Jake in Boulder

Jake Montgomery has had great start to the 2018 season with a bunch of impressive results. Jake is currently located in the Boulder Colorado. A Mecca for Pro Triathletes wanting to escape the Aussie winter to suck in thin air and drink terrible coffee. We caught up with our little mate for a few words. 

Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us and fill us in on what you have been up to. You have had a big start to 2018 racing Hell of the West and Geelong 70.3 can you tell us a bit about those races?

Kicked off the year with HOTW, after a below average swim I had an awesome bike to regroup with the leaders around halfway and was able to attack the last 20km and get some space going into the run. I got a couple of minutes up my sleeve but wasn’t enough to hold off Neuman with a fast finish. 2nd place for the day.

Geelong 70.3 was next up which is one of my favourite races. Another stacked field was lined up but always-great racing against the top guys. Unfortunately another shocking swim and almost to the point where I felt like pulling out, on to the bike outside the top 10 I had a lot of work to do and surprisingly felt good. Went through the main group pretty quickly and continued on my own in sight of the leaders Appo, Amberger and Fisher. It took 60km to get to the lead group and was to wrecked to try and attack so played it safe and hoped the run would be successful. Out onto the run the top 3 guys were gone quickly and I was set on holding place. Not my best run but still managed to finish in 4th place after a shaky start to the race.

You even stepped down a distance and had a crack at Olympic Distance – how was that?

Ah that hurt! I was keen to have a crack at Noosa finally after many years of triathlon but from the start of the race I knew moving to 70.3 was a good decision. By far the worst swim I'd ever had coming out with the last group of guys, I went to put the hammer down on the bike but was even struggling to hold 70.3 wattage. The run was no different in that I was at 70.3 pace, couldn't go any quicker but would have happily done that run twice at the same pace. I think the nerves of the short course get to me knowing the day can be over so quickly if I miss feet, bad transitions or body just not firing.

Your, now in the US training over there for summer where do your base yourself and what does a typical training week look like for you?

Back to Boulder, CO for the 4th year in a row, I'm hooked. The training is unreal here, weather through the summer is amazing and there’s a good crew to link up with.
Most mornings I'll jump in for a swim first, Wednesday I always ride up into the mountains and get at least 4hrs done. Saturdays are my favourite with some hard TTs on the flats and run off. Sundays are always for long runs and there are so many great trails.
 
How does this compare to a training week in Australia?

It’s exactly the same schedule but it hurts twice as much with the altitude ha-ha. A lot less riding indoors whilst I'm in the US, weather is consistently sunny and traffic is a lot calmer.
 

Do you have a group you train with in America or do you do most of your training solo?

Mostly solo but do catch up with a lot of mates for rides and coffee. There’s lots of Aussies there and have met a bunch of locals.
 
What is your favourite part about basing yourself in the US?

Having a lot more freedom out on the roads, both traffic wise and route options. Boulder has plenty of flats to work on the TTs and a bunch of canyons, which can be used for long rides and also hill work.

Minus the terrible coffee, what’s the hardest part of basing yourself in the states?

Drip coffee is pretty much dirt water. Coffee is definitely getting a lot better and with some local knowledge there’s a couple of really good spots.
Missing family and being away from the ocean is the hardest part. Surfing will always be a part of my life and the thing I love most. Nothing beats the simple pleasure of being in the ocean on your own and getting a few fun waves

What races have you got coming up that we can watch out for you at?

Boulder 70.3 is up next on the 4th August. Had a bit of rough time training when I first got to the states. Fitness at the moment is questionable but being a 'hometown' race I couldn't miss it.