Triathlon has always been a loner-type of sport for me, training and racing done solo for personal enjoyment. Sure, there have been occasional trainings with friends, but mostly it was me alone doing the bulk of the work. Things changed when my family started coming to races, but the training continued to be a solo venture. That is, until I joined the team here in GC.

The tri club has been a great time for me, a way to get to know people and also to get to know the island, the different places to swim/bike/run, but above all to become familiar with the different biking routes. But the tradeoff has been the constant team mentality, which is a difficult thing to ingrain in a lone wolf like me. Sure, it has been fun, but those solo rides of simple exploration have been a lot of fun as well.

The biggest benefit of the team has been the pool swimming, without a doubt. The different drills and the constant attention to detail have brought my swimming to heights I would never have accomplished on my own. I look back on my previous training and chuckle, as it was far too easy for what I was attempting. Even though I saw myself as a pretty good swimmer back then, I know now that the new me would crush the old me on any given day.

I still run on my own, but under the team training plan there is much more intensity and variability. This is good, as again, like with the swimming, I was too easy on myself and never really incorporated speed workouts. This is something, this variability, that I must keep as I can feel the difference between now and then. Now is better.

The biking part of the equation is interesting. On the one hand, I enjoy the team rides each weekend and think these help my overall performance, as they push me harder than I would do alone. But I also do trainer and outdoor rides on my own, usually 2-3 each week, going according to the training plan (as much as possible – on the trainer always, outside not quite as much…). But I really enjoy my solo ventures as well, where I can ride and explore at the same time, without the tension of keeping up with the group.

I did a ride a few weeks ago which had the best of both worlds. It was to be a long one, starting from my front door and going up, over the top of the island, around the other side, then back home. The team started a bit down the coast in the town of Telde, but as they would pass close to my house I decided to join them mid-ride, and then when the group hit Telde I would continue on my own to Tafira. This was the idea, not the reality.

We were together, a small group, as we crossed the top of the island and then made a café stop to recharge. This was about, oh, maybe 2h30 into it. And then we started going down on pavement that had my teeth chattering. Real nasty stuff. So I slowed, and then the they were gone. I knew there were others behind me, somewhere, but for the next 3 hours I was on my own, coming down from the mountains and then travelling the semi-flats back along the GC-100 to finally arrive at home. It had been a great day, some team riding when it was needed, for the climbs, and then solo riding down the other side and all the way home. What a great day!

And then there is the racing. The team is more focused towards short-course racing, with road bikes, draft-legal, usually no wetsuits. Make the pack on the bike and you are golden, if not then… time for a long solo and less than appealing results. And relays, these happen a lot as well. It is difficult to get into that mindset after so many years of solo racing. Racing with a road bike, in a pack, instead of solo on the TT bike, lost in my thoughts. I enjoy this. But the pack work is interesting as well. But which is more enjoyable, which really fulfills my need to be outside and active? I’m still working on this puzzle.