Results

2024 Season Results

Summer Series TR4 (Rescheduled)

 It is always a challenge to find a date in August when everyone is back from holidays, there are no other clashing events and the weather permits! For this reason, the Summer Series TR4 event was rescheduled to August 24 which turned out to be favourable on some counts such as weather (although still very hot out there especially on the run) and returnees. Certainly, those who took part enjoyed the spirit of friendly competition and also appreciated being shown what fast swimming looked like courtesy of young Jasper. 😅

The results are linked below. Thanks again to Helen, Ella, Lars, Jasper and others who assisted with timing and allowed me to race. As always, the timing should always be taken with a good "dose of salt" as the iPad gets passed around a few hands. There are also lots of folk who adjust what they do mid-race so we do not always know who really did the whole course or not. Hopefully having some times is helpful to some out there. 

First Round results

Second Round results

Third Round Results

Summer Series TR3

July is always hot in Hong Kong and this morning was no exception.  The tower at Shek O Beach was reading 34 degrees by 7am making the bike and the run legs pretty toastie. In spite of this a keen group gathered to get some race training in. 
You can check out the results in the links below:

First Round results

Second Round Results

Third Round Results

Summer Series TR1

It was an awesome morning for Triathlon at Shek O Beach this morning. Whilst there was a little bit of swell to contend with, the low humidity and moderate temperature was a welcome change to the baking we usually get out on the Shek O/Big Wave Bay road.

It was also fantastic to see such a diverse mix of Dragons and "triallers" taking part.  Not only were the females well represented but it was great to have more family members coming along. 

A huge THANK YOU to Lucas for doing the scoring today. Awesome job!

Here are the results of the first Round

And these are the results for the second round

Finally, here are the results of the final round

Winter Warriors Duathlon 2

Given that this event came only a week after the 70.3 Training Event at Disney and the events that were also taking place, it was not surprising that the field was a small one. In spite of this, it was a great morning of racing and training. 

Nigel showed that his training for his upcoming Ironman is on track with some great running and riding. 

Kudos to Gab who swapped the first run for a swim. Apologies that this was not recorded accurately.  

Winter Warriors Duathlon 1

The longer term Hong Kongers amongst us know just how variable winter weather in this country can be. The Dragon's Winter Warrior series has been a great reflection of the variability over the years as we have braved the winter warrior event rugged up and very appreciative of warm drinks afterwards. On the flip side we have also been subject to fierce heat which has made us all want to turn it into a triathlon or at least all jump into the water at South Bay afterwards. This morning, however, we jagged fantastic weather which was ideal for running and cycling along South Bay Road.


Apparently there was no one more appreciative of the weather than Neik, who looked determined to stamp his mark on the event right from the outset.  Whilst Lucas, Sergio and Ricci were able to push him a bit on the 2km run, Once Neik got onto the bike, He looked uncatchable. 

Great to see the turnout from both the girls and our newer members. From the all round smiles and the lack of urgency to leave I'm certain everybody had a great morning there. 


The full results with breakdown are posted by the link below.

We look forward to seeing everybody enjoying themselves again at the next event which is the 70.3 training event on Lantau next month.

2023 Season Results

Summer Series Training Race 3

We were treated to another glorious morning with regard to the weather at Shek O beach. (Although the 93% humidity did make for quite a sweaty run!) It was another morning where dragging yourself out of the water and onto the start line was the hardest part of the morning. The water was so refreshing!

Fantastic to see the newbies joining us in the back half of the season. No doubt the return of a few of the regional events has created good interest in the Summer Series and perhaps the 70.3 training events again. 

With many of the top end of the field away for the world championships, Niek was given little competition at the top end of the field although newcomer Jamie looks like he will rise to the challenge in future. 

Further back in the field, there were the usual individual rivalries taking place and, of course many were finding the course and the humidity to be the ulitmate challenge regardless of anyone else on the course!

Once again a HUGE vote of thanks to Jai, David and Jamie who helped with scoring and allowed me to join in. 

Results are posted (unedited) below. Hope they are of use to some of you. 

See you all at the next Summer Series Event on September 9th!

SSTR3 - Race 1

SSTR3 - Race 2

SSTR3 - Race 3

Summer Series Training Race 2

We all know that racing in Hong Kong in summer is a battle with heat and humidity. I guess that sometimes we forget just how much of a battle. We were all well and truly reminded of this today when a great group of around 20 Dragons and "tasters" assembled on Shek O beach for the second Summer series event of 2023.  Whilst the swim was much anticipated due to the warm and muggy conditions, even at 7am, the condition of the beach and the water was not great, especially compared to the last time we raced. What is it about the beginning of summer that seems to deposit a lot of trash into the ocean?

In spite of the rubbish, the swim was definitely the most refreshing part of the event which produced a well spread out field as we had a formidable top end and quite a tail as you can see from the results. This, of course, is the spirit of the Dragons and we would not have it any other way. The summer series allows for everyone to take part and the short course means that no one has to wait too long for each round. 

