Lewys Blore Athlete Ambassador

Lewys is a triathlete who enjoys pushing his limits and has some big goals for the year ahead. He talks to Sundried about training and racing.

Have you always been into sport?

Absolutely, I was running before I could walk apparently. I'm very fortunate in that I’ve been competitive in sports from athletics, to hockey, to trampolining and swimming.

What made you decide to enter the world of triathlon?

There seemed to be a lot of hype in the UK surrounding triathlon in the last few years and as soon as I started following a few pros on Instagram, I wanted to give it a go myself.

What’s been your favourite race to date and why?

Mersea Island Sprint Triathlon. It was a love/hate relationship; it was a tough race, but the reward afterwards was totally worth it. The scenery is just amazing as well as the finish line oyster!

Have you ever had any racing disasters/your toughest race yet?

I decided to keep my slick summer tyres on for a race in September. It rained that morning and subsequently I skidded along the ground for about 10 metres coming up to a roundabout at 30kph. My derailleur was bent so I only had 1 gear and I was at the turn around point so 11km away from transition. I carried on, completed the race (that was a hard 5k run) and learnt a valuable lesson that day!

How do you overcome setbacks?

I analyse what went wrong and learn from it. Fingers crossed it doesn’t happen again and if it does, I’ll know how to deal with it.

What advice do you wish you'd been given before you started competing?

I’d done a bit of research and watched the Global Triathlon Network (GTN) quite a bit for tips and tricks for first timers. The thing I would say is learn when to rest and recover!

What are your goals for 2020?

I've got a few events this year:

• My first Standard Distance Duathlon (running is my weakest part, so I want
• to improve).
• Mersea Island Middle Distance Triathlon.
• Dragon Ride - Dragon's Devil 297km Cycle Sportive.
• London Triathlon Standard Plus Distance, as I want to push myself on the bike.
• I’m also planning a few bike touring adventures; North Coast 500 or Coast to Coast.

Who do you take your inspiration from?

I pull inspiration from anywhere. For indoor training it's Lionel Sanders, for swimming it would be Lucy Charles-Barclay, and for incredible talent it would be Jan Frodeno. I love watching pro cyclists and I love watching all athletes and watching the stories behind their lives and how they overcome setbacks and drive forward.

What do you like about Sundried and what’s your favourite bit of our kit?

I love the fact it’s sustainable and ethically-sourced clothing. It’s comfortable, affordable and filled with tech. My favourites have to be the Cadence cycling collection, paired with the thermal jacket. It’s just the best cycling kit I own. Straight out of the bag, I wore it for a 135km ride and I could have carried on! I will be buying more of that collection. It also matches my bike, so aesthetically I look pretty cool!