Last Friday I headed up to the Bike show at Earls Court. All the manufacturers were showing off their new offerings for the 2008 season, and as a man without a bike sponsor I was very keen to have a look around. There are some very shiney machines coming out next year!!

I also had a go at the Jim Walker Duathlon challenge on the computrainer and treadmill. I had a go in the first wave of the day. I wasn’t around to see the full results but I believe Richard Stannard had a go at the end of the afternoon and just pipped me for fastest time of the day. As you can see from the pictures it was a good way to work up a sweat.

I also caught up with Barney from Sundog and Wraice who sorted me out with a couple of very cool pairs of shades…Thanks Barney!!

On the Saturday I headed on to Paul Newsome’s Windsor Swim Smooth training day, to offer a bit of advice. Picture of the coaching team below.

Sunday was back to work with the first round of the Westward League Cross Country in Redruth. A tough course and a very high quality field, but as always great fun and the perfect way to get strong over the winter. I’m really enjoying being back into winter training getting the miles and the circuit sessions in with the guys at Kelly College and keeping warm on the long runs in some really funky new Brooks kit.

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The Relay champs are  a big deal in France. More than 300 teams race in a team time trial format over a sprint distance course. 5 athletes start together and the slowest swimmer gets pushed around the course, out onto the bike its a five up time trial then on the run the finish time is taken from the 3rd athlete across the line so athletes four and five get dropped whilst number three gets pushed, its fast and its painfull and its great to watch.

We were 9th overall beating 5 teams from the 1st division and all the other teams from divison 2, basically ESMGO did some giant slaying!!! 

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