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What’s the Ten Percent Tour?

In tribute to those skinny little racing snakes going around France at this time of year, Perth Hills Tri Club have created a challenge for our (slightly less lightweight) members to help get us all motivated to get off our couches and on to our saddles to build some serious base fitness and stave off those cold weather kilos for another year.

From the start of the Tour de France on 1st of July members are challenged to complete just ten percent of the distance and/or elevation of each day’s stage. Twenty-one stages in twenty-four days and only one tenth the effort. Should be easy even for mere mortals like us, right? Right????

The Rules

• From the 30th of June, a post will appear in the club Facebook Discussion Group setting out the next day’s TdF stage details and the targets that members should hit in order to be declared a “stage finisher.”
• Cycling distance shall be 10% of the TdF stage distance and elevation 10% of the TdF elevation. Only the hardcore will achieve both.
• Because we’re triathletes, any stage can be substituted with a run or walk of no less than double the distance in minutes (i.e. 10.3km stage = 20.6min run/walk)
• Because all triathletes should swim in winter, any stage can also be substituted with a swim of no less than 1/10th the stage distance (i.e. 10.3km stage = 1030m swimming)
• Each stage may only be completed on the day of the corresponding TdF stage
• EXCEPTION: Rest days on the TdF can be used to catch up on a single missed stage
• No stage may be done in advance
• Each stage must be completed as a single activity and evidence provided
• Evidence may consist of a link to a public Strava/Garmin activity or photo of your recording device summary including evidence of the date of completion.

Why Commit To Something So Ridiculous

At the end of the Ten Percent Tour, fully financial club members who have completed at least 80% of all stages (17 of 21) will be eligible for one of four glorious “jerseys” at Tour completion. Yes, just like the real TdF! Pick your target early for the best chance of leading on the final day.

• Yellow (GC) Jersey – Highest aggregate point scorer, the overall winner of course. For each completed stage “GC” (General Classification) Points will be awarded according to the following formula: GC = distance(km) + elevation(m)/10 + time(min)/10. If running then the distance and elevation count double. If swimming then the distance is worth 10 x and elevation is the distance(m) divided by 50.
• Green (Sprinters) Jersey – Fastest average speed. If running then speed is multiplied by 2.5 and if swimming then speed is 10x.
• Polka Dot (Climbers) Jersey – greatest total elevation. If running then elevation is doubled and if swimming then elevation is the distance in metres divided by 10.
• White (Young Rider’s) Jersey – The highest GC point scorer from C-Group club riders. Classification for eligibility will be determined by the coaching director after the completion of Stage 6 for those members who can still complete the requisite number of stages.
• GC Points can only be earned for one discipline for each stage. If multiple “legs” are completed the highest GC score achieved in one activity shall be used.
• BONUS: There will be a 10% boost to all GC points earned at club organised sessions (swim, bike or run)

Awards

At the end of each stage a table of the current standings in each category shall be provided to help motivate you to keep up. The final four stages will have scores redacted to keep some mystery, and the last stage will be a “neutralised” procession, ending in a champagne breakfast with delectable French pastries. Announcement of the winners for each category will be made at the club Annual General Meeting on the afternoon of the final stage (24th of July), just in case you didn’t have enough incentive to go already.

Terms, Conditions and Other Information

• Any dangerous or unsafe behaviour during a stage of the Tour will result in disqualification from that stage
• Repeated sanctions may result in removal from the Tour altogether
• Indoor activities will be accepted as eligible for stage completion and GC Points, however indoor elevation will only be recognised if performed on a controllable “smart” trainer
• Where no distance data is available for indoor activities, distance shall be recorded as 40% of the duration(min)
• You’re all adults, please behave as if you are representing the club at all times while completing

It’s that time of year again. Head on over to the Triathlon Australia membership page to renew your Club and TA membership today!

There are a range of membership options for those training and racing, as well as those who want to support the Club with a low-cost social membership.

If you have any questions regarding which membership option will suit you best, contact a member of the committee who can point you in the right direction.

Our novice course starts on October 5 and will provide a fun and supportive atmosphere for people of all abilities to give tri a try.

You will get 10 weeks of coached training, advice on equipment and fitness, and be ready to do your first triathlon on December 15.

All abilities are welcome. We want everyone to achieve their goals and our coaches and athletes provide a friendly and fun atmosphere.

Find out more by visiting our Novice Page

Member Diana recently took on the 2019 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Lausanne. She reflects on this amazing experience.

“This was my first World Champs & international race and boy was it a thrilling and proud experience. To be in the presence of such great athletes was also quite humbling.

The warm waters meant it was a non-wetsuit swim in Lake Geneva, unfortunately come race morning it was rough and choppy…bad for me and I had a terrible swim.

