1995 Nice Triathlon
After a solid domestic season I was selected for the GB Elite Team for the 1995 ITU World Long Distance Championships in Nice.
It was the second ITU World Long Distance Championships. The first one was also held in Nice the year before. In June. The weather was not ideal. But Isabelle Mouthon and Rob Barel were the winners.
The distances were 4km/120km/30km. These were the semi-pro days. So I paid for my flight and accommodation and the British Triathlon Association paid for the race uniform, the tracksuit and the entry fee.
Images:
Nice Matin Magazine Sports (FR) Lundi 2 Octobre 1995
The Guardian (UK) Monday 2nd October 1995
I flew out on Thursday. Shared a rental car to view the course. And then just went gun to tape as best as I could. I swam with the second big group. Back then the course was one lap and went waaaay out to sea.
I climbed strong and enjoyed the long, gentle slopes and the loud support through the villages. Totally different to anything I’d ever done before. I also don’t recall being too worried by the twisty, dusty descents.
I had a solid run and kept truckin’ at just over four minute kays. Simon Lessing won and Alan Ingarfield passed me on the way back into town. The last five-kay were tough but I got 79th overall and third Brit.
The report in 220 said, “Muir was the next Brit to finish (after Lessing and Ingarfield) doing a good job in his first race over such a distance:”
I spent a large part of the day back and forth with women’s winner Jenny Rose. She was super-strong on the French scene and the World Cup circuit at the time. 2nd was Ute Schafer, who I still see at local races now. Ines Estedt was 3rd but came back and won the following year.
Note that Luc Van Lierde in 2nd and Peter Reid in 3rd have 5 Ironman titles between them. IMO if Simon had concentrated on long distance after 1995. And not been seduced by the Olympics. He’d have won 6-8 times in Kona.
Images: 220 (UK) November 1995
The photos below were taken by Linda Walsh. Her husband, Steve, was racing and he regaled me pre-race with tales of the manic beach start, the Alpes Maritime climbs, the sketchy descents and the shade-free run.
He also gave me this important race-tip: After the run turn-around, don’t look up. Don't look into the distance around the bay to see how far away the finish is. Your head and legs will buckle.
The report from Tri-Athlete France is below. Their defending champion, Isabelle Mouthon, was not in Nice as she was racing Hawaii. Top male athlete was Philippe Methion. I was a big fan. As he could do everything. Short. Long. Middle. Although he was never that well known internationally.
With Methion (4th), Lacaze (6th) and Cordier (7th) France easily won the Men’s Team Competition. World Triathlon really needs to bring this back. It might create a new dynamic in often boring draft-legal races.
Images: Tri-Athlete (FR) Novembre 1995
Of course, Eurosport covered the race. They’d started creating triathlon highlight shows in maybe 1992. Before that you had to a wait a month or so for 220 or Tri-Athlete to come out in order to understand the racing. In this one I make a brief appearance at the 1:26 mark.
I went back to Nice in 1996. It was the European Club Championships. I was racing for GT Vesoul 70. I believe, like Hawaii, Nice is integral to triathlon history and should be on every triathletes bucket-list. I need to do a full Nice history blog post or podcast in the future.
But essentially the race was run by IMG from 1982 until 1993. Then FFTRI from 1994 until 2003. In 2004 it was taken over by Ironman and their local organisers, Triangle, owned by Nice legend Yves Cordier.
The distances were changed to 3.8km/180km/42km and, of course, the men’s Ironman World Championships will be held in Nice in 2023.
I miss plenty of things about the old Nice race. The distance. Riding to your rack. And Mark Allen’s glorious mullet. But these baggy, lycra swimming hats live on in my triathlon archive.
