Product Reviews
ELITE GEAR: SARAH GROFF
When asked about her strengths, elite triathlete Sarah Groff doesn’t hesitate. “Love of tough conditions, ability to race with broken bones and a sense of humor,” the 29-year-old says. Good thing for the latter, as Groff needed to be able to laugh at herself last year, when she sustained a sacral fracture when she had a bike accident while commuting to a training session. “My fracture has completely healed finally, and I am now totally healthy,” says Groff, whose 2010 world ranking of 16th made her the No. 3-ranked American woman.
On the flip side, Groff, who lives in Hanover, N.H., swam at Middlebury College and was a cross country runner during her high school years, says her weaknesses include technical bike handling and heat. (Oh, and dark chocolate, too.) As such, her assignments as she heads into the 2012 Olympic year include spending quite a bit of time trying to fill in the gaps of her triathlon education.
“I am working on improving my tactical awareness, bike skills, run and swim technique and race acumen,” she says. Every race is another chance for an education. After taking another spill on her bike during the WTC race in early 2011 in Sydney — fortunately, she wasn’t hurt, but her bike was deemed non-rideable so she couldn’t finish the race — she came out strong during the St. Anthony’s Triathlon. Despite being in the middle of serious training, she placed third. She’s optimistic that race sets her on a healthy, issue-free path that leads straight to London. “Luck is certainly a player in our sport,” she says, “I’m hoping that I got my bad luck out of the way for the next few years.” A little luck—and these three favorite pieces of gear—will be on her side as she competes this season:
SAUCONY KINVARA
($90;
saucony.com)
“Saucony has the edge in the shoe market with these lightweight, neutral minimalist shoes. Plus, they look cool and come in great colors. What more could a girl want?”
SHIMANO DURA-ACE DI2 COMPONENTS
(From $32.99 to $749.99 per item; not sold as a full kit due to options, but would be approximately $4,000;
shimano.com)
“Once you’ve gone electronic, I’m not sure you can ever go back. Smooth as honey.”
TYR HURRICANE WETSUIT CATEGORY 5
($450 for sleeveless, $625 for long sleeve;
tyr.com)
“Buoyancy and flexibility in all the right places. Plus, Andy Potts wears one, so that must be a good thing.”
104 USA TRIATHLON SUMMER 2011
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