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And the participants will have to be tactical if they want to be in with a chance of winning as there are four steeples to reach, and if they fall into the slowest third at the first three they will be eliminated. Only 40 runners will reach the final steeple in Lynmouth (Steeplechasing )

 At the first knockout, Trentishoe, 160 male runners and 160 female runners will make it through to the next stage. At the second knockout, Martinhoe, 90 male runners and 90 female runners will make it through and after the third knockout, Lynton, only 20 runners will remain from each category.

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The name steeplechasing  derives from early horse races when riders raced from church steeple to church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and crossing many intervening obstacles on the way.

Registration for the event opens 5 July, pre-register your interest here

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It is reported in excess of 80,000 people lined the route of the elite races from Roundhay Park to Leeds city centre, where Gwen Jorgensen and Ali Brownlee triumphed in grandstand finished on Millenium Square.

However despite the elite races being a success, there were organisational issues for the 6,000 people taking part in the mass-participation triathlon events across the weekend, which left many stranded in the city centre for hours without their belongings.

World Triathlon Leeds: organisational issues blight age-group event

British Triathlon have released a statement apologising for the chaos saying: “We are sorry for the anxiety, frustration and inconvenience that was caused. The organising team of British Triathlon and IRONMAN want to address the problems from last weekend and get them right for future events.”  

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The Leeds event in 2017 is race four in an eight-leg ITU World Triathlon Series (further events may be added), following on from Abu Dhabi, Gold Coast and Yokohama. After Leeds the series moves on to Hamburg, Edmonton and Stockholm before the Grand Final in Rotterdam in September.

Jack Buckner, Chief Executive of British Triathlon, said: “To be able to put triathlon into the heart of a major city, right in front of people on the streets and on live television is really important in terms of the profile of our sport, and I¹m delighted that the ITU World Triathlon Series will be back in Leeds in 2017.”

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To see more responses to the organisational chaos at WTS Leeds from 220 readers, head over to our forum discussion – and don’t forget to leave your thoughts on this latest update in the comments!

It has been a successful year for Hall and this title adds to her winning the ETU World Cup race in Spain last month

 Bronze medallist Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) was still 43 seconds behind Learmonth at the finish.

In the elite men’s race followed home favourite and Rio-bound Vincent Luis (FRA) took gold, while  Rostislav Pevtsov (AZE) took silver, and GB’s Grant Sheldon won bronze  very tight battle for the final podium position and the Bronze medal.

Châteauroux ETU Sprint Triathlon European Championships 
750m / 20km / 5km

Elite Women
1st – Lucy Hall (GBR) – 57:48
2nd – Jessica Learmonth (GBR) – 57:49
3rd – Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) – 58:32

9th – Heather Sellars (GBR) – 59:10

Elite Men
1st – Vincent Luis (FRA) – 51:59
2nd – Rostislav Pevtsov (AZE) – 52:06
3rd – Grant Sheldon (GBR) – 52:20

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13th – Aaron Harris (GBR) – 52:58
18th – David Bishop (GBR) – 53:31
23rd – Liam Lloyd (GBR) – 53:48

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 As well as these two elite races, there were a special Try­a­Tri race, a sprint, olympic, as well as the Full and Half Iron distance events, attracting nearly 25,000 people to Galway. 

 As well as the triathlons Challenge Galway in association with Monroes Live hosted Rock The Docks with headline acts The Riptide Movement and The Strypes rocking out to large crowds on Friday and Saturday night.

“This was the first year for Challenge Galway and we are very pleased with how the event ran. It was a massive undertaking, which could not have been possible without a very strong team on the ground and major support from Galway City and County Council, Failte Ireland and the Gardai. The expo village and festival element was so well received by both athletes and people attending Challenge Galway. We are hoping that our first year will give merit to this being an annual event for Galway and the west,” said Liam Heavin of Challenge Galway.

Images courtesy of Clearskiesahead.com

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David McNamee on tackling Ironman

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 “The girls are very sporty and I reckon we will have a pretty good chance of finishing quite high up,” he says. “My daughters are quite competitive, and they are saying ‘Dad you had better not let us down on the bike’.  If I could choose any sport for them to be of a high standard in it would be triathlon.  I can see it being an even bigger sport in seven years when they are ready to compete.

The relay consists of six laps of the course, and each lap consists of a 200m swim leg, a 5.3km cycle leg and a 1.5km run leg.

 Austin has always been a keen follower of triathlon and in the past he has competed in about five triathlons, including Blenheim, which he completed the sprint distance in about an hour. 

However injuries on the rugby field left him in almost constant pain, and included a shoulder problem that has resulted with a spike instead of a ball in the shoulder socket, an arthritic knee, and bad back.

