<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Big Cow Events - Tri247</title><link>http://www.tri247.com/index.html</link><description>Latest big cow events articles from Tri247</description><item><title><![CDATA[New for 2012: South East]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9495.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[The Tri247 team has been scouring the 2012 event calendars for interesting NEW events joining the ever increasing annual multisport schedule. Here is what caught our eyes for new events in the South East Region in 2012, featuring a new Middle Distance race from F3 Events and an interesting new race/format at a familiar Buckinghamshire venue.

Click on the links below to read our selections for all of the other regions too, and perhaps find something new to enter in 2012.

NEW EVENTS FOR 2012 BY REGION 

WTC (World Triathlon Corporation)
INTERNATIONAL
ITU (International Triathlon Union)
ETU (European Triathlon Union)
SCOTLAND
WALES
IRELAND
EAST MIDLANDS
EASTERN
LONDON
NORTH EAST
NORTH WEST
SOUTH EAST
SOUTH WEST
WEST MIDLANDS
YORKSHIRE &amp;amp; HUMBERSIDE




MAXIFUEL HALF IRON DISTANCE TRIATHLON @ MARLOW  - Sunday 24th June 
Website: www.f3events.co.uk

This event will be the first venture from F3 Events into the middle distance arena, and with the triathlete dense regions of London, South East and South West all handily located, we expect this one to be a very popular Summer destination for long distance athletes. The swim course is certainly one of the most scenic we have experienced and Marlow certainly ticks the &#039;picturesque&#039; box.

Course distances are advertised as 1.9km (river) swim / 86km bike / 20km run. Race HQ will be Higginson Park, where swim start / transitions / finish will all be centrally located.

The River Thames swim is a simple out-and-back affair, before athletes take on a two and a half lap cycle utilising the main Henley / Marlow road, which aside from a couple of hills will give you plenty of opportunity to rest on the aerobars. The run course is four laps of 5km.

You can enter here now. 



TRISTAR MILTON KEYNES  - Sunday 29th July
Website: www.tristarmiltonkeynes.com

The TriStar brand is coming to the UK, and the familiar-to-triathletes venue of Emberton Country Park will be its home, the race jointly organized by Star Events and Big Cow Events.

The TriStar111 event comprises of a 1km swim / 100km bike / 10km, shaking up the usual triathlon distances a little with a relatively long bike. As such, it should provide a great opportunity for standard distance athletes considering a move to middle distances with a natural transition, and for athletes generally with a long(ish) distance event that should minimise recovery time with &#039;just&#039; a 10km at the end. Or just a chance to smash the bike and hang on!

More details on this new event available in this announcement.




]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Big Cow land TriStar events]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9371.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[On the 29th July, just ten days before the Olympic triathlon at London 2012, TriStar will hold its first event in Great Britain at Milton Keynes.

The UK event is the perfect compliment for this international triathlon series, taking it to the popular British triathlon market, and provides athletes with the opportunity to enjoy a new fun destination in the heart of England. Tristar Milton Keynes will host a TriStar111 and a TriStar33.3, ideal for beginners and experienced triathletes. Milton Keynes is one of a handful of new destinations being introduced to the ever popular TriStar Series in 2012, which recently announced TriStar Salzkammergut, TriStar Cannes, TriStar Deauville and TriStar Berlin.

Milton Keynes is centrally located in the south east of England, less than an hour&#039;s journey from London, and will be the first host city for a TriStar event in the UK. The TriStar111 Milton Keynes (1km swim, 100km cycle and 10km run) is the premiere of this international triathlon series in England. It is being jointly organized by Star Events and Big Cow Events, who have a great track record in developing British triathlon and hosting high quality sports events. Milton Keynes is a city with an important cultural life, and was designed under a new concept of modern city planning boasting all the latest amenities and attractions for both residents and visitors alike. 2012 will be an iconic year in the British sports calendar with England and London hosting the Olympics and the Tristar Milton Keynes coincides perfectly with the Olympic games taking place just 10 days before the Olympic Triathlon at Hyde Park London. A perfect opportunity for sightseeing and enjoying the sport as both a spectator and taking part as an athlete. In addition to the 111 distance the event will also offer a TriStar 33.3 ideal for beginners and novices thanks to its shorter distance of 300m swim, 30km cycle and 3km run.

Tristar Milton Keynes will take place at the picturesque Emberton Country Park. The run course itself loops around the whole country park including the attractive conservation area. It&#039;s a fast flat course and ideal for spectators and families alike who will be close to the action and see all the athletes pass on each lap of the run course. The cycle route covers 3 loops of undulating country roads and circumnavigates a number of pretty villages including Weston Underwood where famous poet William Cowper (1786) once wrote &#039;it&#039;s one of the prettiest villages in the kingdom&#039;. Whilst the picturesque scenery may provide a pleasant distraction to the athletes fatigued body, the steady but steep incline up Chichley hill will get the heart rate going! The swim itself will take place in the lake at Emberton Country Park as a single loop.

