Shane Warne vs Cyclist

Every time a major media organisation runs a story about the negative actions of a cyclist, it follows with an increase in the number of incidents (abuse or dangerous driving) that cyclists experience from motorists. There is no doubt that there are cyclists out there that disobey road rules, the same as there are motorists that also do the same. The difference is though, that when  a cyclist/ cyclists do the wrong thing, all cyclists are tainted with the same brush. That does not happen where there are horrendous accidents caused by drink driving and speeding motorists.

This is wrong because there are so many cyclists and triathletes out on the road training and travelling to work that do the right thing and should not be the recipient of a negative attitude or dangerous incident because Shane Warne and the media ran a story about one cyclist behaving badly. We are talking about people lives and a cyclist can be so easily injured, seriously hurt or even killed by the actions of a motorist. A dent in a vehicle can be easily fixed but that is not the case for a cyclist.

I do worry about the safety of our triathletes and cyclists after stories like this one receives so much media attention so please take care out there on the road.

Regards

David

The Challenges of Weather

This season we have certainly been challenged by the weather. In our 25 years in staging events we have experienced all sorts of weather conditions from good to bad, but generally in the past we would get 3 or 4 good events and then a bad one. This season we will now have had 5 consecutive events (weekends) where we have faced poor weather conditions. At the Genovese Kinglake Ride we had rain, hail and winds, we then had to reschedule the Hertz / BRW Corporate Relay Run to the following night because of storms, the GTS Race 1 we had the heavy rainfall the day prior and had to cancel the swim and last weekend at our Sussan Women's Fun Run we had the highest recorded wind in Melbourne at St Kilda with 61 km winds hit us early in the morning. We are due for a run of good weather events.

 It changes the whole way we have to approach the week leading up to the event. Even 10 days out from this weekend, it was frustrating to see the long range forecast showing rain for this weekend. At the start of the week the forecast changed to rain on Friday and Saturday with showers on Sunday. We closed entries this week on Thursday so we could produce all the competitors’ bike rack labels so we could hopefully get them on before the rain Friday afternoon as they are near impossible to put on in the wet. This immediately raised the concern that we could be facing another cancelled swim. This happened 2 seasons ago and it is the last thing we want to see happen! We spend over 6 months work planning and organising the Series and I can tell you from SuperSprint’s point of view there is nothing more disappointing. We would love to be having a perfect morning for the race like this morning and all last week.

 On Wednesday we went through a 2 hour contingency planning meeting with our Operations Team based on the fact that thunderstorms were also included in the forecast. That afternoon the meteorologist advised that there were to be thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday afternoon with around 10mm of rainfall to fall overnight but could be more depending on the thunderstorms.

On Thursday morning we then came up with the plan to run the Gatorade race at 7.00am and the Active Feet at 8.15am so the event duration would be shortened so we would be well clear of the afternoon thunderstorms if they arrived earlier. It would also give a higher chance of the swim going ahead if we were close to the threshold rather than have 1,300 Gatorade competitors waiting around while several mms of rain could fall in that time. I spoke to Elwood Lifesaving Club and they thought it was a good idea. We had a staff meeting to work out all the logistics and this meant we would have to swamp the Active Feet and Gatorade bike compound around. We had this all ready to go out to competitors in an email at 4.00pm. Then I spoke to the meteorologist for another update and the forecast had changed again. Thunderstorms were no longer coming in the afternoon but would be lingering around from the major thunderstorm overnight till dawn and that conditions were going to get better as the morning went on. So we went back to our original plans.

On Friday we started our bump in and also spoke with the meteorologist twice and EPA about the swim. The EPA base their rating for their beach reports for the Saturday and Sunday on Friday afternoon based on forecast rainfall. So it may not always be accurate as there is a poor rating for most beaches for Sunday based on the forecast of rainfall Friday night and Saturday night with 20mm. If it didn't rain at all, it would still have a poor rating and that is why we have a rain gauge at the venue. On the other side of the coin the EPA could put a good rating up for a weekend and then an unexpected storm occurs Saturday night, and the water quality would be poor yet advertised as good. This is why we clarify with the EPA on the Friday before an event weekend what scenarios can occur.

We sent out an email to all competitors on Friday at 3.30pm outlining the weather forecast and contingencies in case the conditions were worse than expected. We want to make sure our competitors know exactly what our plans are rather than on race morning wondering what will happen. We use our Facebook for regular updates to make sure competitors have the latest information. It is disappointing at times when a few competitors seem to lay blame on us for the weather, for being soft for cancelling the swim, mocking us for it being a duathlon when all we are trying to do is deal with the weather that we have no control over. For all those competitors who have supported us over the years, they know that our goal is to be putting on great events and we try to make sure we do this even when there are challenging conditions.

In speaking with the meteorologist again this morning he said that the thunderstorm and rain band should have passed before dawn and we will have some intermittent showers southerly winds at 20km increasing to 35km by 9.30am. He still expects around 10mm of rainfall but he said with thunderstorms it is harder to predict as they can bring greater rainfall and to some areas more than others. Let's hope it goes in our favour!

All the best!

David

Sussan Women's Fun Run 2011

Sussan Women's Fun Run is a special event. This event is one of SuperSprint's favourites every year because of the unique and special atmosphere that exists ! All our staff really look forward to the event day! From the very start of the day you can feel the happy camaraderie amongst all the women.

