My news archive

Archived "News of the Don"

May 2006: Commonwealth Games reflections

Dec 2005: Commonwealth Games Test Event

Sep 2005: European Championships

Jul 2005: Corner Brook World Cup

May 2005: Pre-season and Honolulu World Cup

Older issues are stored as Adobe PDF files:

A crazy 50m run down the beach in La Baule with the other 90 guys is a sweet way to start a race. You know it's going to be tough when the first buoy is only 150m away. This is the place to hone your skills as a triathlete, whether you’re a seasoned Pro or fresh behind the ears. This is where it's at, end of. I came out the water 15secs off the lead but there were about 40 other guys in between, nice ! I was lucky that the first 4 were my team mates (Go Beauvais). The bike was up and down the promenade 3 times which was nice as last year it was an Olympic distance (and so twice the distance), so it was a pleasure. We rolled round with most people just going through the motions waiting for the run. Once onto the run I thought it was 1500m race - the boys were shifting ! I dropped to about 40th thinking the Kenyan national team were racing, but thankfully after 1500m they all blew and I moved up the field managing to finish just outside the top 10 (in 11th) and second scorer for my team.

Everyone was supper chuffed as it secured 2nd overall in the FGP series to back up our 1st last year. The team was super happy and there was a party that evening that well was very very French!!! Top weekend (and the Sun was out). There are some pictures in the gallery, see pics 42, 51 and 56.

Top Team!

One week later and it was off to the South this time for the Coupe de France - a 5 man team time trial over the sprint distance. I had just been retooled by John Denis at Velomotion on my Giant TT bike so was keen to put the little pocket rocket to the test. Boy oh boy was it tested as we nailed a 44.2km/h average speed on a windy windy 20km bike leg, more than a minute quicker than anyone and dropping one of our team (the poor Russian) ! The run was a cruise as the clock stops when the 3rd person crosses the line and we knew we had a big cushion till the next team. Crossing the line was a holding hands classic 3 abreast, the French loved it!! It was an awesome weekend and my team are such good lads. I have been with them now for so many years it is a pleasure racing for them. Thanks guys.

Gold Coast - unofficial World Championships!

Courtesy Nigel Farrow I love racing, I really do, but there is something special about racing for your country. To put on the GB kit (even without a flag on it) is great. Sometimes I think we take it for granted but it is special, whether an age grouper or pro, to see everyone on the course with national kit on.

After Paris I had a few days at home in Loughborough to get ready for the long, long trip down under. We were going to be staying with Liz and Glen (Murray !!! congratulations on your recent marriage) for the first week, then move into the team hotel with the rest of the guys on the Wednesday before the race. The flight was long but painless - no lost bags or bikes, so all good there.

My build-up had not been too great but I was finding some decent run form and looking forward to racing. It was cool to hang out with the rest of the team and the support staff were great, I think we had 99 of them !! They were so geared to helping and making sure everyone was happy and ready to race. I did my last few tune up sessions leading into the race and felt pretty good and it was so good to see the U23 Girls kick some ass which shows there is some serious talent coming through!

Courtesy Nigel Farrow The swim was rough - the first buoy was crazy, it was only about 230m away from a beach start and I guess I did not handle the kicking too well as I had a below average swim. But once on the bike I felt strong and set about chasing the lead group. I knew we would catch them as they were messing around at the front. My small group could have caught them a lap earlier but it’s the usual story about people not working etc. All I know is I want to come off the bike in the lead group and to try and WIN (and that's where you need to be), so I work to get there, end of.

I had a shocking T2. I was near the front so thought, sweet, but ran past my run shoes... It was a nightmare, running back into the ‘traffic' for about 4 metres and I lost valuable time. I exited T2 about 10 seconds down which may not seem like a lot but at this level it is light years. I managed to hold the gap of about 15sec on a big group up the road for the first lap and even reeled them in a bit on the second, but running on your own compared to a group is chalk and cheese and I was about to be made Swiss cheese!! As the group in front started to attack a few of the boys came back to me and I gladly went past them. I ran solid for 16th about 1min off the podium.

One word - Alistair!!! What a race, what a year, fair play to the Yorkshire lad, the boy done good!!

The support out there was like racing in the UK at Windsor, it was crazy. I think the Ashes got all the Poms out and they were great. Thanks Guys!! Also Ben, my coach, was great, thanks man!!

Tim

Paris French Grand Prix

courtesy of Mathieu Beunier Great fun as usual racing with the Beauvais boys. They took it out hard in the swim, and had about a minute off the bike in the end. I was second pack but ran strong to take 7th with second fastest run split so happy about that. Also, I was second scorer and the team were second. Go Beauvais!!! Also a great hit out from the Avil, a solid second, looking good for U23 Worlds!

Image courtesy of Mathieu Beunier

The London races

Apologies for the inconsistent news updates. It has been a busy couple of months with two visits to St. Moritz to train at altitude, London Tri and the World Championship Series race in Hyde Park.

The first trip to St. Moritz was for most of July and with more of a squad thing going on. Fraser and myself arrived first and then were joined by Ben, Hollie and the Brownlee brothers after they had raced Europeans Champs. It worked really well and we did a few sessions together - boy those boys are strong! St. Moritz is just an awesome place to train. Perfectly placed at an altitude of 1800m, I lost count of the number of top class runners and cyclists I saw who use the miles of trails and smooth roads during the summer months.

Having done a really good block of training I was hoping to put that to the test at London but it wasn’t to be. It was really annoying. I had a great swim, getting out on Stannard’s feet, really hustled, as usual, out my wetsuit and to my bike. I thought we had a little break going and then I slipped over. My first thought was my shoes would come off my pedals, but they hadn’t. I put my chain back on as well, so I thought I had got away with it. But I couldn’t ride to save my life, my legs felt trashed, and I couldn’t go with the break. I rolled around in the 2nd group not understanding why I swam so well but couldn’t ride. For the first lap of the run (5km), I was still suffering from the ride, but ran a good second lap to finish 10th. It wasn’t till I was showing Marc Jenkins my HED wheels in transition that I realised what had happened. When I slipped over in T1, my brake block got knocked against the wheel, meaning I rode the whole 40km with my brake full-on! As I said, annoying and bloody frustrating!

Two weeks later came Hyde Park, and I was determined to show some form. The swim is quite tight in the Serpentine because it is so small, so there are a fair few turns which makes it more of a bun fight than usual. I got out about a minute down but wasn’t too concerned as I was with some strong bikers. There were several groups up ahead which we reeled in with some good turns from the Germans good working unit, and the leaders on lap 6. T2 was a bit messy with Vidal falling over and I was caught a bit behind him, but I ran up to the leaders and a group of us ran together till about 5.5km. I finished 9th, 41 seconds down and very much feeling my season was heading in the right direction. A solid race but having spent 4 days in bed between the two races is not ideal and having issues again with blood blisters in the last 3km on the balls of my feet!! I know there is a better result out there!!!

Then it was back to St. Moritz for more altitude work. This time it was just me, Ben and Hollie and we got Hollie in the kitchen cooking up a storm and had a few good meals at the Beach Club. We had a good 12 days to top up the cup so to speak and the sun played its part as well!!!

I’m going to race for Beauvais in the French Grand Prix at Paris on the way back to the UK for a couple of days before heading to the Gold Coast for the WCS Grand Final.

Oakley Armchair Sessions

This was a lot of fun with the Oakley boys: www.youtube.com/armchairsessions Apparently triathlon comes under the 'Traditional Sports' heading ?!?

Across the pond

Just back from the States, a successful trip racing the Washington World Championship Series and a week later, HyVee Elite Cup. First stop was Washington and it was great there was such buy in from the city and especially the mayo. I was staying 400m from the White House just like Independence Day!! It was so cool running round it and the Monument.

(c) 2009 Delly Carr The torrential rain the day before the race was not so welcome, and at one point there was talk that it would be a Duathlon ! There was so much debris in the water, branches, full on trees (not cool at all for such a big race !) that you had to keep your eye out for, not just the feet in front of you. The front group got away in the swim and stayed away. It was windy as, and also hard to organise a decent chase. I ran solid, nothing spectacular, to finish 18th and pleased to be back racing ! Legs felt sweet the day after so all good there .

Then it was onto Des Moines. It was super hot when we arrived, but some rain (and tornado warnings !!!) took the sting out of it. Chris Volley did a really good job for us there, so a big thanks is due to him, top man. Obviously it was a big money race and I wont deny that can affect how some people race, but my goal was to improve on last week and build on Des Moines for the 2 big races in London !!

I was just at the back of the lead group out the swim but had a good transition and caught them with Matty “Boom Boom” Reed at 2km. The bike was full on, attacks going all over the place - it was such good fun (and hard). Matty and Stu Hayes got away and looked like it was going somewhere. I was feeling strong and knew I would not have the run speed (yet !!) to go out with the boys, so had a little dig at 25km and Sapunov came with me. We worked well and built up a nice little lead, we just could not catch the boys up front but we gave it a go. I had a sweet T2 and ran OK. I held my form and was pleased to finish strong in 8th. A big improvement on the week before.

I am now in Switzerland for a big block of training with LLcoolFrase leading into the London events (Docklands and Hyde Park) and eventually World Champs on Gold Coast. Things are looking good and I’m loving racing and training so bring it on !!

Tim

Madrid WCS

My calf has not been 100% which as why I decided not to race in the cold at Strathclyde (Nationals) and was also the reason I didn’t finish at Madrid WCS last weekend. It’s been a frustrating time because I was in good shape and wanting to regain my British title and then have a good go in Madrid. But it’s a long season, with plenty more racing to come, so it is the right decision to rest in properly now, but boy do I want to be racing full on.

What a race from top man, Yorkshire Lad, Alistair. Now that's how you win your first ITU WCS race. Super chuffed for him, a truly world class performance. Awesome.

I head to the US shortly for Washington WCS and Des Moines World Cup. I don’t know what kind of run shape I’ll be in there but I have booked my flights . I know I’ve been swimming really well in training and getting miles in on the bike (as I couldn’t run), so I’m fit for sure, but we’ll just have to see how I’m running.

Hope everyone’s been enjoying the weather !

Laters
Tim

Korea WCS

As I said, it was a long way to go for one race but I really enjoyed being back racing on the circuit and catching up with a few of my mates and the different characters + personalities that make racing such fun. Delly Carr was also there taking some shots of us, a few of which you see on the site.

I was pretty happy with the race. I had a solid swim and it all came together on the bike pretty quickly. The pace was quite pedestrian at times, but then also pretty full on. Freddy went up the road and the Russians did right at the end and there wasn’t a lot of interest in chasing them down. I didn’t have the best T2, but a solid run, maybe ran out of gas on the last lap but those boys up front have got a few solid races under their belts this year.

