46 NAVY NEWS, NOVEMBER 2008
World class
THIS year’s World Duathlon
field with Surg Lt Irvine not far behind.
Championships were held in Rimini,
The pace for the first few kilometres proved
Italy, with two RN athletes competing
to be fast and the surgeon used this time to
reduce the distance to Lt Gosling, hitting the
for the Great Britain age group half-way mark neck-and-neck and in good overall
team.
position.
The first was the experienced Lt Nathan
From here the two worked well together
Gosling (25-29 group), fresh off deployment and
gaining valuable positions and overall time.
already with the European title under his belt
Gosling dropped back only towards the later
this year.
stages to leave Irvine to enter transition with a
In addition this year there was a new recruit
reasonable lead over his team mate.
Surg Lt Gordon Irvine (age group 30-34) who
On to the bike both RN competitors were
qualified earlier in the year as a civilian and now
making good progress and appeared to be faring
flies the RN colours.
well towards the top end of the field.
The course set has been tried and tested
A great deal of work has been done by both
in previous international competition and was
athletes throughout the season on bike strength
intended to involve a winding 10km run around
and this proved invaluable.
the harbour, a 40km cycle ride, comprising six
Gosling once again showed his dominance in
laps down the main beach front and finishing
this discipline over his team mate and was able
with a further 5km run round the harbour.
to substantially increase his lead again within
Closer examination of the course however
just two of the six laps. Surg Lt Irvine held on
revealed some discrepancies with distances –
well though and entered transition only a few
including possibly a substantially longer run than
seconds down.
advertised.
The final run of 5km always proves to be
Both athletes had prepared meticulously for
a mental and physical challenge and after a
this event and their form going into the race was
gruelling ride with no let up, the two Royal Navy
apparent.
athletes entered the run in solid positions overall.
In the lead up to the event the weather
Despite pending cramps in both athletes they
was proving more adverse than expected with
grasped their positions firmly with neither being
temperatures dropping to the low ‘teens’,
able to pull any distance back on the other. They
intermittent showers and onshore gusts causing
indeed recorded identical times for this run.
concern regards the ability to handle the deep
Both athletes produced very solid performances
section wheels used in such an event.
with Lt Nathan Gosling recording a time of 2h
Fortunately come race day all turned out well to
4m 46s to claim seventh place in his age group
● Pleased as punch... CPO Smith shows
his delight Picture: Richard Owens the relief of both competitors and spectators alike
and Surg Lt Gordon Irvine only 34 seconds
with clear skies and a reasonable temperature.
behind in 2h 5m 20s claiming 18th position in
James is a hit in
Both athletes started well during what proved
his grouping.
to be a physical jostle for positioning in a field of
● Lt Nathan Gosling pounds the Rimini roads
over 250 international competitors.
just feet ahead of his RN comrade Surg Lt
the Balearics
Lt Gosling immediately settled in high up the
Gordon Irvine
CYCLIST CPO James Smith bagged an
impressive sixth place in a gruelling island
road race.
The senior rate, based at HMS
Coach tour of Montserrat
Raleigh, was a member of a four-man
team competing in the Balearic Islands
HMS Iron Duke spread the word of the the thought of playing football with a real
International Masters Cycling event in
beautiful game when her footballers ‘England player’.
Majorca.
offered coaching to youngsters in “It was an incredibly satisfying (as
The race, which is now in its 11th year,
Montserrat. well as exhausting) day and I am sure
is run on a stage basis similar to the Tour
LPT ‘Taff’ Rees took a team of four we will all have lasting memories of the
de France.
players – CPO(AWW) ‘Muddy’ Waters, experience. It was also lovely to see the
CPO Smith raced in the Master 30
CPO(ET) ‘Billy’ Fish, PO(CIS) ‘Paul’ smiles on their faces and the innocent
category, which required him to complete
Adkins and LS(AWW) ‘Spud’ Murphy enthusiasm they displayed which
nearly 300km in four days (also taking in
– to Brades Primary School, where 51 approached with each challenge.”
some of the highest peaks on the island).
children were eager for some coaching. With Brades converted to football,
Competing against other national
Cricket, not football, is the number the sailors clambered into a minibus
amateurs, including teams from Germany
one sport in Montserrat, but in keeping and headed to the sports ground of a
and Denmark, he managed third place in
with the RNFA’s aim of carrying the secondary school... whose pupils were
one of the intermediate sprints to wear the
footballing message wherever the Senior expecting the sailors to play cricket.
sprinter’s green jersey.
