Emerging triathlon talents Tony Dodds and James Elvery will compete in the House of Travel Triathlon Festival this Sunday as they embark on a season which will determine if they can make the grade for the London Olympics.
Not only do the pair need to gain enough world ranking points for themselves but also for their country. Currently New Zealand is ranked outside the top eight nations so will only receive two qualifying spots for the London Olympics. In the past three Olympics New Zealand's higher ranking has resulted in three places being available. If the individuals like Dodds (ranked 80) and Elvery (ranked 71) can achieve some top results and break into the top 50 then New Zealand's chances of gaining an all important 3rd qualifying place will improve.
Dodds, who placed 4th in the World at the 2009 World Under 23 Champs, has had an up and down 2010. Highlights included an 8th place at the Holten round of the World Cup Series but the World Champs were a huge disappointment where he could only manage 26th Place in the Under 23 division. The Triathlon Festival will be the first race since finishing his European campaign in October "This will be a good hit out for me. Last season took a big toll, so I've had a good break and am glad to be back! This season I'd love to bring back the full on triathlon race of swim/bike/run instead of leaving it down to a running race. I'm excited to start off the season against other up and coming young guys who look to be in fine form"
Like Dodds, James Elvery had mixed results on his 2010 northern hemisphere campaign. Two top 20 finishes in Holten and Hungry were Elvery's best results but an improving swim leg has put him in contention far more often. If he can shake off some injury niggles and return his running to the levels or previous years he will increase his chance significantly of realising his dream of making it to the London Olympics. "I had a really long year, and have come home to Christchurch and stuck into some big base training nice and early. I'm in pretty good knick and about 3 months ahead of where I was last summer. I have an achilles injury I am managing at the moment and hopefully it won't cause me any problems. We have 8 months until the first selection race for London and everything I am doing from now until then is about having the best possible performance at that race to get to the Games. The House of Travel race this week will be a good little test just to see exactly where I'm at, as well as a chance to put away some much needed pocket money to save for next years travel. The course looks good for racing and with large entry numbers it should be a great day of triathlon on Sunday".
A host of up and coming Cantabrians will be nipping at the heels of the better known Dodds and Elvery. Tom Davison who broke straight into the New Zealand Under 23 team from the Under 19 division last season will be pushing the pace in the swim and bike legs but the run is the weaker of his three disciplines. The tight turning course at Pegasus town may allow him to break clear of the bunch and gain a buffer heading into the run. Others to watch out for include Mike Phillips who was first reserve for the Under 19 team earlier this year along with local swim specialist Dylan McNiece.
The House of Travel Triathlon Festival will be held this Sunday 19th December at Pegasus (just north of Christchurch) with the first race starting at 8:30am and the Elite cup at 11:30am. The festival offers five races catering for different abilities: "The UVEX Pegasus Classic" for your everyday triathlete. "The Fendalton Eye Clinic Team Challenge" – ideal for corporate teams and friends alike, to get together for a pre Christmas hit out. "The John Bull Cycles Kids Challenge" – for those under 14 years. "The Newstalk ZB Try a Tri" – perfectly pitched to the first timer. And the final event of the festival will be the "Sports Doctors Elite Cup" – a high action draft legal race.
To find out more visit www.triathlonfestival.co.nz
