CLUB NEWS: Bury’s winter training continues

Six Bury club members turned up at the Goshen track for the 2017 Goshen Duathlon at 12pm on New Year’s Day.

The course took them alongside the river for approx 1250 metres, then turn and retrace back along the undulating path. Two cycles and two runs close to 10k in total, on Cycle Speedway bikes for most of them.

It was freezing cold with a biting wind when Asim Hussain was first off, followed by series leader Adam Turnbull. Eryk Matala was next, then Adam’s Dad, Geoff Turnbull. Kaysar Mohammadi and Kris Ramsden were the last men off respectively.

The time gap between each competitor was 15 seconds and Asim was back and out running in 5 mins 21 secs. Eryk took 5 mins 25 secs, Geoff 5 mins 26 secs Kaysar 5 mins 12 secs, Kristian 5 mins 47 secs, and Adam Turnbull put his mark down with a 4 mins 43 sec ride.

Asim struggled on the first run and was back in 16 mins 24 secs, Kaysar took 15 mins, Eryk 11 mins 17 secs, Geoff 11 mins 08 secs, and Kristian 10 mins 08 secs, but it was again Adam Turnbull with a 9 mins 25 time who set the standard.

Into the second bike ride, and Asim recovered with a time of 5 mins 52 secs, Kaysar on 6 mins 24 secs, Eryk on 6 mins 12 secs, Geoff 6 mins 06 secs Kristian rode to 5 mins 38, and again Adam Turnbull was in the lead with 5 mins 13 secs.

The pace and cold was beginning to tell on some of the competitors as they went into the second run and last discipline. Asim recording a time of 16 mins 13 secs and Kaysar 16 mins and 49 secs. Eryk gave a good impression of Forrest Gump, being only 7 secs slower than his first run with 11 mins and 24 secs. Geoff actually went faster with 10 mins and 51 seconds, and Kristian doing a 10 mins 41 secs run. The best was left to the end, as Adam Turnbull showed everybody that he had been cruising, as he ran his last run in 7 mins 35 secs nearly 2 mins faster than his first run.

When every one had retired to the cabin for hot drinks, John Burston corrected all the times and the results were; 6th Asim 44 mins 50 secs, 5th Kaysar 43 mins 21 secs, 4th Eryk, 34 mins 18 secs, 3rd Geoff 33 mins 31 secs, 2nd Kris, 32 mins 14 secs, 1st by a decisive margin, Adam Turnbull, with 26 mins and 56 secs, coming first in every discipline, a truly exceptional performance in the conditions.

Adam now leads the grand prix scores after 3 events with 29 points, Kristian on 26 points and Kaysar on 17 points.

With 3 events to go, a speed hill climb, a 5k run and a 2 mile time trial, the series is still open and with some of the regulars sidelined today with heavy colds it is all to go for.

Thanks again to Linda Turnbull for her assistance on the start line.