HARD RIDE: Tristan Harrison will compete at the World Age Group Championships in New Zealand this week. Photo: STEVE GOSCH 1007sgduathlon
TRISTAN Harrison hopes his swim leg will be the catalyst for a strong 2012 World Age Group Championships triathlon in New Zealand this week.
Harrison is a renowned swimmer in the Orange Cycle and Triathlon Club and often leads the pack after the swim leg at both club races and at the Central West Inter-Club Triathlon Series level.
It’s an area of his triathlon tipped to shine this week.
Harrison will take part in the 20-24 years division sprint event, swimming 750 metres, riding 20 kilometres and then completing a five kilometre run and it’s the later two Harrison has been frantically working on in a bid to get the best out of his body ahead of the world event.
“I’ve been doing a lot of work,” Harrison said.
“It’d be between 20 and 30 hours a week.
“I’ll just look to go hard early and hold on from there.”
Harrison hopes all of the work will be worth it.
“I want to finish as high as possible,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to it. My preparation has been going really well.
“I’m just looking to go out there and race my own race. I don’t really know what the competition is going to be like so we’ll have to see how I go.”
Harrison isn’t the lone Orange competitor crossing the ditch to take on the best triathletes the world has to offer.
The 20-year-old will be joined by Brian Kennelly and Luke Chalker this week in New Zealand.
Kennelly, having been to two world triathlon events, has previously said competition will be tough with the likes of hosts New Zealand and the USA tipped to boast strong teams at the 2012 event.
But it’s not the international flavour Harrison is looking forward to over in New Zealand.
“I just getting want to get over there and start racing,” Harrison said ahead of flying out yesterday.