Bring on Nationals and then onto Madrid.

Laters
Tim

The video is out

It was a lot of fun making it with Al and Hollie and I think Iain May has done a top job:

You can watch it HERE

Top week

Another solid week done, and only 2 left till the first ITU WCS race in Korea. I did a nice 5km on the road on Wednesday night with Ben’s development camp; it was a bit windy but all good. Then a bolt down to London for a cheeky curry (Aii !!!) on Friday night with the Downey's, and a little hit out on Saturday at the Ful-on Duathlon for Prologue Bikes. It was a 5km, 20km, 5km duathlon - the run was good fun, half off-road and with a night of rain, it was a bit slippery and my new custom Asics are new no more !!! A nice 5km loop on the bike and then the same run. Solid. It was a top race, everyone had a ball and there did seem to be a lot of Champagne at the end (get down to the next Ful-on Triathlon I say !!!!) Thanks guys, it was a sweet hit out.

8 days of training left then a quick flight to Korea (all 16 hours !!!). Can't wait.

Keep it in the big blade,
Tim

Giro report

Well I didn’t go to Australia in the end, and have been back in England for a couple of weeks.

After a really successful few days racing in the Giro del Capo, my calf was still tight and sore after my first run back. Ben and I agreed it was worth getting a scan, and the prognosis was initially not that positive. I did have a tear in my calf. Having felt in tip top shape, it was not worth risking going onto Oz if I wasn’t 100%. I came home and got it checked out in Loughborough. What we think happened was that my calf was sore, probably with a slight tear and Frankie (ace masseur) did as he was asked by me, which was work hard on my tight calf, not knowing it was a tear. His good work inflamed the damaged area so that when it was scanned, it looked miles worse than it was. So it was no way as serious as first thought, but I’m pleased I came back and got it checked out.

As I said, the Giro was really good. It was meant to be a 5-day stage race but turned it into 4 individual one day races. The first day was 106km, I finished 60th, 7.53 off the winner. Only about 80 or so out of the 180 starters made the cut-off. There were cross winds like I’ve never before experienced. It was some of the hardest riding I have done, just to stay on the wheel and out the wind - bloody Barloworld !!!!!!!

Day Two was 143km (3 laps with a dirty hill at the end of each lap), I finished 16th, 7.53 off the winner. It was hot !! It didn’t go under 40°C the whole race!!! In the first 20 min we rode 17km, I knew it was going to be tough! At the first hill it all broke up and a fair few dropped out due to the heat. I was straight on the team radio (oh yes, I had my earpiece) to get more water in true domestique style. I got about 7 bottles for the boys and it was wicked fun riding through the convoy of cars to deliver them. By this time there were 8 off the front and they stayed away. On the last lap it all broke up again, this time good and proper; I was on my own just off a small group of about 4 near the front. I got over the hill and put my head down. I had an Aussie for company and Ben singing the “Eye of the Tiger” from the team car on the radio to 'get me going ' for the last 2km. Nice. After the race it was straight to the team tent for the old “ice in your bib shorts” trick for about an hour eating Nutella sandwiches and protein shakes and bars!!!!!

Day Three was 171km, which included going up Franschhoek and I finished 26th just 46 seconds off the winner. This was the big day: an 8km climb and then a 10km climb and 10km descent to the finish. Again it was on from the start - no chill-out neutral zone. By the top of the first climb about 40km in, there were 2 groups left and we got to the top averaging 40km/hour and in that I had punctured and had to go back to the team car to change my wheel (nice one, Ben). I managed to ride back up to the second group which we caught on the flat on the other side. At this point I thought we had taken a wrong turn to THE SUN as it was topping out at 45°C still with another 110km still to go !! I think we must have drank all the water in Cape Town and we were even spraying our shoes as our feet had swelled up and were aching. On the last climb, after 2km, there is a tunnel about 200m long with no lights (everyone said it goes crazy in there and I wasn’t sure what they meant but I do now!) It felt like a Cavendish sprint and I was thinking we have another 8km of this! James, a Brit, riding for the Marco Polo team had a little crash, so I waited (and got a little rest) and then we worked well together to ride back up to the second group. We were about 30 seconds off the lead and I don't know how we didn’t catch them as I have never done through and off down a 10km climb, we were flying! It was harder than the climb!

Then there was a rest day and Day Four was 110km but I didn’t sign on as Ben was really pleased how I had raced the first three days and wanted me to have a full week back in triathlon training. As it was, my calf started playing up. I loved racing the Giro; it was so cool meeting new people in the peloton and my team mates DCM Chrome (thanks Candiec), you guys are bloody legends. Some solid bike miles and a lot of learning in the bunch. Loved it .

And since I’ve got back, training has gone well and even the weather has been half decent at times ! I was also around for the Garmin filming/photo shoot which was a lot of fun with Iain May who films Top Gear. As soon as the edit is done, I hope you’ll be able to watch it here.

So all is good, and I’m looking forward to Korea WCS at the beginning of May, bring it on !

Laters, Tim

The season ahead

It took a bit longer to work out than I expected but I now have a plan for the first half of the season I’m really looking forward to it having continued my good training since the IM 70.3 race. I’ve also slipped in a bit of racing, winning the Western Province Champs and a fast 5km on the road last week. I’m also racing the Giro del Capo as part of the Team DCM Chrome team, so I will report in next week with news of trying to survive in the peloton !

Cheers
Tim

Happy New Year everyone!

What a great start for me at the Spec Savers IM70.3 race in South Africa. I was fourth and have qualified for the World 70.3 Champs in November, so mission accomplished. The press conference was a good laugh and other than the swim recce being cancelled because sharks were spotted in the bay, I was relaxed going into it. It was a tough race, hotter than the sun, and of course, a brand new distance for me. I learnt a lot about myself and about racing the distance. Things didn’t go all my way but overall I really enjoyed it and the crowds/support was fantastic. My Mum and Dad were here watching as well because they are here on holiday for a month. Great result for Flavour Frase who was second and showed he will be a force on the 70.3 circuit again this year, and well done to the 10+ Brits who were racing.

It is mid January and I’m really pleased with where I’m at training wise. The long break at the end of last year did me a world of good, and I think having to prepare for my first ever 70.3 race (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1mile run) was a good motivator. When I was back in the UK for Christmas, I began to work out a race plan with Ben, and now this weekend is out the way, we will be firming it up. I had three weeks back in Loughborough which was great fun but oh so cold. The treadmill in the heat chamber got lots of use from me! I also picked up my new Giant TT bike from Bruce at Prologue (thanks for staying so late) and the extra time spent tweaking my position was well worth it because I was super comfortable.

Here’s to a good ‘09
Tim

2008 updates

Christmas greetings

I’m home now for Christmas having spent a really good month in Stellenbosch. Training has gone well, made all the easier by brilliant blue skies and 35+ degrees every day. It was good to catch up with the guys in the swim squad and swim coach Pierre, and ride/run on my familiar routes. Having had a good break, I was raring to go and get stuck into the sessions. People always ask “how’s training going?” and the most important thing at this time of year is that it’s going... I’m injury free (fingers crossed) and I’m getting through my sessions. There’s no PB’s to talk about, no break through sessions, just consistent work building my aerobic base. That is not meant to sound unexciting, but I know that I have to do 12 weeks of graft to get myself fit. I’m loving being back in the groove and excited about this new ITU World Championship Series, especially as there is a race in HYDE PARK !!!! The full ITU calendar has just been announced so I’ll be sitting down with Ben to work out the season plan. First race up for ’09 is still the South Africa 70.3 in Buffalo City, East London on January 18th, bring it on, I can’t wait to race !!

Season greetings to you all, and very best of luck for 2009 whatever your plans are.
Tim

Mazda interview

Check out my exclusive interview on Mazda's 'We are triathlon' website.

Racing the tube

I’m on my break but I’ve been doing a bit of running ... chasing tubes on the London Underground! Have a watch of this:

Click here (opens in new window)

The end of the season

Well, I’ve finished my season now. I raced Lorient WC at the w/e and was 13th. I’ve been training since Beijing but not with any real purpose or direction and so I’m pleased with the result. I had a really good swim, out in the top 3 or 4, and the second out of transition. I thought I might get away with a few of the young Frenchies looking to impress on home soil, but we got caught from behind and so that was that. There were a few attacks and then Fleureton and Sudrie did manage to stay away. Bike to run showed up my lack of specific work and I lost time to the lead chasers on the first lap (of four), but then found my legs and finished with a top 10 run split.

Although I am ranked number 4 in the world (and should stay there with only one more WC to come), this year was all about The Olympics, and a lot of last year as well. For me there was only one race I wanted to do well in and give it 100%, and if I got a medal that would have been sweet. What upset me the most was that I never got a chance to show what great shape I was in, the best of my career so far, and I fancied my chances. Preparation had been ideal since Des Moines and Ben and I agreed that the camp in Korea couldn’t have gone any better, until the Thursday night/Friday morning before the race... But that’s sport. It has definitly taken it out of me since the race, it's tough knowing that a golden chance has gone by and I could not have a crack at it through any fault of my own.

I’ve done some racing since Beijing. I raced the FGP at Bordeaux, finishing second scorer for Beauvais which meant the team was 3rd, and the last FGP of the year at La Baule where I finished 8th, meaning the team was first and we won the series. And in between I banged out a 68.53 (7th place) half marathon at the Robin Hood Half Marathon in Nottingham with Gav.

I have started to look forward to next season, put this year behind me and make some plans for 2009. We are still not sure exactly what the new ITU Super Series will really mean and how it will work so I’m not going to over commit to that till we do, but I’ll do some World Cups for sure. I’m keen to race South Africa 70.3 in January and depending on how that goes, I’ll do some non drafting races through the year. I head to Stellenbosch mid November and will hook up with Fraser again to get a good solid base under my belt.

I just want to say a big thanks to all my sponsors and supporters as well as my coach, Ben Bright, Richard Downey, my manager, my girlfriend Kelly and all my friends and family, your support has been legendary and has definitly kept me going since the race.

I will come back stronger and hungrier ready to take on all ... Bring on 2012!

Hope you all have had a good summer and raced hard!!

You know what I say ... train hard, win easy.

Tim

Olympic Games

I thought I had recovered from my illness last week, but obviously I hadn’t. Gutted I didn’t have the chance to show what shape I was in. Hopefully next week I will have worked out what I’m doing for the rest of the year and I’ll update you then.
Tim

National Champs

Tim at the Nationals. Picture courtesy Nigel Farrow Not the 5th in a row I was hoping for, but I'm pleased with how I raced, certainly not complaining about runners up spot. Fair play to Clarkey.