Results are linked below. I am always incredibly grateful to the volunteers who assist with the timing and allow me to get a race or two in.
This does mean, however, that folks are trying to work out the system for the first time and so some errors are inevitable. This is evident in Race 2 in which Jenny Barbour did not pull one out of the bag on her final Summer Series race in Hong Kong and whip Tom! Nice thought though. 😂
Hope you all had a great morning and we look forward to seeing you either at the 70.3 Training race on Lantau on June 24 or at the next Summer Series Event on August 26.

Heat 1

Heat 2

Heat 3

Summer Series Training Race 1

So our first "Summer Series" event turned out to be something of a misnomer given that it was pretty cool with light rain this morning. Given that many of us were "seasoned" Summer Series racers, we were all quite appreciative of having a SSTR which did not see us all being "baked" by the heat and humidity.

It was almost refreshing to jump into a cool but very clear ocean, in spite of one the buoys having shifted out to the shark net. (Fortunately we avoided having to swim to it, given it was the first event of the year and for some of us, our first swim in a long time!)
The conditions clearly agreed with Lucas who dominated this event and showed that he is well prepared to take on the competition at his forthcoming overseas events. 

Another Dragon with big goals set for international events is Stephanie who showed she is well prepared. Great to see the girls making up 40% of the field this morning. Hoping this is a trend that will continue for the future Summer Series races which are not scheduled to coincide with the Hong Kong Sevens 😉
Good Luck to all Dragons heading to DaNang next month.

Heat 1 

Heat 2

Heat 3

Winter Warriors Duathlon 1

What a fabulous turn out and great cool weather for our first Dragons Event of the 2023 Season!

Whilst it was very fresh first thing with the breeze coming off the ocean, it was greatly appreciated by the time everyone returned sweaty from the exertion. 

Great to see so many new faces down at the event full of smiles and promises to keep up the training and participation at future events. 

In the inclusive tradition of Dragon's events, this one again saw the very able and speedy athletes like Lucas and Stephanie out there encouraging on some newer and "steadier" athletes. Some of these were trying out a Duathlon and a Dragon's event for the very first time. We really hope you got what you wanted from it and come back for another event. 


You can check the results of this morning via the link left and also here.
Great work everyone. We all take what we want from these events so in that regard, you are all winners!
The best part about the results is the chance to better your time for the next one on March 18.

2022 Season Results

Summer Series Training Race 3

When you sign on for a Triathlon taking place in Hong Kong on July 9, you can't really complain if it is rather warm - right? I think we all agreed that it was really toasty down there at Shek O Beach this morning. In spite of the heat, there was once again a 100% turn out and a great morning was had by all.

Round 1 Results

The first of the 3 events saw newcomer and swim coach Kevin Chow put his stamp on the event. (Apologies for the timing error on your swim Kevin! Check David's time if you want to see how you came out of the water.)
It was also great to see Stephanie Pezot back from Majorca in fine form and enjoying herself out on the course this morning.

Round 2 Results

Many thanks to Toots for doing the scoring for this one. If there are any errors or omissions, you can blame her. 🤣

Round 3 Results

It took a big effort to do all 3 in the heat this morning and and an especially big effort to push hard out there. A special mention to Lucas who set a PB on this course during this round. The result here is not official so Lucas timed it as well
See you all again on August 27 for the next one and out on the bike on July 23rd for the Dragons TTT, 

Summer Series Training Race 2

So we have had a week of crazy rain including Red Rain signals disrupting  kids getting home from school, localised flooding and even some land slips. In spite of this, the amazing Dragons Summer Series Triathletes turned out in force for the Second of our Legendary Triathlon Training races of the summer of 2022. Some even braved heavy rain showers  to ride to the start of the race and a few, names withheld for obvious reasons were DNS's 😉
Many of us were initially sheltering from the rain under the arches at the beach initially wondering if the rain would dissipate and allow us to get any sort of event underway. In true Summer Series event form, the situation rapidly changed and a group of 16 or so enthusiastic triathletes found themselves lining up on the beach just a little after 7 am for a start.
Given the rain and the lower temperature it produced I am sure that many will be impressed with their running time. You can check the results of the first round below: 

Round 1 Results

As you can see, we have invested in a new timing system which makes registering and reporting results a lot easier so hopefully we can be a bit more accurate on the timings. This may not have much effect on the outcome of these events which, as you will see from the results are rather predicable at the top of the field. There are, however, some great battles and changing of places going on deeper into the field. Here are the results from Race 2 and 3:

Round 2 Results

Round 3 Results

Seems like we are seeing a few new faces down at Shek O Beach for these events. Please note that the next event for the Dragons is a 70.3 Training Race at Disney. Check details on the WhatsApp Group. The next Summer Series Tri at Shek O will be on July 9. See you there! 

Summer Series Training Race 1

There are lots of reasons why this race deserves the moniker of "iconic". It was the race that took us back to some form of "normality" following a period of restrictions that banned things like attending a beach and exercising without a mask. It was the first race we have had in a long, long time where 100% of those who registered were present on the start line in spite of not having to commit $100 to registration. It had a diversity spectrum which included an age gap of 58 years between the oldest and youngest competitor and it was the race in which the amazing but very dated "iTriRace" app developed by former HK Dragon, Bruce Perkins some 10 years ago and installed on a very dated iPad finally rolled over and died! Thus the lack of results  below.

