Race #6 – St Kilda: One More Shot to Give It Everything!

Here we go, team - one race left. The final showdown of the 2XU Triathlon Series is just around the corner, with Race #6 hitting St Kilda the weekend after next. Of course, we want to see every single one of you out there, giving it everything you’ve got and wrapping up the series with a bang!

But… we’ve recently discovered something that makes us want to throw our aero helmets across the room. Some of our athletes’ hard-earned points haven’t been counting toward our Club total. WTF?! 😤

📢 HERE’S THE DEAL:
If you made any change to your race details after first entering (like a wave change or race category adjustment), your Tri-Alliance connection may have been lost. This means your points aren’t being allocated to our total #sadface

And when we say we should be sitting in a better position on the tally board, we mean it:

🏆 Current Club Series Points:
1️⃣ Inclusive Sports Training – 379
2️⃣ Beckworth Racing – 334
3️⃣ Tri-Alliance – 257 (but should be higher!)
4️⃣ Bayside Tri Club – 247

That’s right - we should already be sitting higher, but the system has been doing us dirty.

FIX IT BEFORE RACE #6!

We need everyone to double-check their club connection. If you don’t see Tri-Alliance linked to your entry, email Rachel at O2 Events ASAP to get it fixed for Race #6 AND to ensure any lost points from previous races are added back on.

📩 [email protected]

It’s not fair that all your hard work isn’t being counted toward our squad’s victory. Let’s get every point on the board where it belongs and finish this series strong at St Kilda! 💙💛🔥

Run Intervals – Temporary Location (F1 GP Week)

Tuesday morning means intervals! With the F1 Grand Prix taking over Albert Park, we’re shifting this week’s session to a temporary location so we can still get in a quality workout.

This session will focus on pacing, endurance, and speed intervals, tailored to suit all athlete levels and goals. Whether you’re refining your top-end speed or building strength in your legs, this is where the hard work happens.

📍 Temporary Meeting Location: Outdoor gym station on Beaconsfield Parade, opposite Armstrong Street
⏰ Arrive by 5:45 AM

What to Bring:
✔️ Water bottles & hydration essentials
✔️ Weather-appropriate clothing
✔️ A strong mindset & readiness to run hard!

Let’s embrace the change of scenery and make every interval count - see you there! 💪🏃‍♂️🔥

Wind Trainer Goes Coastal – Temporary Move to Elwood Beach!

With the F1 Grand Prix locking down MSAC, we’re taking things outdoors this week for a special edition of our Wind Trainer session at Elwood Beach!

🌊 Fresh air, sea breeze, and the added challenge of training outdoors - what’s not to love? 🌊

📍 Where: Next to Elwood Life Saving Club
⏰ When: Arrive & set up from 6:00 PM, session starts 6:15 PM

What to Bring:

✔️ Bike with slick tires & wind trainer skewer
✔️ Your own wind trainer (no hire options available)
✔️ 2 water bottles & 2 towels (hydration & sweat management = essential!)

Why Join This Session?

✅ Instant Feedback: Real-time coaching to refine your form.
✅ Group Motivation: Nothing like squad energy to push you harder!
✅ Learning Opportunity: Watch, ask, and learn from experienced athletes.
✅ Outdoor Challenge: Training outside = mental and physical toughness boost!

💡 Important Note: No wind trainers will be available for hire, so please bring your own. Arrive early to secure your spot and set up comfortably.

Let’s embrace the change, push some watts, and make this session one to remember! 🚴‍♂️🔥 See you at Elwood!

This Week’s Swim Sessions – Open Water Awaits!

With the Labour Day public holiday and the F1 Grand Prix causing pool disruptions, it’s time to swap the lanes for the open water. This week, we’re heading to Elwood Beach for two energising morning swim sessions.

