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.

I recently bought some more vintage triathlon magazines on eBay. From a person involved in the triathlon media and equipment imports in the 1980s. So I started researching the early UK triathlon magazines.

This post is 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.

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.  I was planning to do a mediocre job with my A-Levels to take on the Grand Prix.

In 1987 The Scott DH handlebar became the first aero-bar 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. 

Thank you to Brad Kearns, Phil Gable and Scott Molina for your help with this episode.