Bike Skills From Week 3

Each week fun2tri athletes practice a variety of bike skills. I have been so impressed this year with how they have improved so quickly. Great job! Last night was the first night of the "popular" bottle drill. The drill works on balance and control. Athletes must pick up a bottle from the top of a cone and place it either in a bucket or on another cone (depending on the difficulty they choose). Above, Graham shows us how it is done. The success rate was fantastic last night. By the end of the session, I think we had almost 100% success on the pick-ups and even a few successful placements back onto the cone. What a great improvement from when we started last year.

Now, if only we could improve on the cheating during the helmet game!

See you next week (hopefully with some warmer weather).

Week 2 - Golf Game

Week 2 of the fun2tri training involved a review of the bike skills we learned in week 1. The mounts and dismounts were looking quite good and on the cornering drills, only a few cones continued to take a beating.

We then played a couple of rounds of golf - triathlon style. Each hole incorporated a running drill and groups of four moved from "hole to hole". Despite my best efforts to avoid it, the game quickly became a race. Perhaps we need to incorporate the snail game into the golf game.

This week we will be working on our transition skills. I can't wait to use the new bike racks than Ginny and Chalmer's dad, Emlyn made for us (many, many thanks).

On another note, I encourage you to check out the Ontario Provincial Triathlon Centre's blog. Craig Taylor, the provincial development coach keeps us up to date on the triathlon world and provides lots of helpful tips. Last week Craig wrote a great post on safety - providing two suggestions that we should all consider. Check it our at www.provincialtriathloncentre.blogspot.com

See you Tuesday.

Week 1 - A Great Start!

Well week 1 was a big success. We have 23 athletes in the club this year which hopefully will mean a sea of pink on race days. A special welcome to newcomers Brianne, Carter, Paige, Duncan, Chalmers, Ginny and Natalie. Great to see our 16 returning athletes too.

Bike handling skills were a big part of week 1 and will continue to be a focus for the athletes throughout the season. A big game of tag at the end of training was a hit, as usual.

Special thanks to Lynn (Chalmers and Ginny's mom) for helping with the paperwork - much appreciated.

Week 2 will involve some new bike handling drills and a game of golf - and you thought this was a tri club? And of course... tag (bring your tag ideas).

I will try to remember to take some pictures this week so that we can get some new pics on the blog (and get rid of Myles and Sean - I did not post this pic). Bring your best smiles.

Tri Training Starts Tuesday

Finally... that time of year. The fun2tri triathlon club training is about to start! Next Tuesday (April 14) we will meet at Robert F. Hall for our first session of the year. There will be a combination of new faces and returing faces which is very exciting. Remember to bring your bike, bike helmet and running shoes (you don't need transition stuff for week 1). If you have any questions, send me an email. Looking forward to seeing everyone.

PS As I write this, I am looking out the window at a winter wonderland - about 6 inches of snow (at least). I will keep you posted if our plans have to be changed. In the meantime, hope for lots of sunshine and warm weather.