Elite pair to train triathletes
Bermuda’s triathletes will spend the next week getting tips from some of the best in the business.A camp arranged by the Bermuda Triathlon Association will see 25 of the Island’s athletes put through their paces by respected Canadian professionals Mike Neil and Jasper Blake.Blake has been competing professionally for more than 12 years and has numerous race wins to his credit including the 2006 Ironman Canada title. One of the strongest runners in the sport, he recently won the Dubai International Triathlon is competing in the South Africa 70.3 Championships this weekend before heading for Bermuda.Neill meanwhile is one of Canada’s most established professional Ironman athletes. He has more than 24 Ironman finishes to date and was the top Canadian finisher at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships from 2006-2009, and has won the prestigious Gulf Coast Triathlon for the past two years.Organiser Dave Morrison has known Neil and Blake for several years, and began discussing the idea of a camp two years ago during one of his regular trips to Victoria, BC, where the pair are based.“When in Victoria I often bump into Mike and Jasper and the idea of a camp in Bermuda came up about two years ago,” said Morrison. “They are both great coaches so I was keen to bring them to Bermuda. The response locally has been excellent and the camp is now full.”The pair will also be helped out by Canadian elite amateur triathlete and coach Jen MacLean.Morrison hopes that the camp will become an annual event and has plans to develop closer triathlon and sporting links between Victoria and Bermuda.“I am already in discussions with other notable Victoria athletes concerning various other possible events here,” said Morrison. “That includes cyclist Ryder Hesjedal, who was seventh in the 2010 Tour de France and Olympic gold and silver triathlon medallist Simon Whitfield.”The camp gets underway on Tuesday, and after a week of events ends next Sunday with a three hour bike ride and a two hour run.