Welsh Midweek Triathlon Series – Race 2
Resolven, Neath
Wednesday 6th July 2011
750m swim (o/w) / 16k bike / 5k run
Report by David Astins
Race 1 took place in May and was won comfortably by our very own Mr Luke Watson. Luke had said he had enjoyed the first race, the bike was quite short & flat (suits me sir!), and as I work in Carmarthen I’m already half way there – so count me in for Race 2 I said!
I have to admit to regretting that decision come race day as the weather was shocking. Strong winds and heavy rain brought a monsoon like quality to the day, quite a contrast to the tropical conditions just 4 days before at the Pembrokeshire Coast Triathlon! Still, after work I drove south and east rather than west, and found myself at 5pm in a car park beside the A465 eating cold pasta.
A quick reccie of the bike course (pretty flat, some potholes, a few stretches of parked car hazards, just one dead turn and LOTS of water) and I then arrived in what I can only describe as another world! The car park was the site of the Rheola Indoor Market, a half derelict warehouse full of all sorts of unimaginable treasures from concrete blocks to antique fireplaces to a burger van. And the car park was like a lake, thanks to the rain.
Some banter with Scott Patrick followed, me trying my best to unsettle him with tales of how well my training was going, was he sure about those wheels in these conditions?, and other such mind games. Registration was easy and after a few rumours (mainly emanating from Scott) that the race may be cancelled, transition was soon set up, race brief was given, and we walked the 200m or so from transition down to the lake.
The water was warm if a little murky, and we had to do 2 laps of a triangular course clockwise. I managed to end up swimming next to the swimmer from hell, weaving this way and that yet still managing to stay just in front or beside me, and cutting me up at every buoy! Only in the last 100m did I manage to shake them, having left Scott well behind after the first buoy. The chase was on.
Once onto the main road it was down on the aero bars and in the big chain ring all the way, with only a few shallow climbs necessitating a change of gear and on two occasions standing up for a short stint to keep the momentum. At the halfway turn point I was about 9th, and about 200m afterwards there was Mr Patrick going the other way, shouting something about “nailing my grass” (or something like that). That spurred me on and I was pleased that he only caught me in the last 2 miles or so, and I was only 20 seconds or so down on him going into transition in 10th place (it later transpired Scott had the fastest bike split and will henceforth be known as Fabian, as in Cancellera).
Onto the run and it became apparent that my calf muscles were not at all happy, particularly with the steep bank in front of the main house, and my knees started complaining at the rough surfaces soon after. Scott was pulling away and there was nothing I could do. A quick retch or two brought up some bile and what felt like a cube of carrot, and after that I settled into the hardest pace I could hang onto, moving up into 9th place. Try as I might I could not close down two guys who remained just ahead of me, although I did catch one young lad in the last km to move into 8th overall, and thankfully avoided being caught by anyone.
Scott had performed well to move up to 4th place at the finish, even though he said he struggled. Poor lamb. The 2011 score is currently Patrick 3 Astins 0 and I suspect it will end up worse! Luke as expected put in a polished performance, winning comfortably. At the presentation he was disappointed to win exactly the same gilet as he won at the first race, and I was pleased to claim 1st veteran by over 4 minutes but later realised the nice Salomon lightweight jacket in the prize bag was a size small – even when I was lean I was never a small!
All in all a good event, shame about the conditions, but an excellent brick session. I’d recommend having a go at the final event in September.
Results for Club members below.
| Pos | Name | Swim | Bike | Run | Total |
| 1 | Luke Watson | 9.32 | 25.10 | 20.47 | 55.54 |
| 4 | Scott Patrick | 13.02 | 24.31 | 21.55 | 1.00.07 |
| 8 | David Astins | 11.54 | 25.28 | 23.13 | 1.01.40 |
| 35 | Jonathan James | 13.50 | 29.55 | 27.03 | 1.11.58 |
| 52 | Daniel King | 15.38 | 30.57 | 27.10 | 1.15.14 |
Full results available here
