RPG

29/03/2026

Some more action shots from and

24/03/2026

.seymour Coach and .strutt under coach finished 2nd and 3rd OA age groupers at @ Gold Coast

24/03/2026

Feedback from Richard on his recent use of the RPG Training Plans available in the Training Peaks Plans library and the RPG Performance Pass.

"My wife and I both used RPG's plan for Challenge Wanaka. The plan had fun and interesting swim sets as well as bike and run sessions that prepared us perfectly for the race with us both winning our age groups. There were clear guidance notes so the purpose of the sessions could be understood. Also if time crunched the sessions were prioritised so you could try and stick to the important ones. Overall a really good plan"

-Richard

17/03/2026

recently took the win in his AG at . �It’s been an incredible journey watching Pat develop over the past 4 years.

The best part about his NZ race was that he had a really bad day compared to his training performances in the lead up. He won’t pass that on but as his coach I can assure you it was a day filled with issues rather than a smooth day out there.
Much more impressive than the age group win was the way he kept his mind quiet when it was all going wrong and just did what he could in those moments.��Pat in his own words: �“ When I started working with Reedy in mid-2022, I knew very little about the sport and was a mid pack age group athlete at best. From day one, he’s been an outstanding educator, and I’ve absorbed and applied as much of his knowledge as possible.
I told him early on that my dream was to reach Kona one day. Reedy explained it would take patience and consistency and years not months but I trusted him completely and committed to enjoying the process.
It hasn’t always been easy I’ve battled ongoing lower back and hamstring issues that affect my cycling but Reedy has been patient and creative in helping me work through them and keep progressing.
I’m confident in the path we’re on, with plenty more improvement still to come. I also love the supportive RPG community at races, which makes the whole journey even more special.”

08/03/2026

02/03/2026

Taupotips post 3 for

1) Dress like an onion (removable layers). Cold to hot conditions likely.
2) If it’s very dry/ low humidity. Understand the differences in how you lose fluid and know that you’ll need a higher water to electrolyte ratio than humid racing.

3) Optimal tyre pressure- lower than most other triathlon races around the world.

4) The sun hits different here and burns many an innocent naive international racer. Plan appropriately.

5) If you’re an asthmatic there is something in addition to Kiwi magic in the air that will very likely kick off asthma.

6) The last remaining mass swim start in Ironman (I think). Have a plan around where you want to start and why. Don’t just roll into a random spot. Strategic start positioning can set up a great day.

25/02/2026

tip 2. Emulate , the greatest athlete in history.
I don’t mean emulate his accomplishments as one of the most decorated Ironman professionals including 12 Ironman New Zealand titles and multiple podium finishes at the Ironman World Championships. You can try that but that's a lofty goal. Rather, I'm referring to his mindset on race day I like to refer to as 'The Cam Brown Calm Killer Mode'.

Cam won a tonne of races but when you dive deep into the stories behind a few of those wins and some of his other races where he didn't win you really get an insight into the mental fortitude you need to bring on race day to make the best of whatever challenges arise on race day.
Examples:
I can't even find it online so no idea what year it was but I know one year Cam had gastro leading into the race and was curled up next to the toilet until he had a moment of reprieve hours into the night before the race. Cam did what Cam does best employing the 'Cam calm killer mode' and smashed some McDonalds in a bid to get some calories on board and then went on to win Ironman New Zealand.

To highlight a non-winning test of grit displayed by Cam in Kona, Cam rode 30 miles on a near flat tyre and then ran his way up from 10th to 5th place.

Remember at the end of the day, no one will remember and no one really cares how your race goes once the dust has settled. However YOU will always remember if you let the emotions of misfortune get in the way of you fighting to do the best you can do.

When the challenges come, as they inevitably will, go into 'The Cam Calm Killer Mode' and make the best of the situation because when your endurance sports journey is done some of the races you'll look back on with the most pride will be the races you know many others would have quit or jogged it in. However you stuck it out and suffered as best you could, never giving up.

To note, Cam is a very lovely guy and by 'killer' I mean 'tough bastard'. The only thing he's ever eliminated with zero remorse are meat pies and cokes mid ride.

Image- .thephotographer

15/02/2026

What's the go with heat stress sessions and cold races?

Heat stress training leading to significant adaptations in your race performance in the heat is well proven and logical however does the extra blood plasma volume, heat stress tolerance and many other post heat adaption perks assist athletes in cooler races?