He was left frustrated trying everything he could, supplements, yoga, ginger tea and was left relying on painkillers.

“The thing that has made the biggest difference is GoPo Joint Health [a rosehip joint supplement]. It might not suit everybody but it might suit someone. I tried everything.

“With GoPo the pain is suddenly not there and the joints are not restricted. You can then start exercising better and then it becomes collective. GoPo gives you the ability to get to the start line and you can then start to help yourself to get better. It’s not going to do it by itself. You have to get yourself moving.

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GOPO® is an active compound derived from rosehips with natural anti inflammatory properties. GOPO® is found only in GOPO® Joint Health capsules, £18.49 for 120 capsules from supermarkets and pharmacies nationwide, www.gopo.co.uk. For more information on osteoarthritis please visit www.patient.info/jointpainhub

In the women’s, Lise Lavoll Borgen, also from Norway, took victory finishing in a time of  12: 52:00. She took the lead from the eventual second placed athlete Julia Nikolopoulos shortly after the bike climb to Gotthardpass and further extended her position by 19 minutes on the run. Nikolopoulos from Germany and Nicole Hofer from Switzerland placed second and third respectively.

This tough long-distance triathlon includes an180k bike leg that goes over three mountain passes to Brienz, while the marathon run heads to the majestic Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks. 

Check out our guide to the world’s ultimate mountain triathlons in the August issue, out on 19 July 

Despite extreme weather conditions and thunderstorms forcing the organisers to change the swim to a 4km run the competitors were out in force for the fourth edition of the Swissman, a long-distance triathlon set in the Swiss Alps

In the men’s race 30 year-old Allan Hovda from Norway took victory in a time of 10:55:00. The second and third placed athletes, Andreas Wolpert from Germany and Sebastian Bräuer from Switzerland, climbed into Kleine Scheidegg with only 2 minutes separating them, 33 and 35 minutes respectively behind the winner.

While in the women’s victor Lise Lavoll Borgen, also from Norway, crossed the line in a time of f 12:52:00. She took the lead from the eventual second placed athlete Julia Nikolopoulos shortly after the bike climb to Gotthardpass and further extended her position by 19 minutes on the run. Nikolopoulos from Germany and Nicole Hofer from Switzerland placed second and third respectively.

The 180km bike leg from Ascona to Brienz takes in three mountain passes, climbing to an altitude of over 2,000 metres, while the run leg heads to Kleine Scheidegg, via the majestic Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau Alpine peaks 

Don’t miss our guide to the world’s ultimate mountain triathlons in the August issue, out on 19 July

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Find out more about  José Luis Hourcade at his website www.joseluishourcade.com

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There are several firsts for Shimano here, including the option to add in an integrated crank-based power meter and/or hydraulic disc-braking. The all new synchronised shifting technology, which seeks the next highest/lowest gear from the touch of one button on the right lever without having to change ring, could be of particular benefit to triathletes on race-day looking for even quicker and smoother shifting. Perhaps lesser news for triathletes but more important for roadies is that the groupset can be purchased with hydraulic disc brakes. The new Dura-Ace rotor is said to improve heat dissipation, and features flat-mount calipers.

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Add Power

Shimano are promising a high degree of accuracy in the integrated power meter: “Riders can expect extremely accurate real-time power data to track and analyse your performance. Not only can the pure output of watts be measured, left and right legs can be measured separately, as well as cadence, giving you the truest measure of performance, isolated from external factors such as gradient, road surface and wind.” 

Not only this, but the power meter is totally waterproof and wireless, for easy linking to your GPS computer and Shimano’s own E-Tube wireless software.  

Crankset

A new crankset design improves rigidity and power transfer from the rider through the pedal to the drivetrain, whilst it’s still 7g lighter than the previous Dura-Ace crankset. Five variations on the crankset are available: 50-34T, 52-36T, 53-39T, 54-42T and 55-42T with seven crank arm lengths ranging from 165 to 180mm.

Our sister title Bike Radar gets an exclusive first look at the new Dura-Ace R9100 mechanical groupset – Shimano say the electronic version is not quite ready to ride yet

Synchronised shifting

The Synchronised Shift derailleur technology could be great news for triathletes, as it allows the rider to control both derailleurs with the touch of just one shift button, simplifying gear choice and reducing the need for decision-making over which ring is most appropriate in racing situations. This means riders are able to choose the next biggest or lowest gear ratio irrespective of whether a gear change needs to be made by the front or rear derailleur. It can also be used in ‘Semi-synchronised shift mode’, which keeps the use of the left shift button, but instead of simply moving to the corresponding gear on the big ring when you shift up, moves to the next most appropriate rear gear. Both methods will stop the rider from using extreme chain angles, which can only be a good thing for efficiency and the maintenance of your components. 

