1985 Avignon Triathlon
This is a report of the first Avignon Triathlon from issue 2 of Tri-Athlete in French. I’ve got them all now. From 1985 until 1996.
I need to go to Avignon. To trace the course of the 1989 race. It might not be safe just to plunge into the Rhone though. I’ll make it part of a belated-50th birthday triathlon history bike tour. Also stopping at Nice, Embrun and staging a re-creation of the 1994 France Iron Tour.
The report says it was a scoring race the French Championship Triathlon Series. In fact, there were three national circuits in France in 1985. The official CONADET one included 22 events across varying distances. The Le Coq Sportif - Arena Series had 12 events over 1500/55/15. And the Phil Team Series had 4 races planned at chic coastal towns.
I’ve heard from athletes that raced back then that the Le Coq / Arena Series ended up being the de-facto national series. And I’ve summarised everything in this table. Super-nerd style.
There’s some back-story about the 1984 national championship series that I’m going to go into in a podcast episode soon. So I won’t touch on that here. But by 1985 French triathlon really was getting organised. There was a bulging calendar, solid prize monies and teams forming.
And Mercier bikes were even starting to imagine what a triathlon-specific bike might need to be like. See below. Prototype 1 offers a rear disc and two bottle cages. Protoype 2 gives you a rear triangle fairing, rear bottle cage and filled-in big chainring. La classe!
So the first Avignon Triathlon took place on Sunday 26th May. The report says there were barriers in place, television cameras, a podium with music blasting, groupies and a helicopter. It seems the race was a big deal.
The distances were to be 1750m / 75km / 20km. And Julie Moss, Scott Tinley and Mark Allen had been invited. Probably at great expense. Mark was already well known to the French public from his 3 wins at Nice.
French contenders would be Jean-Luc Capogna (cover photo above) and Yves Cordier. There were germans too. Marguerite Meyer, who lived in California. And Yogi Hoffman, who would become a regular on the French circuit.
At 11:12 the 200 or so competitors were taken in buses across the river and upstream to the swim start. The water was 17°C. Fresh. Maybe half the athletes seem to be wearing wetsuits. It’s the first year they are officially allowed by the new European Triathlon Union. And Aquaman had started to manufacture a few special triathlon models.
Cordier is first out in 15:23. Super-fast. Due to the strong current. This was way too little time in the water considering the bike and run distances to follow. Mark Allen is a minute back out of the drink in second place. First women is Meyer in 4th overall. Julie Moss is 7th overall.
In 1989, for the first World Short Course Championships in Avignon, the swimming distance was over-corrected in spectacular fashion.
At the 25km mark Moss catches Marguerite Meyer and Scott Tinley goes by Cordier. Tinley has 3 minutes plus at T2. Note he’s using loads of Mercier stuff. Curious to know if his bike and kit were lost in transit. Or if he picked up Mercier as a temporary sponsor for the France trip.
Final results? Moss from Meyer. Tinley, Allen, Cordier and Hoffman together. Capogna in 5th. I got loads more Avignon content to come.
Oh. And check-out Capogna’s bar-bag. Nothing is new.
Images: Tri-Athlete (FR) Juillet 1985
1986 Le Coq Sportif Shoes
Le Coq Sportif used to be a big deal in triathlon. I’d say 1985 to 1987 was probably their peak years. They sponsored plenty of athletes. The 1985 French Grand Prix. The 1986 and 1987 European Cup Series. And the 1987 and 1988 Grand Prix in the UK. TSP4 is about that.
They were mainly known for their tri-suits and other individual triathlon pieces. Here’s the classic tri-suit. On Rob Barel. And Erin Baker.
I found this ad recently for their 1986 cycling and running shoes. Beautiful. Functional. Minimal. Would love to get hold of some.
Triathlon’s Triple Crown 1986
Yesterday I wrote about the 1985 Triathlon Triple Crown.
The 1986 Triathlon Triple Crown also took place over a four week period. The USTS Nationals at Hilton Head were on 27th September. Nice was on 5th October. And Hawaii was on 18th October.
