (May) in Sartell, Minnesota. All these races have a great history and are exceptionally well run, but the pick of the bunch in terms of quality in recent years would have to be the late Winter Desert Classic (late Feb).

The race is held in Arizona and started in 2000 when pro duathlete Kristi Kidwell and Maricopa National Park educator Terry Gerber designed and created the event. It was initially set up to fill a void in the Phoenix Racing calendar and served as a season opener for triathletes, but in more recent times the race director, John Lierle has restated his goals and the event now aims to become &#039;the number #1 short distance duathlon in America&#039;. A look at recent results shows that the event may already be close to it&rsquo;s stated objective. Past winners include Olympic Triathlon Champion Simon Whitfield, Ironman stars Samanatha McGlone and Desiree Flicker, Canadian Olympian Paul Tichelaar, 70.3 World Champ Joanna Zeiger and Dutch Duathlon star, Armand van Der Smissen.
 
The race is held over the 3.5mile/21mile/2.7mile distance with the runs over the desert trails of McDowell Mountain Regional Park and the bike a rolling out and back course. Prize Money is considerable at $4000US which no doubt helps attract many triathletes who are doing early season altitude training in surrounding areas such as Flagstaff, AZ. Arizona typically has good winter temperatures and climate which helps attract plenty of athletes to the area in the early season.

With a strong history and continued growth the Desert Classic is well worth considering if your stateside this February. The event takes place on February 28 - for more details go to www.desertclassicduathlon.com or else by emailing Jon Lierle (Race Director) at racedirector@desertclassicduathlon.com.
Till next month, good luck with the winter training.

Raf

]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Raf's Corner: International Duathlon of Lanzarote]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_5675.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[As promised a couple of weeks ago, Raf Baugh, the current World number #8 ranked athlete on the ITU duathlon circuit, will be writing a monthly blog outlining some of the biggest short distance duathlon races in the world. We caught up with Raf briefly to find out more about what&#039;s to come over the coming months:

&quot;I am very excited to be contributing to Duathlon247.com each month to help spread the word on the best Duathlon events around the world. I have been fortunate to be racing around the globe for the past four years and have had a taste of racing in a lot of great, and a few not so great, locations! I hope to give Duathlon enthusiasts an insight into some of the best events so you can lock them in your diaries and make a visit to some fantastic places. From Europe, to the America&#039;s, to Asia there are a host of great national level races that enthusiasts struggle to gain information about due to a lack of administration and information transfer. I am excited to be able to help promote these races through the great forum of this site.&quot;

Whether you&#039;re new or old to the sport, Raf&#039;s corner will be the place to come to, to find out about the races to watch or compete at in 2010.



The International Duathlon of Lanzarote

The International Duathlon of Lanzarote at Club La Santa is one of those races that sits all on it&#039;s own in the season. It seems an obscure time in the middle of the European Winter to race a Duathlon, but really it is a case of perfect timing!

The climate at Lanzarote and the Canary Islands provides perfect respite from the cold of the northern winter. Through January and February, the average day time temperatures are between 21-23 degrees and night time lows of between 13-15 degrees make the doona optional! It therefore provides the perfect conditions for a training camp or pre-season conditioning block with a break from the wind trainer and treadmill. For years, athletes from Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and the UK have trained in the region and often athletes from these countries have combined the camp with a competitive test at the sprint distance International Duathlon of Lanzarote. I have been told that the bike leg is very hilly and windy and dictates the outcome of the race. A quick look at past winners includes a host of famous Duathletes and Triathletes, including Benny and Joerie Vansteelant, Kris Gemmel, Rasmus Henning and Yvonne Van Klerken.

Locations like Club La Santa, with it&#039;s &quot;all-in-one&quot; service feel are very common through the south of Spain and allow the athlete to focus fully on training and building up a solid base for the upcoming season. As an cheaper alternative to the Canary Islands, I have often heard of French and Swiss athletes heading to the Costa Brava and having training camps with access to a 50m heated pool, coastal running trail and great cycling for 40 Euro a night with full meals and accomodation. 
As a note on timing, Spain is one of the few countries were both at a regional and national level there is a distinct &quot;Duathlon&quot; season through till May and there is also a plethora of &quot;Cross Duathlons&quot; running over the winter as well. This seasonality means that Spanish Duathlons often attract a much higher percentage of triathletes to the races and therefore a higher volume and quality of athletes overall.
 
