After our overall win in the mens category at the 2012 National Triathlon Relay champs, Team Bike Science – Boardman Elite were keen to make a good showing at the 2013 event. After much chin scratching and deliberation we decided to go for the ladies event this year. Team rider Naomi Warr reports in…

The Bike Science Ladies took on the recent challenge at the National Triathlon Club relays at the National Water Sports Centre Nottinghamshire. The team consisted of Maria Powell, Claire Hann, Kelly Weall and Naomi Warr. Not all of the team were regulars at this distance but up for giving it a good go. The preparations started the night before when Kelly cooked for the team, there must have been something in the pasta as we had a great run on Saturday pm.

The swim: The tag line that it’s just ‘organised chaos’ is so true as you have the craziness of the swim where you are trying to spot you team mate as they run out the water with (new for this year!) their swim hat still on. Maria first off, she agreed to brave the ‘washing machine’ leg of the swim, much to all the others relief. Maria whizzed round in a speedy 7.44 to tag the next team mate Kelly, Kelly battled through the pack to come in a respectable time of 8.53 which was more of what she was used to, unlike the recent Blithfield swim which ended up 250m longer than advertised! Naomi (who nearly forgot she was third! blonde moment but no time lost – thanks Claire!), had a shock to the system as her last open water swim was 2.4 miles at Bolton Ironman only 3 weeks previous!, she battled round in – 8.54. Next in was Claire, or ’speedy’ as we renamed her, who absolutely stormed it round in a stunning time of 6.59.

Then there was the bike: The bike course 3 x around the lake is great, and with so many people on the course there’s always a person to aim for, and you’re continually shouting ‘on your right’ ‘coming through the middle’ , avoiding geese! etc. Maria took the bike on with determination and flew round in 24.20, followed by another equally speedy performance from Kelly in 24.10 who definitely enjoyed this year’s bike far more than last year as there was no freak hail storm! , Naomi was pleased with her bike leg in 23.38, followed again by speedy Claire (it must be those electronic shifters! ) in 22.55.

And then for the run: The run can get fairly tough at the watersports centre when the wind catches you on the run in. Maria absolutely nailed the first leg in 19.28, followed by Kelly in 20.05 both gearing those legs up for London, Naomi in 20 (used to a much longer and slower run pace, and in Kona a lot hotter!) and Claire in another speedy time of 19.02 on the longest run leg, they best watch out for her in London as well! Total time 3:25:53. We crossed the line in 10th place and there were 3 ladies teams in front of us. Unfortunately we were unable to compete as a ladies team in the end and were put in the open category for some reason but we know we did well and all we can say is, there’s always next year. Great day had by all, we made an excellent team, organised, competitive and fun (most importantly). Wish us all good luck in our up and coming races:

Maria – London ITU Worlds Standard distance
Naomi – Kona – Hawaii World Ironman Championships
Claire -London ITU Worlds Standard distance
Kelly – London ITU Worlds Sprint distance

Pre Fit Position – 40km Bike Split ~1hr13mins

Want to take 10 minutes off your 40km Olympic distance bike time? Claire did! Here’s how…

I first met Claire Hann after she won the 2012 Bristol Harbouside Triathlon. As part of her prize for winning the Olympic distance race overall Claire was presented with a Level 2 Precision bike fitting at Bike Science Bristol. As a bike fitter, my first impression was respect for Claire having managed to win the event and put in a respectable bike split (of 1hr:13min:09sec)on her current bike with her current riding position. Once Claire told me more about herself and the kind of swim and run times she was capable of, it was pretty obvious that although she was already winning events, there was a huge amount of untapped potential in her biking. Relatively new to the sport of triathlon and to cycling, the bike leg of the triathlon was clearly her weakest link.

On the day of her first bike fit, I invited Claire to become a member of our Bike Science – Boardman Elite team with a view to taking a big chunk of time off her 2013 bike splits.

Roll forward 12 months. After a period of riding tri bars (added to specific bike training courtesy of award winning coach Andy Bullock at Endurance Sports Coaching) on her road bike with a corresponding change in position, Claire moved onto a dedicated time trial bike for the first time. Her 2013 results speak for themselves!