The big change this year was that Hawaii offered prize money for the first time. An anonymous donor had put up $100,000 and Ironman also had plenty of cash from their recent deal with Timex.
Bob Bright was the Pro Athlete Liason Manager for the Chicago Marathon. And was hired by Ironman to ensure that the best athletes came to The Big Island. His main tactic was paying athletes NOT to do Nice.
Kirsten Hanssen got her first big win at Hilton Head. And Scott Molina easily won his fourth consecutive USTS Nationals title.
The age group races were described as fiercly competitive and race officials did a better job than the year before with drafting penalties. Strong showing from the cone placers too. See photo below.
And some future important names featured in the top 10s. Glah. Ripple. Pigg. Mitchell. Riccitelo. Smyers. Wells. And Robinson.
At the 5th edition of the Nice Triathlon, Mark Allen won for the fifth time. From Molina and George Hoover. Yes. The son of Nancy Hoover from the Team J David kerfuffle. More on that coming soon.
Erin Baker crossed the line first but was disqualified for taking drinks from her sister. So Linda Buchanan won. But not without controversy. See video. And just a week after being hit by a car at Hilton Head.
At the 22:18 point in the video above there’s a rubrique called Update File: Cheating. It’s pretty interesting. And cool 80s font.
But Europeans also featured on the podium for the first time. Great Britain’s Sarah Coope was second and Belgium’s Lieve Paulus was third.
In Kona, guess what? Yes. The women’s winner was disqualified again. This time Patricia Puntous. For drafting. Off her twin sister. So Paula Newby-Fraser won her first of eight. 1983 and 1984 winner Sylviane Puntous was second. And 1985 champion Joanne Ernst was third.
Dave Scott got his fourth win and a new course record. 8:28:37. Mark Allen wasn’t supposed to be there. As he’d raced Nice. But then he shocked everybody by arriving on the island. And finished second. 8 minutes down. Scott Tinley was a distant third.
Triathlon’s Triple Crown 1985
The Triple Crown wasn’t an official series. Just something made up by the magazine to stir some interest. But it does remind me of a time when top athletes needed to be able to race often and across all distances.
The usage was probably borrowed from The Triple Crown of Surfing. Three of the biggest events in that sport that take place in November and December.
The Triple Crown of Surfing has been held annually in Hawaii since 1983 and includes the Hawaiian Pro (formerly the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship)at Haleiwa Ali'i Beach Park, the World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach and the Pipeline Masters at Ehukai Beach Park.
In 1985 the top-end of the sport was definitely still US-centric. Even though the European Triathlon Union had just held their first three championship races. At short, middle and long distance. But not many people would have argued that Nice, Hilton Head and Hawaii were the three races with the season’s best fields. I certainly wouldn’t.
Encouraged by their television partners both Nice and Hawaii were self-proclaimed “World Championships”. Hilton Head was an Olympic Distance race and the USTS Final. They’d held it in Bass Lake in 1983 and 1984.
“Hilton Head, Nice and Kona typify our sport at its grandest. Hilton Head brought out the best age-group and pro triathletes in the United States to race amidst its genteel Southern ambience. Just a couple of weeks later the French Riviera hosted pros from around the world.
Then there was Kona and the Ironman. Top amateurs and pros from around the globe - Japan, Australia, South Africa, Europe and America - came not for money but the satisfaction of competing in the most legendary endurance contest ever contrived.
The triathlons were gratifying, surprising, heartbreaking - they were great. Welcome to the Triathlon Triple Crown”
In 1985 USTS Hilton Head was on September 29th. Yesterday I wrote a brief history of the USTS. Nice was on October 13th and Kona on October 26th.
Here are 1985 Nice Triathlon and 1985 Hawaii Ironman videos uploaded to YouTube by former-race commentator Steve King.
Scott Tinley was the only athlete to go top 10 in all three races. Although a lot of top athletes missed Hawaii to protest the lack of prize money. Karl Kupferschmid also became the first European athlete to podium in Hawaii. And there was a young Michael Pigg down in 7th.