I certainly didn't go into the race fresh what with the preparations for Beijing still full on. (And I'm sure the others weren't as well). It was a hot day and Bryn Bach is a very solid bike course so it was no surprise I felt a bit flat as we got off the bike. The first couple of laps I took steady and then began to get into my running and it was probably only the last lap and a half that I felt at full speed.

The good news is that I'm not sore at all, just tired and have had an easy day training in Richmond before flying off this afternoon to Jeju, Korea for the final couple of weeks (and heat + humidity acclimatization) before Beijing.

Many thanks to Trek for the great paint job - everyone loves it.

Cheers
Tim

Beauvais FGP

It is always a joy going across to France and racing for Beauvais. Laurent (team manager) and his crew always look after us well. It was a “home” race this round and the crowds came out in support. Both the men and women’s team stepped up to the plate by winning both team events and having the individual winners as well. I finished 3rd and was pleased with that. Swam well, biked strong and pushed it hard on the run. No one is racing that fresh at the moment in preparation for Beijing but I had done a very solid track session on Thursday (under the watchful eyes of the BBC and The Observer so I wasn’t that rested.

Next day I flew to Malaga and am now training in the heat up in the mountains in Antequera. It is phase 2 of the heat acclimatization for Beijing. I’ll race National Champs in Bryn Bach on July 26th and then we head to Korea for heat + humidity acclimatization.

I’ll let you know what happens in Bryn Bach.
Tim

I'm in!

I missed the press conference but I'm in! My selection for the Olympic Games was announced this morning in Hyde Park. I'm going to Beijing, my third Olympics!

I was meant to arrive back in the UK first thing this morning and go straight to the press conference but my plane was stuck on the runway in Chicago due to "technical issues".

After meeting the selection criteria in Madrid and being nominated, it's actually a relief to have the selection confirmed. I knew I was in but couldn't say so until it was officially announced. I'm really looking forward to the next 8 weeks and will race in Beauvais and Bryn Bach, before leaving for Korea at the end of the month.

Thanks for all the support,
Tim

Trip to America

After a week off after Madrid, I started back training full of enthusiasm but unfortunately had to miss the next week as I had laryngitis and was feeling rough. That will teach me to have a week off!!

We went out to Austin, Texas for a "heat camp". It was proper scorchio! It is part of the whole preparation for Beijing. It was good training, though it took me a while to get used to the heat and cope with the training after my sickness.

It meant I headed to Des Moines a bit undercooked. I was really pleased with how I swam and biked and the run showed I'm just a bit short of fitness. The organisers did a really good job even getting the race on as its original location was still flooded on race day. I've stayed out here and will fly back on Friday and be cracking on with my training.

Madrid report

In the rain at the BG World Cup (Image from ITU/Silke Insel) What a race! Never have I experienced rain like that. I don't think the pictures or TV can really show what it was like but for over half the field not to finish the race (only 30/64 finished) shows how bad it was. But I'm really pleased with my 4th place which keeps me ranked World No.1 and even more pleased to confirm my Olympic nomination by the BTF.

I felt luck was on my side when I punctured on the way to the race (rather than during it) and although I had to walk the 3km back to transition to get my training wheel, I was warmed up and ready easily in time to race. I had a good swim. Got round the first buoy unscathed and held a top 10 position throughout. Good transition and one of the first up over the hill. On the 2nd lap, the race changed completely when the heavens opened. It was the most ferocious rain I have ever felt - hurting my skin - and the temperature dropped about 7 degrees. And as I got colder on each lap and there was more grit and mud all over the road and more people dropped out, it changed from being a race to survival. I heard today that if the rain had continued for another lap, the race would have been called off.

I couldn't feel my fingers in T2 so getting my helmet off and shoes on took longer than usual. And for the first 4km I was running on stumps, I just couldn't feel my body, it was in shut down mode. I did warm up a bit but it was still surviving, rather than racing for me. I crossed the line with mixed emotions, pleased it was over, thankful I had finished in a top 8 and second Brit, but also very fustrated as I felt I was in my best shape this year, and ready to give Gomez a run for his money. It's a funny old game ... here's to Beijing and no freak weather !!!!

Bring it on!
Tim

Victory at GreenPark

I was really pleased with my race today at GreenPark, Reading. It was just the sort of hit-out I needed before Madrid next week, and it's always a pleasure to take the British Sprint Championship title. Kris Gemmel pushed me all the way, no wonder the Kiwis have already picked him for Beijing. It's important I recovery well this week, stay healthy and freshen up a bit.

I was out the water in 5th and with Stannard and Adams in front, I spent a lap on the bike chasing on my own. The group caught me from behind and we swallowed the two leaders up after another lap or so. Gemmel and I gave it to each other throughout the 5km run and I managed to get him in the last couple of hundred metres.

It's Madrid next Sunday...
Tim

Good to be back

Win at the Tongyeong BG World Cup (Image from ITU/Simon Grimmett) I love South Africa and I love doing my winter training there but I’m pleased to be home in Loughborough (even if it was raining when I landed at the very swanky Terminal 5) after five months away and the last month living/training/racing out of hotels. Even better to come home after a World Cup win and with a World No. 1 ranking.

I knew the field in Tongyeong was going to be smallish (50 odd) and the smaller the field, the more important a good swim is. The extra swim focus paid off with me staying in 5th or 6th place all the way round and getting out just 3 seconds down. I had one of the quickest transitions and was out on the bike and up the road, forcing everyone to chase. The bike course was tougher than it looked because of the wind and we didn’t go over the bridge at one end of the course for safety reasons. I stayed to the front of the group to keep the pace honest and make sure no strong bikers got away. Out on the run, I hit the front and ran my own pace. By the side of the marina, there were quite a few twists and turns which was another reason to be up front and out of trouble. By about 5km I had shaken them all off and took my first World Cup win since 2005 – it's been a long time!

I’ve 3/4 weeks in Loughborough till Madrid WC. I’m feeling strong and looking forward to racing well there.

Tim

The word from the East

I finished fifth with the second fastest run split on what I would call a "bad" day. Solid. If it had been the Olympic selection, I would be in. Nice!

I started next to Simon Whitfield and we both definitely struggled a bit on the first lap with the current and the lane rope meaning you could only overtake on one side. I ended up in the 2nd group trying to close down the leader. The group was too big and we couldn't organise a consistent chase. We held them for the first 4 or so laps at about 35-45 seconds, then on the last two it went out as less and less poeple were working in my group.

So 1 min 15 secs down at T2, there was some people to catch. Like Mooloolaba I felt strong and it is a similarly tough course going over the bridge and back on every lap, I paced myself well, running out of tarmac to finish 5th.

I'm now on the island of Jeju, to have a look and train at what will be the British team's holding camp pre-Beijing. I'll race the Korean World Cup this weekend (on the mainland, in Tongyeong) though probably train through it. I feel there is still a lot of speed to come from me on the run, and power in the swim and on the bike, and I want to be ready for Madrid and beyond...

Tim.

Good start continues.

Podium at Mooloolaba I was third at Mooloolaba on Sunday. It was great to back racing at that level and see a few of the boys. I can't believe my last World Cup outing was Beijing when I broke my elbow. I was pleased to get on the podium; I know there is more to come, and I raced smart.

I was about 30 seconds off the lead out of the water, but quickly made that up as we went up the first hill on the bike. It is a very solid bike course - 14 hills within the seven laps. I felt comfortable throughout, staying close to the front to avoid any crashes - and there were a few. Out of T2, too many people were trying to chase down Javier (Gomez) and Brad (Kahlefeldt), and I just settled into my own rhythm, knowing I'm running strong (rather than super fast) at the moment, and I would be in the mix with a couple of km's to go. Bevan (Docherty) and I ran most of it together, and I picked the pace up at the start of the last lap (of 4) and just worked a small gap that kept growing. You can see me blowing hard when I'm getting away from Bevan and being interviewed post-race. (See the race video on the ITU website) It was nice to enjoy my first WC podium since 2005!

I head to Ishigaki next, which is also a tough course as we head up and over the Southern Gate Bridge a few times on both bike and run.

Till then,
Tim.

The winter's over, the season is about to start...

I've just arrived in Australia for the first round of the World Cup. I haven't raced Mooloolaba before but I know it's a tough course and I'm looking forward to racing. The field is a strong one so it will be difficult opener.

I had a great winter in South Africa. Winter is all about getting a really good aerobic base and I feel I've achieved that. I haven't had any injuries or set backs, and so the consistency of each session, each day, each week has set me up nicely. Having been out to Stellenbosch each winter since I first trained there with Simon Lessing in 1999, I was riding and running some of my regular routes stronger than I had done before.

It was great to have so many training partners come out and enjoy the heat and the wind. Fraser Cartmell was great company and a great training partner, followed in February by Dann B and Ritchie and then the BTF squad. Pierre, as usual, did a great job looking after my swimming and my body wouldn't be the same without Frankie's attention to strength + conditioning and massaging. And I've got to say thanks to my good friends Riaan and Marli who always look after me so well.

If you want to stay up late/get up early, the race will be live on www.triathlon.org

Cheers
Tim

Great start to the year!

I chalked up another win on Saturday at the South African Champs, super chuffed!! I felt OK for my second race, strong and solid, which is just want I want to be feeling in mid-Feb. I led the swim out with 3 others on my feet and we rode most of the 40km together. The bike was 4 laps and there was a hill about half way round. I attacked on the last lap and had about 25 seconds on the others at T2. I still had the fastest run split and switched to auto, so all good.

I'm not sure if I will race again before the World Cup series kicks off in Mooloolaba at the end of the March but I'll keep you posted on what I'm up to.

Train Hard Win Easy,
Tim.

Training and racing in SA

I won the WP Champs, no worries. It was a small field and a good workout under race conditions. It was nice to have fellow Brit Dann B out there on the bike. It is a step up in quality and size of field this weekend at the South African Championships in East London and I'm looking forward to it after two weeks training with the British Squad.

Dan Salcedo, Men's Head Coach, brought Will Clarke, Alistair Brownlee and Olly Freeman out with him for some warm weather training. It has been a lot of fun and I feel we have all really got a lot out of it in the sun, which was one of the reasons for them coming out. Along with Ritchie and Fraser (the Scots) and Dann B it has been a really solid two weeks.

Catch you after the w/e
Tim.

Sunny and windy in Stellenbosch

All is well out here. I'm getting through my training and enjoying the sun on my back. I'm going to have a hit out this weekend at the Western Provence Champs. It's just up the road in Worcester and is the first time I've raced since Beijing so I'm really looking forward to it.