Chester Diva Triathlon – 1st Overall Lady – Bike Split 1hr:09min:05sec

European Age Group Champs – 1st Overall Lady – Bike Split 1hr:02min:18sec

Equipment changes for 2013

Claire raced the second half of the 2012 season on a Cannondale  road bike with clip on Profile T1+ tri bars.

2013 Equipment list:-  Boardman Air TT, Ultegra Di2 Custom Build, Reynolds Assault Wheels, Vittoria Open Corsa CX Tyres, Profile Aeria Aerobars, Lazer Tardiz aero helmet.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR – BOOK YOUR BIKE SCIENCE BIKE FIT NOW

2013 Race Position – 40km Bike Split ~ 1hr02mins

Bike Science will be out in force at the forthcoming Triathlon Show 2013 – Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd of March. With this years event promising to be bigger and better than ever before, we’re ready to roll with a full range of bikes from both Boardman Elite and Kuota. Order any bike at the show and you’ll receive our Level 2 Retul precision bike fit FOR FREE when you collect your bike. The fitting can take place at any of our fitting studios throughout the UK.

MEET CHRIS BOARDMAN – British Cycling Legend Chris Boardman will be appearing on the Bike Science stand on Saturday 2nd March – 3pm. Meet Chris, and ask him anything you want to know about the Boardman Elite range!

We’re offering FREE bike sizing sessions at the show by appointment. To book, simply use the calendar on THIS PAGE.

We’ll also have some great offers on Cobb and ISM saddles, helmets, clothing, bike fits and more so come and see us on STAND A44. Try any saddle on our fitting jig BEFORE YOU BUY!

BOOK YOUR FREE BIKE SIZING SESSION HERE

To learn more about our bike fit process and to book your own fitting session READ MORE HERE

Join us on Sunday the 18th of November for a ride in the beautiful Cotswolds. We’ve planned two routes and we’re looking to encourage riders of all ages and abilities to join in. What’s more, the ride is FREE. This is NOT an official organised sportive event, rather an informal group ride. Our team riders and Bike Science staff will be out in force to guide the groups or for GPS users, you can download a GPS route from Bike Route Toaster.

We’re limiting the number of places available – USE THE BOOKING SYSTEM ON THIS PAGE TO RESERVE A PLACE

NOTE – PLEASE READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ON THE BOOKING PAGE CAREFULLY BEFORE ATTENDING THE RIDE

Route 1

Short Route

DOWNLOAD THE SHORT ROUTE ~41 miles. A scenic country route with a hill in the middle! A much less demanding route with only one really difficult climb.

NORTH NIBLEY AND BACK AGAIN

Route 2

Long Route

CLIMBS OF THE COTSWOLDS

DOWNLOAD THE LONG ROUTE ~ 82  Hilly scenic miles. Approx 4000ft of climbing. Taking in four of the best road climbs in the Cotswolds, this is a testing, but scenic route. Non of the climbing is especially steep so don’t be put off the challenge of this superb route.

This weekend sees the opportunity to see the entire range of Boardman Elite bikes at the Bike Science North East studio. See the bikes, take one for a test ride, learn more about our precision Retul bike fit process, plus prizes on offer all weekend. Head fitter Andy Sedgwick will be on hand all weekend to size you accurately for a new bike, advise on fitting an bio-mechanics plus explain the range of services offered. Jamie Mitchell of Boardman Bikes will be there all weekend to talk tech and take you through Boardmans Olympic and World Championship winning range of machines.

For more details contact northeast@bike-science.com

Location:

Bike Science North East
Triology Multi Sport Solutions
Unit 2-3
Evans Business Centre
Durham Way South
Newton Aycliffe
Darlington
Co Durham
DL5 6ZF

Date: Sat 27th and Sun 28th October 2012

Parking available at the venue plus refreshments and prizes all weekend.