Mark Allen Poster
Image: Triathlete (FR) Decembre 1990. Photo by Thierry Deketelaere.
Judging by site traffic numbers, the readers of this blog like the centre-fold posters. I did a Dave Scott one and then a Lessing one.
Here’s Mark Allen at the 1990 Hawaii Ironman. On the Huffy Triton. And wearing a Timex. Even in 2023. You can’t go wrong copying his position. A neat melange of aerodynamics, comfort and power.
USTS 1982-1985
I’m going to do a series of posts about the mid-1980s Triple Crown. You know. When USTS Hilton Head, Nice and the Hawaii Ironman were all held within a 5 week window in September and October.
So you’re going to need to know some back-story about the USTS. I’m covering the basic Nice history in a podcast with my brother soon. I guess I’ll also do the Hawaii stuff one day. Maybe bust some myths.
Image: Triathlete (USA) January 1987
In the late-1980s, teenage tri-nerd Ross used to get very excited about any USTS race reports that might appear in Tri-Athlete (UK). I could drive my Skoda Estelle to Swindon or Redbridge or Milton Keynes. To check out rounds of the Le Coq Sportif Grand Prix Series.
But I couldn’t see Pigg, Cannon, Allen, Bulman, Glah, Ripple, Molina, Hanssen or Robinson. Diving into Californian waves, riding on hot highways, running through golf resorts and wearing the Coke GP leader’s jersey and helmet cover. In the USTS men could also race bare-chested. I’m not sure why I wanted to do this. As I had very few visible muscles.
I actually imagined spending a season in the states. I’d buy an old car and drive from race to race. Staying in cheap motels and eating in diners.
I’d go to San Diego. To do the Tuesday Run at Rancho Santa Fe and the Wednesday Ride along the Pacific Coast Highway. After those tough sessions I’d definitely be needing a pint or two at Tugs Tavern. Maybe some of the former J-David team members would be there.
Images: Competitor (USA) September 1990
The USTS debuted in 1982 with just 5 events. In San Diego. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. The creators, Carl Thomas (who worked for Speedo) and Jim Curl (a lawyer), believed that not all aspiring triathletes were interested in doing the Ironman. And a race series would give the pro and amateur athlete a narrative to their season.
That first race was held on 12th June 1982 at Torrey Pines State Beach in San Diego. It was the day that professional triathlon kicked off. Dave Scott won by 2 minutes and used the race to launch his campaign to take back his Ironman title that Scott Tinley took from him in February.
Luckily for him. He didn’t have to wait long to win in Hawaii again. As there was a second Ironman in 1982. As the organisers hoped moving the race to October would get more European athletes to make the trip.
Second that day in San Diego was Scott Molina. Followed by Scott Tinley in 3rd and Mark Allen in 4th. It was Mark’s first ever triathlon. The soon-to-be Big Four were the first four.
Dave won $800 for first. As did women’s winner Kathleen McCartney. There weren’t that many triathlons on the calendar in 1982. So San Diego was the first rematch between Kathleen and Julie Moss, since the Hawaiian crawl-a thon in February. In fact, Julie finished third in San Diego as Leslie Mendez passed her on the run for second place.
Images: Triathlon (USA) Fall 1983
In 1983 the growth of triathlon allowed the series to expand to 12 events. In Tampa, Atlanta, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Portland, Boston, Chicago, Seattle and Austin. With a final in Bass Lake.
Colleen Canon won 3 times and Linda Buchanen and Patricia Puntous won twice each. Molina and Tinley both won 3 rounds. Then Molina won the final in Bass Lake. His first of 4 consecutive male titles. Here are all the results except Bass Lake. I also need to find out who won the women’s race there.
Two triathlon magazines, Triathlon and Tri-Athlete, both launched in the Spring of 1983. The USTS gave them plenty to put in their pages.
