Triathlon star qualifies to race for GB team
ROSSENDALE Triathlon Club member, Brad Lincoln, qualified to race for the GB Age Group Team in the 50-54 age group in the European Aquabike
Championship.
The race was due to take place in 2020, but like so many other events this was delayed by one year due to Covid restrictions.
The venue for the race was Walchsee in the Austrian Tyrol and to get there and be able to race took a great deal of logistics. Brad had to receive an invite from the Austrian government for Elite Sport and had to do a 7 day quarantine in
France on the way to Austria. It is always an enormous honour to represent your country and Brad was so determined to take part he drove 1,850 miles just to get to the start line!
The event was held in perfect – if hot – conditions, with temperatures over 30 degrees during the bike part of the race. Brad started with a 1.9km swim in a Tyrolean lake and then a 90km bike race over a lumpy and technical course which involved over 3,500ft of climbing. The race took Brad 2 hours and 59 minutes, finishing 4th in his age group and only missing out on a bronze medal by 68 seconds.
The club also had three members racing at Ullswater in the Lake District.
Newly joined member Ryan Atkinson competed in the standard distance event, completing the 1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run in 2 hours and 54 minutes.
Janet Leigh and
Emma Smith competed in the Sprint distance event.
Janet completed the 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run in 2 hours exactly while Emma, returning to competition following a stroke, was only 1 minute 46 seconds behind – an awesome achievement.
Highlighting the diversity of events that members compete in, most recently we had Lucy Parker swimming the 7.5 mile length of
Ullswater in 4 hours and 8 minutes and club coach Karen Quartermain dodging jellyfish and swimming 4.5 miles in the Menai Straits in 2 hours 30 minutes.
Andy Hardman and Dave Woods took on an endurance run with a difference.
The guys started with a guided walk across the Morecambe Bay flats, once on dry land they then completed a trail run all the way to Coniston, a total of 48kms.
On the same weekend
Dave and Ashley Smith together with Mike Foran completed the Bronte Sportive, a cycle route of varying distances through West Yorkshire and up the cobbled Main Street in Howarth.
The club welcomes new members of all abilities, come along to Marl Pits Leisure Centre on Newchurch Road, Rawtenstall between 6 and 7pm any Thursday. You can also find us online – website, Facebook and Instagram.