"An active body equals a healthy mind "
Sunday morning saw the first event of the 2009 triathlon season for the Orange Triathlon Club. A large number turned out for the event with a number of Bathurst competitors featuring in the results.
First event underway was the juniors. Finishing on top was Shannon Syme with a fantastic time of 11 minutes and 1 second. Following in Shannon was her sister Samantha Syme 2nd and bringing home bronze was Noah Whiteley.
Both the mid and long course event was contested in perfect conditions with an invigorating water temperature for the swim followed by a bike ride of 10 km or 20 km, with the runners warming up on the 3 km or 4 km run.
On the podium for the ladies mid course were Alison Matuschka, Steph Harrison and Cas Ingham with Chris Matuschka taking out the male division.
Bathurst competitors Nathan Bankovic and Jake Thornton took the honors of first and second in the long course with Chris Cotten of Orange rounding out third position in the male division. An excellent dual between Bankovic and Matt Cotten was underway during the ride until Cotten suffered a blown tyre finishing his race for the day.
The ladies long course was contested by 7 competitors with Christine Wolfson continuing her winning form after her success at the world’s triathlon championships on the Gold Coast. Following Christine into 2nd place was Brooke Parker of Bathurst and the ever improving Rhianna Fitzpatrick coming home 3rd.
The Clubs next home race is our juniors day on the 22nd of November, with all normal races held with an emphasis on anyone wishing to give triathlon a go.
Maitland Triathlon
Mid October saw athletes from four Central West Tri Clubs travelled to Morpeth for the Maitland triathlon and Multisport festival. Five Orange triathletes were among 323 competitors to participate in either the mid distance of 1.5 km swim, 55 km ride & 12 km run or the club event of 1.0 km swim, 30 km ride and 8 km run.
The Orange contingent were all pleased with their results when considering our local competitions have only recently commenced.
Fortunately the only casualty on the day was Aiden Whitley who suffered mechanical problems, with his tyre separating from his wheel rim, no doubt this was due to the speed he was travelling at the time and the bike was unable to cope with the pressure.
The first Orange competitor to complete the club distance in a time of 1.45:11 was Chris Cotten, this placed Chris 5th in the under 19 yrs division. This is a great result considering it’s his 1st full season of triathlon competition.
Another outstanding result was Frank Ostini, who completed his first major triathlon event finishing in a time of 1.57:02. Ostini is no stranger to strenuous competition having completed a number of full & half marathons providing an excellent platform into competitive triathlon.
In the longer mid course, Matt Cotten produced an outstanding effort against a strong field of seasoned competitors finishing in 2.37:33 placing 7th overall and 1st in the under 19 yrs division. The next challenge for Cotten is in November, competing in the Shepparton half iron man.
Daniel Miller also completed the picturesque Morpeth course, rounding out the Orange competitors in a time of 3.35:45.
6 October, 2009
Insurance is one of those things you hope you will never need. And it's important to have adequate protection in the event of an accident. During club events (triathlon races, cycle races and recreational rides) only members who carry membership to either Triathlon Australia, Cycling Australia or Bicycle NSW (or some other organisation that carries insurance for its members) are insured for personal accidents and public liability. It is important to realise that just being a member of the Orange Cycle and Triathlon Club does not provide individuals with personal accident or public liability insurance. So, whether you are racing, training, cycle-commuting or just riding socially - you still need to consider insurance.
Bicycle NSW members are automatically covered by taking out a membership - and their membership fees are very reasonable. Visit their web site to find out more about their different types of insurance coverage. If you cycle but don't want to race, or a triathlete but don't want to race outside the club events, then joining Bicycle NSW is a good option.
For triathletes who want to race outside the club events then you will need to take out a membership with Triathlon Australia. Tri Australia members are insured when they are competing and training - but there are some rules to follow. For example, if you train on your own then you need to keep a log book of your training. Make sure you read their insurance policy documents.
Road cyclists who want to race will need to take out a membership with Cycling Australia. For more information about getting your license contact Darryl Grant Cycles shop, 241 Lords Pl Orange, Tel. 6360 4040.