&quot;Star Events is thrilled to be launching the successful triathlon brand TriStar in the UK. Our unique format will provide a great opportunity for both British, European and International triathletes to come and race in the great landscape of Milton Keynes and it&#039;s surrounding countryside. The UK is a very important market for us especially with the 2012 Olympic Games around the corner&quot; says Laurent Gauthier, president of Star Production SARL, owner of the TriStar brand.

&quot;We at Big Cow Events are pleased to be hosting the first TriStar event in Great Britain together with Star Events. TriStar is synonymous with high quality events and being such an innovative (111) format, I am sure that the British triathlon community will pick this up very well. Milton Keynes and the Emberton Country Park is perfect central location and starting point to introduce the TriStar brand in England&rdquo;, says Mark Booth, race director of TriStar Milton Keynes and Big Cow Events.

Further information on www.tristarmiltonkeynes.com]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[IMSA Bikes: Chrissie's Slice]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_8409.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[While triathlon may still be a niche sport, Chrissie Wellington is as near to a superstar as we&#039;ve got. Her arrival in transition today ahead of Ironman South Africa on Sunday for the seemingly straightforward task of racking bike and bags may not have caused Beatles-like screaming and hysterics, but Muppet certainly does have an aura about her and has added a certain star quality to Port Elizabeth this week. 

Crowds of age groupers were soon gathered to gain a glimpse of the stunningly lean and fit looking Wellington, with most wondering how they can get calf muscles as impressive as those of the Queen of Ironman. Quite a work of art. Someone has clearly not been skipping their strength sessions this past couple of months, despite the temptations of the wine regions of Stellenbosch and Franschoek which have been &#039;home&#039; in preparation for this event.

There was a little drama, though thankfully it was today and not tomorrow morning. I was chatting to Chrissie when a local athlete came up and asked &amp;quot;excuse me, are you race #38? There is a thorn sticking out of your front tire...&amp;quot; There was too, and it had punctured the tube. Problem quickly solved and replacement inner tube fitted to her Hed Jet wheels, and &#039;Frans&#039; will no doubt be thanked tomorrow should the race, as expected, go well for Chrissie. Having had three puncture issues in iron-distance races already (Korea 07, Kona 08, Arizona 10), fingers crossed that won&#039;t be a factor tomorrow.
Chrissie&#039;s Cannondale Slice 
With the punture fixed, this is what Chrissie will be riding around the Eastern Cape tomorrow. 

For 2011 Chrissie&#039;s Cannondale Slice is fitted with Shimano&#039;s Dura Ace DI2 electronic gearing, with shifters on the extensions and base bar of her HED carbon handlebars. 

Chrissie uses Continental 4000S (clincher) tyres, Look Keo pedals and a Fi&#039;zi:k Arionne Donna saddle. 
(Pictures are &amp;copy;Richard Stabler) ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[A lucky escape]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_5177.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Phil Parsons, established Ironman triathlete and loyal supporter of his wife, the well known duathlete Michelle Parsons, contacted Tri247 yesterday with news of a terrible accident that happened whilst on a training camp in Italy. Thankfully we can report that Kevin May from Worcestershire tri club (pictured top row second left) who suffered the worst injuries, is making good progress, and fingers crossed will not suffer any long term damage. Phil sent us this report as a reminder for us all to take care whilst out training, but also wanted to emphasize that the accident was simply that, an accident that can happen to any of us! 



The 1st May in Italy is a national holiday &ndash; for the past five years a group of us have been travelling out to Riccione on the Adriatic coast for a training holiday around that time of year. Strangely this year we decided to do the Cippo climb on that day. This climb has gained notoriety in recent years because it was reputably Marco Pantani&#039;s training hill and there is a monument to him halfway up. It&#039;s a ride of maybe 65km to the foot of Cippo (or Monte Carpegna as it was referred to in last year&#039;s Giro) from Riccione and then a steep 7km climb to the summit (and a fairly rapid descent down the other side). As usual we stopped at the cafe in Carpegna to refuel on hot chocolate before riding the 65km back. I would estimate that we have done the ride back from Cippo maybe seven or eight times now and covered the final 30km stretch of road well into double figures because it is taken in by many of the routes out there as the road back to Taverna. Friday 1st May 2009 was no different therefore from any other time we have done that ride.