I've gone through the race calendar with Ben and I may not do all of the first four World Cups, and then in to the lead into Madrid there are a few options with European Champs, the first FGP and the first race in the Corus series. Nothing has been planned beyond Madrid - I want to get selection sorted and then work it out with the BTF and BOA in terms of prep camps and what races work best for me.

Winter miles mean Summer smiles - aii!!

Tim

2007 updates

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. A big thank you to all my sponsors and supporters for all their help during the year. 2008 is a big one and I'm looking forward to it!

I had a really good 10 days in Spain training with the boys in December. The Brownlee brothers, Ritchie Nicholls, Dann Brook and myself got a load of miles in on the bike, as well as swimming and running every day. It worked out really well, and Ritchie and Dann are going to come to South Africa for 5/6 weeks in Jan/Feb to get some quality winter training done (in the sunshine!).

Kelly and I made it out to Stellenbosch in time for Christmas and I'll be here till mid March. I'm working out my early season races now that most of the calendars have been finalised. I'll get it firmed up with Ben and posted up in the next week or so.

Tim

Day out with the Garmin winner

Nathan and I after our day of training Had great fun with Nathan, the Garmin prize winner, in Swadlincote, Derbyshire. It was a perfect day for a ride round his 60km loop through quiet country roads (trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4548606 ). It was getting dark by the time we had snacked, so just ran three miles with him easy. (trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4548454 ).

Getting back into it

Nicole Cooke and me at the EAS evening After my glorious holiday in Mauritius, I'm getting back into the day job. The elbow is about 95% fixed, it's just the final twisting action that I've got to focus on. Ben's working me hard and I'm enjoying the pain of getting fit again. My left side needs a bit of extra attention but I'm doing a fair bit of strength and conditioning, as usual at this time of year, so it will be sorted very soon.

I've been doing a bit for my sponsors as well. The water at Dorney Lake was bloody cold, especially after the Indian Ocean, when the Mazda Zoom Zoom ladies asked me to get in (the mag's out in February) and it was a pleasure listening to Nicole Cook and her awesome achievements when we shared an evening for EAS. Trek also have taken some new snaps of me training on my delightful new Madone.

Uphill in the snow... I also went across to Switzerland to give a talk at my sister's school. She interviewed me, pretending to be like Parkinson, which made it a lot of fun and got lots of cheap shots in about why I don't reply to her emails, texts, phone calls etc. Her school is in the next valley on from Leysin and the snow has arrived in time for Christmas. I also took part in the school's crazy run... ...5km uphill in the snow. It took me 47.54!!

I look pretty toastie, don't you think.

I'm going to Spain for 10 days in December and then will head to Stellenbosch for Christmas through to the first World Cups of 2008. I'm toughing it in Loughborough till then.

Stay warm
Tim

Cycle Show

I was down at the Cycle Show at the weekend checking out my new Madone. I'm going to ride this one until my custom painted ones arrive. I signed a few autographs and hung out for a bit. Earls Court was a good venue, and there were lots of people and lots of bikes!

Tim

My new Trek Madone

Update on the elbow

CX7 The good news is my elbow is on the mend and now means that I can drive my spanking new Mazda CX7! The range of motion is good but it still hurts like a good'un when I twist it. The nerves get caught up in the last bits of blood and swelling.

I was down in London last week for the launch of the Mazda CX-7 (I've got a blue one!). They're title sponsors of the London Triathlon next year and I'm an ambassador... so watch this space! In the meantime, here's an interview with Tri247.com I did at the launch.

I'm off for a couple of weeks lying in the sun (and doing my elbow exercises!) and then back to Loughborough to start my winter training.

Keep safe.
Tim.

Beijing WC crash

There was nothing I could do. The guy in front of me touched wheels with the bloke in front of him, and just went straight down in front of me. I went straight over the top of him, puncturing my front wheel and also fracturing my elbow...

You can watch it on Beijing Tricast on the ITU website

It's the end of my season. I flew home on Sunday night and was in to see the specialist in St John's Wood as soon as I landed. Six weeks of nothing and then I can start rebuilding the strength and mobility in my left side.

I'll give you an update in a couple of weeks when I see the doc again.

Cheers
Tim.

Hamburg World Champs

Well done to my good friend and Beauvais team mate, Daniel Unger for his awesome victory. And to Javier and Brad for their podium places, and Will and Stu for their results. And, of course, for the hundreds of British age groupers who raced.

© Frank Wechsel/triathlon.org I'm told you could clearly see on TV the first buoy washing machine and fortunately I didn't get caught up in that. The swim was a bit rough, but that is to be expected with 80 athletes on the start line of the World Champs. There was no hanging around on the bike either. Once the four early leaders had been caught, the pace didn't drop through the twists and turns of Hamburg Centrum. It did stay dry, though which made a big difference because the women's U23 race did not look fun at all in the torrential rain (nice one Rosie getting 4th).

I was well placed into T2 and out onto the run no problem. After the initial mad first kilometre, it settled down a bit but I was keen to push on because I noticed that Javier hadn't caught the lead group. After he did, it just got quicker and quicker, and I began to struggle. I finished in 10th place.

Beijing WC is next up, just two weeks away,
Tim

London Triathlon

Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon It's always good to race in your home town, and it's even better to win! To be on top of the podium at London, the biggest triathlon in the world (on the hottest day of the year) was a real thrill. The noise and support from the crowds was great, so thanks for that, and also thanks to Asics, Trek, Garmin, EAS, Orca and Continental for their support at the Expo.

I was really pleased with my swim. I felt comfortable all the way round. Ben Sansom led it out but I was close behind and worked really hard from the water to my lovely new Madone. I'd split the group, so 5 of us got away on the bike. We put a load of time into the chasers and as we started the run, it became a two horse race between Stu Hayes and myself. He sat on my shoulder for 5km and as we started the 2nd lap, I pulled away.

I've now got a couple of days off before heading to Switzerland and then France to prepare for Worlds.

Enjoy the sunshine,
Tim

Salford WC

Hurray, no rain ! It makes it so much more enjoyable racing in the sunshine. And it's always good to catch up with Craig Doyle, he's a funny man.

I had a decent swim, out in the top 20. It was comforatble in the big lead pack, with a few digs off the front but nothing serious. Then on the 5th lap (the prime) a stronger group (including Hayes, Potts and Reed) got away. I thought I would bridge up to them and see if we could get working. Often breakaways extend their lead in the last couple of laps but we lost time which is a shame in a group of such strong bikers.

We had about a 10 second lead at the start of the run. I ran the first lap out in front, and the second with Gomez, Whitfield and Kahlefeldt. Half way through the third, Gomez stretched his legs and one by one we dropped off. I was pleased with my performance to get 4th but gutted not to get on the podium. I'll need to raise my game for Worlds!

See you at the w/e at London
Tim

Hyde Park

Corus Elite Series, Hyde Park - Action Images Firstly, thanks to the boys at Sigma for helping me out on Thursday/Friday. My bike needed some work after getting slightly damaged on my flight back from Switzerland and they juggled the schedule to squeeze me in.

I got an early look at the Hyde Park course as I was in town for the press/media call on Wednesday. It really is an amazing venue, and fitting of an Olympic Games triathlon. The "super sprint format" with heats and then a final reminded me of racing the F1 series in Australia, and it had the same feel - fast, furious and fun.

I cruised through my heat, no worries. The swim in the final was on and I did well to get round the first buoy before the rush. Not my normal speedy transition as I was using duathlon pedals, so needed to put my racing flats on first. There were a few attacks on the bike but nothing serious and no-one was going to get away. And because I had my shoes on already, my T2 was super quick and I was out of transition and into my running. Weimer did get onto my shoulder but I broke him on the short, sharp incline and was able to keep him at a distance to take the win. Hard but fun racing!

Salford's up next Sunday - let's hope it stays dry...
Tim

Lorient FGP

I had a bad swim - no excuses - it just wasn't happening and so came out 40 secs down. I sat on the front of the third pack for most of the ride and then ran hard. It's a team gig, so every place counts. According to the results I made up 35 places to finish 12th. Just as importantly, I ran myself into 3rd scoring place for the team and we finished 2nd.

Next up is Hyde Park, hope to see you there
Tim

Running up that hill

After Europeans, I went straight to Leysin (Switzerland) to train with AJ and the squad. Obviously, I thought the weather would be half decent but boy, has it rained ! And, because the village is at 1600m, it has meant it has been pretty cold as well. I have done some good training though and it is always a pleasure to run up the mountain!

I've also sorted out the next block of races. Lorient FGP, Hyde Park Corus race, Salford and London. Then I'll come back to Leysin (as long as the weather improves!!) for the lead into Worlds and Beijing BG ITU World Cup.

Three races on the bounce in the UK will be fun, so hopefully catch you at one of those.

Tim

European Champs

Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!! So frustrating - punctured on the fifth lap. Rear wheel, and the furthest possible point from the wheel stop. Big respect and many thanks to my good friend AJ, who sat up and waited till I had changed my wheel, and then worked his socks off with me to try and claw back some time on the lead group.

As the rain started about 15 minutes before our start, I thought there might be some trouble... Clarkey puntured when we rode some of the course on Wednesday.

I swam pretty well, second lap a bit quicker then the first, and I was out in about 20th. The bike felt good, in control and trying to stay out of trouble towards the front of the large pack, till the puncture. AJ and I worked hard and I was in T2 down by a minute, rather than two. I ran decent, working my way through the field to finish 18th.

Well done to Hollie and Alistair for impressive victories.

Stay out of trouble
Tim

Des Moines WC

Image © Delly Carr/ITU Fourth! Shame not to get on the podium but I'm fairly pleased. I'm moving in the right direction and having only done two World Cups this year, I'm up to 11th in the World Cup rankings.

There was a real vibe about the race. Obviously there was a lot of cash up for grabs and the field was stacked, but also in terms of what the sponsors had done and the money they had invested into the race. Having the Hummers on display and three giant screens around downtown certainly added to it.

Around the transition and grandstands it was packed and noisy and full of atmosphere but it was surreal riding in other places because there was no one watching there, that part of the race was a real ghost town.

I've got a weekend off then it's over to Copenhagen for the European Champs.

Tim

Four in a row!

National Champion again and I'm well pleased. Beautiful place to race but it's a tough bike course!

The deep water start felt a bit alien, and because the swim was a rectangle, the first lap was a bit rough. I made up a few places as we came out of the water and round the Mazda car, and then swam well to get out of the water in third place.

