Europe Triathlon

With the news that Kitzbühel will once again be the venue for the European Championships in 2017 and with the winter months ahead when you will be perhaps planning your season of racing, why not get the perspective of an Age Group athlete? Why not see what makes racing as an Age Grouper on the ETU circuit so exciting?

We are planning to present the perspective of several athletes from a variety of countries over the next few months. Each and every one of them has their story to tell. Each and every one of them could be racing alongside you in 2015.

To start the ball rolling Tom Williams, a British Age Group athlete has provided a personal account of just what it was like to be in Kitzbühel this year.

“It’s a glorious day in the Austrian Alps. The waters of Lake Schwarzsee shimmer on my right; the sun-soaked mountains surround the beautiful valley. But I'm not looking at any of this.  I'm too busy having a discussion with my legs about going faster. 100 yards in front of me is an Austrian with his name written on his back-side. His name is Riernössl A few hundred yards in front of him is the blue carpet and finish gantry of the European Triathlon Championships in Kitzbühel. Brain sends message to leg, ‘Must go faster!!’

The whole weekend had begun with a fortunately uneventful trip out to Austria. Anyone who has travelled with children will know that navigating them through the course of an international flight isn't exactly a stress-free business. Add the extra luggage doing a triathlon creates and it looked like we were emigrating. Fortunately I never had to deal with the difficult question of ‘which you would rather lose; your bike or one of the children?’

So we arrive in Kitzbühel and what an amazing place for a triathlon. Without wanting to sound like I have taken a job with the Austrian Tourist Board, it really is a beautiful place to swim, bike and run.

On Friday we check out the swim course. The lake is a very comfortable 22^C. Being from the North of England and the same county as the Brownlee brothers (Yorkshire), this is for us tough Northerners approximately the same temperature as a bath. The organizers are threatening a non-wetsuit swim.

Saturday morning arrives and we get out to explore the bike course. The organizers were clearly feeling a bit sadistic and have managed to cram 800m of climbing into 40km. It is not just climbing though as the course has some good technical descents too. The run course isn't exactly flat either, but then we are in the Alps. Saturday afternoon is spent watching my fellow-Yorkshireman, Alistair destroying the men’s elite field. The elite course is much flatter. They have an easy day, obviously.

Race day for us arrives. After setting up transition we have a 2-hour wait before our start time. So what better to do that to relax in the sun outside a café having a coffee. Perhaps the most relaxed start to a triathlon I've ever had. That is until just before the first wave set off and the organizers build the tension with a slow drumbeat just before the start. Maybe one more trip to the toilet….

As we gather in the waiting pen there are a lot of nervous people. We stand around in wetsuits for 20 minutes, then it's our turn. We walk down to the pontoon; the loudspeakers play out the slow drumbeat; the tension builds; the excitement grows and grows; the horn sounds and we're off!

The swim goes ok. I exit the water in 22 minutes and run fast into transition and then grab the bike and head out. The bike course is 2 laps of 20km; each containing three climbs. It is on one of the longer flat sections that I first encounter the Austrian, Riernössl. He is really strong on the bike and after my swim I am feeling strong. He is riding a tri-bike. I am on a road bike. I have the advantage on my road bike on the climbs; he chased me down on the flats. He could also descend well.. The game of cat and mouse continued and not far from T2 he pushed hard and escaped from me to get to T2 just in front of me.
I get off the bike and after a quick transition set off on the 10k. The atmosphere is fantastic. There are so many spectators and my family are all there supporting. The undulating run is hurting my legs though.

As I reach the last kilometre I see my Austrian adversary. He is the motivation I need to push harder. I ask my legs for more power. There is a weak response. I shout at my legs and they seem now to be listening and slowly I catch up and then pass him.

As I reach the blue carpet 100m from the finish, a man hands me a British flag. This has been a tradition for the British Age Group Team for many, many years now and I wave it enthusiastically trying to stir up the crowd as I finish. I cross the line. I have done it !

Shortly afterwards I was very pleased to find I had finished 20th in my age group (M35-39). A top-20 finish at the European Championships, WOW ! This really was not something I thought I would be able to achieve this year.

As I think back to this now I know that I have to say a huge thank-you to all my family for coming out to support. Thanks to Chris, my coach, for his training and advice. Thanks to the guys at Eureka Cycle Sports for sorting the bike, which was impeccable. If only I could go faster …. “

Tom Williams finished in 20th place with a 2:19:39 time. His swim was 22:13, T1 was 2:44, his bike was 1:14:30, T2 was 1:54 and his final run was 38:20.

He managed to beat Stefan Riernössl, from Austria, who finished in 25th place with a 2:21:03. Stefan’s swim was 22:42, his T1 was 3:29, his bike was a stronger 1:12:32, T2 was 2:17 and his final run was 40:05.

Age Group racing is the massive foundation that our sport is built upon. We are so fortunate in our sport that our championships are so inclusive; that our top Elite athletes race alongside the Age Group athletes.