So there we were a group of nine cyclists in one single line cycling back to Riccione on a familiar piece of road moving at a reasonable pace with the front five in the line rotating around to share the work. On such rotation Kevin, the fittest and strongest rider in the group was moving back after a turn on the front. He actually said &amp;quot;I&#039;m going back for a rest now&amp;quot; and he steadily moved down the outside of the line. He slipped back into the line in fifth position just as the road narrowed for a small bridge over a stream and then suddenly six people were scattered across the road &ndash; burning rubber and metallic scrapping were the two initial senses for those of us ahead.

It transpires that somehow Kevin had hit the barrier at the side of the road where the bridge started and catapulted himself over his handlebars and onto the barrier travelling along it for a while before being flung into the road. His bike struck the barrier and immediately shot back across the road, hit a car travelling in the opposite direction and bringing down those following in the line.

Thankfully there was another group following close behind from the Big Cow Training group who immediately stopped and helped with traffic, tending to the injured and generally making sure the safety of our group was secured. We have already passed on our grateful thanks to them.

Eventually an ambulance arrived and took Kevin on a spinal board and in a collar away to hospital in Riccione, and also another of our group, who it appeared had a nasty shoulder injury. Thankfully we had enough sensible and experienced people in our group and the Big Cow group to do deal with the problems until it arrived. Most notably was Jon Cowell who, even with injuries himself, looked after Kevin on the road and who was calmness personified in what we thought was a touch and go situation.

That evening at A&amp;E it was mayhem. A national holiday with all sorts of sporting events taking place meant it was literally standing room only! Our hotelier, Valerio Capelli, form Hotel Montecarlo was brilliant and pestered and pushed the doctors so that both our guys received express treatment. The eventual diagnosis for Kevin was severe. The orthopaedic specialist we saw the day after confirmed that all the vertebrae fractures showing on the X-rays were old ones (he was in a serious accident 22 years ago) so collar and spinal board were removed and he was allowed to sit up in bed a little.

His list of injuries sustained included; breaking all of his ribs, puncturing his left lung, breaking his right hand, his left collar bone, and his nose. He also sustained a nasty cut to his left cheek and his chin (both requiring stitches) and many other cuts and grazes. Oh and he had a &lsquo;slight&rsquo; concussion as well apparently. As one of our group said (it was Notty and he should know because he has had a serious bike accident himself before) &amp;quot;Hard as nails that boy.&amp;quot;  

For the first week Kevin had a chest drain and oxygen line to help with lung inflation. Thankfully they were all removed earlier this week.

Yesterday as he said he &amp;quot;escaped&amp;quot; back to the Hotel to convalesce before his insurance company fly him home. The Hotel and all the team there have been brilliant. Valerio and his wife and the hotel manageress Donatella, have all visited him during his stay in hospital on many occasions. The kitchen staff have sent him food parcels and looked after his parents who travelled out last week to take over from us because although we would have liked to have extended our stay further the kids would have killed us!

He tells me when he returned from hospital to the hotel his great friends Emmie and Michael Hanreck from Infinit Nutrition had sent him a supply of recovery drinks to aide his return to full health.

He&#039;s a fighter and has never complained even though I am sure he was in great pain a lot of the time and bored to tears in that hospital ward between visits with no TV and no one speaking English. He has been receiving calls, texts and emails from friends and family throughout his stay, the Italian hospitals are relaxed about mobile phones.

I guess he won&rsquo;t mind me giving out his email address to anyone who wants to contact him while he is in Italy kevingmay@hotmail.com or alternatively the hotel&#039;s email address is info@hotelmontecarloriccione.com His biggest disappointments are that he will miss the two Ironman races he had entered for in 2009 being Lanzarote and Roth, but I&#039;m sure he will come back as strong as ever next season and knowing him as I do it may be sooner than that.

I want to stress the accident was literally just that &lsquo;an accident&rsquo;. Kevin is a superb bike handler having ridden on the track in his younger years. If the accident 100 yards either side of the bridge he would have fallen off into a grass field. No one doing anything stupid and we were not taking risks. Flat piece of road on a nice sunny day.
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Route of the Month: Milton Keynes Triathlon]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3625.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[This month we take in the bike course of one of the most popular, and arguably fastest standard-distance events in the country: Milton Keynes (MK). 2008 will see the ninth running of this event, run by the highly regarded Big Cow organising group, who also promote TriFest, CowMan and many other events during the season. It is a popular race, regularly attracting 600+ competitors, and has previous winners including Tim Don, Andrea Whitcombe and Sam Herridge. The bike course has changed in recent years, and is now a single loop having previously been two circuits of the &#039;Sprint&#039; course, regularly used in the Big Cow Sprint races. 