It broke up straight away up the hill on the first of ten tough bike laps. And on lap 7 or 8, AJ joined us having biked his way past everyone else - he had showed his intent by turning up on his TT bike! There were four of us left in the running.

I ran the first 2km hard and then backed off, settling into a nice rhythm to add Bryn Bach to Liverpool (04), Salford (05) and Windsor (06) in the trophy cabinet.

Next stop the heat and humidity of Des Moines
Tim

Madrid WC

A solid return to World Cup racing is how I would sum it up. Also, it was my first Olympic distance race since 27th Jan, and the one before that was the Beijing WC on Sept 24th, so it has been a while.

They have moved the start pontoon back (at last) to the edge of the lake making the distance to the first buoy over 300m away which meant there wasn't the normal pile up there. I was out in touch with the leaders and although the run into T1 hurt like hell, I was in the lead group by the top of the first hill.

The pace slowed down after Clarkeys crash and then Alfie and a couple of others got away. It's quite technical coming in off the bike and I wasn't at the front of the group so was quite slow through T2. The leaders were away and I ran my own race. At 5km, I began to feel good and finished strongly in 6th place. As I say, pretty pleased overall.

National Champs up next on Saturday.

See you in Bryn Bach?
Tim.

In the clear

There's not a lot more to say - I'm delighted with the news and can't thank everyone enough for all their support. These are the statements posted onto the BTF website by myself and Norman Brook and you can also read the official statement from the BOA's Chief Executive, Simon Clegg there as well:

On receiving the news, Tim Don said: "I am relieved and happy to be reinstated and I can now concentrate 100% on gaining Team GB selection and performing well in Beijing. I would like to thank the BTF and my sponsors who have supported me throughout this process. If something good can be taken from my case, then it has been to highlight the importance of the need to keep your UK Sport Whereabouts information up to date. It is also fantastic that UK Sport are now working with the athletes to ensure the no advance notice testing system we operate in the UK works well, and the UK remains a world leader in out of competition testing.

Norman Brook, Chief Executive of the British Triathlon Federation said: "Tim's case should act as a stark awakening to all athletes on the no advance notice testing system which the British Triathlon Federation supports. I believe UK Sport have addressed the initial problems within the no advance notice system. Our athletes should now be fully aware of their responsibility to ensure the information they supply on their daily whereabouts is correct."

French Grand Prix

I was sixth at Sables D'Olonne - nice place but the weather was terribly wet and bloody windy. In fact, I had a tumble on the bike in the morning when I was doing a U turn after some efforts, nice! I was OK to race and wasn't going to let the team down. We came a respectable 3rd with the weakest team and only 4 of us racing (you can have 5, with 3 to count).

Overall, I had a solid race. The sea was choppy and rough but I had a good swim getting out in the top 10. The bike was comfortable in terms of pace but not in terms of the conditions - I lost my front wheels 3 times and my back at least once! I was one of the last into transitions, being cautious, and ran well. A good "first" race of the season, especailly as I trained through it.

I'll probably race again in the next couple of weeks but the next focus is the BG ITU World Cup in Madrid on June 3rd.

Stay safe and bring it on!
Tim

National Duathlon Championships

Although I was met with some rain at Heathrow, my first week back in the UK has been warm and sunny! As predicted though, Saturday morning was a bit chilly, so standing on the start line at Ashbourne (National Duathlon Champs), arm warmers and tights were all the rage.

I built into the first run (12km). Phil was off the front and at one point had 30 seconds on us, but by T1 I had reduced it down to about 15. I was pretty slow in transition putting my hot-top on, but soon got into a rhythm on the bike. Oli caught me in the last 500m, but once we were out onto the run, I opened up a gap and won comfortably. It was good to be back racing after the dramas with my calf, and even nicer to be racing in the UK. I wore my Garmin Forerunner which may be of interest.

Next up is the first round of the FGP at Sables d'Olonne.
Tim.

Plan for the season

So the plan for the season is sorted, I think. Ben is over and we have been able to go through it. I've got a good idea of what July and August looks like but there are a couple of different race options and then I'll decide after some of the big June races. I'm realy looking forward to the season, especially as I will race for Beauvais again. Freddy Belaubre has joined the club which will make us even stronger this year.

I've had a really good time training in Thailand, but I hear the weather is decent in the UK and so I'll be home soon. Before Ben came out, I did this crazy adventure run. Through jungle, over mountains, round the cliffs, across sand, it was a bit of everything. Almost 26km in the heat - it was a toughie.

See you at a UK race soon,
Tim.

Thailand

The original plan was that between Mooloolaba and Ishigaki I would go to Thailand for some heat acclimatization training. The World Cups are not on the agenda due to my calf problem (which is now sorted) but I have still travelled to Phuket. Man, it is hot ! And it's not the rainy season but when it does rain, it's monsoon-like! I got caught out the other day riding with Benny Sansom.

There's a lake by the hotel which has got some buoys in so we can swim easy in there, but do quality swimming in a 50m pool which is about 20km away. The riding is interesting with quiet roads and really varied terrain. There is also a track by the pool but I have been building up my running fitness again mostly off-road. Ben comes out this week so we are going to work out the race plan for the season.

Train hard

Tim

Injury update

I was meant to race at the SA Champs on Saturday at Langebaans. My calf is not 100% and I'm not going to race unless I'm ready to compete for a place on the podium. When I was over for the TCR show, I found out I had a slight tear in my soleus muscle. It's one of those injuries that takes as long as it takes to recover - it's an awkward bugger that you can't really help get better. Anyhow, I'm doing what I'm told and will be back to full running in the next 10 days. I learnt last year that you can only turn up to race on the World Cup circuit when you are fully fit and so I'm delaying my start to the season. I won't go to Mooloolaba and Ishigaki and I'm obviously very disappointed.

Easy now,
Tim

Three 220 Awards!

I was back to the UK a few days early to get my calf checked over. It's still a bit niggly and so it was worthwhile getting a scan and a thorough examination from the medical team in Loughborough.

Tim doing Q&A at TCR TCR was good fun. I don't know the official attendance but it seemed two solid days of people, bumping and squeezing down the corridors moving from one stand to the next. It's such a positive that there is so much interest in triathlon.

I think I'd met Normann Stadler a few years back when I was still a junior at a European Duathlon medal ceremony and I had a bit of a catch up with him on the www.tri247.com stand. The Q&A, on Saturday with Normann and solo on Sunday, went well with lots of interesting questions.

To be honest, I thought I was in with a shout of winning the Male Triathlete of the Year and Male Performance of the Year as voted by 220 Magazine readers and I was well chuffed to win them. Totally unexpectedly, I was overwhelmed to receive the Outstanding Contribution to Triathlon award. Thanks to all those that voted.

I head back to SA at the weekend to continue my preparations for the first World Cups of the year. Remember swim, bike, run.

Back in the groove

Yes, back racing. It is the best. And just what I needed, a good hit out to see where I'm at.

There were only 6 of us in the Pro wave at the Western Province Champs, and for the first lap on the swim (in wetsuits), I just sat in. Upped the pace on the second and myself and Kent Horner got about 30 seconds on the others. It's a flat, four lapper on the bike and I wanted a really good smash out on the bike so did loads of the work. We put about 5min 30secs into the chasers. And then on the run I had a 100m lead after about 2km so was able to cruise from then and won by 50 odd seconds.

It will be the same course for the SA Champs at the beginning of March with a tougher field I'm sure, which will hopefully set me up nicely for the Mooloolaba World Cup on the 25th.

For those of you heading to TCR on Feb 10/11 and the 220 Awards dinner, look forward to seeing you there.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year. Kelly came over, which was great, and she had a nice break from her teacher training course. I was also best man at Riaan's wedding on the 30th - I was the only Englishman in the room so you can appreciate there was a fair bit of heckling ! It was a top, top night ending in a fully clothed swimming pool invaision. It did mean my New Years Eve celebrations were very quiet and I was in bed a couple of minutes after midnight.

As Kelly went home, Ben came out. We got some really solid training in before I strained my right calf at the Total Sport Challenge. All was going well for 8km, and then I had to hobble the last 4! With some regular massage from Francois, I've made a speedy recovery and celebrated my 29th (can you believe it) birthday yesterday with a 20 minute morning run and a 2 hour ride in the afternoon.

I'm really looking forward to my first post-suspension race, the Western Provence Champs on January 27th so, until then, keep your training consistent.

Reflections on 2006

What a year ! No guesses what the highlight was... ...and also the lowlight. I do want to say thank you to all my friends and family for the support they have given me, and especially to my terrific sponsors who stood by me when trouble came knocking.

Winning the Worlds was a dream come true. I like racing in Lausanne! Obviously I missed the original break but then made the decision at the right time to try and bridge the gap. I was pretty comfortable on the run and put the pressure on Hamish when he began to hurt. To have the fastest run split after the massive effort on the bike was doubly pleasing. It was a great race for me, of course, but it also showed what a great sport triathlon is, full of drama and excitement.

The missed tests hearing was a relief to get out of the way although I was gutted to be suspended. I can't change what happened and can only look forward. I have bought my own laptop to accompany me on my travels and have learned my lesson! (The 'Whereabouts' system has also been improved to make it simpler on screen and you are now able to ring and text any changes.) Overturning the Olympic ban is looking more positive after Peter Cousins (the judo player) was re-instated.

I have signed up to race for Beauvais in France again in 2007. It's such a great club and Laurent, Jean-Nicholas and the boys made me feel so welcome and relaxed that it was a no brainer. My suspension ends on December 27th and my first planned race is the Western Province Champs at the end of January. Early March it's the South Africa Champs and then the ITU World Cup circuit kicks off in Mooloolaba (March 25th) and Ishigaki (April 15th).

Hope you like the website's new look, have a great Christmas And New Year.

The missed tests: what really happened

Sue Mott has written a couple of pieces in the Telegraph (Saturday 21st and Tuesday 24th) and the following piece is a more detailed breakdown of what went on to result in Tim's 3-month suspension.

UK Sport's 'Whereabouts' system is, in their own words, "widely regarded to be one of the most advanced in the world", and UK Sport is admired by other countries "for the way in which we are tackling this complex area of anti-doping". They also say the system was developed in consultation with the athlete community.

Under this National Anti-Doping Policy, athletes are required to regularly update an online database specifying where they will be available for testing for one hour a day at least five days a week. If they are not at the stated location when UK Sport's Doping Control Officer attends to take a sample, it is reported as a missed test to the respective governing body. Three missed tests over an 18-month period constitutes an anti-doping rule violation.