📍 Where: Elwood Beach, in front of the Elwood Life Saving Club
⏰ When:
🔹 Wednesday 12th March – 6:30 AM dryland band warm-up, in the water by 6:45 AM
🔹 Friday 14th March – 6:30 AM dryland band warm-up, in the water by 6:45 AM

What to Bring:

✔️ Wetsuit for warmth & buoyancy
✔️ Paddles, fins & swim bands for a varied workout

Why You’ll Love It:

🌅 Superb sunrise – First light at 6:47 AM, sunrise at 7:14 AM
🌊 Open water practice – Perfect your sighting, breathing & race-day skills in real conditions
🤝 Squad vibes – Train alongside teammates & keep your swim fitness strong

With MSAC access ending soon, these sessions are the perfect way to adapt, stay race-ready, and keep momentum in the water 🏊‍♂️💙💛

Wind Trainer Wisdom – What Should You Buy?

Since Ollie’s back injury has left him unable to transport wind trainers to sessions, a lot of you have been asking, "What should I buy?" Lucky for us, Coach Gaz has dropped some absolute gold on the topic in our Symposium Facebook group.

Here’s the short version:

🚴 A regular wind trainer does everything you need. Sprinting, time trials, hill simulations - you name it, you can do it.
⚡ It’s portable, simple, doesn’t need power, and is a whole lot cheaper.
💰 For under $200, you can grab a solid wind trainer that will serve you well.
🏁 Race-day warm-ups? A regular wind trainer is perfect.

If you want the full Gary Rosengarten Unfiltered™ version (and trust us, it’s a read worth having), head over to the Symposium FB group and check it out. You’ll find plenty of insight, humor, and maybe even a rant or two. 😉

📢 BONUS: Gaz has also written a longer article diving even deeper into the topic, which we’ll be including in next week’s newsletter - so stay tuned!

Moral of the story? Don’t overthink it - grab a basic wind trainer, get to a session, and let the enlightenment begin!

MSAC Pool Closures & What It Means for Our Squad

We wanted to take a moment to share some important updates regarding the upcoming maintenance at MSAC that will impact our squad swims in the coming months. If you haven’t already heard, MSAC will be closing both its 50m outdoor competition pool and multipurpose pool for essential maintenance starting April 1st.

• Outdoor pool closed: April – August
• Multipurpose pool closed: April – May

These works are vital to ensuring MSAC remains one of the premier swimming facilities in Melbourne, with upgraded flooring and waterproofing to improve accessibility and longevity.

What This Means for Our Squad

We know this isn’t the news anyone wanted to hear, and we understand it will cause disruptions to training. But after thorough research and careful consideration, we’ve made the decision not to move squad swims to an alternative venue during this closure.

We explored several options, but unfortunately, the only available pools offered limited 25m lanes at significantly higher costs—meaning an additional $20 per week on top of current membership fees. With cost-of-living pressures already front of mind, we do not believe this is a viable or fair option for our squad.

Membership Adjustments & Training Plan

Since we won’t have consistent access to squad swims during this period, we are recommending all athletes adjust their membership to a "without swim" option. This way, you won’t be paying for a service we can’t reliably provide.

However, swimming will remain a critical part of your training plan. Your programs will still include swim sets, and we strongly encourage you to complete them at your own convenience—covering the necessary distances, technique work, and race-specific preparation to keep progressing toward your goals.

Once the initial phase of MSAC’s project is complete, we will regain some access to lane hire, but this will be intermittent, and we’ll communicate those updates as they come.

Why We’re Sticking With MSAC

Tri-Alliance has had a long-standing partnership with MSAC, and we value this relationship immensely. They will be looking after us as best they can, and when the works are complete, we’ll have access to an improved, high-quality facility. Most importantly, our loyalty and partnership mean we will receive priority access once everything is back up and running.

We Understand This Will Be Frustrating

We know this is not ideal. We know it will be inconvenient. And we know not everyone is going to like it. For that, we truly apologise. We are making this decision with informed knowledge and the best interests of the squad in mind.

If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to discuss your options, please reach out to Ollie. We will continue to update you through the newsletter each week as we learn more about session availability.

Thank you for your understanding and support 💙💛