The bike I loved, with punchy climbs and fast decents, it was a two loop course. The run was also hilly with 3 hard climbs per lap (two lap course) – many walked. I finished 53/94, 35th fastest on the bike and  4/10 Aussies in my AG. That’s the most impressive stats I have to tell you.

This was a technical course and different to any race I have done so far.The best part of all was just to wear the Green and Gold, make some new friends and be part of the Australian team.”

Congratulations Diana

Easy Week?

Well this week just gone was supposed to be an easier week and when it comes to training it certainly was but that was lucky because there was nothing easy about the rest of it.  Work in particular threw me a few curveballs and stress was high from Monday to Friday.

The Training

Honestly there isn’t a great deal to tell on this front.  Late finishes at work and a couple of sub-optimal nights of sleep meant there were sessions missed and in the end it was only one run, one ride and two swims for the week.  All of them were quality and I don’t concern myself too greatly in a recovery week as long as I keep ticking over.

You don’t want to get stale but you do have to remember that this time is about creating a good environment for your body to super-compensate and build itself back up stronger.  Unfortunately the effects of physical stress and mental stress are fairly similar so it probably wasn’t the ideal environment for me but this is life as an amateur triathlete with a real life, job and family getting in the way and we simply have to deal with it and remember what the important things are (triathlon is NOT one of them.)

Everyone Can Train Like A Professional

Yep, even you.  Look at your life and there I don’t think a single one of you couldn’t find the 20-30 hours a week somewhere.  An hour in the morning, two at night and ten hours on the weekend would be doable for most.  Sure, you wouldn’t see much of your family and life would be dull but you could do it.  What you couldn’t do is recover from that training while holding down a full-time job and getting six or fewer hours of sleep a night.  Once you train in excess of your body’s ability to put itself back together you’re just going to deteriorate until you have to stop.  This week my ability to recover was very low and therefore so was the training.

It can really mess with your head but learning to back off is a discipline equally as important as that of pushing through.  In almost a decade in this sport my only real injury was a flare-up of an old knee problem from basketball that occurred due to a mis-step during a race.  I rarely stretch or foam roll, I don’t visit physios and the only massages I get are the free ones after I’ve finished an Ironman race and at over 90kg most of the time this isn’t the most gentle of sports.  The only thing that I can put it down to is that I really do listen to my body and let it take care of itself.

The Week Ahead

After Monday and Tuesday work should settle back down and I can get back into it properly for another week of breaking myself down.  With only seven weeks to go I really need to start getting myself prepared for the specific demands that the race will place on me.  Get myself used to going (relatively) slow and steady and fuelling myself at the same time.  Sometimes keeping the ego in check is the hardest part, not that I’m particularly egotistical.  ?

Trav (aka Stikman)

*Missed the series?  Head to back to week one

*Continue on to week four

Nickname: Slim, Slimbo, Slimshady, Slim Dusty

How long have you been in tri?: 25 years so far!

How did you get into tri?: I was trying to impress a girl so we agreed to do a triathlon, so I signed up, turned up on raceday (she didn’t) so I did the race and finished! So I thought I would train properly for one and improved heaps been doing them ever since.

How many bikes do you have?: 6 currently. It was 7 but sold one so looking at getting back to 7 next year hopefully.

Something we wouldn’t already know about you?: Most people don’t know that I am a qualified Masseur and I like both country and western music.

What do you want to achieve this season?: I want to enjoy another good season with PHTC and cheer my club mates on, share my knowledge with a new batch of novices and anyone else that wants help and keep training after the end of the season to help my recovery from my next surgery in July!

Nickname: Raf, Abs, Maddox, Dooley, Chocolate legs

How long have you been in tri?: My first event was an enticer in the Armadale Triathlon in 2013 where I stopped half way through the swim so I could catch my breath. I think the trisuit I’d never worn before was a little tight. My result

How did you get into tri?: I’ve always loved running, mainly sprinting. Started riding after signing up for the the inaugural Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer after my dad passed away. Never been a fan of swimming, as I was afraid of the deep end in school, but always wanted to improve. So I figured why not put all three together.

How many bikes do you have?: 3. One I bought, another I won a month later and my little brothers old one.

Something we wouldn’t already know about you?: I was a referee for a season in the WSBL, Womens State Basketball League.

What do you want to achieve this season?: Experience a few club events, especially the regional ones, and see what’s involved so I can hopefully help out with running a club event in the future.

(c)FinisherPix.com

Nickname: Brizey

How long have you been in tri?: 4-5 years

How did you get into tri?: A dare in a spa party!

How many bikes do you have?:  2 – one road one TT

Something we wouldn’t already know about you?: I’m a spraypainter by trade now working in operations management for a paint distribution company.

