Ross Ross

TSP24: Season Openers Part 1

This episode is Part 1 of a two-parter about Season Openers. The traditional races in the late-1980s that let us know that the tri-season had started. Both domestically and internationally.  

The idea came from recently leafing through two triathlon magazines that had significance to my life. That brought back waves of nostalgia from the time when I first got interested in triathlon.

These season opener races were important for the athletes. To validate their fitness after a winter of training. But for the magazine readers. These race reports were all we had. Before Eurosport or live streams or YouTube. 

This is how we got to understand the racing and to learn about the athletes. In articles written by familiar names like CJ Olivares Junior, Chip Rimmer, Richard Graham or Terry Mulgannon.

There’d be backstory, play by play race commentary, athlete profiles and a discussion of what the results meant. Therefore building up a season-long narrative to follow along with.

We’d find out if the Big 4 and Mike Pigg were still at the top. And who were the up and coming athletes? As nobody was vlogging or uploading their breakfast to instagram.

And via the excellent photography that accompanied the articles we also got to see the new bikes and kit.

So have a listen. And learn more about the 1988 Lanzarote Triathlon, the Gold Coast World Cup and the Swindon Triathlon in the UK.

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Ross Ross

TSP23: The 1983 Los Angeles Ricoh Ironman

In 1988 Valerie Silk and her Ironman company added two more franchise races to their roster. Ironman Europe in Roth. And Ironman Australia in Forster-Tuncurry. That brought the total number to six. With Hawaii, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.

However, the first Silk-sanctioned race outside of Hawaii had already come and gone. It was the Ricoh Los Angeles Ironman. In 1983. In this episode we’ll dive into that race. And go over some vital Hawaii Ironman backstory. That sets up a few more episodes about the race.

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Ross Ross

The Slough Demos Part 1: A Triathlon History Tour

This is the first in a series of episodes called The Slough Demos. Mainly about what it was like growing up in Slough in the 1980s as a teenage triathlon nerd.

TSP2: The Speed And The Sweat was about the first triathlon I ever did. In May 1989 in Wokingham. And these episodes will follow on from that. With some prequel stuff too. Part 1 is a running tour of Slough that you can do to get an overview of the triathlon history that exists there.

The inspiration for this episode came from a YouTube video on the Ginger Runner channel. It’s with Ben Gibbard from the band Death Cab For Cutie. And he describes a 46 mile run he did through Seattle visiting famous local music landmarks.

Enjoying learning more about Slough!

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Ross Ross

TSP22: The 1993 Bordeaux Indoor Triathlon

In this episode Luke and I do another 1980s or 1990s race watch-along. This is our 3rd one. Check out TSP14: The 1992 Nice Triathlon and TSP20: The 1991 St. Croix. Triathlon. To listen to the two previous races that we covered in incredible, maybe too much, detail.

Today we are looking at the 1993 Bordeaux Indoor Triathlon. An event that TED magazine called. A turning point for the sport. A day as historical as the first Hawaii Ironman or first Nice triathlon. Knowing what we know now I don’t quite agree with this. The format did go somewhere. But not far.

So let’s find out more about those 2 days in February 1993.

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Ross Ross

TSP21: My First Wetsuit. My Favourite Wetsuit. One I’d Like To Get Hold Of. And Some History.

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Ross Ross

TSP20: The 1991 St. Croix Triathlon

We’re back with Season 2. I’m hoping to do more and better in 2024. Maybe aiming for one episode every fortnight. 

I’m also reunited with my most popular guest slash co-host. According to the Buzzsprout statistics at least. My brother Luke. 

The event we are focusing on today is the 1991 St Croix Triathlon. 

Starting in 1988 St. Croix was one of a few early season races where a lot of the best athletes showed up. And in 1991 the event was the first ever stop on the new ITU World Series.

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Ross Ross

TSP19: Books To Start Your Triathlon History Journey

I think all modern triathletes should be reading about our sport’s past. Especially the eighties stuff. To understand the history of the game. And decide where we should take it. So today I’m talking about twelve triathlon books to get you started on your triathlon history journey.

Some of the books are modern look-backs and some are books from the early days of the sport that give you a cool feel for the era. Decide what you’re more into and go and get hold of some. Here we go. In no particular order of favouritism or period.