Images:
Triathlon (USA) July 1984
Triathlon (USA) Oct-Nov 1984
In 1984 the distances were changed from 2000m/35km/15km to 1500m/40km/10km. Wave starts were introduced. And Bud Light took over from Speedo as headlines sponsors. Scott Tinley had advised the organisers in the early days on the distances. But by 1984 Carl Thomas, who became very active in international triathlon politics, was already thinking about triathlon’s possible entry in to the Olympics.
There were 11 races in 1984. Out went Seattle, New York and Austin. And in came Denver and Minneapolis. Molina won 7 times and then the final again in Bass Lake. Tinley, Allen and Dale Basescu won once each.
In the women’s races Colleen Canon, Sylviane Puntous and Patricia Puntous won two rounds each. Again, I need to find the women’s Bass Lake results.
Images:
Tri-Athlete (USA) April 1985
Tri-Athlete (USA) August 1985
1985 had 13 events and Coca Cola came in with a $10,000 bonus for the series winners. New venues were Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Phoenix, Baltimore and Detroit. Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Minneapolis were gone. Hilton Head became the new location of the final. As Bass Lake had super-cold water and was a pretty out-of-the-way location.
I’ll pick the USTS history tomorrow with the first of four posts about the Triple Crown. Here’s a 1986-1989 USTS YT Play-List.
Sources:
Carl Thomas on The History Of Triathlon
Feature: Looking Back at 40 Years of Professional Triathlon
Dawn Of The Big Four by Mike Plant
New Wave Triathlon by Jim Curl
1988 Lanzarote Triathlon
This report appeared in the July 1988 issue of Tri-Athlete (UK). It was the first triathlon magazine that I ever bought. From WH Smith on Slough High Street. I read the Lanzarote report many times. It was the 4th edition of the near-Olympic Distance race. More race reports later.
I was intrigued by the amount of British athletes who’d made the trip. And the fact that Dave Scott was there. I also got my first sighting in magazine form of Tracey Harris. Why was Glenn Cook not on Scott DH? And check out all the Winning Club / Aquaman wetsuits on the start line.
Images: Triathlete (UK) July 1988
Avignon Start Gate
I’m making a big push with The Streak. Near-daily blog posts and a weekly podcast. I’ve got about 20 episodes half-finished.
One idea I had years ago was to do a podcast series purely about the 1989 World Short Course Championships in Avignon. Inspired by Wind of Change. To cover. The politics that created the race. Why Avignon was chosen. The build up. Race day. Controversies. The fallout and the future.
Using my huge archive of triathlon magazines. And the race day coverage. Contacting people who were there. Professional triathletes. Age groupers. Spectators. Members of the organising team. And the TV crew.
Images: Tri-Athlete 1989 Avignon Special Issue
But then I started scanning my whole triathlon magazine collection. And buying more. Finding so much good stuff that I wanted to put out there.
But the Avignon idea hasn’t gone away. Because the race might be the biggest turning point in our sport. With the first ironman in Hawaii.
So I’m starting to write the series now and will record early in 2024. Sometimes I’ll use this blog to trickle out some cool photos, short stories and snippets of the research I’m doing.
Here’s the spring-loaded start gate. Above. I wonder where they got it? And check out the actual swim start from 27:30 in this video.
1985 Raleigh Prestige
I started a series about bikes from the 1980s specifically aimed at new triathletes. Often called the Something Triathlon. I already looked at the Raleigh Triathlon and the Dave Scott Centurion Ironman. Both from 1987.
The idea of the brands was to offer something pretty well specced and a for a decent price. Not as good as a full custom bike used by roadies. But better than a standard off-the-peg sports 10-speed.
The Raleigh Prestige is not really one of them. But I just like the ad. And the Suntour stuff. BTW. I spoke about Pete Penseyres in TSP3.
Images: Tri-Athlete (USA) April 1985
Lance Part 1. AKA. The Don’t Cancel Me Post.
This a quick post. I’ll do more Lance stuff in the future. It’s kind of an important part of 1980s triathlon history. Anyway. I got the idea after spending a fun week in Mallorca at the WEDU Camp. Totally worth the money.
Lance started in triathlon in 1985, age 13. By winning Ironkids events in Dallas and Houston. He then got 2nd at the Ironkids National Championships in Orlando, Florida. Here’s some Ironkids back-story.