While it seams logical for Duathlon to sit in the colder months before swimming is inviting (or indeed possible is some places!) Spain is one of the few countries to still congregate all it&#039;s major duathlons in the early season. This &quot;seasonality&quot; for Duathlons is in my opinion the best way forward for the sport. If done across Europe, it would allow specialists from all over the world to focus on a set block of competition with good financial returns for athletes of high calibre and also attract more Triathletes and Runners to compete on a regular basis.
 
If you have the chance to head south for the early season check out the Duathlon&#039;s in Spain. The Spanish federation website has the major national circuit races at www.triatlon.org but for regional events check out Catalunya www.triatlo.org or the Canary Islands www.fecantri.com. If you can&#039;t read Spanish get a conversation on your Google Toolbar or at www.freetranslation.com.


]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Diary of a La Santa virgin: Part 1]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_3536.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Purely in the name of research (lucky so and so...) we sent John Levison off to try at first hand the Canary Island triathlon mecca that is Club La Santa, Lanzarote.



I&#039;ve been competing in triathlons and multi-sport events for approaching 18 years now, and since a less than impressive start (263rd out of 266 finishers at the Telford Biathlon in 1990; nobody had coined the name Duathlon at that point...), I&#039;ve been lucky enough to:

  a) get better (not difficult after that start), and 
  b) race, train or coach in many overseas locations. 


South Africa, Malta, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Bermuda had all seen the bike box put to good use on at least one occasion each, yet oddly I had never got round to visiting perhaps the best known training venue; Club La Santa in Lanzarote. So, it seemed like a good idea to report on a first-timers view of a week in &#039;Lanza&#039;.

I visited in May this year, the week prior to Ironman Lanzarote (no, I wasn&#039;t racing!). While the Ironman event is organised by the Club La Santa team and  registration takes place there, the event itself takes place on the other side  of the island at Puerto Del Carmen. Still, there was a steady stream of hard-bodies wandering around as the race approached and the atmosphere grew. I was there with my partner  Colette, and Jenny (a.k.a. the Jenster), from Hillingdon Triathletes. We didn&#039;t go on an organised camp, (of which there are several available all year round if that&#039;s what you are looking for), so to give you a flavour of the type of thing you can do off your own back and with a little planning, here&#039;s our diary.

THURSDAY
Thursday was travel day. A fairly civilised 8.20am flight from Gatwick got us into Arrecife airport at around 12.30am. After collecting bags, clearing customs and sorting a taxi for the transfer, we checked in at around 3pm at Club La Santa. Taxi ride was approx 30/40 minutes and cost around 30 euro&#039;s. 
After dropping off the bags and getting our bearings, we went over to the sports booking office to collect our tokens. These give you access to all of the sports facilities, including the (free) bike hire which we would be using every day. It&#039;s also where you register (again, free) for any of the events and races which take place every week. These include 5km, 10km and half marathon running races, and of more interest to us, aquathlon, duathlon and triathlon events. These run year-round, all chip timed and results produced by early afternoon on race day. Very impressive. 
Our room was a pleasant surprise: I&#039;d heard that the accommodation was fairly &#039;basic&#039;. Colette had been out in La Santa last November (when Jenson Button was also training), and had compared the accommodation to her previous visit 15 years before - it hadn&#039;t changed much, although it was clean and does the job. So, my expectations were set fairly low. Granted, you don&#039;t really need or expect five-star luxury when you are going to spend most of your day eating, sleeping, training or lounging about knackered, but a few home comforts are nice... Fortunately, I think we must have either been upgraded or got lucky - our (booked) two-bed, one-bath apartment turned out to be a three-bed, two-bath: result! It was much bigger than I anticipated, very clean, with a large enclosed outdoor terrace (where we ate), dining table, lounge and plenty of space. Bathrooms were large wet-room style, with powerful showers (no bath). You can book rooms by &#039;colour&#039;, which determines the location on the site, and/or the facilities provided. For example, some apartments have televisions, washing machine etc. Club La Santa themselves describe their rooms as &amp;quot;basically and functionally furnished&amp;quot;, which is very fair. All in all, very fit-for-purpose. 
Our apartment was based right above the central &#039;Square&#039;, which which hosts  entertainment most nights. This did mean it was quite loud in the evenings, however the entertainment doesn&#039;t finish too late, so it wasn&#039;t a huge problem to us, but worth bearing in mind if you like your peace and quiet. The late-night disco is based well away from all of the accommodation in a separate building.
We were stopping at La Santa on a self-catering basis, though there are options for half-board, plus a range of restaurants and shops on site. There is also an internet facility, if you need your fix of web activity. 
After an early start and traveling, training was always going to be light today, so we just headed out for a short run of approx 6km, which took in 2 circuits of the La Santa complex around the lagoon.
FRIDAY
First real training today, starting with a pre-breakfast run. 3 laps (9km) of the 3km lagoon loop, steady pace. Even at this time of the morning, it was shorts and t-shirt weather. Although the loop this loop is not specifically marked, it is quite straightforward and also follows the weekly aquathlon course. We found it easier to stick to 3km loops than work out alternative distances and routes, though you can join in with organised daily runs should you prefer. 
After running and breakfast on the balcony, it was time to head out for some cycling. The sports booking office has a very useful cycling route book for a couple of euro&#039;s, which was to prove very useful during the week. I&#039;d recommend you buy one. It includes rides and route profiles from 14km up to the full 180km Ironman route. We settled on a route of around 60km through the fire mountains (Timanfaya) which, as you soon have to get used to in Lanzarote included some reasonable climbs and consistent wind. Ever triathletes, we&#039;d left our trainers at the Cycle Shed, conveniently based next to the 400m tartan track, and hoped off for a swift couple of laps of bike-to-run practice on our return.