It seems that every country has interpreted the WADA rules differently. For example, in the US, if an athlete is not present when a tester turns up, the tester is able to call the athlete to find out where they are. In Switzerland, the tester will actually track an athlete down if they are not in the place where they said they would be. In the UK, the Doping Control Officer goes to the place specified for that hour and waits for the athlete to show up.

Prior to the Whereabouts system being introduced, British Triathlon's World Class programme used a tracking system which required an athlete to send an email of their week's schedule and address(es), which in turn was forwarded onto UK Sport and the ITU.

In May 2004, a preliminary system was shown to British Triathlon's Olympians and to quote then Performance Director, Graeme Maw, "it would be fair to say that the presentation appeared that of a pilot" as athlete log-ins failed to work.

In 2005, UK Sport advised the BTA that the system would be adopted fully. The BTA organised for the UK Sport rep to show how it worked to the World Class squad on June 19th 2005 at the Copthorne Hotel, after the Royal Windsor Triathlon. It was a two hour meeting which was continually disrupted by one of the attendees and the last 15 minutes were allocated for this demonstration. The UK Sport demonstrator could not even get online to give a correct/precise/accurate demonstration of the system.

Tim missed his first random test on September 13th September. He was with the British Triathlon squad (athletes, coaches and the Performance Director) in Gamagori (having won the World Aquathlon title and collapsed during the run in the World Tri Champs) on the way to the Beijing World Cup. The computer said he was at home in Loughborough. Tim acknowledged that he had not updated the system but highlighted his difficulties with using the system, getting his password to work and general confidence in the use of a computer. (Tim left school at 18 and has never received any computer training).

In November, Tim had his WCPP review. The subject of his missed test came up and once again Tim asked for help with using the system and requested a one on one session with UK Sport to gain full working knowledge. He also mentioned that twice he had tried to call the UK Sport rep and left messages on her voicemail but had not heard back. No training was organised and Tim left for South Africa none the wiser.

Just before leaving South Africa, en route to Australia for the Commonwealth Games, Tim raced in the South African National Champs in Richards Bay. Before leaving Stellenbosch he tried to update his whereabouts but couldn't get online at the internet cafe. The race hotel in Richards Bay had 3 computers in their reception but none could get online either. Tim had a bad race having to pull out on the run suffering in the humidity.

He left for Australia the next morning, on his own, very concerned about his form with the CWG so close. Ben Bright and Will Clarke followed a day later. These flights were booked and paid for the BTA so they knew exactly where everyone was. When Ben arrived at the apartment on the Gold Coast with his computer, Tim logged on to change his whereabouts. That was a day too late as the Doping Officer had already been to his house in Loughborough to collect a sample. The system had defaulted back to his Home details ( this is the template that Tim originally set up) .

When stating this was Tim's 2nd miss, UK Sport acknowledge that he had raised the issue of his need for more training, however they had done nothing to help/rectify that. In fact, it was only after this 2nd miss that a meeting was arranged to train Tim individually. The date was 16th May 2006 - six months after asking for it. And the situation was made even worse by the fact that the session was then cancelled 10 days beforehand because UK Sport felt it was not a good use of time because a new system was going to be introduced in August.

In June this year, Tim missed his 3rd test. He was late home from the athletics meet at Loughborough University. Normally in bed at 10pm to be up early for swimming the next morning, Tim watched the track meet with his girlfriend and his coach, Ben Bright, and was 5 or 10 minutes late home.

Hands up, no excuses, the night he was not in between 9-10pm (the hour he specified), the Doping Control Officer comes to his house. Passing the BTA's Chief Executive, Norman Brook, in the car park rushing to catch the first race was coincidence but it does mean that for all three misses, British Triathlon knew exactly where he was.

It was and is TIM'S RESPONSIBILITY and he has acknowledged that at all times. However, he could have been helped a bit.

After only 1 year, the system has been changed. The UK Sport rep admitted during the training session for the new system (launched Aug 06) that the previous one was no good
If UK Sport are going to introduce a system that if athletes don't use it correctly, then their livelihoods and reputation can be damaged, then they must ensure that the athletes receive appropriate training
If an athlete says they are having difficulty with the system having missed a test, then the Governing Body / UK Sport must ensure extra system training is given immediately

The new system is an improvement. The screen in which you enter your details is more simple, there is a phone line to ring if you can't get online, your Governing Body can check/update your details for you and they have extended the window in which you have to specify your available hour.

So, in August 06, UK Sport introduced their new and improved version of the Whereabouts system. At the group training session (w/e of London Tri), under guidance from the UK Sport rep, Tim entered all his details correctly only to find a female athlete's details up on the screen. And, at an individual session at UK Sport's offices on Oct 12th, again under supervision, Tim's whereabouts were not correctly updated by the system.

CWG reflections

When all is said and done, Tim came away from Melbourne happy. He would have been happier if he had won a medal, and even happier if it had been gold. He was happy because he had gone into the race trying to win (not just get a medal) and on the day, did the very best he could. He was 6 or 7 seconds off third place and when he crossed the finish line he was gutted.

Preparations weren't perfect. He missed over two weeks of running in early February. The Aussie Sprint Champs, three weeks before Melbourne, were cancelled. And the the last week of training on the Gold Coast was interupted by a cyclone. Not excuses, just facts. Rarely does everything go exactly to plan but these combined with the fact the race was early season, meant that Tim wasn't in his all-time best shape. That said, what a great swim, leading the field out of the water!

Tim made the decision not to go to the Opening Ceremony - and it was the correct one as it was a long, long day for those that did - and so it was not till after his race that he got a feel for what being a part of Team England was about. Going to Melbourne Zoo for a BBQ in Official team kit with everyone dressed the same showed the camaraderie and spirit within the Team and Tim was very proud to be part of it. Watching Craig Mottram run the 5km in front of his home crowd was another highlight.

Racing for Beauvais

Tim starts his season again this weekend at the first round of the French Grand Prix (FGP), in Jard sur Mer. He will be racing for the town of Beauvais and has committed to race in 3 of the 5 races plus the French Cup in October. It is a strong team, runners-up last year and obviously looking to go one better by signing Tim: Poulat and Bignet are experienced campaigners and Sudrie and Vidal young lads coming through with lots of talent alongside the talented German, Daniel Unger. The FGP is a tough competition with team tactics playing a major part in the outcome of the race and with the likes of Kahlefedlt, Henning and Poliparpenko aswell as the world class Frenchies, the races will be very competitive indeed.

2006 Race Schedule

MAY 14th FGP, Jard sur Mer

JUNE 4th ITU World Cup, Madrid : 11th Royal Windsor Triathlon (also British National Champs) : 24/25th European Champs, Autun, France

JULY 2nd FGP, Beauvais : 15th LifeTime Fitness, Minneapolis : 30th ITU World Cup, Salford

AUGUST 6th London Triathlon - maybe

SEPTEMBER 3rd World Champs, Lausanne, Switzerland : 9th ITU World Cup, Hamburg : 16th FGP, La Baule : 24th ITU World Cup, Beijing

The next couple of months

Tim has been training in Loughborough for the last month but on May 21st will head to Spain for some guaranteed sunshine (that's the kiss of death!). He will spend a week at the La Manga Club before joining the rest of the BTA squad a bit further south in Aguila in preparation for a full-on June. The Madrid World Cup will see Tim defend his win from last year and then a week later, defend his National Champion title at Windsor. There is a weekend off before the European Champs in Autun, France which will see a massive team effort from the French trying retain the title won by Frederick Belaubre last year.

Commonwealth Games Test Event, St. Kilda

After the World Duathlon, Tim's preparation for St. Kilda were excellent. He knew he was in good form and determined to put all three disciplines together and dominate the race. The swim was a two lap affair and the water was cold, allegedly 14C. Because the pontoon had not been built yet, the athletes started in the water. Tim felt this could be an advantage as traditionally southern hemisphere races start on the beach and normally are non-wetsuit. The field was small with a wide range of abilities, just like Melbourne will be. Making the lead swim pack was as crucial as ever. Tim's hard work during the last couple of months on his swim paid off by doing something he couldn't do at the London Triathlon in August, and swim on Craig Walton's feet. He was second out of the water, and with his customary quick transition, out onto the bike first.

In fact, he put his head down. Not flat out trying to make an early solo break but enough to keep the pressure on everyone else behind to catch him. The bike course is flat and fast -- a classic five lap criterium around the streets of the Port Phillip Bay area. It was also the CWG selection race for the Aussies and Kiwis so there were races within the race, and what it did mean was that there was no let-up in the pace on the bike as everyone in the lead group had a reason to maintain their advantage over the chasers. Similar to the English, first across the line was going to earn them automatic section and it was the Kiwis, Docherty and Gemmell, who took it out hard at the start of the run. Tim was happy running with them and at about 5km, they had a 10 second advantage. Gemmell then started to hurt and the Aussies (Bennett and Kalhfeldt) began to come back at them. With 2.5km to go, Tim upped the pace again to give himself a 15 metre cushion. He won in 1.48.17, 10 seconds ahead of Bennett with Docherty in third. He had done what he had set out to do -- get selected for Melbourne '06 and control the race from start to finish -- and as a respected and experienced BTA coach said afterwards "It was the best international performance from Tim that I have ever seen".

The squad then had a couple of days in Melbourne. It was a useful time confirming the arrangements of the lead into race day, March 18th, and the period before that in the holding camp at Geelong. Then it was back to the UK to prepare for the last couple of World Cups of the year. Hurricane Wilma changed that though. The Cancun coastline took a severe bashing and it very quickly became obvious that the resort would take awhile to get back on its feet. The race was cancelled but hopefully will be back next year as it is one of Tim's favourite places.

He then hurt his knee. He has a standard Saturday - swim/bike brick in the morning, bike/run brick in the afternoon. And it was while he was running a flat out kilometre having done 5 minutes solid on the turbo, that he slipped on some wet leaves. A little shocked and also a little embarrassed, all Tim saw was lots of blood. He had a deep cut next to his knee but once he was home and cleaned it up, he thought it was OK and so the next day, as usual, did his 2 hour easy run. Then it went a bit pear shaped, literally. His knee swelled up big time and he knew that it was not quite as innocuous as first thought. With some excellent work from Renee, it slowly calmed down and although Tim wasn't able to do any biking or running, he was at least still able to swim.

