Hi Lisa,

You're site is awesome. Thanks for pointing it out to me. I'm the wanna be triathlete from Australia.

Being a nerdy triathlete type we are always trying to make our bikes lighter and faster. One of the easiest ways to dio this is through the use of light weight carbon fibre racing wheels. Do you use something similar on your wheelchairs? In what other ways can you reduces the excess weight you have to push around the track?

Also in cycling you can gain a huge advantage from drafting. (The reason why it is outlawed in normal triahtlon). Can you gain a similar advantage in your racing and is this a tactic that you would employ especially in longer races?

One last question (and don't worry i can come back with a thousand more if you want). The great Australian athlete Louise Savage. Have you had the pleasure of meeting her?

Anyway enough from me for now. Hope you enjoy your time in our beautiful country.

Train Smart, Race Hard

Aaron B

Hi Aaron,
Thanks for the post and the questions. I'll try to answer them as best as I can....

1) Yep, we use the exact same tri-spoke carbon fibre wheels that bikes have, but most of the guys actually use solid disk wheels. I find the disks too heavy and would blow me around in a heavy wind since I'm such a lightweight, hehe, so I stick with the tri-spokes. Other ways we reduce the weight is by not wearing shoes! I found that somewhat amusing when I started but that's pretty much the norm.

2)Drafting is a vital technique that is used in anything longer than 400 meters. Often in a race there will be one large pack drafting together and in the last few hundred meters everyone will make a break for the lead. It gets quite dangerous when you have so many people so close together, and it's not unusual for a crash to occur.

3) Yes, I have had the opportunity to meet Louise Savage on a few occasions. I found her very quiet but very powerful when she hits the track.

Hope I've answered all of your questions, I'm glad to see people take an interest in our sport. Tata for now.

Lisa