Prime chance to make Doe
26.12.2005
By JAMIE TROUGHTON
Kieran Doe will have one last blast around Mount Maunganui tomorrow, one last dip on a course which is rapidly becoming his favourite.
The 24-year-old triathlete has entered the annual Eves Surfbreaker sprint race based at the main beach, seeking the second leg in a notable treble.
He won the Tinman earlier this month, and next week will be seeking his first Port of Tauranga half ironman title. Doe won the 750m swim, 16km cycle and 5km run Surfbreaker two years ago and was second to Cameron Brown the year before that, but he's treating tomorrow's race as a blowout, an entree to the main dish.
His focus for the last few months has been purely on the half ironman, after finishing second behind Australian Craig Alexander this year and breaking Brown's long reign as the best Kiwi.
"I'd definitely like to think I'll be there but I'll still have to have the best race I've ever had to win it," Doe said of next week's half.
"It's a funny race. Two years ago I had a good one, this year I had a good one but in between I had a bad year.
"It looks like an easy course being flat but personally I find it the hardest half course I've ever done.
"You're pushing the whole time on the bike so it takes more out of your legs than you'd think.
"When you hit that Mount base track for the second time, it's pretty undulating and then you pop out on the flat again.
"Funny things can happen in this race and there's lots of good guys wanting to win."
The good guys have been dropping out recently, enhancing Doe's claim to race favouritism.
For the first time in eight years, Brown won't be racing as an individual. He's pulled out to race in a star-studded Nike team with Hamish Carter and Dale Warrander.
Alexander isn't returning, and neither is 2005 third-placed Levi Maxwell, while young star Terenzo Bozzone withdrew late last week with injury.
Bozzone was the athlete Doe was fearing most _ the pair have put in considerable miles training together, and even Brown rated Bozzone as the one to beat.
But Doe is serious about taking the half title. He's even been picking the brains of former Tauranga multisport star Matt Brick, and has been out on training rides with the highly-regarded cyclist.
"He's a demon," Doe said of Brick.
"He only does one or two rides a week but he still rides like a demon. And of course he knows the Mount course pretty well."
Doe's strength will be in the 90km cycling leg next week _ he recently switched from a Cervelo soloist to a specialist time-trial Cervelo P3 Carbon bike and has noticed a huge difference.
But twice in the past he's led off the bike, only to be run down with the finishing line in sight.
"I've definitely been working on my running and I've been doing more in the last few weeks before I rest up for the half.
"But in the past I don't think it's a case of me so much running badly. I think it's because I've biked so hard, I haven't had as much endurance left in the end."
Tomorrow's Surfbreaker has attracted a huge field, topping 300, with organisers Community Sport also adding in a shorter `UCAN2' distance event.
The smaller event will feature a 375m swim, 8km cycle and 2.5km run, with the option of another 1.5km beach run instead of the swim.
|
Back