By the 1986 season Lance was dusting adults in local events. And in 1987 he started competing in some of the biggest national events as a pro. Getting 8th in Hilton Head. 6th at Presidents. And 11th in Bermuda.
Here’s the Bermuda video. You need to watch two clips. At 17:15 and 22:10.
Finally. Rumour has it that at this time some older members of his Dallas-based triathlon training group were already dabbling in PEDs.
Anyway. Huge S, B, R talent. Could have won Avignon. And some Konas.
To be continued.
Ironkids Worlds 1985
This is from the first year of IronKids. The title calls it IronKids Worlds but in the article they refer to the event as the Colonial Iron Kids National Championships.
Later, the series was named after Rainbo. A type of chemical-bread made by Colonial. Here’s a video. It features TJ Fry. He raced some early draft-legal World Cups. And he’s still involved in triathlon.
Other alumni include:
Nick Radkewich (2000 Olympian), Laura Reback-Bennett (2008 and 2012 Olympian), Hunter Kemper (2000, 2004, 2008 Olympian) and Lance Armstrong (1989 and 1990 US Sprint Triathlon Champion).
It seems the series was eventually sponsored and / or managed by Hy-Vee and ended in 2013. Now World Triathlon Corporation just organise Fun Runs for children. Strange. With all the resources they have.
Still. There are plenty of other great triathlons for children out there. I get to lots. In the UK, France and Germany. We even have a local series of five events, called the Oberbayern Kids Cup.
The IronKids my brother did at Christ’s Hospital School in 1989 certainly wasn’t connected to the World Triathlon Corporation. You could throw around the word Iron quite liberally in the 80s.
We’d just got back from Florida where we’d bought a stash of triathlon kit not yet available in the UK. Although we took his Profile Aero 2s off in the van, he still rode his Uni-Disc. And won.
Two other things to note on this page above. Yes. Like at Caesar Creek we used to fit the race distances to the local geography. And. Doesn’t the Minnesota Border to Border Triathlon look cool?
Simon Lessing Poster
Here’s another centre-fold poster. Yesterday I gave you Dave Scott at the 1987 Hawaii Ironman. This is Simon Lessing winning the 1991 European Short Course Championships in Geneva. 1991 was peak baggy-vest. And that Cannondale has to be in my top 5 tri-bikes of all time.
The race took place on 8th September. And was Lessing’s first senior European title. He’d won the junior title in Losheim on 27th July.
1991 was Simon Lessing’s 3rd season racing in Europe. After leaving South Africa to start the adventure in the spring of 1989. And it was a busy one. My records show that he raced at least 11 times.
Image: Triathlete (FR) Octobre 1991 by Frederic Mons
1991 was the first year of the draft-free ITU World Cup Series. But Simon only took part in 2 rounds. St. Croix on 5th May. Where he got 6th. And Embrun on 15th August. Where he finished 2nd behind Mark Allen.
Lessing also travelled to the UK to race the British Short Course Championships in Wakefield in Yorkshire on 11th August. Where he got second behind Spencer Smith. I was there too!
Simon was again active on the French scene, racing for Salon Triathlon. On 26th May he won his home race in Salon. Then on 2nd June he finished 6th at the prestigious Haut de Seine Triathlon in Paris. With quite a poor run by his standards. Mark Allen won.
However, by 7th July Simon was back on form as he won the hilly Vars Triathlon. Followed by another win in Coucouron a week later.
On 21st September Simon was suffered a rare loss in a French domestic race. This time beaten into 2nd place by Patrick Girard at La Coupe de France des Clubs in Sete. The race came down to the last 100m.
Simon finished his season by getting 6th at the World Short Course Championships on the Gold Coast in Australia on 13th October. Here’s what he said about it in the October 1992 issue of 220:
“I had two bad races in 1991. St. Croix and Worlds. It just didn’t come together at all. I peaked for Geneva and by the time Worlds came around I wasn’t motivated, I was on my own in Australia. I had a poor swim, my wetsuit opened up. The first two laps on the bike were OK but on the third I got caught up with the veterans coming out of the water. I had a good run and made up some places but I don’t like flat courses at all.”