New Plymouth World Cup

Tim travelled down to New Zealand lacking in a bit of fitness (after 10 days of only swimming) but feeling relatively fresh considering he raced his first World Cup back in April. As there was almost double prize money and double ITU World Cup points on offer, all the sports big guns were there. Also, as it was the last World Cup, the end of year ranking (and prize bonus) would also be decided and Tim wanted to hang onto his 2nd place. No worries in the swim, Tim felt comfortable and got out in 6th place. The bike was very St.Kilda-esque, flat, fast and furious. Again, no dramas, Tim going with the flow. Docherty and Gemmell, racing on home soil, again set the early pace and with a sense of deja vue, Tim went with them. He has seen Kahlefeldt, his only real threat for the No.2 ranking, hanging onto the back of the group and Tim wanted to take advantage while he could. But at about 6km, on one of the small uphills, Tim's lack of conditioning began to show and he slipped back to the chase group. It was a very tight finish, the top eight all finishing within 31 seconds of each other and sadly Tim slipped a place in the rankings as Kahlefeldt finished ahead of him.

Although very disappointed at the time, Tim quickly appreciated what a fantastic season he had had -- his best ever. A look at the seasons results show his success and consistency throughout the whole year which was also recognised by the BTA membership who voted him Male Triathlete of the Year, for the first time ever.

What's happening now...

Tim is on a 10 day training camp in Sardinia. It is compulsory for World Class Performance athletes and has come at a good time as the weather has turned so cold. He will spend Christmas with his parents and then head off to the sunshine in Stellenbosch on January 4th. It's all about getting in even better shape than last year, with the early season focus obviously the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne on March 18th. The rest of 2006 is hard to plan at the moment as not all the dates have been confirmed but another major focus will be the World Champs in Lausanne, Switzerland on September 2nd.

European Championships

As mentioned earlier, Tim did not taper for the Europeans, and even the couple of easy days beforehand didn't really materialise. The course is the one that will be used for the 2006 World Champs, so it was very valuable to have a look at the course under race conditions. Tim had a fantastic swim, staying in the lead 3 or 4 throughout the whole of the 2 lap wetsuited first discipline. Out onto the seven lap bike leg and the pace was on. There were 2 hills per lap, one short and steep (up to 13% incline) and the other long and steep, and there seemed to be someone attacking on each climb. Tim ran with the lead group chasing down the 5 who had managed to get away on the bike. On the second of four laps, he suffered with stomach cramps and although he tried to sit at the back of the group till he recovered, he did drop off the pace. As the pain subsided, Tim picked up his speed again and finished a very credible 5th place. It was his best ever finish at the Euros and he was first Brit home.

World Aquathlon Championships

On the Thursday before a race, Tim will complete a final key run workout. High in intensity and relatively short. The World Aquathlon Championships were perfectly timed. There were only 16 on the start line and Tim led them throughout the opening 3.2km run. For the first time ever, the Aquathlon was held at night under floodlights. The swim was in the Gamagori Motorboat Complex which is used for motor boat racing and waterskiing, and the same place as the triathlon. So it was a bit spooky diving in for the swim, especially as Tim was first in. He was caught by Stannard and Reed at about 400m and so sat on their feet for the rest of the kilometre swim. The second run was just one lap (1.6km). Tim put a burst in at 400m to take himself clear and coasted the rest. Result, another World title.

World Triathlon Championships

Tim was full of beans and quietly confident going into the "main" race three days later. He felt fine after the Aquathlon, no tiredness or muscle soreness. The race started at 1.30pm, after the women, and it was hot and humid. In fact, afterwards, Tim said it was the hottest race he had ever been in, but he didn't have any sunburn marks, meaning that it was the humidity that was stifling.

Not a great swim from Tim but as Marc Jenkins pointed out in his commentary for the BBC, it was a very physical swim with lots of people losing their hats and goggles in the battle for clear water. Tim got out of the water with Docherty, Robertson and Quirke (all solid riders) so wasn't too worried when the long chain of athletes broke as they exited transition and he ended up in the second pack. By lap three (of seven) Tim was up with the main pack. As you would expect at the World Champs, the pace was on so he was reacting and responding to the many attacks, and more often than not the pack were strung out in a long line. He did, as usual, drink both his waterbottles.

Tim was not in his usual position at the front of the pack as they entered T2 - there was a tight final bend before transition and Tim was cautious going into it. It was where Andrew Johns was driven into a garden wall by another rider who was trying to improve his position by cutting the corner. It took Tim half a lap to catch the lead group of nine who were sitting about 40m behind Robertson, who had done his typical bolt out onto the run. Tim didn't want Robertson to gain confidence by being out in front for too long and started to work to reel him in. By the end of the first lap, the gap was down to 10m. As they came out from the tunnel at the start of the second lap, Tim felt that the others were knocking into him and then realised that it was him who couldn't run in a straight line. He veered off to the left and 500m later was being sick by the side of the road.

The ambulance came and the medics were reluctant to release Tim until his core body temperature started to drop. It took a while, but as soon as it did he began to feel better and by the evening was back to feeling 'normal'.

Beijing World Cup

With the Beijing World Cup (on the proposed 2008 Olympic course) just a week later, it was a good opportunity to put the previous race behind him and get back to challenging for the World No.1 ranking. Tim felt fine physically, but mentally was still hurting a bit from Gamagori. The first 200m of the swim, in the dam of the Shisanling Reservoir, showed that he wasn't quite physically 100% because when he needed to go flat out to stay with the lead swimmers, he didn't have it. He also felt below par on the bike. A few of them were leading the chase from the second group and when it came to jump across to the front pack he didn't have it in his legs to go with the other three. The six lap bike course has hills and some technical sections and, as the roads have been made for the triathlon, a beautiful surface to ride on. Out onto the run, Tim gave it his all. He felt it was always a battle rather than flowing. He moved up five places to finish 10th, and in turn returned to being ranked No.2 in the World. It was an amazing experience going to China. Everyone was really friendly and as helpful as possible. The closing ceremony was held on the Great Wall of China ! It will be an amazing Olympics in 2008.

World Duathlon Championships

Without being at all disrespectful to Japan and China, Tim was delighted to get to Australia. He was in need of some Western culture. He has lived and trained on the Gold Coast before, so he is familiar with the set up and knows a few of the ride/run routes. The next big date on the calendar is the Commonwealth Games Test event. However, before that there was the World Duathlon Champs to have a good go at.

Tim took the opening 10km run out hard, with three others, running 31.08. He was keen to hurt as many of them as possible, and most of the pre-race favourites were about 20 seconds behind. Then it was six laps of what the event website called a "technical and hilly" bike course but which was described by one of the triathlon sites as "a brutally tough bike course that took competitors six times over a steep, 200-foot-plus hill and around several dead-slow, tight 180° corners" - it was severe, and the turn of the strong bikers to make everyone hurt. On the second to last lap, Benny van Steelant, the duathlon legend, got away and Tim knew that if Benny had any kind of lead going into the second run, then he would be very hard to beat. Tim did lots of work to reel Benny in and then, just as the peleton caught him, Paul Amey broke away. Even if he had wanted to chase him down, Tim couldn't have after his efforts on the previous lap. In fact, within the GB team there was a gentlemen's agreement that if one of them did make a break on the bike then the others wouldn't work to try and catch him.

Amey had a 42 second lead by T2 and held on for the win. Tim ran away from the group, recording the fastest second run to take silver.

Commonwealth Games selection

This coming Saturday (October 15th) is the Commonwealth Games test event in St.Kilda, Melbourne. It is the selection race for the Australians, New Zealanders as well as the English. One athlete could have already qualified for the English team by medalling at the World Champs but no one did that and so it's all down to this race. Winning it will guarantee qualification (actually it is a nomination to the team which the Commonwealth Games Council for England then ratify). Then, it's the athlete with the closest finishing time to the winner, from the Worlds or St.Kilda. There are three places up for grabs, and Tim is aiming to be first English man home to guarantee his nomination. He has been training well and is looking forward to it.

There are still two more World Cups of the year to go - Cancun, Mexico on October 30th and New Plymouth, New Zealand on November 13th. At the moment, Tim is on the start list for both.

Cornerbrook World Cup

Being in such great shape and seeing that the start list wasn't the most competitive, Tim made a last minute decision to cross the Atlantic and race on the challenging Cornerbrook course, now in its 7th year as an ITU World Cup. Tim raced there back in 1999 and 2001, finishing in the low teens both times, so he knew the town and the course well.

A tight three lap swim in wetsuits (the water was 16°C!), followed by six hilly laps on the bike, and then four undulating laps of varying terrain to finish. Tim had a great swim, out of the water in 4th place, and through transition (there is about 450m from the waters edge up the hill to transition) and out onto the bike in the lead. He wasn't at all troubled by the testing bike course and rolled around in the pack knowing he had a fast run in his legs. Bignet and Albert stole 20 seconds on the group on the last lap which Tim knew he would make up easily - which he did, reeling them in after about 2km. Always in control on the run, Tim won by over 30 seconds and became the first man EVER to win three ITU World Cups in the same year. You can imagine the podium celebrations!

Tim was then due to race at the Milton Keynes Triathlon. He went along to support the Big Cow boys and give out the prizes but was not right to race. Direct flights to and from Cornerbrook only happen weekly and the return flight is overnight, so Tim only got back to England in the early hours of Thursday morning very short of sleep.

Salford World Cup

Salford also doubled up as the British Championships. Tim was desperately keen to defend his title aswell as keep racking up World Cup points. The rain stayed away at least and Tim did a load of BBC interviews with Craig Doyle the day before the race.

Craig Doyle, in his intro piece, actually refers to the swim as being a "bun fight" and it was just that. Tim got out of the water in the middle of the pack, having done very well to get into that position after the opening straight melee. The roads were dry and the pace was strong on the bike. Most of the better cyclists had a go at floating off the front of the peleton and most were covered until Belaubre and Albert (once again) slipped away on the penultimate lap and built up a 45 second advantage into T2.

With some quality runners in the field Tim felt confident that they could catch Belaubre. However, it seemed the others weren't that keen to work hard enough to catch him. As Victor Plata said afterwards, every time Tim went to the front of the group, he really picked up the pace and strung out the group but when it was the next persons "turn" on the front, the pace slowed down again. This meant the chase group only clawed back 10 seconds on Belaubre on the first lap. It was only on the last lap that the chasers, now just three, made up any significant time on Belaubre but he was home and dry. Osplay, having sat on Tim's shoulder for the majority of the run, nipped in front of Tim with 150 metres to go to take second. Tim finished a frustrated third but first Brit home to retain his National Champion title. It shows how much he has moved on this year to be disappointed with third place in a World Cup.

London Triathlon

In what the organisers claim to be the "Worlds largest triathlon" and with almost half of them first timers, Tim did his bit on the Asics and EAS stands the day before the race as well as some more BBC filming and so went into the race not as fresh as he would have liked. Pairing up with Liz Blatchford, there was a subplot to the race. Their combined time would work out the fastest "pair" against Walton/Snowsill and Hayes/Dillon.