For ease, we decided not to take our own bikes with us, and instead used the free hire machines. These were all Shimano Tiagra, 9-speed equipped Cannondale Synapse bikes; aluminum frames / carbon forks. We took our own pedals (though didn&#039;t actually need to, as they stock all the common brands), and they also have helmets available should you not take your own. Generally the bikes were fine; well used but not abused. Certainly a little heavier and less smooth than my own bike, but perfectly functional. If you fancy something a little more luxurious, carbon Six-13 models with Ultegra equipment are available for hire, for a fee.
After some food and a couple of hours relaxing, it was time for our first swim session of the week. The pool is a 50m, eight lane delight with slightly salty, rather than chlorinated water. While some lanes were booked out at certain times for swimming club camps, we never had a problem just turning up and getting pool access, and more often than not this would be a lane just for the three of us. You soon get used to the additional distance, which makes 25m pools back home seem very easy...


SATURDAY
Saturday followed a similar pattern to Friday, with a pre-breakfast run of 6km (quicker than prior days), then a longer ride of 75km on the &#039;Cesar Manrique loop&#039;, which included over 1100m of climbing. Again, we tagged on another transition run, this time four laps of the track which after 100m actually felt surprisingly good. Lunch at the Pool Bar, and another hour or so of relaxation (sleep!) preceded a late afternoon swim session, a basic endurance pyramid totaling around 3km. All in all, another solid day at around five hours training, finished off with a takeaway pizza in our apartment. 



SUNDAY
Now, initially we had planned to take a day off running today, as Monday would see two races (Duathlon &amp;amp; Aquathlon). Also, we wanted to fit in a longer ride on one day while here. However, plans went a little off track when we went to pick up some bikes in the morning, only to find they had all been booked due to a bike tour. To this point, we hadn&#039;t reserved bikes (which you can do the day before). Lesson learned, and after that we made sure we had booked each day. We could however come back just after 10am, and pick up any bikes that hadn&#039;t been taken.
So, change of plan and we headed out for a run instead. We did another three laps (9km) of the lagoon, and actually ended up running much faster and feeling a lot better than any of the previous days. Returning to the bike shed at 10am, luckily three bikes were available. With a late start, today&#039;s biking would be short and sharp since you can only book the freebie bikes for half-a-day at a time, and we did a swift 25km heading out through La Santa village to Tinajo, and back via Soo. Again, very windy and some hard tempo effort done, even downhill, into the wind. 
Today&#039;s swim introduced a little bit of speed to keep us honest, and totalled 2.4km for me and 3.1km for Jenster. Colette by now wasn&#039;t able to swim due to a recurring shoulder injury, and she used her time for stretching and rehab exercises. 


