WORD FROM THE COACHES

Another busy weekend of training, racing, travelling and getting prepared for the upcoming season was had by many of the squad. We love to see the social media posts and stories of what crew are doing, how they are feeling and reading race reports. Please keep them coming.

We are seeing athletes sign up for their goal races with Busso full and half being a favourite with numbers growing for Challenge Shepparton also. Athletes are also registering for Geelong 70.3 and the short course season in the Victorian Triathlon Series (formerly Gatorade). It is sad to hear the The Active Tri Series has been cancelled this season as many athletes enjoyed racing at some different venues along the Bayside area - for those looking at world qualification races and Schools info in this series please check on the Triathlon Victoria website for updates and changes. 

WEEKEND ACTION

Last weekend saw short course athletes Bentley and Katherine racing in Rotterdam Holland in the ITU Age Group World Championships. The challenging and technical course with over 40 turns on the bike meant for a tough race day but from the reports and stories we have heard both athletes thoroughly enjoyed their days. Yes races could always go better but the experience from racing on the world stage is great for athlete growth and a fantastic opportunity that we recommend all athletes strive for. Kat and Bentley both proudly wore the Green and Gold and we are sure we'll see those race suits come the domestic season in a couple of months. Well done guys. Special mention also to Stephanie who was the TA on course rep cheering and taking pictures - she happened to be on that side of the world and made the trip across - next time maybe on the other side of the barriers....?

At the last team meeting Coach Paddy gave a presentation and information on Qualifying for the Age Group World Championships on the Gold Coast in 2018. To read all the requirements and find out more check out the below page. Paddy is also more than happy for athletes to approach him for guidance on the process as he has himself raced in multiple World Champs.

https://vic.tri-alliance.com/qualifying-2018-itu-world-age-group-championships/

Closer to home we had a number of athletes taking on Amy’s Gran Fondo on the Great Ocean Road. A stunning day meant fast racing from the Pro’s and age group athletes. The ride kicks off with a 10k climb which gets the heart and legs going before some nice rollers before more climbing (2500m in all) and then a cracking decent before 40k along a closed to traffic ocean road. Recommended to all to have a go at some point even if not racing just for the ride. Super early bird entries are already open for the 2018 event at 25% discount.

http://amysgranfondo.org.au/agf-2018/registration/

This coming weekend some of our runners are taking on the rolling hills of the Mornington Running Festival. Entries are still open for a challenging but very different course. Good luck to those racing.

MEMBERSHIP PAYMENTS INFO

Ezidebit have informed us that the dishonour fees for missed or declined payments are to be raised slightly to $14.80 from the 12^th October and we want to ensure as few as possible athletes get hit by this. This is due to both Mastercard and Visa increasing their processing fees industry wide. Please let us know if your account has an issue (e.g. compromised account) so we can check and potentially adjust the payment schedules if required. If you need to update your bank account or card details this can be done through your profile on-line so ensure this is done ASAP to avoid any fee due to a bounced payment. To do this login to your profile and click on 'Change Payment Details' in sub menu at the end – please ensure you check both your weekly AND annual memberships as they may be associated with different banks/cards. Ezidebit process payments very early each day so please ensure your card or bank has sufficient funds the day prior to avoid any issues.

TRAINING UPDATES

As we progress from our strength block into speed Saturday morning rides will now be focussed on beach road from Elwood. The start time will be 630am to beat some of the crowds so please ensure you are ready to roll. If you have a TT and haven’t dusted it off now is the time. Safety dictates only on the TT bars if you are at the front of the group or doing an individual effort.

St Michael’s swim will unfortunately not be on next week as the pool is closed whilst the Bluefin Coaches attend a weeklong course at the Australian Institute of Sport. We apologise for this and are looking at alternatives for those swimming.

NOOSA(SOLD OUT!) OR MOOLOOLABAH RACE ENTRY

We have an athlete entry to the sold out Noosa Triathlon this year or the Mooloolabah Standard  (Olympic) Distance in 2018. This is a great opportunity if you missed out on Noosa or are on the wait list. It will be sold under face value to the first in best dressed. If you are interested please email [email protected] for more information. Price is $200.