MY EXPERIENCE BEING A ZONE3 COMPETITION WINNER
WRITTEN BY BETH
I was super lucky to win the recent Zone3 competition which saw me winning custom made Aeroforce-X trisuit from Zone3 and Nopinz. After finding out I had won, the first thing I had to do was take lots of measurements to ensure the perfect fit. Nopinz sent me a sheet to fill out, making it clear where to measure, I just had to find a tape measure. They even double-checked a couple of the measurements which didn’t quite fit the ‘normal’ on their programme, it was actually just my swimmers' shoulders but good to know they are double-checking! I was also able to choose the length of the arms and legs which is great. I'm sure plenty of women will agree that often trisuits come up very short in the legs which aren't so comfortable on the bike and tend to ride up under a wetsuit.
I then sent Nopinz my design brief (basically an idea of how I wanted it to look, along with some pictures of designs which I liked). based on that they put together a design for me which we then finalised with a few small changes. What they came up with following my brief was so good that very little changes needed to be made. Once I confirmed that I was happy, Nopinz got to work making my design a reality.
I actually went to France to stay with my partners family before they had finished making the trisuit so they kindly sent the suit to me there. The day it arrived I took it straight out the box and tested it out by taking my TT bike for a spin. I was very impressed by how the colours had turned out but also with the fit. It was super comfy on the bike and the material was able to keep me cool enough during a 30 minute effort in the 38 degree heatwave.
With races being cancelled it wasn't until mid-September that I was able to test it in a race. Ventouxman Triathlon ended up being the most extreme race I have ever done due to crazy weather conditions. I can't tell you what the suit is like to swim in as the swim was cancelled due to monsoon like rain and overhead thunder and lighting. The bike course had me riding through roads which had turned to rivers before climbing Mont Ventoux. This was followed by a wet, muddy, technical trail run. These conditions really put the suit to the test, and I am very happy to say that despite those conditions, probably thanks to the perfect fit, there was no chafing.
Hopefully, I will get another chance to race in the Aeroforce-X this year! I am really impressed by the fit and had so much fun working with Nopinz on the design (check women's and men's collection).