Despite the name, the MK Triathlon is actually based at Emberton Country Park, which also doubles as a caravan and camping site. There is plenty of on-site parking available on the day too, all located within easy walking distance of the start/transition area.

The bike route starts within the Park, on a path parallel to the main A509. You ride a couple of hundred metres on the path, before a sharp right turn through a gate, across the grass, (generally covered with matting), which brings you out into a (traffic free) layby, in order for you to access the main road on to the course proper. Take care as you join the A509 as traffic can me moving very swiftly, even early on a Sunday.


Into Olney, then turn left
  
    
    
  


The first kilometre is a flat section into the pretty village of Olney, where you take the first left in the village centre, signposted to Weston Underwood. For those of you that have raced a Big Cow Sprint event or Cowman middle-distance, this is exactly the same start. A short uphill (not steep) section brings you up to a mini-roundabout where you need to turn RIGHT. The old MK standard distance (2-loop) course used to go straight over the roundabout here (the Sprint races still do), so don&#039;t make that mistake. Another kilometre or so brings you to...another roundabout! Take care - this is a downhill section on smooth new road, you are likely to be travelling pretty fast, and the turn is quite sharp. Take particular care if it&#039;s raining (as there were a few spills here at CowMan).

  
    
    
  Right at the first roundabout...then left at the second.
  

Once past this you can forget about roundabouts for while, as you head out towards the village of Yardley Hastings. This section is rolling, and in aggregate does represent a small climb. However, like a lot of the course it certainly isn&#039;t hilly. To prove that to myself, I deliberately rode all of the course in the big chain-ring, quite comfortably, and I wouldn&#039;t consider myself a particularly strong cyclist. Under race conditions, I&#039;m certain that most experienced athletes would do the same. Bear left at the T-junction onto the main A428 headed west, sign-posted towards Northampton. As always, don&#039;t assume marshals will be controlling traffic, which could be approaching from your right at high speed.

You are now on a prime A-road, with good road surface and have almost a six kilometre stretch before your next turn. The road is &#039;rolling&#039; but fast, and you should be able to maintain good speed throughout. The next turn is left, in the village of Bradfield-on-the-Green, signposted to Horton / Hackleton. This turn isn&#039;t too sharp, so you shouldn&#039;t lose much speed here:

  
    
    
  

While you are now off of the main A-road, the nature of the course continues as previously: good road surface, rolling, but not hilly. You have around a 7km stretch of quiet road ahead of you. You&#039;ll pass through Horton, and continue until you reach Eakley, where you turn left at the T-junction. At this point, you are well over half-way through the course. You are also at the highest point on the route, and can now look forward to 10km of gently downhill, fast riding with plenty of opportunities to stay aero!

You are now headed towards Newport Pagnell, but just before you get there (at around the 31.5km point of the course), you take a left turn signposted Sherington / Chicheley / Bedford. A swift kilometre or so and you&#039;ll then be faced with what is really the only hill of note on the course ahead of you. It isn&#039;t especially steep, and you certainly don&#039;t need to be too concerned about having large ratio gearing on your bike, but with just 5km to go, it will get the legs pumping a little. At the top of the hill, you approach a roundabout that brings you back onto the main A509 road for the final section of the course. You will be directed left down the slip-road (see picture), just prior to the roundabout proper. Take particular care through this section when joining the main road - it&#039;s something of a boy-racer paradise, so be safe.

  
  Left before Newport Pagnell, up the rolling hill and then left towards home
    
    
  
  
    
    
  


You really are almost there now, and it&#039;s a great finish too: around 3km of flat or downhill riding back to Emberton Country Park. You&#039;ll pick up a lot of speed, as well as possibly giving your legs a little breather with the run to come. The final descent is fast, so get aero and enjoy it. However, beware of the boy-racer drivers, and don&#039;t veer across the road. As you enter Emberton you turn left into the Park (where you&#039;ll almost certainly have driven in earlier in the day), before being directed onto the path within the park, before approaching the transition area and dismount line by the tree in the corner of the transition area. Just 10km of running to go...

Almost home, and transition is in sight.
  
    
    
  


Have a good race, and good luck. ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Milton Keynes Triathlon 2007]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_2316.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Report and pictures from Campbell Noon.



At around 4 o&rsquo;clock in the morning of Sunday 22nd July the Big Cow events team gathered for an emergency race meeting and put &#039;Plan B&#039; into operation in order to save the Milton Keynes Triathlon from cancellation.

Massive efforts had gone into preparing the race HQ and transition area from the Friday onwards, even to the point that on the Saturday transition was cleared of all water. The rainfall had subdued by Saturday morning and by the afternoon the warm sunshine and light wind was assisting the drying process until a downpour hit the park at around 6.00pm -- within minutes the transition area was water logged once more.  The only positive was an optimistic weather forecast for the Sunday morning.