Come back tomorrow for part two and the remainder of our week in Lanza, including all of our race efforts... (part two)]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Travel with your bike]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_3428.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[There are three schools of thought about transporting a bike
to a distant location; box it, bag it and bring it naked. Of the three I have
to say that I simply don&#039;t trust anything other than the first but I know plenty
of people who use bags and swear by them and as for naked transport (unless it&#039;s
mandated by the size of the aircraft) I&#039;d rather ride the damn thing there! This
article is going to show you the principles of how to box up a bike - we have
used a Sci-Con box which is one of the more deluxe models but the general techniques apply to pretty much all the types.

Step one is to strip the bike of all the bits that you know will have to come
off anyway. And, while that sounds obvious, I&#039;ve lost count of the number of
times I&#039;ve forgotten to remove the pedals before the wheels are off and that&#039;s
just the first mistake. So, while the bike still looks like a bike and can stand
up on its own you want to remove the pedals, the tribars (if you know, or even
think, they won&#039;t fit), any rear-mounted drinks systems, the computer, etc. Once
that&#039;s done the wheels come off and the packing can start. Both the boxes we
own; that&#039;s the Sci-Con and a smaller Elite box, have dedicated compartments
for the wheels so they get packed first. You&#039;ll need to let some air out of the
tyres - quite a lot in the case of the Sci-Con - to get them to fit into their
recesses and it is always recommend that you use a spare set of cheap skewers
to hold them into the case rather than the nice ones because the ends outside
the box can get whacked. Where the wheels are just laid in the box it is strongly
advised that the skewers come out to prevent them snagging anything.
As well as the bike and the box you will need lots of bubble wrap, some rags
for the oily bits, a supply of zip ties - I use re-useable ones but if you can&#039;t
get them remember to pack extras for the return journey, and a load of pipe insulation
for padding the frame and things like the pump.






An empty Sci-Con looks big enough to swallow anything. In the
second shot you can see the wheels stow away into the recesses in the lid. That
writing on the box are the vital measurements so we can make sure it&#039;s correctly
set up when we re-build it.



The eagle-eyed will spot that the rear wheel is the &#039;wrong way round&#039; in the
picture - that&#039;s deliberate so you can see that the rear wheel is the one on
top. In the later pictures it&#039;s the right way round with the sprockets protected
in the lid of the case.







The frame drops in but it&#039;s often easier to pop the bars off
the stem. You can see the strap for the head tube/stem at the top of the case.
The two holes in the handle are for security zip ties.




Although there&#039;s plenty of room in a Sci-Con box, it&#039;s one of the roomiest
there is, it&#039;s often easier to pop the handlebars out of the stem so the fit
in neater. With a modern Ahead-type stem it&#039;s simply a case of removing the front
plate. Never, ever, be tempted to remove the stem from the steerer as this will
loosen up the headset and unless you know what you are doing that&#039;s something
you don&#039;t want to have to be adjusting on race day. At this stage the frame is
just loose in the box, you need to sort a couple of things out first before it
gets strapped in.






Release the tension on the rear mech before removing it. Note
the rear dropout protector.



Probably the single most vulnerable part of the bike is the rear mech and
if that gets bent you&#039;ll be in serious trouble. And, if the rear mech gets a
whack then the mech hanger will probably also get bent. Double trouble! The
60 seconds it takes to remove it is worth it. The first thing is to unhook the
control cable so that there&#039;s no tension in the mech and to do this you&#039;ll have
to push the jockey wheels into the middle of the bike - as though you were changing
up to a bigger sprocket. Use light pressure only and you&#039;ll feel it move in and
then the cable outer can be unhooked from the little housing that&#039;s on the chain
stay. Once the tension is off you can remove the rear mech by unscrewing the
single hex bolt that holds it to the dropout.
What I recommend you do then is to fit a rear dropout protector into the frame,
most local bike shops will have plenty and normally give them away, and, because
I can, I normally zip tie the protector to the frame so it can&#039;t fall out. That
both holds the rear frame of the bike in position and gives you something to
tie the rear mech to once you have wrapped it in some rag or bubble wrap. To
stop the chain flapping around and scratching the frame you wrap it in rag and
then zip tie the whole bundle to the chain stay. This also helps to keep the
chain on the inner chainring where it&#039;s out of the way.






