Triathlon has seen it's fair share of controversy this week. Liz Blatchford is appealing against not being selected for the GB Olympic team. Lucy Hall, ranked over 100 places further down the world rankings, was chosen over Blatchford. Lucy Hall may have been selected to perform the role of 'domestique'. She will sacrifice her own race, I presume, to assist Helen Jenkins. In my opinion Helen Jenkins doesn't need the help. She is one of the fastest women in triathlon in the swim, the bike and the run. I can see why Liz Blatchford is appealing the decision.
Will Clarke was also overlooked for the GB Olympic team in favour of Stuart Hayes. Last time I checked the men's Olympic rankings Will Clarke was ranked 12th and Stuart Hayes 46th. Was Stuart Hayes selected as a 'domestique' for the Brownlee brothers? Stuart Hayes is a strong cyclist. He may be asked to sacrifice himself on the bike for the Brownlees, chasing down breakaways should they happen. In my opinion the Brownlees don't need help. Just like Helen Jenkins they have the strength needed in all three disciplines to take gold and silver. Speaking of the Brownlee brothers, both were in action at Blenheim last weekend, they finished 1st and 2nd in the same time and two minutes ahead of the field.
It seems Lance Armstrong can't get away from the doping allegations that have plagued his career as a cyclist and threaten to ruin his career as a triathlete. He has unfortunately been banned from triathlon until the resolution of an investigation brought against him by USADA. I am a big LA fan. I think it is a great tragedy that he will no longer be competing in triathlon at least for the duration of the investigation. I don't know if there were any transgressions in his career prior to being diagnosed with and over coming cancer. I very much doubt anyone who has survived cancer would jeopardise their health in order to succeed in sport by doping of any kind.
On a much more happy note, LFTC has it's first male age group representative! Andrew Finn, last year's LFTC triathlete of the year, qualified for the GB team to compete at the Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain at the end of July. Nice work Andrew! Best of luck to all those competing over the weekend. Especially those of you up against Macca in Wimbleball. Go get him, Nathan!
Our newly qualified triathlon coaches will be putting you through your paces on Saturday. We will be using fins and pull buoys so please bring your kit to training. Saturday is now our 'long swim' day. But don't be afraid. This just means it's geared towards aerobic endurance development with longer intervals but with just the right mix of technique and triathlon specific skills too.
See you in the weekend. Tim (LFTC Coach).