Service goes, clubz ‘cooked up’ a menu Undeterred, LPT Rees stuck to his
The senior rating was the only
of passing, dribbling, heading, shooting, plan and soon had the children playing
representative of the RN taking part in
movement and teamwork. admirably – so admirably, indeed, that
the race, riding with a semi-professional
“The children were very receptive to when they took on the Iron Duke in a
trade team which included three other
what I had taught them and enjoyed it football match, they beat the sailors by a
experienced UK cyclists.
immensely,” said Spud. single goal margin.
“The race around Majorca went well
“Not only did the kids enjoy it but “There were two challenging and
although one stage had to be cut short
I also enjoyed the whole day, it was a physically-demanding sessions,” said
fantastic chance to give something back Taff.
because of torrential rain,” said the
to the kids and also made the experience “There were so many great moments
36-year-old cyclist.
worthwhile.” to choose from, but on a personal level,
“Overall I was really pleased with my
Billy added: “Seeing the look of to see the children embrace our ideas
performance and so was my team leader
anticipation and excitement on the and instruction, as well as witnessing
and I’ve now been asked to ride the tour
children’s faces as we arrived at their the smiles and happy laughter will be a
of Ireland and the tour of Majorca next
school will be a lasting memory for me. memory that all the coaches will treasure ● ‘Can I have my ball back please, mister?’... Iron Duke’s footballing coaches share
year.”
their love of the sport with children on Montserrat Picture: LA(Phot) Jay Allen, FRPU East “They seemed genuinely excited at forever.”
Sid joins the
Paddle power
SOMEWHAT smaller than his
skeleton staff
last command... Second Sea
Lord (and former Ark Royal CO)
Vice Admiral Alan Massey tries
STALWART of the skeleton
kayaking drills in the pool at
bobsleigh in the RN CPO(D)
HMS Temeraire (pictured, right, by
Sid Lawrence now has an even
LA(Phot) Luron Wright).
greater burden to shoulder:
The admiral, who’s pushing
helping his country to gold.
adventurous training in his
The 42-year-old from
position as the RN’s personnel
Southern Diving Unit 1 in
chief to give sailors better
Devonport has been appointed
leadership skills and more ‘grit’,
manager and assistant coach
spent a day with the AT team at
of the GB Men’s and Ladies’
the home of RN physical fitness.
skeleton teams leading up to
Accompanied by his staff – Lt
the 2010 Winter Olympics in
Col Mike Tanner, Flag Lt Darren
Vancouver (he’s already been
Parker, Command WO Andy
a technical adviser to the GB
Rainey, CPO Alan Marsh and
squad for the past two years).
LLogs Lew Lewis – Admiral
Sid has been racing on
Massey was ‘gently’ introduced
skeletons (think ‘tea tray’)
to the art of kayaking in the
for the past two decades,
Temeraire pool.
represented both the RN and
Then instructors CPO(PT)
his country in the sport, and
Wayne Hodkinson, Lt Cdr Joe
now manages/coaches the
Wood and Lt Matt Twisleton
Navy team.
upped the ante: a ‘sea paddle’
“The challenge offered me
around Langstone Harbour.
is probably the hardest – but
Mass capsizes at the end
my proudest: managing and
demonstrated the effectiveness of
coaching the GB skeleton
the kit and were “great fun”.
team,” said Sid.
Although instructors are
“Winning Olympic medals in
heavily in demand, AT courses
the 2010 winter games is the
are free and there are spaces.
ultimate success in any sport.”
Details from www.ahrc.co.uk
Picture: LA (Phot) Jenny Lodge, FRPU West
or from Lt Cdr Wood on 9380
22590.
046_NN_Nov.indd 1 20/10/08 16:57:07
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