The Sci-Con uses three anchor points to hold the frame suspended
in the case; stem, saddle and bottom bracket.


Now it&#039;s time to strap everything into place. The Sci-Con has three mounting
points; one for the bottom bracket, one for the saddle/seat tube and one for
the stem/top tube. Because the bike being boxed in the photos is a small one
it&#039;s possible to just  drop the saddle to its lowest position and not have
to bother taking the seatpin out. However,  that means  extending
the strap - hence the heavy duty zip tie between the case and the strap itself.
Once all three straps are tight the frame is effectively suspended in the middle
of the box.






First to go in are the essentials and then anything else that&#039;s
light and will help to pack the frame in tight.


Now the essentials are sorted you can begin to fill in the gaps. First to
go in are the bits you took off the bike; pedals, tribars, hydration system,
a mini track pump (that&#039;s in some pipe insulation and strapped to the down tube)
and the essential tools to put is all back together again. I always pack a pedal
spanner, workshop allen keys in 4mm and 5mm, a mini tool kit for smaller jobs,
a spare set of tyre levers, tubes, a spare tyre and a tape measure so you can
set the bike up correctly at the other end - that&#039;s what the numbers on the inside
of the box are for, to remind you of the saddle height and the distance from
the saddle to the bars.
Once these bits are bubble wrapped and packed in it&#039;s a matter of fitting
anything else that&#039;s light and compact into the spaces so there are no voids
left. In go the bike shoes, helmet in a pod, trainers, bags of energy food and
all the bottles. Once the case looks like the picture on the right a sheet of
corrugated cardboard cut from an old bike box acts as a separator between the
frame and the wheels and the case gets closed up.
One thing that you don&#039;t put in the box are CO2 canisters - not unless you
want to be unpacking your box at the airport. Technically the regulation is nonsense
- the risk of a CO2 canister exploding is about as likely as you winning the
lottery - and some flights will let you get away with it but all it takes is
one officious inspector and its bits and pieces all over the floor as they make
you take the whole thing to bits.
After some experience with boxes going abroad I now secure ours with heavy
duty zip ties - I have  drilled  holes through the handles to take 
extra ones. While using the combination locks or padlocks will give an illusion
of security - if someone wants to get in they will rip these off anyway, wrecking
the box in the process -  if you are flying to the USA you should use the new
approved ones that the inspectors can open or they will cut them off anyway!
You should also use duct tape over the catches as these are the most vulnerable
parts and early Sci-Cons did tend to get them whacked off it they weren&#039;t protected.
Wheels are the other vulnerable area - you can tell a rental fleet Sci-Con by
the fact that it has generally lost a wheel or two... ...that&#039;s why airports
provide baggage trolleys!
If you do detect any damage to the case when you arrive you should immediately
photograph it and report it to the baggage handling people. Once you are out
of the baggage hall you won&#039;t have a hope of putting in a claim so better to
start the process and then drop it than not start it at all. If the frame is
packed out well with soft material between it and the case the risk of damage
inside is small - and this is where bags can let you down as you often cannot
detect any damage to the outer which might alert you to the cargo inside being
compromised. That said, in the main, baggage handlers seem to be aware that bikes
are a) delicate and b) expensive and so likely to cause them more hassle than
they need if they damage them. A horde of angry triathletes is a fearsome prospect
at the best of times. And, after all, you did insure the thing... ...didn&#039;t you?
Remember that if you hired the bike box you are responsible for it and given
that the good ones run to several hundred pounds a pop it&#039;s worth making sure
that it&#039;s covered.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nutrition and the travelling triathlete!]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_3431.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[With several hundred GB age groupers preparing to jet off to Vancouver next week for the 2008 World Championships, Sports Dietician Melissa Arkinstall has some timely nutrition tips to help you arrive in top condition.



For many athletes, competing overseas is an exciting challenge. A race abroad could be a major focus of the season that has involved months of preparation, such as an age group championship, a half or full ironman or a &amp;ldquo;dream destination&amp;rdquo; event. However, long periods of travelling and staying in an unfamiliar environment can present challenges for the athlete who wants to arrive in the best possible shape to compete. Different time zones, meal times, unfamiliar foods, language barriers, restricted or unrestricted access to food, digestive problems and change of climate are just a few examples.

