A massive thanks to everyone who voted for the team at the awards. We are over the moon to have beaten two great clubs in the compertition and are very honored to have this award. Our team is only small but we are very organised and work very hard on athlete development. We all work closely to motivate and encourage others in the team and  becouse of this we achieved some fantastic results in 2008. For 2009 we have a programe of events that we will be attending on mass and hoping for some great results.Once again massive thanks and well done to everyone who has been involved over the past year. 

The British summer is here and as I write this I am enjoying a glass of Pimms on the balcony in the sunshine. I wish, - the reality is I am sitting at my desk with a cup of tea, with my biggest fleece on and listening to a thunderstorm! Summer training can be the most enjoyable experience but at the moment it is difficult to know what the day will be; cold and windy or hot sunshine. However, whatever the weather throws at us the VO2 athletes are still producing some great results and some are starting to mutter words like “Ironman” and 2009!

Swim Clinic

On June 28^th we held our mid season swim clinic in Sevenoaks. Restricted to only 8 athletes we had a fantastic afternoon and were simply blown away with the feedback. We wanted to make sure the clinic was short but productive and from the feedback we achieved exactly that. With the use of our underwater camera we were able to give instant feedback to participants on form and technique. Due to the time of the clinic relative to race season it was designed to maximise effectiveness of existing technique rather than dissemble strokes.

Quotes from our clients”

“Many thanks to you both for an excellent swim clinic today - very succinct, relevant and motivating.     Can’t wait to do another one once I have practised my drills!”

“Thanks for the swim clinic. I think the video analysis is a great idea, it’s given me more confidence about my stroke. It’s also a nice way to meet other like minded people and get ideas and info from each other. I would definitely be interested in further clinics/weekends that you choose to run.”

Winter Clinics

We are currently taking bookings for our winter ‘Back to base” weekend camp and our “Winter swim series”. The camp is restricted to 12 people and the clinic to 8 people. Early booking is recommended. We have had many requests to run further clinics and dates will be published in future newsletters and on the VO2 website.

Tried and Tested

Having lost my beloved Nike glasses at a race, I have been on the look out for a suitable replacement and I now believe I have found some great glasses to replace them(and at a fraction of the cost!)

The Sundog multi lens glasses are light and comfortable. They come in a solid case with pockets for the 3 different interchangeable lenses. The lenses are easy to change due to the rubber lens surround and they feel incredibly snug and comfortable. I hardly knew I was wearing them both riding and running.

If you would like to try some please contact us and we will put you in touch with a local supplier.

Wetsuit Care

Make sure you look after your wetsuit to ensure longevity.

Rinse off inside and out following open water swimming and hang to dry out of the sunshine!

Coach Tip

TESTIT or Try Everything Several Times in Training

Ie do not be tempted to try anything new on race day. Practice with different products and techniques in training several times so when it comes to race day you are well prepared and should not expect any nasty surprises!

June newsletter
Welcome to the June VO2 Maximum newsletter. We have had a busy time over the last month with our athletes preparing for their A races for the year. We have also been organizing our winter camps and clinics and been on a reccie trip to France to plan for our week long camp next year.

Results
Neil Harris who is coached by Paula Dewar has been in some impressive form. They have been working together since November to get Neil to the World Championships in the form of his life. In all areas Neil has improved and the results show his form.
3rd at the New Forest Triathlon and Winner at the East Grinstead Triathlon.
At his A race  - the World Championships – the low water temperature lead to the event being changed to a Duathlon. We were very upset for Neil when we heard the news and thought that surely the ITU have got to sort their age grouper events out. There have been organisation issues at a few ITU events over the last couple of years.
However Neil still proved his form and finished 13th, a great result!

Camps and Clinics Update
Transition Clinic June 28th - Full
Swim Clinic June 28th - 1 space left
Back To base weekend – spaces
Winter swim series – spaces

We will be running further swim clinics in the late summer. We will keep you posted through the newsletter.

France
We headed over to the Alps in France for a long weekend to meet Paul and Toni Morgan of Triathlon Holidays. We were treated to their legendary hospitality and we were blown away by what they have set up. Everything you could need for a triathlon/cycling trip is there and immersed in the most relaxed atmosphere. Paul took us around the local climbs and routes to give us a feel for the place.
The weather wasn’t at its best for the time of year but it made all the riding so much more challenging (not that it needed to be any more!). With some mountains taking around 1hour 40min to climb this area is a real test for any cyclist. Our favourite climb of the weekend was to La Plagne. The climb is 16km and an average gradient of 8%. The climb was a real test of ability and drive. We started the climb late in the day and after 90min of climbing the weather was drawing in making the last 4k of the climb very hard but very rewarding. The roads are brilliant for cyclists; attitudes to cycling are different in France. Jimmy earnt respect from the moped he chased up a section of La Plagne, (must have thought he was Lance for a moment there).
Jimmy says “I used to be a semi-pro cyclist in Belgium but never got the chance to ride anything like this. If you love your bike then this is the place to go.”
We will be running a coached week long camp with Triathlon Holidays next year and will include some great cycling, open water swimming, running and some other fun activity’s.

Database
We are looking to grow our database so if you know someone interested in Triathlon forward this e-mail to them and get them to sign up to our newsletters. We would love to seem them on one of our events!

Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter. Enjoy racing and training!

