BEST OF BRITISH
220 Triathlon|April 2023
We've long known that Great Britain produces exceptional pro triathletes, but on the women's long-distance side the Union flag has flown proudly for decades. In a 220 exclusive, we bring together leading lights from the last five decades - Sarah Springman, Bella Bayliss, Chrissie Wellington, Lucy Gossage and Lucy CharlesBarclay to compare their respective eras...
Tim Heming
BEST OF BRITISH

Triathlon comes in many forms and British triathletes seem to excel in most of them. No more so than GB's long-course women, who have been taking on - and beating the best of the rest of the world for decades.

However, it's not only results that set these women apart, it's also been the way they've blazed unique trails to entertain, inspire and raise the possibilities of what other triathletes and soon-to-be triathletes - believe can be achieved.

Sarah Springman, Bella Bayliss, Chrissie Wellington, Lucy Gossage and Lucy Charles-Barclay are those we've talked to for this piece. All world-beaters to be celebrated, but there are also many others who could be profiled who have equally stomped pedals to stamp their own indelible mark on the sport.

So here's what the fab five had to tell us about their respective careers, their thoughts on the current crop of talent, and how they hope to see the sport evolve.

220: What was your introduction to the sport?

Sarah Springman: I did my first triathlon – the first triathlon in Britain – at Kirton’s Farm in Reading in 1983. I passed my exams to become a chartered engineer and this was my celebration. I’d never swum in a lake before and borrowed a bike that was stuck in top gear.

Bella Bayliss: I grew up in Aberdeenshire and enjoyed taking part in tetrathlon: swimming, running, shooting and riding. I saw a local triathlon advertised when I was about 17 and went along on a borrowed bike, met some encouraging people and it all went from there. I left the horses behind, started racing in Scotland, then England, then internationally.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2023 من 220 Triathlon.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2023 من 220 Triathlon.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من 220 TRIATHLON مشاهدة الكل
How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...
220 Triathlon

How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...

Whichever distance triathlon you're racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. While it's possible to top up your tank on the go, it's better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...
220 Triathlon

The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...

The opening line of the race report read how 20 years on from New Zealand’s first and only Olympic triathlon gold medal, Hayden Wilde had put in a careerbest performance to regain the title for his nation. Then Alex Yee comes around the corner.Yee’s charge, seemingly from nowhere on the final lap of the 10km run in Paris, didn’t just help him become the most decorated Olympic male triathlete of all time, and didn’t just cap a rivalry that has been building for six years, it left seasoned watchers of swim, bike, run in awe. It will go down as one of the greatest triathlon races; Yee, still just 26, as one of the greatest triathletes. His medals from Paris added to the two from Tokyo, leaving his haul at two gold, a silver and a bronze, and counting.

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
"I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE THE GROWTH OF TRIATHLON"
220 Triathlon

"I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE THE GROWTH OF TRIATHLON"

British Triathlon CEO Ruth Daniels talks Paris, her plans to grow tri and her own personal goals... knees allowing

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
ZWIFT RIDE
220 Triathlon

ZWIFT RIDE

£1,199.99 Zwift's new Ride is an indoor bike that might help you break your PB... but won't break the bank

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
PARIS SHOWED THE VALUE OF OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE
220 Triathlon

PARIS SHOWED THE VALUE OF OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE

With the spotlight on triathlon like never before at these Games, debutant athletes talked about being overwhelmed by the unique environment

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
GAMES AT THE GAMES
220 Triathlon

GAMES AT THE GAMES

After watching and enjoying the Olympic triathlon events, Brunt amused himself by playing the 'guess how far into each event I would die' game...

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
WHERE EAGLES DARE
220 Triathlon

WHERE EAGLES DARE

With little heat prep, the wrong gear choice and a course-recce mistake, would experienced extreme triathlete Sean McFarlane soar like an eagle or drop like a stone in Italy?

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
HOW TO INCREASE RUN PACE WHEN FATIGUED
220 Triathlon

HOW TO INCREASE RUN PACE WHEN FATIGUED

The ability to dig deep in the latter stages of a race helped Alex Yee achieve Olympic gold. Here Ben, a member of Team GB's coaching staff in Paris, explains how you too can find that extra gear...

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
BUYER'S GUIDE: BIKE COMPUTERS
220 Triathlon

BUYER'S GUIDE: BIKE COMPUTERS

Log your rides, find your way and monitor your multisport training with a quartet of impressive bike computers...

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
POLAR GRIT X2 PRO
220 Triathlon

POLAR GRIT X2 PRO

\"You can't be anything other than impressed with the GPS, whose design is one of the significant changes to the V3\"

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024