Fortunately, with a little forward planning, there are practical solutions to help deal with all of these problems...

Before you leave
Do a little research! Either use the internet (web sites or forums), or speak to people who have been to your destination. See if you can find out some  basic information such as:

  Where the local supermarket is.
  What are the opening hours? 
  Are there any recommended local cafes or restaurants with athlete-friendly meal choices  and fast service (or ones to avoid!!).
  Can you  buy your favourite basic foods there? 


It&amp;rsquo;s best to pack a few lightweight &amp;ldquo;essentials&amp;rdquo; in your luggage; eg tried and tested pre-race meal foods, breakfast cereal, cereal / fruit bars, sports drink powder, dried skimmed milk, trail mix. If you have any special dietary needs, be prepared; eg take some gluten-free bread and muesli if you  have coeliac disease. Find out if you  can buy your favourite sports drinks / gels / bars abroad (see if there is a supplier in your destination country), or if you need to take your own. If  taking sports drink powders, ensure that you carry an unopened pack as you may  not be allowed to transport suspicious packages of white powder, strawberry flavour or not!

Learn a little lingo! You don&amp;rsquo;t have to become fluent in the native mother tongue, but a few key words and  phrases can be really handy for reading menus and food labels. For example  &amp;ldquo;without, fat, sugar, oil, fried, grilled, boiled, spicy, well done, raw, plain&amp;rdquo;and names of basic foods. Grab a phrase book for emergencies!

On the plane, train or in the automobile!
In-flight meals and train buffet cars are not too concerned about catering for athletes and food choices are often too high in fat and too low in carbohydrate for a triathlete. On a flight, if you can pre-book your meal, ask for a vegetarian, vegan or low fat meal (usually higher in carbohydrate and lower fat). Or take your own supplies from home or bought at the airport. Check the regulations regarding what you can take on a plane; eg liquids up to 100ml  only. Ideas for DIY snacks include sandwiches, whole-grain crackers, fruit  bread, bagels, dried fruit, muesli bars, rice crackers.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
The dry air on a plane can significantly increase the chance of dehydration on long flights, this can mean that you arrive feeling tired and  groggy. If you have then just landed in a warm climate, this can be exacerbated leading to headaches fatigue and mild constipation. To guard against this, make sure that you buy a large bottle of water at the airport once you have been  through security (it IS worth carrying it as many in-flight drinks are only 125-150ml in volume!!). Avoid alcohol and too much tea, coffee and undiluted juices as these are not the best drinks for optimising hydration!

When you arrive...
Continue to look after your hydration needs. If you have travelled to a warmer climate than at home, for the first few days you may notice that your sweat seems to leave a lot of salt on your skin. Replace this by using a sports drink containing electrolytes or add a little salt to your food. After seven to ten days, your body will have adjusted your sweat concentration to conserve more sodium and you should find it easier to stay well hydrated.

If you have travelled across several time zones, set your watch to local time as soon as you are on the plane and eat, drink and sleep at local meal times as soon as you arrive. If practical and if you have little time before competing on arrival, you could try adjusting your meal / sleep patterns in the two to three days before you leave. Eat a meal containing carbohydrates before bed to  raise sleep-inducing serotonin levels and in the morning, include protein at breakfast to help you feel more alert.

Remember food safety! Find out if bottled water is recommended for drinking, cleaning teeth etc or if tap water is safe. Avoid high-risk foods such as raw or undercooked&amp;nbsp; meat / fish, shellfish, food from street vendors and unwashed fruit and vegetables (if tap water is unsafe it may be advisable to peel fruit and vegetables if eaten raw, boiled vegetables should be fine).

Finally, remember to try and keep your eating habits as similar as  possible to at home, don&amp;rsquo;t overeat just because food is there (eg hotel buffets, snacks handed out on planes) and don&amp;rsquo;t allow yourself to get too  hungry by being unprepared. Take a little time to plan and you can relax and  enjoy the trip knowing that you are fuelled to fly!



Melissa has ten years experience as a State Registered Dietitian and qualified as a Sports Dietitian in 2002. She can be contacted for nutrition and diet consultancy by email, and will also be taking her own advice as a member of the GB age group team flying to Vancouver and Rimini this year.  ]]></description></item></channel></rss>
