Paris Triathlon, 3 June 2007 (1.55km/38km/10.2km)

[Rich] Swimming in the Seine was both the pull and the put-off. I mean, how cool is it to don wetsuit and plunge into an open water swim right in the heart of Paris? But on the other hand, just how unsafe for human contact is a river that runs directly through France’s most built-up, densely-populated and (quite probably) most highly-polluted area?

Still, this was the Grand Return of the Paris Triathlon after an absence of ten years – and, despite the uninspiring bike route, I knew I’d regret not taking part in my hometown’s race. In its latest incarnation, the event was to take place in and around the bois de Boulogne, the big wood at the city’s western edge. To boot, almost half the members of my club had signed up. Yes, that’s right, a whole eight of us were to compete (U.S. Ivry is not exactly one of France's biggest clubs).

I’d not paid heed to work colleagues and friends who, incredulous at the thought of swimming in the Seine, had told me to get vaccination boosters for every water-bound malady in the Western world. Still, we triathletes are used to swimming in disgusting waters, and I like to think we build up a resistance. As I stared down into the murky depths of the disturbingly dirty Seine, I clung to this thought very, very tightly.

The Paris swim is something of a curiosity, in that it's an A to B route in one direction (fortunately with the current). The race thus begins some way from the transition zone, and the start has to be reached in swim gear and on foot. And so, on this early June morning, 600 bare-footed triathletes tip-toed their way over gravel, stone and twig-laden paths to join the swim start, almost a kilometre away. There were some severely sore feet before the race had even started.

The next challenge was entering the water. The only access point to the river at this level is a steep, narrow staircase, which meant waiting in line one-by-one before descending the precarious walkway into the Seine. With a whole queue of athletes waiting to jump in behind me, there was no chance for hesitation at the bottom of the stairs. Splooosh. Oooh, what a pleasant surprise: the water was actually quite warm (about 19°). And there was even a second pleasant surprise: it was also incredibly clear; clearer, in fact, than any other open water encountered in the previous year!

With just one narrow staircase offering access to the Seine, you had to wait your turn (l) 600 triathletes spread out (r)

Given the slow rate of entry into the water, the start was inevitably delayed. All around me, triathletes were fighting for clinging space on buoys and around the pillars of a bridge so as not to knacker themselves out treading water. I took the opportunity to chat to my club mates and swim a few minutes, thus giving me that much-needed pre-race confidence booster.

And they're off... for 1.55km in the Seine

It was fifteen minutes late, but the starting gun eventually fired, and we were off. I’d strategically positioned myself in the middle of the river to avoid the worst of the inevitable elbow and head scrap. I still managed to get a few whacks, but quickly found enough space on the left of the main pack to swim relatively comfortably. I was soon into my stride, and the target bridge that marked the end of the swim came into focus remarkably quickly. Exiting the river involved scrambling onto a floating platform and then up a steep slope, where horizontally-laid ladders served as grips and footholds. Fortunately, a generous splattering of volunteers provided some much-needed help for us to negotiate both sets of obstacles. Incredibly, I’d clocked 24’24 for the 1.55km swim (207th best time).

T1 was something of a novelty, as it involved a 750m run/jog/walk to the bike park. Passing over forest paths, most (although not all) of this long transition zone was fortunately carpeted. Never very adept at taking off my wetsuit, I took advantage of a park bench en route to sit down and struggle out of my neoprene swimwear. This turned out to be a poor tactic, as it was even more time-consuming than the usual stamp-and-pull routine.

Volunteers were a big help in getting out of the Seine (l) Rich treads the carpet.. for 750m of T1 (r)

I arrived in the ultra-long bike park (600 bikes spread out two-by-two in a single line) with my wetsuit over my shoulder, sprinting furiously to win back lost time… and ran straight past my bike. It took me a few seconds to realise before I swizzled around on my heel and fought oncoming triathletes back to my Giant TCR. As I finally left, I shouted a few words of encouragement to my club mate Philippe, who was just arriving for his own transition.

The bike route was three loops around the bois de Boulogne, with drafting allowed (this was the only sensible option given the number of participants and the shortness of each lap). The main characteristic of the bike itinerary was a series of 180° turns each lap. Negotiating such bends meant slowing down to a virtual standstill, and then forcefully hammering the pedals to reaccelerate into the next straight. Such a manoeuvre required considerable mental agility and awareness when cycling in a peloton – which is how I rode the vast majority of the 38km course. Each 180° corner represented a muscle-burning effort to get back onto the wheels, but it was worth it: I completed the bike leg at a never-seen-before average speed of 39kph (106th best time). The real downer of the bike leg was the lack of security: more than once, pedestrians stepped out onto the course, causing a number of crashes (including one that would bring down my team mate Thibaut).

The bike leg: putting peloton-riding skills into practice (l) Rich (left) enters T2 (r)

And so on to my forte: the run. A characteristically poor transition meant I entered and left the bike park at the back of my cycling group. In transition, I smothered my left knee with Nurofen gel as a precaution against the slight tendonitis I’d felt in the couple of weeks prior to the race. I quickly picked up most of the guys I’d cycled with, and then focused on winning back as many extra places as possible.

The run was three laps around the outside of Longchamp Hippodrome, and at times the route was reduced to the width of a pavement – which made overtaking decidedly tricky in the later stages (when more people were on the course). I managed to lap a few of my club mates, and even passed the first woman in the closing stages (this was not as mighty a feat as it sounds: women were not allowed to draft with men during the cycling, so the poor girl presumably did most of the cycling under her own steam).

Rich manages a smile in the run (l) Hubert and William, both at Ivry Tri, shimmy for position (r)

A final burst of acceleration towards the end, and I passed the line 2h10’01 – a new PB by a long way for an Olympic distance tri. OK, the drafting in the bike leg made a BIG difference, but still… En route to the 78th best time overall, I’d clocked the 40th best run time. The Paris Triathlon was back and, for me, it was a resolute success.