The good news is that our friends at Sonic have been using the Webscorer App successfully for some time now so we have one to try out next race!

The morning at Shek O was close to perfect for this time of the year. It was coolish and overcast and the water was clear and a great temperature for swimming. Of course, this meant that the power swimmers in the group including Niek, Waz, Juergen, Mario, Ricci and Lucas made the rest of us realise what trading your swimming sessions for time on the sofa drinking beer does to your times! (Or is the sofa and beer just me?)

The afore-mentioned Lucas is in great form and was never troubled on the course in spite of the flying Dutchman Niek putting in strong efforts in all 3 heats. Note that I do not have the access to the results and was busy trying to snap pics as well as take times so I may have some names confused above. Apologies to Antoine, Ferdinan and others if I have the order out of the water wrong. 

We all love these events, not only for the watermelon, coffee and muffins at the end of the event but also for the general encouragement of each other and the friendly rivalries that develop out on the course. It was great to see long term Dragons veteran Ian Brownlee ready to still pull on his tri suit in his 72nd year. Any Dragons out there that feel they may be too old to hit this course should check your DOB prior to the next one. There is always a place for you on the starting line of a Dragons Summer Series as you will not hold up the field, especially if you drop a round or a leg to join back in. 

We all know what a challenge the last 2 or 3 years have been but a Summer Series Training Race at Shek O is always a great reminder that we live in an exceptional place with incredible welcoming people from all parts of the world.
We look forward to a great season ahead. See you at the next one!

Winter Warriors Race 1

Congratulations to all who competed in our First Winter Warriors Duathlon during this crazy time of changing restrictions and social distancing.

What a great sunny morning on South Bay road:  Seven motivated athletes took part in the first official Dragons event of 2022: the well-known Winter Duathlon speedy format

New joiners Laurent Nguyen and Lucas Vitale set up the pace on the first 2k run but Lucas put the hammer down on the bike and flew solo on his TT until the end of the race.

On the women side, Kylie Cheung who has not raced since 2019 due to her super busy medical student life, really enjoyed her return to the competitive field and finished first female of this event!

Despite the current depressing atmosphere in Hong Kong it was amazing to see this group putting such good performance with great and positive spirit and we hope we can all go back to racing together very soon.

Apologies we could not record overall times, including transitions due to shortage of staff! Splits Results below based on personal recordings.

Please note that, in the heat of the moment and their racing battle Lucas and Laurent took an early turn on the first run hence their super speedy times !

1st run 2km

1-      Lucas Vitale: 5:20

2-      Laurent Nguyen: 5:23

3-      Stephanie Pezot: 7:59

4-      Kylie Cheung: 8:03

5-      Matthew Threteway: 8:32

6-      Gabriel Centurion: 8:49

7-      Gerald Posthuma: 9:10


Bike 20km


1-      Lucas Vitale: 38:12

2-      Laurent Nguyen: 39:13

3-      Gabriel Centurion: 41:47

4-      Kylie Cheung: not recorded

5-      Matthew Threteway: 45:28

6-      Stephanie Pezot: 45:43

7-      Gerald Posthuma: 48:20


2nd run 4km


1-      Lucas Vitale: 17:36

2-      Matthew Threteway: 17:55

3-      Stephanie Pezot: 19:13

4-      Laurent Nguyen: 19:14

5-      Kylie Cheung: 20:25

6-      Gabriel Centurion: 21:40

7-      Gerald Posthuma: 24:14

2021 Season Results

Summer Series Training Race 6

Rescheduling a race always results in the folk who originally signed on possibly not being able to make the new date so it was inevitable that we would be a small field this morning. Regardless, all who came and raced really enjoyed the cooler weather and the hot coffee and muffins to follow.

At this time of the year, the  Shek O Beach Patrol seem to always want to provide us with a challenge by moving the buoys to random locations.  This resulted in the swim being a little longer and tougher than usual but it was great to see the field rise to the challenge.

It was great to be able to welcome some new comers for the last Summer Series event of the season. Hoping that you guys will consider joining us for some more events next year. 

Here again are the results as they were recorded this morning. I know of one definite error as Sergio and Niek beat me back whilst I was getting the coffee and I found Niek's name on the list ahead of Sergio's so I inadvertently gave race 3 to Niek. (I am sure Sergio will forgive the error! 😁

It was a great finish to a fun season where we were all glad to be getting some exercise and camaraderie during a challenging time for triathletes who usually enjoying travelling to events in the region. 

Let's all hope for the return of international events next season. 

iR1-SSTR6_results
R2-SSTR6_results
R3-SSTR6_results

Summer Series Training Race 5

What another great morning on Shek O Beach!

Fantastic to have not only the friendly and enthusiastic crew from Sonic join us again but we also welcomed the speedy athletes of TriP. I can't wait to see some of the photos which I will post here when I receive them. 

