Adelaide, 30 July 2012: With the World ITU Triathlon Championships to be held in New Zealand in less than 3 months time, Fuse Multisport Racing Team triathletes Ben Tripodi, Ella Holmes and Sam Tebeck are not leaving anything to chance with their preparation for the event. After spending the last 12-weeks completing grueling rides in the Adelaide hills, and tough swim and run sessions, the team’s preparation now shifts to a block of shorter, higher intensity, training sessions to sharpen them for the rigors of the Auckland course and conditions in October.
For 22 year old Holmes, the 2012 South Australian Female Triathlete of the Year, the World Championship provides an opportunity for repeat success, having won the 2009 U19 AG World Championship. Despite her previous World title victory, Holmes knows that the competition, and the Auckland weather, will make for a demanding race. “Auckland is going to be a lot colder than it is here in our summer season – especially the swim leg - so we have been preparing for that by doing a lot of our training in conditions similar to what we expect to race in”, Holmes said.
For Tebeck and Tripodi, the 2012 World Championships will be their first experience at an international competition. “We’ve been happy with our preparation. Things have been going to plan”, Tebeck said. “Our training has been a lot more challenging than it was this time last year”, Tebeck said. “The Auckland bike course is quite hilly and technical, so most of the longer rides we have been doing have been planned around that”.
Tebeck and Tripodi have formed a formidable training pairing, which has helped both of them to improve significantly in different areas. “We push each other quite hard in training”, Tripodi said. “With the type of training we have been doing, it has been really important to manage our recovery, which means regular visits to the team physiotherapist, Craig Fountain of Saunders Sports and Spinal”.
Coach Steve O’Brien has been impressed with the way the team has tackled the winter block. “They have completed a very demanding phase”, he said. “And they have had to manage their training around study and work commitments”. “I’m really proud of how well they have worked”.
The World Championships are on 22 October 2012 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Fuse Multisport Racing Team are supported by their principal partners Science in Sport (Australia), Brooks Running, Champion System, and Madderns Patent and Trade Marks Attorneys, and supporting partners Dancorp Serviced Offices and Saunders Sports and Spinal.