What an end to the season. Yes, we won the North Coast Interclub series for the 2nd time and let me tell you this was not an easy task. Our 1st race of the season started with the Yamba Triathlon on the 5th Dec 2021. TNSW were spot on by claiming it was a 4 horse race as Clarence, Hat Head and Coffs charged out of the gates. We managed a 4th place with Paivi Hanninen, Sandra Killen & Jaime Cascajares taking a win with Danny Rossi , Huw and Deb missing out and each taking a 2nd. Sadly Deb broke her foot and managed to finish 2nd but was out for most of the season.
With such a shaky start it was up to round 2 at the Kingscliff Triathlon 30th Jan 2022 to prove our worth AND did we ever. The Breakers came out swinging with 23 points just slightly ahead of Clarence Valley. Age Group wins to Paivi Hanninen, Leonie Pedrazzini, Jaime Cascajares and Sandra Killen and 11 members in the top 10 secured the round for us.
Round 3 at Trial Bay Triathlon 13th Feb 22 (a special day for member Joni Karonen) we managed to max out with 25 points. Five age group wins to Jaime Cascajares, Huw Jones, Nerida Clarke, Paivi Hanninen and Sandra Killen ensured the Breakers stayed on top. Paivi won the Womens Open - yay and got her name engraved on the biggest trophy I've ever seen for a country triathlon event!
By round 4 everyone was nervous in our team. Training for the Tweed Enduro long distance course 1.9km swim, 90km ride and 21 km run is no easy feat. Then it rained and rained and rained making the decision to run the event untenable. The river was pure mud and with most of the town floating in it. The roads were washed out. It was just plain dangerous and subsequently was cancelled. Very upsetting for those who put in all that training.
By round 5 Byron Bay Triathlon things were looking up for The Breakers, home ground advantage and then..... Covid hit again, brought to us by the lovely folk visiting Bluesfest. This took out our major players such as Paivi, Charlie, Joana, Jaime (who battled though it) and Claire (who also battled on). The sweep down the beach nearly took out many players including Sandra who decided to swim back to shore, walk further up the beach and try again. It was a struggle to make the first buoy. To our good fortune Deborah Fuller, Nerida Clarke and Huw Jones left their mark on the competition picking up age-group wins. This enabled us to keep the lead and hope that the double points at round 6 TNSW Club Champs Forster would keep the others off our heels. Jaime Cascajares missed out on 1st place to an ex-pro in his age group as did Greg Allan and Sandra Killen. 14 members made it in the top 10. Outstanding!
Round 6 at the end of May TNSW Club Champs Forster was not what you'd call a walk in the park! Torrential rain during a ride with steep descents, climbs and technical turns. A run through mud and many puddles so deep there was no other way but to wade through them. Even with the 5 hour drive many members could not make this event however this worked out ok because many other NSW'ers did not make this event - intentionally or otherwise! Many didn't start and many did not finish. Sadly one our own stars (Sandra) could not finish as she was rushed off to the medical tent after the ride with hyperthermia. Nerida was having known of this. After coming off her bike screaming down the hill promptly got back on and was heard continually cussing along the bike course. It was no wonder the Byron girls hit the dance floor so hard as between them 2nd place for Deb Fuller, 2nd place for Nerida Clarke, 3rd place for Robyn Darke & 9th place for Claire O’Meara scored a whooping 111 points for Club Champs (and this was just by the girls). It also meant double points for the North Coast Interclub series. The Byron Breakers cracked it and came out on top at Club Champs, extending its lead by 13.5-points.
Click here to check out the final scores http://nswtriathlonclubseries.com/byron-breakers-secure-second-interclub-title/
So there it is, our season summary and now we must celebrate tomorrow at the Bangalow Brewery. Drink anyone?
Finishers at Club Championships Forster May 2022
Paivi winning the Women's Open at the Trial Bay Triathlon
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