Coffee Table Book of: Triathlon (Hardcover)

Description

Coffee Table Book of: Triathlon is a large format book of triathlon, printed edge to edge in colour, one picture to a page and the widest carried across two: the swim at dawn on lakes, rivers and the sea, the transition area with its racks and mount line, the roads of the ride and the paths of the run, the kit and how it is made and cared for, the old gear of swimming and cycling, and a few swimmers, cyclists and runners seen far off in plain dark clothing.

The kit is laid out plain: a wetsuit seen from above, tinted goggles, a swim cap and a tow float, bike shoes with one wide strap, running shoes with elastic laces, a smooth aero helmet with a tapered tail, the low forearm bars, a solid disc wheel, two bottles behind the saddle, a timing chip on its ankle strap, a spare tube with tyre levers, and a tri bike racked by its saddle.

The making and care follow neoprene panels cut, glued and blind stitched, carbon cloth laid out and a bare frame fresh from its mould, a wheel trued in its stand and a wetsuit hung up to dry. The past runs from a knitted wool bathing suit, a leather strip helmet and old cycling shoes with nailed plates, through a rubber swim cap, a wooden rim, a spare tyre folded in two loops and an old bottle with a cork stopper, to an old steel road bike with toe clips.

Then the places, empty at every hour and in every season: buoys on a river at first light, a reservoir in fog, calm shallows at dawn, a beach on a windy morning, a harbour at dawn, a pontoon at dusk, a mountain lake at noon, a frozen lake in winter, racks under a lamp at night and in the rain, roads through wheat, pines, vineyards and hairpin bends, run paths by lakes, rivers, dunes and marsh, and a few small swimmers, cyclists and runners far off, from a pack at sea at dawn to a lone ride on a frosty morning.

Short notes run through the book, on the swim, the ride and the run, the kit and how it is made and cared for, and the history of the sport: swimmers lift their eyes every few strokes to sight the next buoy, as open water has no lines to follow, elastic laces let a runner pull on the shoes in seconds, with no knots to tie, a solid disc wheel cuts the drag of spinning spokes, but a strong crosswind can push it about, and a bright tow float tied at the waist makes a lone swimmer easy to see in open water.

Printed in full colour on heavy 150gsm coated paper at 216 x 279 mm (8.5 x 11 inches), as a hardcover with the art printed on the case.