Plan B was put into operation due the fact the part of the bike route and one of the villages had suffered flooding and there was no way of passing, especially on a bike.  The bike route was shortened to around 22 miles which meant the infamous Chichley Hill would be missed and the fast 5km approach back to T2 would be reduced to around 2km.

Part of the run route within the park itself was also under several inches of water and would see a late change to the run route making it a little slower and with a more technical layout, but only a few hundred metres short of the official 10km.

The swim was not affected and the water looked very appealing at sunrise as the first competitors arrived.  The mist was lifting off the lake and the scene was set for the 600 triathletes who had managed to make the journey to Emberton Country Park.  Just fewer than 1,000 had entered so the heavy rain over the week leading to the race was making a big impact. 

Wave one set off at 7.00am once everyone had been briefed on the changes to the route. The first two waves consisted of all the female categories followed by the male veterans then the large male 25 to 40 age categories.

With the 1500m &#039;M-shaped&#039; swim and the 10 minute interval between each of the waves, at one point during the morning you could see all three of the waves spread over the lake, from the leader to the chasing final wave swimmers. It looked fantastic and provided the spectators with a really good show, as they watched from the banks near transition.

The first woman out of the water, by some margin, was Rhian Roxburgh of Carneddau Triathlon club in a outstanding time of 19:40. She started to pull away from the field just before the first buoy at 200 metres and steadily opened up a gap over the chasing group of around six competitors with the rest of the field strung out behind.  Rhian&rsquo;s time was the sixth fastest overall on the day and her T1 was equally impressive as she took off on the bike before the next competitor had exited the water.  

As the clock ticked away, the gap appeared to be too much for any of the other female triathletes to bridge, none the less a large number exited the water around the 24 and 25 minute mark intent on clocking fast bike splits in the ideal conditions.  Tri London&rsquo;s duo of Jill Parker and Jo Carritt looked like good bets for closing the gap as both had competed on the route before and this knowledge might prove to be the difference, as they both set off at impressive speed.  Meanwhile, Roxburgh was not holding back and her leading margin looked to be increasing over the reduced distance 35km undulating bike circuit, as she attacked the small hills. 

With all the female triathletes out on the road the men&rsquo;s wave had started and there was some very competitive swimming going on.  Neil Eddy of UWIC Triathlon and Mark Mathews of Cambridge Triathlon Club in particular were battling it out in the water with a small group of swimmers on their heels.

Eddy managed to get the edge on Mathews just before the swim exit with the pair followed close behind by a group of around half a dozen or so.  T1 soon became very congested and active area with athlete after athlete either entering T1 from the swim or exiting to start the bike course.  


A very swift T1 by Christopher Lionnet of Greenwich Tritons and Loughborough Students&#039; Tom Curtis soon placed them very close behind Neil Eddy and the heat was on to see who would crack first or pull away on the bike circuit.

In the women&rsquo;s race, the early leader Rhian Roxburgh had stormed into T2 and in the process recorded the fastest women&rsquo;s bike split of the day to match her top swim time. She was soon into her running and looked like a very good bet to take the overall women&rsquo;s title.  However, the pursuit was still on with the chasing group which still consisted of Jill Parker renowned for some impressive running, but surely a four minutes gap was beyond her or those who soon followed.

Rhian maintained her pace throughout and showed no sign of slowing even with Parker and Louise Kelly Leicester Tri club setting very quick lap times and closing the gap.  With Rhian showing no sign of weakness she pretty much cruised to a super victory and recorded a sub two hour time for the race. Even over the normal Milton Keynes course this would have been a very impressive performance and very close to a two hour time.

In the men&rsquo;s race the lead changed several times on the bike as a small group worked off each other but kept within the bounds of the race regulations as the draft busters kept a close eye on affairs.  It looked like it was going to come down to a run race with around seven competitors all within seconds of each other as they approached T2.

A small group of four arrived in T2 together, somebody hit the deck in the rush but was back on his feet, the damp and muddy conditions in transition was making it difficult but fun for those taking part.

The group stormed out of transition with Tom Curtis leading the charge, however, by lap two Christopher Lionnet was in pole position and running like a man on a mission, the chase was also on behind with each of the male competitors pushing each another along and making surges to close the gap on Lionnet.  Both Mark Matthews and Tom Curtis made several attempts but Lionnet was just too strong on the day.

The conditions in transition and on parts of the run course could not be avoided but this made for some very amusing slips, stumbles and even a couple of mud dives.  The Milton Keynes Standard distance triathlon has a reputation for fast times and with the reduction of around 5km for the bike and 1km for the run the times recorded are very impressive despite the conditions in and around the transition area.