Available NOW from your local Bike Science dealer. The all new Shimano Ultegra Di2 road bike range from Boardman Elite. For the first time, experience ultra fast electronic shifting from Shimano married to Boardman Elite’s renowned ultralight SLR Road and Olympic winning aerodynamic AiR Road frames. With complete all carbon road bikes and superb specification finishing kits the new Di2 range offers the sort of high performance, great value package that we’ve come to expect from Boardman.

Each bike comes with a FREE bike sizing session and FREE Level 1 bike fit or 1/2 price Level 2 Precision Retul bike fit to ensure the best possible fit and performance. What are you waiting for?

Check the new bikes NOW…

Boardman Elite SLR Road 9.0s – Ultegra Di2 – From £2699

Boardman Elite AiR Road 9.0s – Ultegra Di2 – From £2699

Boardman Elite SLR Road 9.2s – Ultegra Di2 – From £3499

Boardman Elite AiR Road 9.2s – Ultegra Di2 – From £3499

We’ve been thinking long and hard about the best possible brand of wheels to offer as upgrades on our RANGE OF BIKES. After much head scratching and fondling of sexy carbon products, we’re confident in having made a great decision. REYNOLDS CARBON WHEELS are now available as upgrade options on all bikes. From our assessment, the range of Reynolds Wheels offer the best all round combination of aerodynamics, performance, value and of course speed. Race proven in the pro peleton!

To begin with we’re listing CLINCHER carbon options on the bikes we feel the upgrades are likely to be most popular on, but if you require a wheel upgrade or a wheel that isn’t listed as an option CONTACT US WITH YOUR REQUIREMENTS.

Here are just a few example bike options…

Kuota K-Factor – Perfect Long Distance Triathlon Race Machine – From £2599 including Reynolds Assault Carbon Clincher Wheels (Wheel RRP £1199)

Boardman AiR Road – Road, Tri, Sportive – The perfect all rounder – From £2549 including Reynolds Attack Carbon Clincher Wheels (Wheel RRP £1099)

Boardman AiR TT – Hawaii Ironman Winners Choice – From £2749 including Reynolds Assault Carbon Clincher Wheels (Wheel RRP £1199)

Team Bike Science – Boardman Elite hit the UK’s most iconic race – The National Triathlon Relay champs at Holme Pierrepont yesterday and claimed our first ever national title. The team of David Bishop, Tom Bishop, Mark White and Ed Charlton-Weedy put in stellar performances throughout the day in the 500m swim, 15km bike and 5km run event to hold off former champs Total Fitness Nottingham and a strong team from Red Venom Compression. Thanks to race organisers One Step Beyond for once again organising one of the best events in the UK. See you there again next year!

Congratulations to all the team and special thanks to Dan Phillips for organising the team in the run up to the event.

Bike Science – Boardman Elite National Champions!

More photos from the day on our FACEBOOK PAGE

See the range of Boardman Elite bikes at our network of showrooms and bike fit studios throughout the UK

We appreciate that the success of Bike Science over the last couple of years has been greatly down to our clients recommending us to friends and colleagues. Now it’s time for us to say thanks to those of you spreading the word with our RECOMMEND A FRIEND scheme.

If you’ve received a bike fit or purchased a bike at any of our fit studio locations, fill in our RECOMMEND A FRIEND REWARD FORM and recommend us to your friends. If they go on to purchase any bike or bike fit from us (Level 2 or Level 3) at any Bike Science branch (showing us your completed form when they visit), we’ll send you a Phew – Bike Science Short Sleeve Team Issue Cycling Jersey worth £44.99 to say thanks.

DOWNLOAD YOUR RECOMMEND A FRIEND FORM HERE.

The small print (terms and conditions)

1. Offer valid while stocks last

2. You must have either have received a bike fit or purchased a bike from a Bike Science branch at any time since our opening in March 2010

3. No cash or other alternative available to your reward

4. Bike Science reserve the right to remove this offer without notice

5. “Friend” must purchase a bike or bike fit (Level 2 or Level 3) at any Bike Science location and show your completed form at the time of payment