Yours in Tri
Jimmy George

Welcome to the new look VO2 website. As you can see we are moving up in the world making it easier to get our news out to the tri world.  The season has well and truly kicked of for the duathletes and is kicking off for the triathletes. The athletes we are preparing for the Age Group Olympic Distance World Champs are only 5 weeks away and it is one of the most exciting training times for may athletes.

London Marathon
I know it is not a multi sport event but how can we not talk about it. Any sport that takes over London should get a mention in our book.
Our athletes had all had a great day their and all achieved their objectives.
James Parfitt            3hrs 04min34 sec
Stefan Stone            3hrs 08min 18sec
Jonathan Barnett         4hrs 00min 00sec
Denis Harris            3hrs 34min 51sec
Jonathan Walzak        4hrs 52min 30sec
Becky George            4hrs 58min 25sec

Well done to all of you

Other results
Jimmy George Team VO2      National Age Group Duathlon Championships (25-29)  4th
Ashbourne Duathlon Series Championship (25-29) 20th

Open Water Swimming tips
As the weather warms up we are able to start thinking about open water swimming. We have put together a quick guide to make sure you refresh or learn the basics of open water.

Swim a straight line
During your pool-based sessions incorporating the following drills to your sessions will help you develop you skills in a straight line. Many find themselves swimming much further than they need to and can become disoriented but by practicing these drills you will have the fundamental skill to direct yourself.

Sighting
Swimming like a water polo swimmer with your head up looking directly in front of you will help you to sight and direct your self. Don’t try to breath at the front save that as you have practiced in training and keep to the side. Swim 5 strokes normal then 3 water polo, this is just enough to help you to sight but not to much to slow you as the move you lift your head the more you will drop your feet and create drag.

Black line
If you are luck enough to have a lane to your self then this drill will help you balance your stoke. Swim straight down the line and close your eyes for a count of 5 then open. The objective is to keep your body over the black line. If you have drifted then there many be a stronger side to you stroke that you will need to correct.

Wetsuit
Your wet suit should fit you perfectly (no compromise!) sounds obvious but a ill fitting suit will hinder your swimming and all your hard work by restricting your range of movement and filling with to much water.
There are many great suits for sale on the market offering flexibility and adding obyancy spending as much money on your suit isn’t always going to get you the best suit for you so the best thing to do is to try before you buy.

Other equipment
Wearing none tinted goggles will give you clear vision in the water and when sighting. Wearing two swimming caps will also keep your head much warmer and keep’s you happier in the water and with the following tip help your goggles to stay in place. Put your first cap on then goggles then the second hat.

Open Water
Nothing beats practice and getting in open water will on doubt improve your swim but don’t spend too much time at it. Less is more.
The pool has many options to stop swimming and rest. If you are panicking you can always grab the lane rope or stop at the end of a lane. With open water this safety net is taken way but rembering the following will stop you getting in to any problems. Always swim with others never swim open water alone. You wet suit is also add’s bouncy so if you are in trouble just roll on to your back and put your arm up for assistance.

The clocks have gone forward and hopefully everyone is feeling excited about the extra light. Training in the cold and dark is always a difficult task and winter seems to last so long in the UK. Many of our athletes are starting to get close to their first race of the season and the training will be focused on specificity.

You Tube Channel
This month we launched our you tube channel. It is a resource where you can view swimming drills and as we update it, bike skills, running drills and transitions skills. Please book mark this page
http://uk.youtube.com/user/vo2maximum

VO2 Athletes Results
Stefan Stone Team VO2 Reading Half Marathon 1hr 31min 10sec
Jimmy George Team VO2 Steyning Duathlon 1hr 46min 20sec
Mark Gabriell Ashford Tri Club Steyning Duathlon 2hrs 7min 45sec
Harry Wilder Tonbridge Tri Club Paddock Wood Half Marathon 1hr 29min 30sec
Neil Harris Wildside 2xu Paddock Wood Half Marathon 1hr 23min

Club La Santa
The VO2 coaches were lucky enough to spend some time training at Club la Santa. As anyone who has been there before will know what a great place it is for triathletes to do some pre-season training. The facility is perfect with great roads (newly resurfaced!) 400m track, 50m swimming pool and 24/7 food! A warm weather camp is ideal for athletes who have come out of a winter training in the cold and dark.

Top Tip!
The season is nearly upon us and it’s time to get thinking about the bike you will use to race on. It matters not if you have a race specific bike or you use the same bike all year; it is important to check it over once in a while. There is a simple way to check your bike over and it is called the M check.

It is called this due to the shape you will make when you checking your bike. Starting at the front hub, move up the forks to the head set, down the down tube to the bottom bracket, up the seat post to the seat and down the rear seat stay to the rear mech.

Follow this shape checking bolts are tight, lubricating moving parts, checking for kinks and frays in cables, no cuts in the tyres and that tyre pressure is correct.It is a simple check, quick and easy to do and will leave you safe in the knowledge you have checked every part of your bike(that you can) before you ride.

We have put together a selection of video’s of commonly used swimming drills used by triathletes and placed them on our new You Tube channel.

The videos are there to refer to when you need to learn a new drill or remind yourself of how to preform the drills or learn new ones. We will be continuing to update the channel with more videos including bike skills, running drills and transition skills. To be informed of updates to the channel please join our mailing list.

http://uk.youtube.com/user/vo2maximum

This month we had our training weekend in Kent. It was a great weekend with lovely weather (if somewhat cold bike rides) and a great group of athletes - read on for more. Also this month the VO2 stable has two new athletes ao,ing for the world Duathlon Championships and London Triathlon. Welcome to both of them from VO2.