With the racing at the front end of the pack very competitive, this theme continued through each of the each group categories with lots of individual battles being contested and a large number of triathletes taking part in their first Olympic distance had a most enjoyable experience. Full results are available here.

Big Cow events race organization would like to take this opportunity to thank all the competitors who made the journey to the Emberton Country Park for the seventh running of the Milton Keynes Triathlon and we hope to see you in 2008 for some more dirty action.  Big Cow would also like to thank all the sponsors and crew of helpers and marshals whom without their efforts and dedication the event would not exist.

Check out the DVD of the 2006 event to see what you are missing.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[CowMan report]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_2234.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[The sun did shine yet again on those that gathered at Emberton Country Park for the CowMan, a tough middle distance triathlon consisting of a 1,900 meter swim, 92km bike and 21km. The event  team from BigCow had worked hard for a number of days leading up to the race in order to ensure the heavy rainfall experienced over the last couple of weeks would not effect the race site especially the transition area.  Thankfully the conditions on the Friday and Saturday were favourable and steadily dried up the surface.

Wave one for the CowMan was due to start at 7am, so most of the competitors started to arrive between 5am and 6am.  There were no problems with queuing at registration or transition and this provided the competitors with adequate time to organize equipment and familiarise themselves with the transition layout.

As the first wave competitors gathered for the race briefing the conditions looked perfect and as the day progressed there would be no doubt about it getting warmer and warmer, Summer at last!

Wave one consisted of all women and veteran males and they set off at a good pace with a number of athletes attempting to hit the front early and break clear even before the first buoy at the 200 meter point.  Carla Fisher (Bedford Traktors) was setting the pace for the women while Stephen Moffatt (East Fife Tri Club) and Duncan Mclaren (Team Milton Keynes) headed the male veteran&rsquo;s race. 

As the swim progressed and reached the final buoy with 150 metres to go an endless line of swimmers could be seen.  Leading the wave one swim was Stephen Moffatt, wave two started 10 minutes later with a very large all male senior field.  It started with a frantic pace and looked great with so many athletes hustling for positions and space.  At the first buoy there were a very large number of swimmers all merging at once to turn this looked pretty spectacular for the spectators who had walked along the banks of the lake.  Once wave two had settled down by the half way point some of the wave one competitors were starting to be overtaken; now there was a very long line of swimmers stretching for about 600 metres.

Mark Racher (Team SBR), who competed in the 2006 event, was back to improve his time and position and was swimming like a man possessed, leading wave two by a significant margin as he approached the final buoy.  Mark exited the water in 23:56 a magnificent time for the 1,900 meter course.  The next swimmer did not exit until Mark was in the distance out of transition and on his bike for the 56 mile bike around the Buckingham and Northants countryside.  

The bike circuit is undulating which makes it a little tougher but more interesting for the competitors, it consists of two large 22 mile loops then a final 12 mile circuit which is used for the sprint events and is a very fast TT circuit.    

After a few minutes had passed the next batch of competitors in wave two exited the water along with the endless stream of wave one competitors.  The transition area soon became a busy place with athletes looking for speedy change over to the bike.  The great thing about the set up at Emberton is the close proximity of the transition area to the swim, bike and run elements this makes for fast times and great spectating.

With the race now in full swing and all the competitors on the road the women&rsquo;s early race leader and first out of the water Carla Fisher was under pressure.  At the half way point of the bike both Val Millington and Kerri Renshaw started to close down on the gap.

The male veterans race leader out of swim  was Scotland&rsquo;s Stephen Moffatt but the 4 minute lead  out of T1 was not enough to keep the wolfs at bay with the likes of Duncan Mclaren and Brian McCarthy by lap two of the bike the race order had changed.

In the senior men&rsquo;s event the picture was similar with early race leader Racher overtaken by Joel Jameson (Total Fitness Bath) and one of the relay teams. By lap two the 2006 winner Team Dave Brown (Team MK) was starting to get into a good rhythm on the bike and was making rapid progress in those in front, he soon had Racher in his sights, but Joel Jameson was pacing himself well and looked almost effortless on the bike as he went into the last 12 mile loop.

Joel Jameson was first to arrive at transition and was not hanging around with a pretty quick change into his running shoes.  The crowed really got behind the race leader as he speed off with a comfortable four minute lead over second place Dave Brown.

The leading relay team was third to arrive at transition just little over a minute behind Dave Brown and their fresh legged runner would soon be in position to overtake Dave and work on closing the gap on the race leader.

