Let me tell you about the triathlon history podcast that I’m starting.

It’s only taken me nearly 15 years to hit the record button after reading a book called Podcast Solutions back in 2008.

I’ve also had 2 or 3 false starts but with a re-organised work schedule I’ve got way more time to dedicate to research, writing and recording.

And once again I'm enjoying the process of preparing the shows, tinkering with the gadgets and experimenting with audio quality and editing.

So on this podcast I’ll mainly be using my collection of vintage triathlon magazines to take a deeper look at the articles inside.

Stories that inspired me as a young triathlete and some that I’ve discovered recently. Whenever possible I’ll be talking to people who were there as well as exploiting the triathlon history resources available on YouTube.

So expect future episodes about the big races, the different race series that existed, the athletes, the bikes, the clothing and kit; and occasionally triathlon politics and controversy.

I’ll also be building my own experiences into the narrative to help explain the triathlon scene at the time. And although I’m starting with the late-1980s and early-1990s I'll definitely be exploring other periods.

At the moment I’ve got 12 episodes finished. So I’ll get them out as soon as possible. Before trying to drop into a weekly schedule. On Fridays.

https://www.thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/1

Like a lot of you I’ve been planning what races I’m going to do this year. I was initially thinking about staying in Europe and focusing mainly on the new Le Coq Sportif - Arena - Peugeot series in France. 

But I weighed everything up and I’ve decided to race the 1985 Bud Light USTS. In this episode I tell you a bit about the short history of the series. And other things I’ll be doing in the USA this summer.

https://thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/12

Just a short episode to check that my equipment is still working.

In the next episode I’ll explain more about what I’m now doing with the project and what you can expect to find at thestreakpodcast dot com in the future.

It’s certainly not going to be an attempt to be a player in the triathlon podcast space. I just like researching, writing and recording stuff.

So. I was 50 in October. It makes you think. About a lot of things. Especially Triple Fitness. So here are 10 triathlon goals starting now.

https://thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/0

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.

https://thestreakpodcast.com/podcast/11

Yesterday I recorded a podcast about the French Grand Prix. I presented the history of the competition, the format and this season’s races. 

I also spoke about the year I spent racing the Grand Prix for a team in the east of France. GT Vesoul 70. This was 1996.

But I also raced in the second Division with Rouen Triathlon. In this episode I go through that season and have a fun chat with John Newsom from the IMTalk Podcast about the two years he spent racing in France.

The French Grand Prix is the French national triathlon series for teams. Traditionally there are five rounds during a season and sixteen male and sixteen female teams field five athletes each. 

The three highest finishers in each team score cross country-style points. So. One point for first, two for second, three for third etc. 

Therefore the team with the lowest total wins. And it really is all about the team. Since 2002 there hasn’t been an individual classification.

Today I will take you through the history of the event. And talk a bit about the season I raced in the Grand Prix for GT Vesoul 70.

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.

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.

The France Iron Tour was a triathlon stage race organised between 1994 and 1998. And then a few times in the 2000s. I’m going to look at the race year by year up to 1997. But today I’m covering the 1993 version.

This two-stage event was organised as a kind of proof of concept for sponsors, municipalities, the federation and the athletes. There was a Team Time Trial in downtown Grenoble on Day 1 and a Middle Distance race on Day 2 that finished at the top of L’Alpe d’Huez.

Although the 1993 edition had some organisational problems; the athletes were excited about the future of the format and eager to come back the following year to take part in an event over more days.

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 2022.