MX3 Diagnostics at Wind Trainer – Volunteers Needed!

We’ve got something a little different happening at our Tuesday night Wind Trainer session on February 18th – MX3 Diagnostics will be joining us for saliva and sweat sample collection as part of their testing and research.

This is a great opportunity to gain insights into your hydration and electrolyte balance, which can be crucial for performance and recovery. But we need volunteers to take part in the testing!

If you’re keen to be tested during the session, let Ollie know by clicking the link below:

📩 Email Ollie to Register

Spots are limited, so get in quick! Looking forward to seeing some of you test your sweat (literally) on the night! 💦

Tuesday Morning Run Intervals – Temporary Location Change

With the Grand Prix bump-in well underway, access to our usual meeting point for Tuesday morning run intervals is blocked. For this week and next, we’ll be shifting slightly to a new spot to keep the session running smoothly.  We'll confirm the following build week locations closer to the time, as we assess the impact of the GP infrastructure.

📍 New Meeting Location: Rotunda at the north end of Albert Park Lake, next to Coot Picnic Area (AKA where Albert Park parkrun meets!)
⏰ 5:45 AM Start

Everything else remains the same - same hard efforts, same squad energy, just a slightly different backdrop.

All details are updated on our online timetable – check it out here:

🔗 Session Details & Timetable

Sunday Long Swim & Run - Change of Location

With the Melbourne Teams Triathlon taking over most of Elwood next Sunday, we’re shifting our long swim & long run session further around the bay to ensure you can still get in a quality session without the chaos.

📍 Meet at Dendy Street Beach
⏰ 7:00 AM Start
👨‍🏫 Coach Greg will be there to guide you through the session

This is a great opportunity to mix things up and get a solid hit-out in a slightly different location. All details are updated on our online timetable – check it out here:

🔗 Session Details & Timetable

Power Up: Hill Repeats & Interval Work on the Bike

Alright, team - after a solid recovery week, it’s time to dial up the intensity again. This week, we’re focusing on cycling strength, specifically through hill repeats and structured intervals. Think of it as hitting the “fast forward” button on your bike fitness.

Why hills? Quite simply, they’re a low-tech way to build serious power. Tackling a decent climb requires more torque, firing up the quads and glutes in ways flat terrain just can’t match. If you’ve been avoiding hills because they’re “too hard,” consider flipping that mindset. Embrace the challenge. You’ll see results when you hit a course that has any sort of gradient - or even if it’s flat, you’ll have extra leg power in reserve.

As for intervals, they’re the secret sauce to break plateaus. You can set them up on a stationary trainer or out on a quiet road. The key is to push hard (higher intensity than usual), then recover briefly and do it again. These short bursts help your body adapt to harder efforts, boosting both speed and stamina.

Don’t forget: form matters. On climbs, keep your upper body steady, core engaged, and pedal in smooth circles. And when you’re knocking out intervals, keep a close eye on cadence or power zones if you have them.

Push yourself this week, and remember - every tough pedal stroke is building the kind of leg strength that’ll serve you come race day.

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 💙💛