Dave Scott Centurion Signature Bike
When I turn pro I’m not doing the crappy sponsors thing. Ketones. Zen8. AG1. Or social media. I’m going to go straight to a bike company and negociate a signature bike deal. 10% for me on every unit sold.
This is what Dave Scott did in 1986 with Centurion. And a Dave Scott Centurion would still be my dream eBay find. Although he didn’t actually ride one. He was on a re-badged and re-painted Albert Eisentraut.
Not only did they look great. I prefer the 1987 pink and yellow. But they were pretty well specced. Shimano 105 throughout. With aero brakes. 32-hole Wolber rims. And most importantly. Top tube frame pump pegs.
The photo above is Dave at the 1986 Hawaii Ironman. And below are some ads from 1987. Remember. If you’re not on one. You’ll be behind one.
Images: Tri-Athlete (FR) Nov-Dec 1987
In 1988 there were 5 bikes in Centurion’s triathlon range. The Ironman Master. The Ironman Expert. The Le Mans. The Le mans proportional. For smaller riders. And the Ironman Carbon. The groupset on the white and fuscia Ironman Master had been upgraded to the tricolor Ultegra.
In Hawaii in 1987 Dave used a bike in the Le Mans colourway. Above. And Mike Pigg was now on a Centurion too. The Ironman Carbon. With bonded alloy lugs. I’ll track his 1988 season later to see how he performed on it.
Images: Triathlete (USA) January 1989
In 1989 Mike Pigg was again featured in the ads. Above is the Ironman Master. I like how they’ve focused in on Dave’s signature. The bike was supplied with Sampson clipless pedals. Never heard of them before.
Note. That by 1989 we’re fully into the aerobar-era. Maybe Centurion’s “most aggressive frame geometry ever” is because they know some Profile Aero 2-style clip-ons will almost certainly be bolted on.
Links:
Albert Eisentraut on Classic Rendezvous
Albert Eisentraut in Bicycle Guide
Sources:
Iron War by Matt Fitzgerald
Brooks Kona
If you were participating in the 5 race 220 Triathlon Series in 1991. Maybe you were doing it in a pair of Brooks Kona. The Transition Killer!
I never had any. But I’d pay good money to get hold of some now.
I think was wearing the multi-coloured Ron Hill racers that season. But I did talk about my favourite 1980s running shoes in TSP12.
Images: 220 (UK) March - April 1991
Evans-Cannondale Team
Images:
220 (UK) January 1991
220 (UK) March-April 1991
The first Evans Cycles shop was opened in Kennington High Street in 1921. Since 2018 they’ve been owned by The Frasers Group / Sports Direct. By the 1990s they had several London branches and seemed to focus their triathlon exotica at their Wandsworth branch. I went there a few times.
Image: 220 (UK) October 1993
In the late-80s and early-90s you could regularly experience world class triathloning in the UK. At Swindon, Windsor, Bath, Wakefield and Southport / Portsmouth. As well as watching the racing I was interested in seeing the bikes and clothing. Stuff waaay more unique than today.
The Evans-Cannondale team debuted in 1991. There’d been other elite composite teams in the UK before. Freewheel. Bedford Harriers. I loved the InSport vests with sewed-on sponsors patches. Spencer Smith is wearing one below. I’m going to sew patches on my kit for next season.
Image: 220 (UK) October 1991
Dave Scott Poster
Triathlon magazines used to sometimes have centrefold posters. Maybe they still do. Here’s Dave Scott winning the 1987 Hawaii Ironman.
I’m a huge fan of this 1987 race. The first with aerobars. And the story of race week and race day is the focus of Mark Allen’s book. Which I was obsessed with as a teenage triathlete growing up in Slough.
Here are the race reports from Tri-Athlete USA and Tri-Athlete France.
Image: Triathlete (USA) October 1988. CJ Olivares Jr.
