Skip directly to content
  • Harry Says “Just get on my wheel and you will be alright!”
  • Harry Says “Put in an extra loop down the coast road”
  • Harry Says “Ride your bike!”
  • Harry Says “Just a steady 2 to 3 hours”

NOTICE: User accounts and passwords

Due to a recent website update, you may experience issues logging into your user account. If you do, please try resetting your password

Website improvements are on the way. Please stay calm and patient. smiley

Crowning a Champion in a Cloudburst - The Irma Bowl 2017

Neon Red's picture
on Mon, 11/09/2017 - 22:52

It was a day when the number 15 came to the for more than once as it was the 15th round of my 2017 race schedule wearing number 150 on the North Fylde coast for the Fleetwood Triathlon. I've almost forgotten what it's like to race in a pool as the last time I did such a race was in Nantwich. In another curious symmetry that race was on May 21st, the day before the unspeakably tragic events at the Manchester arena; and so it would be that the day after the historic facility reopened it was time for me to return to what felt like a previous lifetime at one of my own old favourite venues of slightly smaller proportions. This year's race had over 300 entrants and as such I was right in the middle of the senior's starting order. As me and teammate Adele Fisher were racking our bikes in transition (Adele having improved so much at swimming, don't be giving her any ideas like Keep Calm And..........) a fine rain began to fall and the irony of Katy Perry's Swish Swish playing on the radio in the Fleetwood YMCA began to dawn on me, especially when I realised I had team NRG4 and St Helens Tri looking to me to be the main man and the next track was Rita Ora's I Will Never Let You Down, well how's that for reassertion of one's focus. Just before going to poolside I saw my good friend Caroline Betmead (the other star of the 2013 Lytham 5k dog off the lead incident) stormed the local scene last year at St Anne's when she borrowed a friend's Merida bike and won the female vets prize by five and a half minutes. Here, she was in the running for the league title and was no doubt thinking the same as everyone else, it's our year. I think you've all heard that line a bit recently. Anyway, we were called into line shortly before our turn to go and with Adele nearing the end of her swim it was time for me to set off for the start of the 2017 Fleetwood Triathlon.

The first few lengths were pretty good but I couldn't get foot traction on the pool wall and as such lost my one trump card, namely ability to glide for a few metres. Worse still, some idiot decided to swim anti-clockwise and if I hadn't pushed him out of the way -TWICE - I'd have ended up in hospital after a clash of heads. With my balance problems in my inner ear already crippling my supply of explosive speed and my fuel delivery (hence the decision to stop at Starbucks en route for a breakfast sarnie and fluffy coffee) the last thing I needed was someone trying to drown me before I'd even completed eight lengths. One person did get caught though, proving that I was getting that swim stroke together and having not been caught by anyone behind I could at least take a 1-0 win (with no-one trying to red-card me for kicking others in the face) into T1 where I got bike shoes on, number belt secured as best as I could and helmet fastened so I could run to the mount line and tackle three drizzly laps of the Fleetwood Promenade.

This was one big test of character. Yes, I managed to pass loads of people, and yes I didn't get caught by anyone, but the run south west after the Mount hotel was awful and I don't think the front wheel even wanted to be on the course. What didn't help either was just how steep the drop to the armrests are; methinks the high "pitch" value plus me needing a skull cap to stop the wind making me nauseous was just too extreme for these conditions. At least I passed the tandem before lap 1 was over and the run back to base was exhilarating as I reached speeds of over 25mph but the course was now like an ice rink and it was unnerving to throw too much weight over the front wheel for fear of skidding, or getting swish swished, over the sea wall. The second and third laps were harder going still and I actually used the base bar in the best possible position for most of the headwind run such was the buffeting on the 55mm deep wheelset I chose to put in. Time to get that TCR Advanced Pro ordered so I get a shallower version of the same wheels to play with methinks. On the last lap I didn't get pushed around quite so much so I got a nice fast run back to the pit lane to dismount. I'd left my running shoes in my Total Fitness bag semi-closed so at least they'd be dry. And this would pay dividends as the Saucony Endorphins who pulled off the UPSET SPECIAL of a thousand years in Widnes last month were perfectly easy to slip on and begin the 5k run.

Some spectators crowded the runner's entry point but we blasted through thanks to me shouting "MOVE" (again) and before long it was high cadence and short quick movements all the way (yes you spotted the irony especially after the chain snap incident last Monday). The 500 metres between the observatory and the turnaround point were the toughest but this was followed by an extremely entertaining 500 metres back, as first a dog wandered across the course then one of the 99 red balloons graced us with its presence. By now it was straight tailwind all the way back but with no JP to pace me home after his awesome Crocky Hall training runs of late it was simply a case of wave at Adele then put the hammer down for an early start to the YOLO. Whether I get the fastest run split or not, you know you'll always get good entertainment value from me, and so it proved as the crowd homes in on the red and black bullet approaching the finish line. I knew I could just about beat the 65 minute mark if I ran like there was no tomorrow so I went completely mad in the last 200 metres and eventually undercut the target by four seconds, 1:04:56 giving me a top 15 place as per the theme of the day!

After a dash to get a shower Adele appeared just in time for Wayne to take pictures with the roaring sea, aka the back of Hurricane Irma, as a backdrop. Adele headed for home while I went to track Caroline's progress and see if she could hold onto the ladies' title. For a while we weren't sure as to the aggregate situation as a couple of others near her start time finished in front so it all came down to adding up the overall times from Ribby Hall and St Anne's. While the judges went to do that I walked the bike over to the Mount pub where I ate a miniature shark in batter and chips plus a pint of Moorhouse real ale, which is even better than Wainwright's. Caroline arrived in time for the prize presentations and it must be said the bloke reading the script had been standing outside with a lot of rain falling down on him as per the recent top 40 hit but in the final award of the day, and the first real BOOM moment of what had been an awful weekend of sports results, Caroline was announced as the winner of the 2017 Fylde Tri-Logy series! Just think about that if you're always telling yourself "I'll do that" and then don't; she hadn't even raced on a bike 18 months ago and here she was holding the trophy aloft. What's stopping the rest of you? Go on, make 2018 your year!

Now for the results, powered by Moorhouse Real Ale:

Distance: 400m/20k/5k
Time: 1:04:56
Final Position: 15th out of around 300 finishers
Dogs: 1
Red Balloons: 1
Roadblocks: 2
Speed Wobbles: too many
Next Upgrade: An inner ear system that doesn't cripple my balance
Post Race Nutrition: 10/10 (miniature shark and chips plus beer, enough said)
Best Moment of the Day: The BOOM moment as Caroline won the title (St Helens Tri just offered Blackpool £80million plus a couple of Limar helmets)

REJECT OF THE RACE: The wrong way idiot in the pool
(Time to get a Premier League referee at these events so the noobs can be sent off)

The dates have just been released for 2018. Ribby Hall on April 15, St Anne's on May 20 and Fleetwood on September 9th. I'm not sure about the whole series but I'll definitely return to this little fishing village. Now on to Kendal in two week's time to finish the triathlon season in style!

Post new comment