By this time the sun was in full view and the temperature hitting 24 degrees this felt pretty warm out on the 4 lap winding 13 mile run circuit, which has some off road sections but the loop is interesting enough to go pretty quick and there is plenty of opportunity to hydrate with water and High 5.

With such warm condition over the middle distance event the run for some would be very challenging and perhaps even for those participating in this distance for the first time a journey to the unknown.  A number of the competitors I spoke to where preparing for the Ironman uk, some had come back from last years Cowman others just turn up at Emberton Country Park all the time no matter the distance of the triathlon because they know they will get a good event which is well managed and marshaled, not to mention great value for the money.
   
The male veteran race leader going into the final discipline was Brian McCarthy (Trent Park)  by the narrowest of margins over Team MK&rsquo;s McClaren who has been showing good form recently over the shorter sprint distance events.  McCarthy was soon into his running and looked a little fresher, but this did not stop McClaren getting right on the shoulder of McCarthy on lap one to test and pressure the Trent Park Triathlete.  Perhaps this moved worked in the favour of McCarthy as by lap two he had started to pull clear and was working off the wave two runners who had overtaken him on the bike, albeit only a few. 

In the women&rsquo;s race Val Millington had taken the lead on the bike and was quick in T2 and by the time she had completed the first lap of the run a good two minute gap had opened up over the chasing runners.

Joel Jameson, in the meantime, had been cruising to a victory and in the process posted a 1 hour 21 minute split for the half marathon (4 hours 17 minutes for the CowMan) and took the title from Dave Brown, who faded a little on the closing last lap, nevertheless a fine performance.  Team JAC from Body Limits Gym in Newport Pagnell won the relay and finished in a time of 4 hours 23 minutes, with Brown in 4 hours 25.

The first place in the women&rsquo;s race was won by Val Millington (Phoenix Triathlon) posting a fine 5 hours 5 minutes for the CowMan, and placing 29th overall.  Kerri Renshaw place second and the fast finishing Candice McDonald (Serpentine Tri Club) took third place.

The first female veteran to finish was Tonya Antonis (ScientificCoaching.Com ) in 5 hours 17 minutes, she made up significant places on the run and looked pretty strong over the 4 laps.

Just over two hundred competitors participated in the CowMan, an increase of around 30% on the 2006 finishers. This demonstrates the popularity of triathlon and in particular good events like the CowMan.

The CowMan was run in conjunction with a sprint race which started a little later at 8am with just 208 competitors including many novices participating in BigCow Events third and final sprint series event.  This meant that the action from this race could be viewed while the longer distance event was out on the roads, providing the many spectators with further excitement and something to shout about.  By the time the first Cowman athletes where returning from the 56 mile bike the sprint triathletes had all finished and many removed their bikes from transition, packed their cars and returned to watch and support the athletes on the run.

The next event at Emberton is the Milton Keynes Triathlon on Sunday July 22nd which is renowned for fast times and a great day out at the races. For more information visit the Big Cow website: www.big-cow.com/ ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Big Cow Spring camp]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_1988.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Wishing you had spent a bit more quality time training this Spring? Well, it&amp;rsquo;s too late now - but this report from Big Cow&amp;rsquo;s training camp in Italy may well make you decide that this is the way to go next year. It&amp;rsquo;s certainly got us thinking!



This is the fourth year the team from Big Cow has headed to the resort of Riccione on the East coast of Italy, and without doubt this was by far the best year yet. Not just because of the fantastic warm Spring conditions, or the warmth of the sea, or the wide range of hills and rides that can be consumed on a daily basis. It was simply the Hotel Perla&rsquo;s outstanding service and warmth towards the forty strong contingent from the UK that makes it better than any other venue.

The hotel goes beyond the call of duty and provides food and drink on demand and works around the busy schedule set by the expert coaches from Big Cow. They make sure you are fuelled up before the rides and provide bananas and rolls for the session. They will even come and pick you up if you have mechanical or suffer any injuries on route. 

 Each day started with a swim session in 50m Olympic style pool or the open sea of the Adriatic, which was pleasantly warmer than I remembered from previous years. After the swim session, breakfast would be available followed by a quick change into cycle kit for an epic ride into the hills.

One of the key reasons why Big Cow tend to head to Riccione is the wide variety of rides the guides (who are supplied by the hotel) will cover. We simply inform them of the time and severity the ride needs to be and they hit the rolling hills, mountain climbs and coastal roads to inspire all. The scenery really is fantastic almost every turn is picture post card stuff, the motorist too play their part with the cyclist given priority and supreme courtesy which is unparallel to the UK. 