As per usual, I am posting the results in "raw form" meaning the mistakes in timing are all there. You know what happened so you can take them and correct them as you see fit. (I have a sneaking suspicion that Gerald Posthuma did not fly past Tom Elliott on the run doing 26kph to take out first place in the first race. 🤣 Similarly, I am a bit skeptical about the riding efforts of the Chloe/Jai/James team but given the computed speed, it is quite possible that we would not have seen them pass! 🚴💨)

Once again, in the races I did I really enjoyed the company around, even if it involved being passed on the runs! The washing machine effect on the swim was well and truly in evidence with nearly 40 of us taking to the water.

Thanks to everyone for assisting with set up and dismantle and for observing the distancing and ensuring that we did not upset the locals and draw any unwanted attention.

R1-SSTR5_results
R2-SSTR5_results
R3-SSTR5_results

Summer Series Training Race 4

The sun did not shine but given the way it beats down in August, this is a great thing! Yes, we had rain too but it helped more than hindered. It was fantastic to have the great team from Sonic join us this morning. They helped the race feel much more like the True Triathlon Racing we have all been missing! There is nothing quite like being boxed in between two other swimmers and having to work hard to avoid being squeezed out the back. 🤪

It was also good to have to exercise some more discipline in organising ourselves around the racks. Some of us have been getting a bit lazy in our use of real estate in recent races. 😁

Some of the Sonic athletes showed that they are very able swimmers, especially Alfred Siu who came out of the water first in all 3 heats.

Below are the results for this morning in "raw" form. 

There are a number of mistakes that I claim full responsibility for.  Gigi who graciously took over and allowed me to do a couple of races was a star at timing.

The mistakes I know of are as follows:

R1-SSTR4_results
R2-SSTR 4_results
R3-SSTR4_results

Summer Series Training Race 3

We were a smaller field than last time but the conversation and competitiveness was not diminished down on the beach as we started a fantastic morning of friendly but challenging tri racing in Shek O. 

Sergio relished the absence of Tom this morning and went on to make this event his. Great effort in conditions that had us all enjoy the swim but appreciate the water and the watermelon at the end. Even the donuts were snapped up by appreciative athletes. 

A great effort by all in warm conditions. All results are below in unedited state.

R1-SSTR3_results
R2-SSTR3_results
R3-SSTR3_results

Team Time Trial- June 19 2021

Thanks to everyone for making it a wonderful morning, notwithstanding the bad luck and tacks that took a toll on some teams. Much appreciation for the brilliant marshalls - Yann Kai, Edward, Eddie, Florian and Mary for keeping us all safe and thanks to the sharp photographers out there for capturing the pain/joy.

And on to the winners!

Mens: RCC HKG Team A - Chris Liu, Brian Tam, Daryl Chan and Arthur Ah B with 1:07:09 @ 43.2kph

Womens: Ladies #goneeating - Wynnie Fung, Lenny Leung, Carin Cheung, Ismaela So with 1:16:46 @ 37.6kph

Mixed: RJLOs and Princess Tinping - Leo Lam, Mon Chung, Ray Chu and Jacky Leung with 1:12:32 @ 39.8kph

Complete list below.

Dragons June 19 2021 Team Time Trial Results

Summer Series Training Race 1

What an awesome morning at Shek O Beach for our first Summer Series Training Race for a long time! Concerns about being able to social distance and the threat of the heavy police presence usually associated with traffic control at the beach turning their attention to us kept us away but we are back!
Time prevents me from writing an in depth write up but the results are posted here for everyone to check.

R1-SSTR1_results
R2-SSTR1_results
R3-SSTR1_results

2020 Season Results

Year 2020, Letter to our Members: It Will be Good to See the Back of It

As we bid farewell to 2020, the Hong Kong Dragons Triathlon Club will look upon it with a mix of sadness and happiness.


Sadness that it has been so blighted, given the outbreak of COVID-19, and happiness given some of the amazing performances and great club camaraderie we saw during 2020, when we did finally manage to get together.


The impact of COVID-19 on our club this year can’t be overestimated. As an official sports club in Hong Kong, registered with the Hong Kong police and affiliated to the Hong Kong Triathlon Association, we have had to take our responsibilities to Hong Kong society and the safety of our members very seriously. As a club that is also insured, we have also not been able to do anything that might void that.


The restrictions around social distancing, mask wearing and social events, has meant that for almost six months, we have had to curtail or completely cut our weekly training sessions and not hold almost any of our monthly Summer Series training races or Winter Warrior duathlons.


It will be great to see the back of 2020.


Happily, though, of the events that we did hold, these were always extremely well attended, with some of Hong Kong's best amateur athletes taking part.


This was the year we saw long-standing records fall. Maybe it was something to do with being in almost perpetual semi-lockdown that when we were allowed out to compete, it unleashed those competitive juices like never before.


The annual Hong Kong Dragons Team Trial, was the fastest that has happened in the history of this race, with both the men and the women’s winning teams setting new marks


Similarly, the extremely competitive Dragons Race to Enlightenment - spread over one weekend to keep ourselves socially distanced - also saw a large turnout and again the tumbling of records.