What do you want to achieve this season?: sub 6 hrs at Busso 70.3 – it’s not fast but it’s a 33 minute potential PB; and complete 5 Dams ride for shits n giggles.

Floora shares her race experience conquering the beautiful yet challenging KVT.

I had been warned about Karri Valley leading up to race day (thanks team, I think?). “Great prep for Busso!”, “oooh it’s a pretty big race!”, “better take it easy, big race this weekend”. Good. No need to freak out then…

The big day had arrived. The day started with a sleep in, with race briefing not till 9:10. That’s how I like it!!! Mosey down to registration and transition at 8:30. Rack the bike anywhere, suss out transition entry and exit points, and get insider knowledge from Slim to soothe the worries.

Swim

The sporadic rain led me to get into my wetsuit early to keep warm, waddling back to the lake for the start. It was an hour between briefing and start. Anticipation was rising, the rain kept threatening, but the 147 competitors were ready. Finally it was our wave start! Quickie warm-up in the lake meant I knew what temperature to expect when diving in. Luckily it was surprisingly mild. Swimming in fresh water is definitely a different experience. And I LOVE IT! no salt drying out your mouth, calm waters guaranteed with no swell, currents or waves. I quickly found some feet and kept up with the pack for the first 800 m. After this I was in a nice rhythm and finished with 0:30:47 on the clock.

It was a long run to transition, down the driveway onto lawn. I had made the decision to leave old shoes on the way to avoid foot injuries. In hindsight I think this may have been a waste of time. As long as you run carefully and watch your step it should be fine. The organisers of the event cleared the majority of foot-injuring sticks and stones.

Ride

On the bike in my team suit. Hurray! Finally my support crew (parents, husband) could identify me from the crowd! Up the first 5km hills I was grateful that I knew what to expect on the course. First its up, then its down. Just keep pedalling. I was quick to find my cadence and fell into a comfortable form.

Channybearup Road opened up into fields. No more protection from trees. On the way out I knew there must be wind because even up hills I was over 30km/hr. As soon as I made the turn it hit me “hey, there it is!”. Blustering side and headwind all the way back to Vasse Highway. I was pleasantly surprised by the camaraderie out there. Lots of friendly people including the volunteers and marshals. First lap down in one hour. And I still felt good!

There was some slowing on the second lap, particularly in the head wind and my mind was already starting to fret about the impending run. By this time I had passed people and they were already nowhere in sight. This added to a feeling of exhilaration that I was ACTUALLY doing this and doing it well. Thank you training rides and interval training! Nutrition also worked a charm. One date ball every 15 minutes and a drink of coconut water with pinch of Himalayan rock salt. Water every 10 minutes. I came in at 2:10:26 super chuffed with myself and still smiling.

Run

Running. *sigh*. Running. The best thing about this leg is the camaraderie gets even better and you are closer to spectators who shout encouragement. Lacking the wolf pack, it was even more important for me to have my family there (and the cameras that come with them!). It made me keep my form (when in sight but in the bush this form sometimes fell apart), and gave me that extra push to keep up the 6km/min.

On the run you see familiar faces around every turn and encouraging yells and high fives started at lap 2. Yes, the run had some minor hills, but they were all short enough to look forward to going down. Being protected in the forest under shade made for pleasant conditions. On lap 3/3 I had a breakthrough, focussing on a slow exhalation ensured deep breaths and avoided the shallow panting. This made lap 3 infinitely easier. Must remember this in training! Finally, after nearly 4 hours of slogging it, I sprinted through the finish.

Finisher

A funny thing happens to me at every race finish line. Tears. Low on blood sugar, low on energy, the brain has been in a stupor for several hours with the majority constantly telling me to stop and lay down, while a small stubborn little nugget of it refuses to give in and pushes the body to its maximum. The tears come and there’s a panicky feeling of hyperventilating and not getting enough oxygen. I force my focus back on my breathe despite wanting nothing more but to lay down. Deep breaths. Eat something, ANYTHING, and then bask in glory (and champagne and chocolate and all things yummy).

Lessons learned

As my biggest event to date, I learned a few important lessons:

1. Arrive early the day before so you can do a familiarisation ride. It gave me a chance to feel the conditions, see the grade of the road (for only a small part of course), and the ‘lay of the land’. After climbing 5km straight outside Karri Valley resort I started to set my goals for the bike leg.
2. Want peace and quiet? Don’t stay at the resort, or near a start line of any event.
3. If you find yourself without a wolf pack, bring family and friends.
4. Control your breathing – avoid panic attacks that come with panting, and breathe deeply.
5. If you see me cry at the finish line, its normal.

Absolutely psyched about Busso, more challenges and things to learn.