The week I attended the camp there were two big rides on the schedule a rolling 100 miler taking in a couple of climbs in the Romagna and Tuscany boards and finishing on a panoramic coastal through and off back to base. The second epic a mere 80 miler that included seven climbs ranging in distance and elevation. One of my favourites was a 2km climb of only 18 percent that the 06 Giro included. The names of Basso, Cunego remain painted on the roads of climb. 

The main theme for the week was Ironman with a large number of those attending the camp competing over the distance in the summer, hence the two big rides both with optional run afterwards. Mid-week there was a 5, 10, 15 or 20 miler run which just about every one participated or helped out with in the very warm conditions.

Two track sessions with strong emphasis on warm up drills technique and pace setting as key. The pool sessions also concentrated on technique and improving stoke with the sea swims (wet suit testing with 2XU) longer with two one hour sessions both before breakfast, and a fantastic start to any day.

 It was great to see the groups blend together with a mixture of abilities and experience both cyclists and triathletes all helping each other out at some point during the week. Some of the groups managed to take in the Republic of San Marino which is a beautiful town set in the hills of Romagna. A small group also cycled to the Marco Pantani tribute museum, &ldquo;Il Pirata&rdquo; spent hours cycling in this part of the world and having visited the area several times, one understands why. 

Here in Riccione cycling has great tradition and is very much part of the culture. The number of cyclist spotted while on route especially over the weekends was staggering, not to mention the number of races amateur and elite that take place in this region. 

The facilities are first class and ideal for triathlon training with the hotel ideally located with a 50m walk to the beach, a ten minute walk to the Olympic swimming facility and there are several running tracks within the area. 

The Big Cow training camp provides for all abilities and groups are soon established in addition to the numerous training sessions there are several workshops and presentations throughout the week. Fun is also the name of the game with a great end to the week complete with Aquathlon and 2km hill time trial, or on the beach for some volley ball.

 The training is as hard as you wish it to be the groups obviously get competitive too but that&rsquo;s only natural and in our nature as competitive athletes. I have taken a couple of days off since the return and have felt very strong on the one big brick session I completed the other day. So the week looks to have done the trick for me, and I can now focus on some running and speed work before the start of my longest day at Ironman Switzerland on June 24th.

The dates for 2008 have already been set as the 24th April. Seven or ten day camps are available and excluding flights from East Midlands the cost of the week is currently budgeted at &pound;500 (a &pound;100 deposit is required immediately to guarantee your place and will get you a free Italian cycle jersey and shorts). In addition to the riding, swim sessions, workshops, presentation, pilates classes there is sports nutrition advice, massage and some bike maintenance provided.

So, if you&rsquo;re looking for a training camp that&rsquo;s great value, great fun and full of great workouts and routes make sure you contact the boys at Big Cow soon, places are limited. Oh your bike is taken care of too as Big Cow drive a wagon over from the UK to the hotel, so it&rsquo;s just your luggage you need to take care of on the journey. When I got to Riccione my bike was ready and all I had to do was stick the pedals back on.
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Big Cow video show]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_1564.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[As a promotional tool for their events, Big Cow have made a short video and distributed it on DVD to potential competitors and sponsors. They have kindly allowed us to do some Google video wizardry on it and you can now stream the whole thing through the player window below. We appreciate that this isn&#039;t the same as watching it on your 42&amp;quot; plasma at home but it does mean you can take sneaky peeks at it during the office coffee break and remind yourself of all the fun you had last summer!

 ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Big Cow swim for charity]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_1553.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Big Cow Events are putting on a &amp;ldquo;free to enter&amp;rdquo; open water swim as part of their TriFest weekend this June. The idea behind this addition to the event is to raise funds for the Spinal Injuries Association through voluntary donations or sponsorship. The TriFest takes place at Emberton Country Park in Milton Keynes on the first weekend of June and the swim is on Saturday 2nd June.

The 1,000m open water swim will be part of the first day of competition which will also feature the British Aquathlon Championships so there will already be many top class athletes ready to take up the challenge of an extra bit of competition. However, the organisers do hope that all of the supporters and other triathletes gathered for the weekend will take part as well and help raise funds for the SIA.

The Spinal Injuries Association is the national organisation for people with injuries to the spinal cord. The SIA was founded by Baroness Masham and fellow spinal cord injured people in 1974 and currently has over five thousand members. The SIA&#039;s purpose is to promote the integration and full participation in society of their members, by encouraging and enabling them to become fulfilled and in control of their lives. A new headquarters facility for the SIA is currently under construction in Milton Keynes.

For more detailed information on the SIA and its activities please visit their website: www.spinal.co.uk

For an entry form for the TriFest, including the charity swim, please visit the Big Cow website: www.big-cow.com]]></description></item></channel></rss>