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Ross Ross

TSP18: My 1980s Tri Bike

Over the last 18 months I’ve been putting together a 1980s tri bike. It was a  fun project. I particularly enjoyed sourcing the bits and learning more about the groupsets of the day.  

This episode is about what I like about the bikes from this period. The inspiration for the project. And the component choices I made.

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Ross Ross

TSP17 : Some Munich Triathlon History

In TSP16 I did a bit of triathlon history from near where I grew up in the UK. And today’s podcast is about some triathlon history from my current hometown. Munich in Germany. 

Our story is based at the Regattastrecke in Oberschleißheim. The facility was built for the rowing and flat water canoeing events at the 1972 Olympic Games. And it’s still in use for those sports today. 

It’s a super place to visit for some Olympic history. The boat sheds and grandstands at the Regattastrecke really look like they are stuck in 1972. 

However the tarmac on the rectangular nearly 5km circuit around the lake was brand new in the spring of 2023. This makes the venue an ideal and popular venue for local triathlons. I’ve done quite a few events here.

But probably the best field ever assembled here was for a round of the European Golden Cup Circuit on the 23rd July 1989. In this episode we’ll learn what happened on the day nearly 34 years ago.

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Ross Ross

TSP16: The 220 Triathlon Series - Year 1

In 1991 the team at 220 launched a 5 race triathlon series. It would last 5 years. Add a new narrative to the British triathlon season. And provide plenty of content to fill the pages of the magazine.

One of the races on the docket was Windsor. As teenage tri-nerds, the Windsor Triathlon was a big deal for me and my brother. Because it brought a big race and top athletes to within 5km of our house. 

In this episode find out more about the first year of the 220 Triathlon Series and what the Windsor race was like back then.

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Ross Ross

The Windsor Tapes

I'm writing a podcast about the first year of the 220 Triathlon Series. It took place in the UK in 1991. I'll put the full episode out next Friday.

But here’s some raw audio I recorded with Luke when we recreated the 1991 Windsor Triathlon. That was the 2nd race in the 220 Series. After Swindon.

The Windsor Triathlon was a big deal for us as teneage tri-nerds. Because it brought a big race and top athletes to within 5km of our house.

And the 220 series brought a new narrative and professionalism to the British triathlon calendar. After the GP ended in 1989.

Leave a comment below if you were there!

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Ross Ross

TSP15: The 1986 Triathlon International de Paris

A couple of weeks ago I was pretty psyched to see what happened at the Olympic Test Event in Paris. Yet. Triathloning isn’t new to downtown Paris. The first Triathlon International de Paris took place on 13th September 1986. 

And the Triathlon Hauts de Seine on the Ile de Puteaux was earlier in the 1986 season. There were also ITU World Cup races in 1991 and 1996. And a few French Grand Prix events. I’ll cover all of those triathlons in the future.

Today. Let’s look at what happened at the first Triathlon International de Paris. Before covering those other races in future episodes.

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Ross Ross

TSP14: The 1992 Nice Triathlon

This episode is going to be the first of hopefully a three part series that will look at the Summer of 1992. 1992 was the first year that I raced in France on a family holiday. And from buying Triathlete magazines in French. Which I couldn't read at the time. I started to get interested in the triathlon scene over there.

The idea for this series comes from a video recently posted by Ben Bright. It’s a must-watch for anybody interested in triathlon history. Following Bright’s career in France from 1992 onwards was one of the inspirations for me to figure out how to move to France and find a French triathlon club to race for.

Today we are going to look at Nice, which took place on 14th June. Then Grenoble from the 28th June and Ironbridge which was organised on the 18th July. Ben Bright did all three. So the logical conclusion to the series would be to try and contact him to ask if he would agree to come on the podcast. To take us through those 5 crazy weeks in 1992.

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Ross Ross

TSP13: Tri-Athlete Magazine Postcards

In 2021 I picked up a set of 10 Tri-Athlete Magazine postcards on ebay. From an anonymous person formerly involved in triathlon media and imports. He also helped me with TSP5: UK Triathlon Magazines 1986-1990. You could order them from Tri-Athlete for 20 French Francs. That was about 2 British Pounds. 

The postcards depict mainly triathlons in France. Nice, Avignon, Sallanches, Nantes and Lyon. As well as two photos from the 1988 European Middle Distance Championships in Stein, The Netherlands.