We also had two duathlons and two mini-tri summer series events, and a socially-distanced Individual Team Time Trial. For the ITT, the honours went to the irrepressible Tom Elliott and the always magnificent Yann Kai Oh. Big congratulations also go to Tom and Jenny Barbour - our most-accomplished all-round female triathlete - for winning both our Summer Series mini-triathlon events. In fact Jenny and Tom also bossed our second Winter Warriors duathlon, while our first race was won by debutant duathlete Adil Zizi (well we always knew he was a great cyclist and a great runner - but he had never put them together before ) and to Yann Kai who won the women’s race. All saw great support and you can find the results of all our events here.


And of course, no wrap up of the year would be complete without congratulating the winners of our annual King and Queen of the Mountains year long competition, which saw Philippe Cosentino take the honours for the first time, after so many second places in previous years; and Yann Kai Oh for the eighth consecutive year, winning the women’s race - is there no stopping this woman? We also introduced a new category - the silver polka dot jersey - awarded for the first time to the 50+ age group, which went to Anthony Lam. Massive congratulations to Philippe, Yann Kai and Anthony for being fantastically consistent all year.


Usually, we celebrate the fun of the year with a party with our dear friends and sister club the South Island Road Cycling, but again that has not been possible in 2020. We were also planning to roll out our first ever Super Triathlete of the Year Award, but unfortunately there were not enough qualifying events and no nominations this year. 


However, 2021 is looking brighter and we have managed to re-start our weekly rides and there are rumours that our weekly track session will be back soon too.


Given the year we have had, we have been thinking hard about how we should recognise the loyalty of our members in 2020, despite the challenges of the year, and give back to all those who make the club possible. We usually try to have a great blow-out party to end the year and give awards to all those who make the club what it is: training hard and having fun.


But given that won't be happening, we are delighted to announce instead that membership for next year will only be half price - $250.


We think it’s the least we can do. We will provide details of how to sign up for 2021, later this month.


Before we sign off for the year, we also just want to give a special word of thanks to Paul ‘Wrighty’ Wright, one of our committee members, who because of work commitments and extensive planned travel next year, is leaving the Dragons committee.


He has been a great contributor to the club’s events and activities and we will miss his insights and opinions. Thanks Paul for everything you have done.


It does of course mean that we are now looking for a new member, or members to join us on the Dragons Committee. The only qualifications required: passion for running, swimming and/or cycling; and a desire to give a little back to our community. If you are interested, just drop us a line at info@hktriclub.com.


And before we sign off, there is one more thing to mention about 2020, as this was also the year that one of Hong Kong's finest age group triathletes - and a long standing Dragon - Olaf Kasten left Hong Kong. His quiet demeanour but massive personality in the sport will be sorely missed. He made an indelible mark - not least on Strava segments throughout Hong Kong - and we wish him well back in Germany.


Thanks again to all our members for all your contributions during a challenging 2020. We are looking forward to a much brighter and better year of training and racing in 2021.


Happy New Year!




Dave, Paul Mc, Paul W & Sheel


More 2020 Results

Dragons SSTR3 2020 Results

(posted 11 Jul 2020)

Another great morning for Swimming Riding and Running down at Shek O beach for another Dragons Summer Series Tri Event. 

Whilst most of the field could offer little by way of competition for Tom Elliot, there were great individual battles out on the sun-drenched road between Shek O and Big Wave Bay.

It is great to be able to welcome a host of new-comers to the accessible "3-stage" sprint series. Looking forward to watching the improvement of Thomas Butter, Harry Ross, Natalie Kwan and Jane McNae now that they have all been "blooded" on the course. 

The raw results are uploaded here for your perusal. 

R2-SSTR3_results
R1-SSTR3_results
R3-SSTR3_results

New records broken in Dragons annual Team Time Trial!

(posted 27 Jun 2020)

New records were broken in today’s Dragons TTT, and not just in terms of the time taken to complete the course!


We had a record turnout in record temperatures, and an amazing new male and new female course record.


One thing that we are learning about this pandemic is that the V-shaped recovery being predicted by some economic models, is also taking place in age group sport.


Continuing a trend that we saw first with the Dragons Summer Series mini triathlons at the start of the month, the SIRs Peak TT last Saturday, and the Dragons TTT today, is that pent up demand is in full effect in participation sports!


Not only are so many people ‘trapped’ in Hong Kong (I could think of worse places to be!), but with the Dragons TTT so well-established, it’s now become a fixture on the calendar. Today several of the strong local HK teams showed up to race too. It’s great to see what was previously just an ‘expat’ event become a truly Hong Kong event.


First of all a massive congratulations to Team One Direction, possibly the only team today to have the worst name, but the best riders. They not only won the race, but obliterated the course record, with a team time of 1.02.35, with the fastest individual times recorded by future Olympian triathlete Oscar Coggins and super athlete, turned male model: Mat Pears with a time of 1.02.32. (The previous record had stood since 2010 held by the late Colin Robertson with a time of 1.04.59, which he did as an ITT - and still remains the ITT record, for now.)


