THE 2005 National Duathlon season started in earnest on Sunday with the Cambridge Duathlon, part of the British Triathlon National Ranking Series.

Members of Worcester Triathlon Club, including Evesham's Michelle Parsons, took part and did well in almost perfect racing conditions.

The slightly non-standard distance event of seven kilometre run, 35km bike and seven kilometre run produced record times across the board with many international athletes using the race as a warm-up for the forthcoming European Championships in Hungary.

Michelle, who was promoted from the age group to the elite race category following her successful season last year, was one of those athletes looking for race practice prior to her international elite debut in Zofingen, Switzerland next weekend.

The Zofingen race is the European Long Course Duathlon Championships and is held over much longer distances but Michelle still managed to produce an excellent performance over the shorter distances at Cambridge.

After the first run Michelle was lying l Continued Page 102

in eighth position overall, completing the distance in a time of 25.09. She then set about storming through the field on her favoured discipline of the bike. She managed to move up to third place after completing the two-lap bike course in the second fastest female bike split of the day of 1.00.39. Incredibly, that time was the 64th quickest of the day, beating three-quarters of the times recorded by the male field.

The slim lead over the run specialists that she took into the final discipline was not sufficient but still she managed to hold onto sixth place overall and first in her age group in a time of 1.52.13. The female winner was last year's bronze medallist at the European Championships, Helen Lawrence, recording a female record time of 1.45.42 in the process.

Meanwhile Nick Yarworth, also from Worcester Tri Club was having an equally good day in the men's 45-49 age category recording an overall time of 1.51.46. Nick, in his first season of duathlon, finished 81st overall and sixth in his highly competitive age group category.