ANDY L E W I S

The paratriathlon star and Paralympic gold medallist offers his winning advice for triathlon racing

1 REMEMBER THE WHYS

Everyone feels differently before a race, but I always get nervous right until the horn goes. I prepare by listening to some hard rock (Guns N’ Roses) and telling myself that it’s all for fun. There are lots of egos in tri, so it’s very important to remember why we do the sport.

2 BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

I’ve had to deal with a lot of pressure as an athlete. I’ve always had people breathing down my neck no matter what the race, especially after the Rio Olympics. My key advice for when things don’t go to plan is to be yourself and always believe in yourself.

3 FUEL FOR SUCCESS

Tri nutrition is something that I’m only now starting to understand. Previously, when racing sprint distance, I found fuelling easy. Now I’ve moved to long-distance racing, I’ve started working with Torq and the University of Gloucestershire to understand my body in lab tests. To get the best from your body you need to fuel it correctly and listen to the professionals. A lab service

is money well spent.

4 LEARN FROM MISTAKES

My biggest blunder was doing an extra lap on the bike at the ITU World Champs in Chicago in 2015. That was embarrassing and also broke me; it was the world champs the year before the Rio Olympics. It cost me my funding as I went from being in second place to 12th. I now set my Garmin to count my laps, but also recce the course to decide where I’m going to start/stop counting.

5 ATTEMPT A RELAY

If you’re not enjoying triathlon, it’s time for a rethink. I love competing but I don’t enjoy the final two days before a race. I do it because I adore racing; it helps to always want to better yourself. My advice for beginners? Find two friends who feel they have the skills of either swim, bike or run and create a relay team. Tri is an individual sport but make it fun by sharing the load sometimes.

6 SUCCESS ISN’T INSTANT

Triathlon can be a daunting sport, with all the equipment, different levels of ability, and the enigma that is transition. But everyone has to start somewhere. Even the Brownlees had to put on a brave face in the beginning. It doesn’t happen overnight. It also doesn’t matter how many questions you ask, as that’s how we learn.

ITU/WAGNER ARAUJO ABOUT ANDY Andy Lewis MBE, 36, is a GB paratriathlete from Gloucestershire who competes as a throughknee amputee, having lost his leg at the age of 16 after a serious motorcycle accident. He took up triathlon in 2013 and his honours include gold in the men’s PT2 paratriathlon at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, as well as world and European Championship victories.