Huge congratulations must also go to the Quarantine Queens, which unlike One Direction had not only the best name, but also the best female riders on the course. Hong Kong’s female cycling community has been growing steadily, inspired no doubt by our track cycling olympic success, and it was great to see four of Hong Kong’s strongest age group cyclists in one team. The Quarantine Queens delivered a collective time of 1.17.12, with a new female course record of 1.17.00


And of course, massive kudos to everyone who showed up. A total of 26 teams registered and appeared. It’s the biggest we have had at any event, and thanks to everyone for keeping spaced out in groups of 50 or less and well-separated as we lined up to race.


Usually, in these race reports, I describe all the teams. We are lucky to have so many admirable athletes, colourful characters and such a great spirit in our cycling and triathlon community in Hong Kong, it’s great to share the passion that I see every day in our little world. But with such a big turnout, I won’t be able to do justice to everyone (so my apologies in advance). 


And though we had quantity, there was no dilution in quality with a formidable line up as usual, with talent and ability stretching right through all the teams. Aside from the winners: One Direction (Tom Elliott, Mat Pears, Oscar Coggins and Kris Guns) and the Quarantine Queens (Lenny Leung, Chi Ngan Chow, Wynnie Fung and Yann Kai Oh), we had two strong teams put forward by Unfound, as defending champions. Unfound Team A consisted of seasoned campaigners like Paul ‘Mads’ Madden (holder of the Strava ITT record of 1.06), Peter Hope, Dan Falconer and Alex ‘excuses’ Stopps. Their B-team was no less impressive including Adil Zizi, who crushed the SIRs Peak TT last week, and was participating in his very first TTT; Steven Baker, the adult in the room and a guide to the youngsters; and Jan Maus and Gregor Vand, relatively new to Hong Kong’s cycling scene. Both Unfound teams had some impressive talent and they duly delivered.


Also among the leading teams were three local Hong Kong teams - the formidable 6UO (an offshoot of the massive Holiday Racing Cycling Club) with Chris Liu, Brian Tam, Leo Lam and Barry Lin; the ominously named 4WKG and the Success - EZR club (another well established HK team), who also sent an A and a B squad.


To round it off, we also had the Lantau Hooligans. A new combine of super strong, extremely likeable and immensely talented South Africans and pilots, who call the hills and trails of rugged South Lantau their playground.


In the next category down, there was also some great talent and experience on show. Highlights included the politically correct Unfound SIRs Double Duo featuring the aussie from London Ben Allen, the Scotsman from HK Andrew Sharkey, the Spanish-speaking Frenchman Philippe Cosentino and the MTB king James Sutton. It was also great to see Project 852’s finest on show with founder Rupert Griffiths, the soon-to-be-departing Guy Thomas, last minute stand in Luke Jones and the young super fast rider (and runner) Andrea Cloarec. Among the several Dragons teams lining up, Paul Wright’s D2 looked particularly impressive, with Greg ‘master of Zwift’ Toole, Niek ‘the look’ Niens and Steve ‘I’d rather be rowing’ Winbur posing a threat.


From the SIRs, we had the gentlemen of the club, including His Royal Highness Bo Kratz, Steven ‘time defying’ Bemet, Viv ‘I named my son after a triathlete’ Varadarajan, and Craig 'yippee I don’t have to travel anymore’ Hudleston.


We also had three homegrown teams from Lantau including two from the Lantau Buffalos, and one from the LTF (Lantau’s Finest) Old Boys, whose leader Gary Halsall is another ageing campaigner but regularly tears strips off the youngsters.


Finally in the more relaxed category - who had the privilege of going first - it was wonderful to see the WOW team (‘Women on Wheels), a mixed team, two teams from Adrian Halkes Chickenfish club, and several hastily cobbled together teams with people who met each other for the first time. When you decide to enter a team event and you don’t know any members of your team, until you show up for the race, then for me you really have captured the spirit of Dragons TTT. Just have a go and see what happens.


As for the race itself, it was a true test of teamwork and speed endurance. The conditions were perfect, with a light wind, and with 60 second time gaps between each team, bunching was kept to a minimum.


In truth, One Direction were formidable. Though second-to-last to leave ahead of the defending champions Team Unfound A, they were relentless. Their pursuers on the starting grid were not able to get anywhere near them, and several teams in front would have first heard, and then seen them whiz by. 


A special mention must also go to the Lantau Hooligans, whose sheer enthusiasm is infectious!. Though an almost full 5 minutes behind One Direction, they put in a smashing performance, and would have surprised many - coming second team overall. Even more notable, they were all on road bikes, beating several teams who were on full TT bike mode. One to watch in particular is the irrepressible Jan-Hendrik Pretorius, whose youth, speed and power is a sight to see. Look forward to seeing more amazing performances from Jan Hendrik and the rest of the Lantau Hooligans in the future.