It is their stage for the day and it is a real highlight seeing so many happy faces throughout the day with so many competitors participating with friends and family. Mothers and daughters and even sometimes three generations with grandmother there as well is the standout highlight. There are also so many participants that raise funds for BCNA who are a wonderful charity organization, so the day has a special meaning for so many as well!

We look forward to tomorrow and wish all the participants all the vey best.

Regards

David

The Week Leading up to an Event

It is always a special week leading up to the first triathlon of the season. After 6 months of planning, it is in that final week that everything comes together! This weekend’s first race of the Gatorade Triathlon Series at St Kilda is even more exciting as we unveil a completely new look for the Series. Gone is the green that 1,000s of triathletes have been used to for over 15 years and in comes the orange! It is also the week that we receive delivery of all our Gatorade 2XU gear, new signage, equipment and start to implement our new improvements. It is also a time where you look forward to seeing all the athletes again who have supported our events in the past.
At the start of the week we have our first meeting on Monday and discuss our plans for the week, the long term weather forecast and any issues. Tuesday is the planning meeting where we go through all the details of our event including the every action item that is to occur on race day as well our event plans and contingencies. The phones light up in the week prior and there is certainly a real air of excitement in the office!

On the Tuesday we also confirm all our contractors ( traffic management , toilets, lights, generators etc), staffing, marshals ,vendors, Tri Vic, medical and lifesavers. We also give our event sponsors all the bump in, race day and bump out plans. We also have our race kit packing and timing plans to implement at our warehouse.

Then there is inevitably something that will pop up to challenge us. We were told on the Wednesday that there is a wedding at the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron (on Pier Rd- near swim finish) at 11.00am with guests and the wedding party to arrive around 10.30am while our road closures were in place. After many phone calls and discussions we believe we have come up with a solution that will help them. You just have to work in with the community when you run events.

On the Wednesday we watch the weather forecast more carefully as weather is such a big factor for everyone involved in the event. You just hope that we get a good day to start the Series or any event for that fact! The Sunday forecast was good with no showers anymore and in speaking directly with the meteorologist, he thought we would get about 5mm of rainfall on the Saturday which would mean the swim was fine. Still we have our contingency for a run in place in case of higher rainfall.

On the Thursday we do a site handover with Council so they can assess the site before we take it over and then after the event we do a site hand back with Council. We then do a mark out of the whole site so when we started our bump in this morning, all the staff knew where everything was to go! At 12 noon today we closed online entries and quickly printed out every competitors personalised bike rack label and sent then down to the venue immediately in view of possible showers this afternoon. It is so hard to put on over 1,800 bike rack labels if it is wet! Admin then busily produces all the events lists etc for the weekend.

I always ring the Bureau of Meteorology on Friday afternoon ( 3.00pm) for the latest direct forecast and Saturday now has 10 -12mm forecast for Saturday ( but could change either way) which is borderline on whether the swim proceeds or not. In our favour has been the fact that the drains have been flushed several times in the last 10 days and the water clarity is great. I then rang EPA who know me very well and spoke to them about the situation so we as in the past have a rain gauge at the venue and if it exceeds 10mm we won’t have the swim. If it reaches that we will advise athletes on our Facebook! Let’s hope it is below!

It is always the busiest week of the season the week before the first race and we have a great team of staff at SuperSprint who have worked tirelessly and in such a dedicated manner to make sure we put on a top event on Sunday!

Saturday is when all the final touches are made to the venue and the registration of the athletes occurs. Series entrants get all their 2XU race gear for the season and Tri Alliance run their clinic. We will be watching the rainfall gauge and going over all the race day plans especially out on the course for the bike and run!

On Sunday it is a 4.00am start for SuperSprint with the first of the Active Feet competitors due to arrive from 5.30am onwards. That is when all the excitement starts and it just builds from the event starts to the event finishes. I look forward to seeing you at the swim start if you are racing on Sunday!

All the best

David

Greg Welch inducted into Sport Australia Hall of Fame

Great news to see Welchie inducted into the Hall of Fame and it really demonstrates the recognition that triathlon deserves. What a great career Welchie had and I have no doubt that if he hadn’t been struck down by heart problems, he would have been an Olympian as well!
 

I remember when he first competed in our Geelong events in the late 80s and he was in the top 5 - it was his playful attitude that stood out! I was there in Florida in 1990 when he won his first ITU Triathlon World Championship. Then in 93 he won the World Duathlon Championships and in 94 became the first Australian to win Ironman. In 96 he won the World Long Course Championship and then with Brad Beven became household names on the very successful Tooheys Blue (then St George) Grand Prix Series.

He was such a versatile triathlete racing successfully from Sprint to Ironman distance not something many athletes have been able to do! Mark Allen was the first to score the double of an ITU Triathlon World Championship (the inaugural championship in 89) and Ironman ( 6 times) and the only other Australian to do so was Michellie Jones who won The ITU World Champs in 92, 93 and Ironman in 2006. She also scored a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics.

Welchie had a fantastic career but he was probably even more known for his vibrant, cheerful and friendly personality!

He was a great representative for Australia and the sport! A true champion and gentleman! It is great to see that he is still actively involved in the sport!

Well done Welchie!