Mel Ryding: Season preview and Race Aims
This year, all my World and European Qualifiers are on consecutive weeks for the next four weeks, followed by the European Championships two weeks after the last one! That must have been a person in a bad mood who decided that I think! It certainly means I need to be extremely focused.
The first of these, a World Qualifier, is Eton – this weekend. I am feeling quite calm about this one: it’s a flat course – which should suit me, 4 bike laps – plenty of opportunity to get some great pictures of the argon! Too late to worry about it now! All the hard work is already done (I hope!)
Next week is Speedy Beaver: it triples up as the National Sprint Championships, a World and a European qualifier – so the competition will be tough there! I do hope I have my cycling and running legs on that weekend!
The following week is QE2 in Sunderland – which to be honest I haven’t thought much about. This is a world qualifier, so I will worry about this one after I have done this weekend’s race at Eton!
The fourth is a race I have done before, and although it’s a tough bike course, it’s been a kind race to me and I have done well there before, however the last time I hadn’t completed 3 races in the 3 weeks before hand – so we will just have to wait and see how I get on!
The main focus for me though, is the European Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, on the last weekend in June. All these races serve as preliminaries to the big event – my legs sure will be used to racing by then! I am excited about it – I am in a new age group this year,, having moved up from the 35-39 age group to the 40-44 age group, so who knows what will happen! It’s not too amusing running around all year with F40 on your leg though, when your 40th is not till after the season is over! I tell you, life had better begin BEFORE 40 – because if it doesn’t begin till I am 40 – it will be too late, the triathlon season will be over by then!
Wish me luck, my legs will need it!
Mel Ryding