Both the mechanical or electronic gear shifters and derailleurs can be combined with hydraulic or mechanical brake levers, and more good news for triathletes… they can be set up with both drop bars and tri rigs. 

The groupsets will be available in early 2017, and UK prices are yet to be announced. 

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Take a peak at our sister title Bike Radar’s first look video above, and check our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates on when we’ll be getting our hands on the new groupset ourselves!

In the men’s the Brownlee brothers will aiming for a repeat performance of WTS Leeds where they took first and second. Hoping to prevent this will be Spaniard Fernando Alarza, who has scored a silver medal in Gold Coast and a win in Cape Town so far this season and is second in the WTS rankings behind Mario Mola, who won’t be in Stockholm. However Alarza will have to stay with the Brownlees in the swim to have any chance of winning as they have proven ability over Stockholm’s cobbled streets and have triumphed here in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Sadly last year’s winner in Stockholm Javier Gomez will be unable to defend his crown due to illness. 

Men’s Start List

While in the women’s six of the top 10 women in the WTS rankings will race on Saturday, including WTS current leader  Flora Duffy from Bermuda.  Will Duffy be able to make a break for it on the bike leg to put others under pressure on the run, like she did at WTS Leeds, and get a third podium finish?

 However the on-form British triathletes Jodie Stimpson, Helen Jenkins, Vicky Holland and Non Stanford will be hard to beat. Stanford won WTS Cape Town , while Jenkins will be hoping for a repeat of WTS Gold Coast, where her victory ended Jorgensen’s her run of victories. Stimpson opened up the WTS season by winning in Abu Dhabi, followed by a silver medal in Cape Town, and sits second overall in the Columbia Threadneedle rankings. Her results mean she has a good chance of being named World Champion in Cozumel later this year if she pulls out another strong performance this Saturday in Stockholm.

Andrea Hewitt (NZL), always a force to be reckoned with as well, and kicked off her season with a bronze in Gold Coast. Stronger in the back half of the season, Hewitt has scored bronze and silver in Stockholm the last two years. Although a consistent feature to the WTS podium, Hewitt hasn’t won a WTS race since 2011, but that could all change on Saturday.

However looking to upset the race will be USA’s Sarah True, who returns as the reigning back-to-back champion after she claimed the WTS Stockholm titles in 2014 and 2015. 

Women’s Start List

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The women will get the 2016 Vattenfell World Triathlon Stockholm underway at 15:00 on Saturday July 2, while the men will follow at 17:45 (British time). You can watch all of the action live at triathlonlive.tv or the BBC red button. You can also follow us on Twitter @220Triathlon. Highlights will be shown on BBC 2 at 15:15pm 

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Duffy would have hoped to have had some of the other good cyclists with her like GB’s Helen Jenkins but a bad swim for Jenkins where she exited about 40 seconds behind Flora, meant she had to race solo.

A very good technical cyclist she made the most of the technical parts of the bike course to extended the lead to a minute before the two chase groups united and started to rein her in, thanks in no part from a staggering performance from the USA triathlete 18 year old Taylor Knibb and Helen Jenkins. 

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Duffy came out of T2 with a 25 seconds lead that she refused to give up on despite her tired legs. About about half-way through the run Helen Jenkins and Andrea Hewitt made a break from the chase group and extended their lead over the second chase group to 35 seconds but there was no danger of catching the Bermudan out in front. It was then a uphill sprint finish for Hewitt and Jenkins for silver and bronze with Hewitt just having the better and fresher legs. Vicky Holland finished about 37 seconds behind Jenkins in 4th. Non Stanford and Jodie Stimpson pulled out.

“I have been trying and trying to win one of these and today when I was out there on the front of the bike I had no idea how it was going to play out,” said Duffy. “But I got off and felt strong on the run and just ran as best as I could. But obviously it is a bit scary with Helen and Andrea chasing me.”

“I managed to ride a bit more controlled today, I have learned from Leeds. It is so much more technical here and that is my strength, so I just tried to gain as much time as I could in the technical sections and then ride smooth for any straightaways. It was just how it worked out to ride solo. I came out of the swim with a few girls and I was hoping they would come up behind on my wheel but they didn’t and then I was in no-mans land, so there was times where I was questioning what I was doing out there, but I just stuck to my plan and it worked out today.”

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“I am really happy to get on the podium today. I made life hard for myself, I had a terrible swim, but I felt good on the bike and on the run I just kind of hung in there, but I am really to come away with a podium,” said Jenkins. “Flora is so strong at the moment. I am actually really happy for her to get the win, I mean obviously I would like to, but she deserves it the way she raced today.”