MARK Windsor has done more kilometres on a bike than anyone would care to count, but he is always open to new techniques.
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He put one of them to the test in Sunday's Bathurst Wallabies Triathlon Club race. It saw him clock the third quickest split for the 16 kilometre cycle leg so far this season, covering the distance in 22 minutes, 39 seconds.
It also helped Windsor to take the day's short course honours.
"I used a new technique, I was up to pretty late last night doing it and a few of the bolts came loose, but it didn't slow me down, it was just the gear levers on one side so I had to nurse them," Windsor said.
"A lot of these guys are all going up higher at the front, like Nick [North] and them are all trying it and going well at it, so I thought I'd go over to the dark side.
"It was good, but it didn't feel comfortable, it felt a bit unstable but Nick told me that's what happens. It is fast, but for an old bloke, I might go back."
The short course race began with a 300 metres swim and it was James Kelly who emerged from the water first with a 5:08 split. He was followed by Todd Nelson and Windsor.
On the cycle leg Windsor took the lead and he stayed there with a 10.26 split for the 2.5km. His overall time was 39:42, handing him a comfortable victory over Miller Rivett (46.26) and Jamie Rivett (48), but there is still one area where he'd like to be faster.
"The biggest thing - you would not believe it - at my age is transitions. I find I'm so slow there - there are not many sports where you've got to get changed so much as triathlon. You put your shoes on a lot slower as you get older," he laughed.
In the women's short course race it was Kirsten Howard who took the honours in a time of 46.28 ahead of Ash Corby (48.59) and Melissa Rajkovic (49.06).
It was an impressive effort from triathlon newcomer Corby to finish on the podium given she was the 10th swimmer out of the water and more than two minutes off the lead.
Corby's run leg (10.24) was especially impressive, as her split was 88 seconds faster than any other of the 12 female short course entrants.
She still had another breath left after crossing the line to quip: "That's the longest 2.5 kilometres I've ever done."
The final round of the Bathurst Wallabies season will be held on March 28.