Detailed individual times are on Strava here: https://www.strava.com/segments/17332182?filter=overall


Team placings below:


ONE DIRECTION (Tom Elliott, Oscar Coggins, Mat Pears, Kris Guns)

Lantau Hooligans (Jan-Hendrik Pretorius, Grant Lingard, HP Odendaal)


Remaining places based on Strava segment times of last loaded team member in

Success - EZR B team 

Unfound A

Unfound SIRs Double Duo

Team 6UO

Project 852

Unfound B

D2

Last Min Fit Ins

SIRens

Lantau Buffalos Team 1

Success - EZR A team

Chickenfish 128

LTF Old Boys

QUARANTINE QUEENS (Yann Kai Oh, Wynnie Fung, Chi Ngan Chow, Lenny Leung)

Chickenfish 205

Team FAG

WOW (Cora Van Laer, Jen Hsieh, Sarah Winbur, Ella Karsmeijer)

Lantau Buffalos Team 2

Big Ironman

Wait for Me

Odd Lots

"Social Distanced" Summer Series 2020 Event

(posted 13 Jun 2020)

What a great morning to restart our Dragons summer series mini triathlons ! We saw a good turnout of around 20 competitors and welcomed some new faces . Big shout out to debutants @Dara @Laura Normand @Steve winbur @Sarah W @Laurent Benhacine !


There we are few of the usual "cock-ups" with the timing and the final heat was done in 2 waves - just to make interpreting the results more challenging! 😁


To save me trying to mess around with the spreadsheet, here are the adjustments:


Nick Niens should b 6:28 swim time in heat 2


In heat 3, athletes 1 to 8 and 10 started with the clock the rest can subtract 1:15 from their time.

R1-SSTR2_results
R3-SSTR2_results
R2-SSTR2_results

Coggins Crushes Dragons Race to Enlightenment 2020

(updated 5 May 2020)

In what was the strangest Dragons Race to Enlightenment in the seven years we have been holding it, we got yet again a new male winner (no male participant has ever won this race twice), a new sub-51 minute time for the course and a great turnout.


Due to the continued social distancing rules imposed following the Covid-19 outbreak, participants were this time encouraged to start when they wanted within a four day period (including Buddha’s Birthday, Labour Day and the weekend), and to go in groups of no more than four.


Oscar Coggins, a leading light in the Hong Kong triathlon scene, and expected to represent our Special Administrative Region in the Tokyo Olympics next year, smashed the 20km course up to the Buddha, in a time of 50 minutes and 56 seconds, and becomes only the second person (on Strava at least) to have posted a time under 51 minutes. 


Yann Kai Oh, who has dominated the women’s age group cycling scene in Hong Kong for several years, won the women’s race for the third time (previously winning in 2014 & 2018) fighting off some strong challenges.


In total, we had 44 people completing the course on Strava with times of 90 mins and faster, and a record 10 people posting sub-60 minute times - more than at any other previous edition of the race.


On Day One, (Buddha’s birthday, 30 April), Luke Jones, the super tall South African, lay down the marker, delivering a 55.11, and burying himself so deeply that he did not  even notice the traffic lights on the course, as he smashed his way to the top.


He was chased pretty much all the way by Toby Chu and Cosmo Richards who also posted sub 58 minute times, with a second group, comprising Rob Turnbull, Guy Thomas and Anthony Lam all coming in, in or around the hour mark. Someone had to set the targets to beat and these were the ones to beat!


Day Two (1 May), saw the biggest turnout and the emergence of the ladies. Kris Guns, the current Dragon King of the Mountains, set off at a relentless pace, smashing the 2.75km 11%-average Beast climb in just over 13 minutes - among the fastest of the weekend and continuing to drive hard on the rest of the course to bring home a 53.48 time for the whole course. His time was  over 80 seconds faster than Jones and cemented his well-earned reputation of one of Hong Kong’s best age group climbers. 


We also saw a very fast time from new Dragon member, Steve Winbur, who produced a top-drawer 59 minute 32 second time and was the only other sub-60 minute time on the day. Hugely impressive was also Andrew Sharkey, who chalked up a 60 minute and 33 second time - so tantalisingly close to breaking 1 hour and who admits he may have been a little conservative with the Beast (though with a Beast time of 15 minutes, it’s not shabby at all). 


This was also the day that the fast ladies emerged, including Christina Hudson, last year’s winner of the Race to Enlightenment, Mary Ho, who is enjoying some super strong cycling form at the moment, and Sarah Winbur - another brand new Dragon member and unknown quantity. Hudson delivered an emphatic statement, with a 69 minute 58 second time, a personal best  - and an indication that she was not going to give away her title easily. Ho came home with a 72 minute time, and Winbur with just under 80 minutes.


These times looked like they would stay for the rest of the weekend. Day Three (2 May) was a lot quieter. In the men’s race, some attacks were launched on Guns’ 53 minute marker, with a valiant charge by Lantau resident, Martin Bans, bringing home a classy 66 minutes, while Hudson, as leader of the women’s race remained unchallenged.


But on Day Four (3 May), it all kicked off! Someone appeared to have told the triathletes of Hong Kong - who spend their whole existence trying to maintain power for as long as possible and increasing their 60 minute Functional Threshold levels - that there was a time trial of sorts taking place, and this might be a good test for them. 


Out to play came not only Coggins, but also the old campaigner Olaf Kasten, who holds the Strava course record, and the currently indomitable Tom Elliott. Joining them was also Marcel Guethoff, who is the 2016 winner of the Race to Enlightenment , while also out there, though not at the same time was Ryan Kemp (a former South African national triathlete) and Steven Bemet, another old campaigner, who returned for his second attempt in the four days.