Short answer is 'yes' there can be significant benefits but the athlete and their situation should be considered carefully.

However while heat stress can be very beneficial it's important to recognise it is another additional stress on the athlete. Additional heat stress has to be balanced out with life stress, training volume intensity on that day and the timing of when the heat stress is applied especially for those with very high sweat losses to allow adequate rehydration before sleeping.

Another big factor to consider is whether the athlete is getting more than enough heat stress already in their training without adding extra dedicated heat stress sessions which is often the case during summer.

Additional stressors like heat or altitude can be a fantastic way to boost performance when the athlete can balance out the overall load to a level they can adapt to. Add more stress to a stress level already near or at capacity and they can definitely work against instead of for the athlete.

Want to know more on how to use heat stimulus best for your situation join the RPG membership (also included with any RPG Training Plan or the Performance Pass and if you can't find the info with a quick search, ask the question and Reedy, Clint or one of the other coaches will get back to you with an answer.

Beware of the dragon.

Image-

30/01/2026

There is nothing more fun than shouting the typical angry driver abuse at cyclists you know.
What’s your favourite line you cop out there in lycra from angry or QLD drivers?

28/01/2026

Some of the best athletes in the world never translate their training performances to event day. Make sure there are mental matches in the box for when it counts!

15/01/2026

3 tips on how triathletes can use much faster and talented swimmers to be faster than they really should be.

1) Get comfortable in chaos.

If there is no way you’re swimming in front of guys who can swim 5-7 seconds per 100m quicker than you without you drafting your butt off then nearly every single swim set you do should include a lot of time ‘on feet and on hips’ learning to intuitively feel for staying close to the swimmer in front minimising time looking up. Every time you look up your hips sink and a small gap opens up as your momentum stalls.

2) Rate up.

The optimal stroke rate for you swimming solo is likely not fast enough to be the optimal stroke rate for swimming in the draft of others. There is no doubt the front part of the catch is what really separates elite swimming technique from less elite. However the bubbles and disturbed water from the person/s in front kicking reduces the amount of water you can get hold of in your initial catch phase so there is more value in the ‘grip, rip and windmill’ technique because it keeps you in the draft more effectively even if it wouldn’t be a good technique for solo swimming.

Work on mixing up your stroke rate/cadence much like would with cycling. You’ll learn when it’s more efficient to slow it down a little and work on form and when you need to really rate up. As an example you can watch plenty of races where the swim pack leader could be mid to high 60s strokes per minute while the swimmers behind him are in the high 80s.

3) Get really fit.

While I still firmly believe every swimmer and triathlete should be constantly working on improving their mobility and technique to improve their catch phase, if you’re on feet and windmilling... you need a very high level of fitness to sustain that which can make up for a lot of your technical deficiencies.

12/01/2026

Getting aero is obviously critically important but sticking with every small aero gains you can sometimes doesn't add up for long course triathletes.

A good system for those that have the means to do aero testing.

1) Reduce your CdA in the short amount of time you have to ride that position during aero testing. If possible also know what the wattage penalty is for different positions or equipment that you find slightly or drastically more comfortable..

2) Provided you're in the right phase of training to be able to do so, go out and ride at race specific intensities for an extended duration. Obviously not your full race distance but at least a third of your race distance continuous or broken into intervals. Then ask yourself.. is the position sustainable or are you breaking aero for comfort breaks? Is any of the equipment you've switched to bothering you while out there and causing any issues or discomfort that you know will really add up if you had to use it for 3 x that distance at race intensity?

Just to name a few common issues we see between aero testing and how it plays out in real world riding:

- Athletes using a helmet 2-3 watts more aero than another that has far less breathability contributing to not being able to keep your core temp down.

- Overly narrow aero bars limiting breathing or not allowing a semi shrug of the shoulders to reduce your frontal area. Sorry to break it to you but there is a good chance you're not as flexible through the shoulders as who has had decades of swimming to increase his shoulder mobility.

- Bottle set ups that test fast when an athlete is not drinking but the athlete has to break aero to take in fluid far outweighing the benefit of the fast bottle set up compared to a system with a straw in front of the face where the athlete can just dip head and sip without issue.

- Deep wheels and the inevitable side force that comes the deeper you go causing lower back issues and a lot of time sitting up in cross winds for stability.