European Triathlon Championships 2006 - 23/24/25 June, Autun, France
Swim 1500m Bike 46k Run 10k
Les Humphrey 8th Group M.65 to 70 age group
The course consisted of a Lake swim of 1500 m, and this year due to the very high temperatures was designated a non wet suit swim. The temperature in the lake being about 25°c.
The bike leg was the most demanding with two laps of a 23k circuit which included an 8k climb and a further 2k climb to the hills above Autun. There followed a very fast descent back into town.The run consisted of four laps around the lake with a small diversion to incorporate some short sharp climbs.
Les' event was held on the Sunday afternoon with a 3 o’clock start. The temperature there was 32°c which was alright for the swim but not too good for the other two disciplines. The swim went quite well although very physical at the start with 200 eager swimmers fighting for positions. On lap two of the bike ride however it starting raining which made the descent down into Autun very tricky. By the time Les started the run the rain had got considerably worse with thunder and lightning making the run quite spectacular.
This carried on throughout the run making the running course more like a winter cross country event. Nevertheless he did manage to complete the course to finish eighth in his age group, not as high as last year, in an event not surprisingly dominated by the French. "Good experience", says Les, "which hopefully will help me to qualify for next years event to be held in Copenhagen".