The images really capture the triathlon aesthetics of the day. France is IMO the best country in the world to be a triathlete. And is still a unique place to go and race. Make sure you do it one day. 

So in this episode I take you through the images on the cards while offering some backstory and tangents.

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Ross Ross

TSP12: Tinley Lace Locks

Recently I bought my first pair of running shoes in maybe 4 years. The Asics Evo Ride 3. They are great. Cushioned. Yes. But more importantly light. As I miss the old racing flats of the 80s. 

To make my Asics Evo Ride 3s even better for triathlon I put on some Tinley lace locks. I got my first pair from Total Fitness in Swindon at the end of 1988. I probably had them until the plastic wore out.

Having these dangling from your Londons or Mariahs in the 1980s would certainly distinguish you as a triathlete with some class.

Now I’ve got two pairs. A yellow pair that was a present from my brother a few years ago. And some orange ones that I bought on ebay recently. Hear a bit more about lace locks and Tinley Performance Wear in this episode.

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Ross Ross

TSP11: Upset in Australia. Part 1.

Before 1989 and the formation of the International Triathlon Union. If you offered enough prize money and the best athletes in the world showed up. Then why not call your race a World Championship. There was nobody with any authority to tell you not to.

Both The Nice International Triathlon and The Hawaii Ironman were promoted as World Championships from 1982 onwards. But today we’re talking about the self-titled World Sprint Triathlon Championships that took place in Perth, Australia on 17th January 1987.

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Ross Ross

TSP10: Thinking Of France

I’m working on a podcast episode about the French Grand Prix Series. I’ll include some history, details about the current format and memories of my first year racing it in 1996 for GT Vesoul 70. 

I should have it done in a few weeks. But it’s taking longer than expected as I really want to get the details right about the wacky points system that they used in the mid and late-1980s.

But to get you ready, today I’m covering some back story about how I got interested in the French triathlon scene. Essentially by reading two articles published in Tri-Athlete (UK) in 1988.

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Ross Ross

TSP9: The First British Triathlon Shown On TV

The Heineken Southport Triathlon took place on 18th June 1989 and highlights of the race were shown the following week on BBC Grandstand. It was the first British Triathlon shown on television. 220 Magazine called the event, “a truly historic day in British Triathlon.” 

Although I’d read plenty of triathlon magazines, watching the Southport race was the first time I’d actually seen top athletes in motion. I also recorded the race using the family Betamax. And made sure to push out the tab on the underside of the cassette so nobody could record over it.

Most weekends after that would involve getting home from my Saturday job at Thompson’s Garage and MOT Centre, watching the tape and then heading out on my bike to recreate the day in Burnham Beeches or Windsor Great Park. 

In this episode of The Streak Podcast I look back at the 1988 event, explain some controversy from 1989 and then present my favourite parts of the BBC Grandstand coverage and encourage you to watch it.

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Ross Ross

TSP8: The 1994 France Iron Tour With Scott Molina

In June 1993 the 2 day Trophee SNCF was organised as a kind of proof of concept for sponsors, the federation, the athletes, and towns that might consider hosting a stage of a future France Iron Tour.

The triathlon press presented the organisational problems but also the successes. I went through all of that in Episode 7. But the overriding hope was that the race would be back (and longer)in 1994.

Well. Spoiler alert. It was.

On 31st August 1994 eleven teams of six men toed the line in Vichy to race four times in five days. Scott Molina was there and collaborated with me on this episode to help tell the story of the race.

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Ross Ross

TSP7: The 1993 France Iron Tour Test-Event

Maybe you’re a fan of the Tour de France. For the gripping 3 weeks of racing. Or like me, for the scenery and the parallel stories.

Well. There used to be a triathlon stage race modelled on cycling’s Tour de France. It was a big deal in the triathlon world.

It was unique. Some experimental race formats were used. And many top athletes attended.

The 1993 Trophee SNCF was organised as a triathlon stage race proof of concept. For sponsors, municipalities, the federation and the athletes. 

The event consisted of a Sprint Distance Team Time Trial on Saturday in downtown Grenoble. And then a Middle Distance race on Sunday with the finish at the top of Alpe d’Huez.

In this episode I look at what happened on the 26th and 27th June 1993 and look ahead to what the event became, the 1994 France Iron Tour.

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