Aware of Walton and Sansom's swim/bike strength, Tim knew the swim was going to be crucial. Getting out just 45 seconds down, Tim was very surprised that Stannard and Hayes had "spent their pennies" by swimming so hard to keep up with Walton and Sansom. Stannard was dropped immediately on the bike and couldn't even contribute in the chase group. Hayes, Walton and Sansom started the run with a three minute lead. Tim, having dragged round a large group of 20, blasted the run, catching Sansom to finish third. Again, brilliant to be on the podium but very disappointed on how the race was won. In the "pairs" competition, Tim and Liz were second.

Next up...

The European Championships are next on the calendar (Aug 21st in Lausanne, Switzerland) but with the World Champs so close (Sept 11th in Gamagori, Japan), Tim won't be fully tapering for the Euros. Normally, before a big race, there is a week lead-in of reduced training volume to arrive on the start line fresh. For the Euros, Tim will just have a couple of easy days as he puts in the required hard training in to arrive in Gamagori in tip-top shape. He is also going to decide in the next couple of weeks if he will enter the World Aquathon Champs. They are held on the Thursday 8th Sept and consist of a 3.2km run/1000m swim/1.6km run.

Madrid World Cup

What a result! Second ITU World Cup victory of the season and now ranked No.3 in the World. It wasn't looking quite as promising the week before. Tim caught a cold and in a moment of feeling particularly sorry for himself, was considering not even going to Madrid. After a couple of easy days, Tim was able to resume full training but still had a bit of a cough. There was a massive upturn in spirits on the Thursday when Tim went to the DaimlerChrysler UK head office in Milton Keynes to collect his Chrysler Crossfire! It's a 3.2V6 Coupe in Black with DTM Satellite Navigation, nice.

Madrid was hot and humid. In typical ITU style, there were no changes to last years course so they still had the lane rope in, even though they promised it would be removed. Two lap swim, 8 lap bike and 4 lap run. Tim remembered the bashing he received last year trying to get round the first buoy (still less than the ITU minimum of 300 meters and also having to turn greater than 90 degrees, again contradicting ITU regulations) and so he took the first lap steady and was 29 seconds down at the first timing point. On the second lap, with clearer water to swim in, Tim moved through the field negatively splitting by almost 20 seconds. His usual fast transition meant he comfortably made it into the lead group of 39 out onto the bike.

There were a few early attacks but they were quickly covered by the pack. The Spanish, in particular, were keen that no one would get away in their home race. However, on the fifth lap, Zeebroek of Belgium did managed to break off the front and built up a lead of over 40 seconds at one point, though it was only 30 seconds at T2. Within the first 1.25km of the run, Zeebroek had been swallowed and spat by the lead group of 12. Tim felt very comfortable, taking his turn on the front, pushing the pace and being able to get himself in a good position for every drink station. At about 5km, the group started to shrink, the pace and the heat causing people to drop off the back. And then at about 6.5km Reto Hug really broke up the group with a surge that only Tim could match and they stole a few metres on the others. Only Polikarpenko and Riederer (the Olympic bronze medallist) were able to get back to them, but then when Tim went again, he broke them all. Polikarpenko tried to come back at him in the last 500m but Tim still had another gear, and notched up his third win of the year.

National Duathlon Champs, Milton Keynes

As soon as the National Duathlon Champs moved to the Big Cow Tri Fest, Tim knew he was going to race there. He had raced on the course before on a number of occasions and knew it to be a great location. He also wanted to earn his place on the team for the World Champs in his own right, being the best in the UK, not just from getting bronze at last years European Champs at Swansea. Not forgetting, of course, that it was the lads at Big Cow that facilitated getting in front of the MD of DaimlerChrysler UK!

Tim was understably confident going into the race. Four of them built up a 45 second lead on the 4 lap, 10km first run. Tim and his fellow WCPP triathletes, Richard Allen and Paul Amey, used their experience to work together and build up a commanding lead. Entering T2, Tim raced away from Allen and was able to go into cruise control for the second lap to win by 26 seconds in 1.47.49.

Latest news...

Tim is away training in Switzerland with Andrew Johns for a couple of weeks while the final phase of his house purchase goes through (touch wood!). He has bought a place in Loughborough, only 10 minutes drive from the University. Also, Tim will now race at the London Triathlon on August 7th rather than race in Hamburg and so the race schedule currently looks like this:

July 24th -- Milton Keynes Triathlon
July 31st -- Salford World Cup
Aug 7th -- London Triathlon
Aug 22nd -- European Champs (Lausanne, Switzerland)
Sept 10th -- World Champs (Gamagori, Japan)
Sept 25th -- World Duathlon Champs (Newcastle, Australia)
Oct 15th -- Commonwealth Games Test Event (St.Kilda, Australia)

Pre-season in South Africa

After a really good training block in Loughborough, Tim headed out to sunny Stellenbosch. He was really focussed with a slightly changed training regime, working on getting him to be able to race stronger; meaning more miles on the bike, regular swim/bike and bike/run brick sessions, longer runs and more speed endurance work. He is determined to be a consistent contender on the World Cup circuit and make a real impression at the major Championships.

Tim did get a break when he popped back to the UK for the weekend to give a couple of talks at the TCR show at Sandown Park. Most questions were about training, racing and nutrition with the usual less serious inquiries on what shampoo he uses and who cuts his hair! He also picked up one of his new custom painted Trek bikes with matching Fizik saddles.

The plan for the early part of the year is to be based in SA till mid May. Tim is best man at a wedding in Durban and then will fly back to the UK. He is really looking forward to being based in the UK and training at the wonderful facilities in Loughborough and is praying for a hot summer!

All Africa Championships

The traditional season opener for Tim was a success. Wanting to put all three disciplines together under race conditions, it couldn't have gone any better and showed his training was right on course. The only downer was the weather, as it rained the whole day. Solid swim getting out second, feeling good on the bike as the lead group put time into the chase pack, and then running away with it to win by over a minute.

Honolulu World Cup

From South Africa, Honolulu is a hard place to get to. Cape Town to Heathrow, then onto Los Angeles and then onto Honolulu. About 26 hours in the air. And the course itself is one of the hardest on the circuit with the bike course taking in the gruelling Kilauea climb 5 times. But when you win the race and get to stay on for a few days on the world famous Waikiki beach then it's well worth it!

Tim swam well, staying out of trouble on the two lap swim and managing to avoid catching himself on the razor sharp coral. A large pack got out together and were swiftly through transition. Poulat made an early break off the front and it was only when he was joined by Wealing that they started to put time into the pack. They had a two minute lead at the start of the run. Tim had been happy riding with the pack, coping with the climbs no worries.

Tim felt good going into the race but not on top form and so he tagged onto the back of the lead chasers. Tim felt that if they ran the first 5km strongly, which they did, then they would reel in the leaders. By halfway, Tim and Hunter Kemper were in the lead, running side by side. Tim stayed patient, confident of his sprint finish but it was not needed as Kemper couldn't hold the pace allowing Tim to open up a significant gap. The one second difference doesn't tell the whole story as Tim celebrated in style down the carpeted finish chute allowing Kemper to catch up.

Mazatlan World Cup

The surf was up in Mexico. Alot was made about the heat in Mazatlan but it was the waves that were the trouble. The last guy to make the lead pack onto the bike was the 6ft6 Matt Read. He stood up in the surf at the same time as Tim but with his long legs he was able to cover the 30m of swell quicker, and was able to get out on the bike with the leaders. Tim knew how important it was to catch the leaders and rode almost the whole of the first lap on his own trying to catch them. He was eventually joined by 6 others and although only half the group were working, they managed to keep the leaders at 20 seconds. On lap 6 of 8, the big group behind Tim caught his group up causing the chase to lose momentum, and the leaders to have a minute and a half advantage as they hit T2.

Tim was asked afterwards if he was doing a fartlek session on the run. He ran the first lap really strong, leading the chasers, but then suffered with foot cramp for the middle two, before recovering to blast the last lap and finish 11th. He was very frustrated afterwards because he ran the same time as Hunter Kemper who won the race.

Race schedule

Obviously the win in Hawaii was a terrific result on its own, but it has also impacted very positively on the rest of the season. Selection for both European and World Championships are now guaranteed enabling Tim to concentrate on preparing for these major races without having to compete in any qualifying races. The provisional race schedule looks something like this, fitness/injury permitting:

June 5th -- Madrid World Cup
June 12th -- National Duathlon Champs (Milton Keynes)
July 24th -- Milton Keynes Triathlon
July 31st -- Salford World Cup
Aug 7th -- London Tri or Hamburg World Cup
Aug 22nd -- European Champs (Lausanne, Switzerland)
Sept 10th -- World Champs (Gamagori, Japan)
Sept 25th -- World Duathlon Champs (Newcastle, Australia)
Oct 15th -- Commonwealth Games Test Event (St.Kilda, Australia)

tim don -- news archive

Archived "News of the Don"

2009 updates

2008 updates

2007 updates

May 2006: Commonwealth Games reflections

Dec 2005: Commonwealth Games Test Event

Sep 2005: European Championships

Jul 2005: Corner Brook World Cup

Jun 2005: Madrid World Cup

May 2005: Pre-season and Honolulu World Cup

Viva La France!

Top Team!

Gold Coast - unofficial World Championships!

Paris French Grand Prix

The London races

Oakley Armchair Sessions

Across the pond

Madrid WCS

Korea WCS

The video is out

Top week

Giro report

The season ahead

Happy New Year everyone!

2008 updates

Christmas greetings

Mazda interview

Racing the tube

The end of the season

Olympic Games

National Champs

Beauvais FGP

I'm in!

Trip to America

Madrid report

Victory at GreenPark

Good to be back

The word from the East

Good start continues.

The winter's over, the season is about to start...

Great start to the year!

Training and racing in SA

Sunny and windy in Stellenbosch

2007 updates

Happy New Year!

Day out with the Garmin winner

Getting back into it

Cycle Show

Update on the elbow

Beijing WC crash

Hamburg World Champs

London Triathlon

Salford WC

Hyde Park

Lorient FGP

Running up that hill

European Champs

Des Moines WC

Four in a row!

Madrid WC

In the clear

French Grand Prix

National Duathlon Championships

Plan for the season

Thailand

Injury update

Three 220 Awards!

Back in the groove

Happy New Year!

Reflections on 2006

The missed tests: what really happened

CWG reflections

Racing for Beauvais

2006 Race Schedule

The next couple of months

Commonwealth Games Test Event, St. Kilda

New Plymouth World Cup

What's happening now...

European Championships