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

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

Are you a member of a club or team or just ride with a group of friends? Our group rates mean you can get even better value from our Level 2 bike fit process. Book as a group and make significant savings over our standard rates. Our Retul bike fit process is the most accurate method of measuring and assessing rider position. The Retul system takes accurate and most importantly DYNAMIC measurements direct from the rider whilst they’re riding. No other bike fit system (including video moti0n capture) offers the same level of detailed and accurate measurement. Team Retul’s accuracy with the experience of our bike fitters throughout the UK and it’s a winning combination.

Groups of THREE riders on the same day – £115 per rider

Groups of FOUR riders on the same day – £100 per rider

(our standard pricing is £149.99 off peak and £184.99 peak time)

The off season is THE BEST time to get your bike fitted, leaving plenty of time to adapt to your new position over the coming winter months.

CONTACT US NOW for more information and to make a group booking. The best money you’ll ever spend on your bike!

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.

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

Yesterday saw Bike Science – Planet X team riders Lisa Greenfield and Paul Horsfall perform our first ever metabolic profiling sessions at Bike Science Bristol. Jon Riley of TrueZone testing visited to show us the “New Leaf ” metabolic profiling system in action and give our team riders the opportunity to gain valuable information on which to base their early winter training.

The testing procedure is non-invasive (no blood samples are taken) and works by comparing the levels of carbon dioxide in the air with the levels exhaled by the rider as they perform at a known level of output. The test involves a sub maximal ramp test (there’s no falling off the bike knackered or throwing up in a bucket unless you REALLY want to go that hard). During the test, the rider  is asked to pedal at a steady power output (Powertap power meters are used to ensure accurate power measurement). At regular intervals the intensity is increased as the rider’s exhaled air is sampled. The New Leaf system then records and determines the following…

1. Power Output

2. Heart Rate

3. Number of calories burnt per minute at each intensity

4. Percentage of calories obtained from carbohydrate metabolism at each intensity

5. Percentage of calories obtained from fat metabolism at each intensity

This information is absolutely key to any athlete intending on competing in any aerobic sport.

Training intensity and calorific requirements can be accurately calculated allowing the athlete or coach to perfectly tailor their training to suit their fitness levels and goals.

Treat yourself to your best season ever in 2012 by starting your winter training with ACCURATE information.

Bike Science are offering metabolic profiling testing in Bristol on Saturday the 26th of November – open to ALL LEVELS of rider at any level of fitness.

CONTACT US TO BOOK YOUR SESSION NOW – £95 Per Rider – LIMITED AVAILABILITY

This is more than just a race report to cover my Kona experience. With regard to the actual physicalchallenge the swim was hard as I was in a large pack and we were all swimming at the same paceso there was lots of jostling around in the choppy water. The bike went well it and for the mostpart I felt strong and biked well within my capability. It was of course very hot, breezy along thecost and very windy turning off the coast up the turnaround. At Hawi I served a four 4 minutepenalty for drafting (on a climb!!) along with 20 other cyclists, there were big groups on the courseso drafting on the hills was a problem. My vision started to go at mile 80 and I had developed ablinding headache and a ferocious thirst, I attempted to take on board more fluids from this point onbut my stomach was cramping. I made it into transition and headed out on the run but I knew I wasin trouble. My vision was very poor and my legs and feet were cramping badly. I made it to mile 4before I was overcome. Fortunately the Doctor who had been looking after Julie Dibbens was closeby and I was shipped off to Medical to fro the treatment of the hypoglycaemia.
However if the truth be told the reason why I DNF’d at the biggest event of my life was down toarrogance, this was the first race I had started really believing I had a chance to do well. OrdinarilyI make the start line hoping I make it round but with my performance in Lanzarote and a summerof hard and focused training I had an over inflated feeling of self belief. This led me to make baddecisions I didn’t monitor my fluid intake on the bike, I didn’t eat anywhere near enough. I didn’tacclimatise properly, I underestimated the affect the humidity would have and I didn’t hydratewell or fully prepare the days preceding the race.I had begun to believe my own hype and it is thisthat makes it hard for me to climb on that plane home tomorrow and face my friends and familywho have provided the most amazing level of support I have ever experienced. I feel like I have letthem all down and if I had been more humble then I would be greeting them with a result to beproud of rather than limping back with excuses!!!So the most important lesson I will take from thisexperience is that I remain an (almost middle aged) woman from Tetbury who swims, bikes and runsa lot because it makes me smile and feel alive. I will come back from this stronger, more focusedand with a renewed understanding of what it takes for me to achieve my goals, and who knows Imay find myself back on these shores again……..”

We all know that winter miles = summer smiles, but how can you as a rider get the very best out of your valuable winter training time?

Metabolic profiling is an ideal tool for determining where to target your training for the best possible gains. Start your winter training the best way possible

We’re please to announce our first metabolic profile testing date at Bike Science Bristol – Saturday the 26th of November.

With a simple VO2 Metabolic assessment you can cut out the guess work and make sure you are getting the most out of every session.

You will find out how many calories you are burning at a range of intensities and what percentage is fat or carbs (essential information for any endurance rider or triathlete). You’ll discover where your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds are and how they determine the zones you need to train in to get the best results.

We’d recommend using one of these sessions to set your training zones early in the winter, then re-testing as the season approaches to assess improvements made.

Information is Power, Power = Performance.

Just 6 Slots are available for our first day of testing – BOOK NOW BY CONTACTING US

Price is £95 which includes a comprehensive set of test results and advice regarding training goals.

Team Bike Science Planet X rider Lisa Greenfield jets off for Hawaii today for her first crack at “The Big One” – The Hawaii Ironman world champs. The course should suit Lisa’s biking power. With an age group win at the Lanzarote Ironman behind her already this season, we’re excited to see how her first race in Hawaii goes. Follow Lisa’s progress on our facebook page throughout the week. Go Lisa!!

“Well there is just over a week to go before the big race on the big isle. I am now officially in “taper” and i’m going completely mental, managing to fill my days with work stuff but find myself dreaming in every other spare minute of what it’s going to be like bumbling along behind the awesomeness of the Wellington, Dibens and the like. Final sessions are going well and feeling really strong and positive, let’s see of that remains as the countdown continues….Any top tips from previous Kona participants would be gratefully recieved LG”