Flybys showed that Coggins set a soul-destroying pace up the Beast, gapping Kasten and Guethoff, with only Elliott able to hold on. From then on, Coggins kept the pace high and a steady distance from Elliott. Kasten in the meantime seemed to lose out to Guethoff to the top of the Beast, but then smashed the descent in the way that only a seriously experienced cyclist like him knows how, and actually passed Guethoff to lead the chase for Elliott and Coggins up the road.


Guethoff however was undaunted and caught up and ended passing Kasten who on a hot day, reached Shek Pik reservoir  and decided his day was done, and let Guethoff take the chase on alone.


At this point though neither Elliott or Coggins were going to be caught. The history of this race shows that it is usually very hard to pass anyone after Tai O junction and the final ascent to Buddha and so it was the case again.


Massive congratulations to Oscar Coggins, who scored a 50 minute 56 seconds time, just 11 seconds short of Kasten’s course record, and the second person to have even posted a 50 minute time. Elliott produced a cracking 52 minutes and 48 seconds, giving him second place overall, and pushing Guns into third place.


In the women’s race Oh, AKA Roinkers, left it very late with a near midday attempt in temperatures at 30 degrees to stamp her time on the course. Eyewitness accounts have her pulling away from anyone up the Beast and maintaining the pressure all along the rollers to Shek Pik, before grinding her way to the Buddha with an overall 66 minute time. It was just enough to overhaul Hudson’s 69 minutes, and to secure her place as a three-time winner of the Race - more than any other lady.


Congratulations to everyone who took part in what is a seriously tough race, on what is always a hot day! Full standings below. Course here: https://www.strava.com/segments/3616961?filter=overall


Oscar Coggins 50.56

Tom Elliott 52.48

Kris Guns 53.48

Marcel Guethoff 55.08

Luke Jones 55.11

Tobias Chu 56.27

Cosmo Richards 57.50

Andrea Cloarec 58.35

Steve Winbur 59.32

Steven Bemet 59.46

Andrew Sharkey 1.00.33

Robert Turnbull 1.00.37

Guy Thomas 1.00.42

Anthony Lam 1.01.25

Ryan Kemp 1.01.45

James Tan 1.03.05

Lionel Visser 1.03.21

Mathew Pears 1.03.25

Craig Hudleston 1.03.42

Michael Kokora 1.04.15

Peter Millward 1.05.01

Roinkers 1.05.46 FEMALE WINNER

Martin Bans 1.06.04

Rupert Griffiths 1.08.12

Bo Kratz 1.09.13

Gary Halsall 1.09.20

Ben Wilder 1.09.24

Matt O’Callaghan 1.09.29

Pierre Upfold 1.09.45

Christina Hudson 1.09.58

Daniel Blake 1.11.24

Lila Cat (aka Mary Ho) 1.12.17

Sheel Kohli 1.12.20

Matthew Laight 1.13.17

Paul Wright 1.14.25

Jonathan Green 1.16.13

Duncan Swanson 1.16.24

Ed Styles 1.18.03

Sarah Winbur 1.19.53

Chris Pollard 1.24.06

Florian Schneider 1.25.37

WW2 Another Great Event

(posted 7 Mar 2020)

Whilst much of Hong Kong was sheltering indoors hoping to avoid the COVID-19 bug, a keen group of Dragons assembled at 7 am down at South Bay for the second event in the 2020 Dragons Calendar, the Winter Warriors Duathlon/Triathlon. 


As the water looked incredibly inviting, 5 keen Dragons decided to honour the heritage of this event by returning the first leg water. Perhaps it was equally fitting that stalwart Ian Brownlee lead them around the net if not up to the transition area. Meanwhile up on the road, Tom Elliott was placing his stamp firmly on this event in spite of a truly stonking run by James Bernado. Whilst Paul Wright was always going to chase hard on the bike, James definitely took out the big improver of the event award. 


It would be remiss of me not the mention the girls putting in strong performances out there this morning. Jenny Barbour looked like she thoroughly enjoyed leaving most of the field behind her in a cracking fourth place performance. Toots also looked like she is going to be a strong performer in the coming Summer Series Events. Look out ladies! 😁


Full results are below. The first leg is listed as a swim so apologies to those who ran the 2 ks. You know who you are!


Also apologies to Tom as we had to adjust your bike and final run times and Toots as we somehow missed your first run time. Your bike time includes the first run. 

WWR2_results

First WW for 2020

(posted 1 Feb 2020)

A lot of fun was had at South Bay this morning as a hale and hearty group turned up for the first Winter Warriors Duathlon of 2020.


The weather was fantastic and the spirit was good as the Duathletes made their way along a South Bay Road busy with lots of other runners and riders. 


Although Ryan and Adil were neck and neck for the first two legs, Adil really put his stamp on the last leg and pulled away convincingly from Ryan. 


Well done to all and especially are first-timers on the course including "Toots" and Lewis.


Results below:

iTR_WW1_results