Triumph For Pigg Power
Here’s an article from Sports Illustrated. I used it for some research for TSP1: What Is The Streak Podcast? It’s about the 1987 Hilton Head USTS race. You can watch it on YouTube. And I’m currently writing some USTS history blog posts and podcast episodes.
There’s lots of back-story about Mike Pigg in there. And some info about women’s winner Kirsten Hanssen. And a great shot of Pigg’s bike. This is the aesthetic I used as a baseline for my vintage tri-bike build.
La Griffe de l’Effort
The best translation of La Griffe de l’Effort is probably The Signatue of Effort. Or maybe the Trademark of Effort. Although I’m not super happy with these. Even though I just workshopped it with my wife for 10 minutes.
They made custom club kits and special vests as prizes. Like the ones above on Isabelle Mouthon and Simon Lessing at the 1991 European Championships in Geneva, Mark Allen at the 1989 World Championships in Avignon and Philippe Methion at the 1991 French Championships in Versailles.
Below is Mark Allen wearing the full pant-suit version. And Erin Baker also getting her’s on the Avignon podium.
Images: Tri-Athlete (FR) 1989 Avignon Special Issue
By 1992 we were fully into the vest and Speedo times. The tri-suits that everybody was wearing in the mid-80s had disappeared by about 1989.
I don’t have extra information about the company to write a longer post. I just that I think the vests are cool. As I still race in a loose vest.
Tampa and the Nike Vest
Yesterday I brought the blog back. I’m going to write something most days. And record a podcast episode every Friday.
Today I’ve got a guest post from my brother, Luke. Like me, more than thirty years in the sport and still truckin’.
In 1989, just as we were getting sucked into the vortex of triathlon, our swimming club arranged a two week trip to Tampa in Florida. The whole family was going. The first week the squad would be staying with families and the second week would be spent exploring Florida with our parents.
I’m not sure how our parents envisioned this second week going, but we (me and Ross) were expecting it to be split 50/50 between theme parks and searching for ‘exotic’ triathlon equipment.
Although you could get triathlon specific equipment in the UK at the time, it was very limited and about 6 months to a year behind what we were seeing in the magazines. This would give us an opportunity to come back to the gravel pit in Reading, where our club had started doing impromptu triathlons, with a bit of swagger!
“We had a modest hit list. We both wanted the new Profile Aero 2 clip-ons and I needed a helmet. I’d set my sights on the Bell Ovation. I’d seen Mark Allen wearing it in Tri-Athlete at the 1988 Avignon Triathlon. We would review any other finds as and when.”
The first week went as expected and we spent the next few days travelling down to the Florida coast with our parents, stopping at every bike shop we passed quickly checking off our hit list.
After a couple of days of one on one swim-runs on the beach, the club were to reconvene in Orlando to visit Disneyland and some American strip mall/outlet shopping for regular American brands, that still seemed slightly exotic back in 1989.
It was while we were in a nondescript (not particularly sport specific) Nike outlet store that we found, hidden on a discount rack, the Holy Grail for aspiring teenage triathletes in the late eighties.
Something we knew you definitely couldn’t get in the UK. Something that I was sure would make us legends on the East Berkshire triathlon scene. The 1989 Mark Allen vest. The blue and grey one from the magazines. Made of mesh material, cropped at the front, long at the back (like a mullet) and with a pocket for the just invented sports nutrition.
There were two, both small. Mine would still need to be taken up at the shoulders by my mum. We grabbed them as though there might be someone else in this random Orlando outlet looking for an iconic triathlon vest.
There wasn’t.
Back at home our new kit helped to make East Berks feel a little bit more like San Diego, and we got a few knowing nods of appreciation from those in the know while rocking our new vests.
I’m holding the vest in my hands now and still love it. If it had a slightly more modern cut I’d still wear it.
Maybe I’ll try to recreate it. Watch this space.
Photo: At a 1989 Berkshire Tri Squad gravel pit race with my Florida purchases. Nike Mark Allen vest. Bell Ovation helmet. Profile Aero 2s.