My first (and only) middle distance triathlon in 2022! Unfortunately, the swim segment was cancelled due to heavy surf (actually, it was a great day for surfing but not for swimming around buoys!). Instead of swimming, we did a 200 meters running circuit on the beach followed by a quick transition to the bike leg (as a sort of T1 simulation).
The bike circuit was divided in four loops of 20 km each, including a long and steady climb and flat portions with several roundabouts. The circuit was quite fast and featured great asphalt, with very little wind and optimal temperature and humidity conditions! It took me around 2h14 minutes to complete the bike leg at an average speed of 35.5 km/h and 231 average watts — I felt quite strong, indeed!
Happy as usual on my Cervélo P5 Disc, while hiding from the wind.
The running segment was also divided in four loops of 5 km each and the circuit was located as close as possible to the beautiful beach line of Playa de San Lorenzo in Gijón, Asturias. I was quite optimistic at the beginning since I completed the first 5 km loop at a pace below 4:00 min/km. However, the lack of (enough) training hours was evidenced later and I had to slow down a bit my frenetic pace. I completed the 20 km in 1h23 minutes, i.e., at an average pace of 4:10 min/km. I ended in 18th place overall, so I was pretty much happy with my performance! Looking forward to a more consistent triathlon season in 2023!
During the running leg of Gijon Triathlon 2022, always next to the beach line.
