Clermont, FL – The Clermont Draft Legal Challenge(www.draftlegalchallenge.com) is one of a number of showcases for the future of Olympic style triathlon in the US. Athletes from 13 to their early 20’s compete in different races on multiple days in this fast paced and exciting version of the sport.
Triathlon consists of three sports, swimming, cycling, and running. In draft legal races, athletes are allowed to ride in close knit packs enabling them to share the work and ride faster. This is the style used in the Olympics in Rio this past summer. Drafting works as an advantage for the strong swimmers to distance themselves from the other competitors. The rest of the field has to work together in the same way in order to catch up, or at least minimize the distance between them and the leaders before the race is won on the run.
Two athletes from Westchester competed in the Youth F1 races. Sydney Boyer of Tuckahoe and Eastchester Middle School, and Eddie Jin of Edgemont and Horace Mann School competed in two races on back to back days against athletes from all over the country, and Canada.
Their coach, Jeff Boyer, of Team Barracuda(a Westchester based Youth & Junior Triathlon team), mentioned, “They both raced very well and competed hard. It’s tough on the Northeast Region athletes that don’t have the chance to be outside on their bikes as much during the Winter.” He went on to say that “each athlete gained valuable experience that will help them in upcoming Cup races in Sarasota, Richmond, and Monroe, Washington!”
For more information on triathlon and high performance draft legal racing go to www.teamusa.org/usa-triathlon.
To find out how to get your young athlete involved in triathlon in Westchester, or the NY Metro area, you can contact Coach Boyer at info@bamultisport.com and www.barracudatri.com.
