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.

https://thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/10

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.

https://www.thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/9

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.

https://www.thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/8

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

Well. There also 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.

https://www.thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/7

Today I’m going to talk about a  piece of equipment that was super-important to me in the 1980s. The Timex Triathlon watch. I remember buying my first one from Argos in Slough. Maybe in 1985 or 1986.

It really was a technological leap forward at the time. You could store lap times and the buttons were easy to see and press. Features you only previously got on classic hand-held stopwatches.

So here’s a bit more about the history of the device and my plans to go back to using one with a pen and paper training diary in 2023.

https://www.thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/6

I started buying Tri-Athlete UK in July 1988. Then early editions of 220 Magazine and British Triathlon Scene. On a family holiday to Florida in 1989 I even picked up a few copies of the US version of Triathlete.

Over the last couple of years I’ve been buying up vintage triathlon magazines on eBay. Some of them I’d previously owned. But they hadn’t survived multiple international house moves and a few loft purges.

Then I started researching the early UK triathlon magazines.

This episode is therefore just a gathering of my resources rather than an in-depth historical study. But I hope it sets the scene. Starting in 1983 with the emergence of the first two triathlon titles in the USA.

https://www.thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/5

In 1988 I started buying Tri-Athlete UK magazine to follow the Le Coq Sportif Grand Prix Series. There were 10 events that year. The venues were Swindon, Barry Island, Otley, Ripon, Milton Keynes, Redbridge, Keswick, Wakefield, Leicester and Bedford.

For the 1989 season the series was sponsored by Carlsberg. I also had club-mates at Berkshire Tri Squad who were driving up and down the country to do as many Grand Prix races as possible. Finding cheap B&Bs or camping at lake complexes and beach towns.

They wore fluorescent clothing and had the new Scott DH aerodynamic handlebars bolted onto their Dave Russell Bikes. As far as I was concerned they were living the late-80s triathlete lifestyle that I aspired to.

In the spring of 1990 I passed my driving test and bought my first car. A Skoda Estelle. The engine was at the back which left a bike-shaped space under the bonnet.  So my plan was to do a mediocre job with my A-Levels to take on the Grand Prix.

https://thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/4

In 1987 The Scott DH handlebar became the first aerobar to achieve popularity in triathlon. The improved aerodynamic advantage from the hands forward position instantly took minutes from your bike split.

So in early-2021 I bought 4 sets on eBay. Long story. Then I started to trace the history of the bars and how they first made their way to triple-effort start lines in the USA and the UK.

Thanks to Brad Kearns, Scott Molina and Phil Gable for all your help on this episode and your overall enthusiasm for the project!

https://www.thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/3

In this bonus recording you’ll hear about a short bike trip that I took to Roth in August 2022. I was there to trace the history of the Challenge Roth Triathlon.

I’ve also included tips if you’re planning your own Roth racing and spectating weekend. And we look closely at the 1988 race. The best ever edition. IMO.

https://thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/bonus-a-short-trip-to-roth

In this episode I tell you about my first triathlon. The race was held on 7th May 1989 at Martin’s Pool in Wokingham. It was organised by Thames Valley Triathletes. Britain's first triathlon club.

As I crossed the finish-line I knew this was the most exciting sporting thing I’d ever done. And by the end of the season I’d already made the decision that I wanted to be a professional triathlete.

https://thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/2